Hello. My husband and I are thinking of traveling around the US for a year and are looking at several RVs with a budget of $25k. We found a 1994 Kountry Star that looks in good shape in the photos but are concerned buying one this old for a cross country trip. We are also looking at an 2003 Bounder. They are asking $13k for the Kountry Star and $24k for the Bounder. We have never owned a moterhome before. What are yalls thoughts? Is it a bad idea to buy a 94? Is the MPG going to be alot worse in a 94 vs an 03? Do you think parts would still be available if something happened in an 94? It has a 434 V8 and from what I understand it was a luxury model in 94. My husband is confident in his mechanical skills and feels he could handle some repair. Buying the 94 gives us money left in case something happened where as the 03 uses all our budget but I'm concerned something major could go wrong and use all our budget anyway. We would like to get some advice before looking at it as it is several hrs away from us. Do you think it's a waste of time to look at it and we should stick to a newer model? Thoughts are appreciated thank you!

Not sure of your comfort level, but you reach out today you may find a helper work you threw and give you a great sense of what is great and an someband what isn't

Bounder is a Fleetwood product and they are still in business should you need support. I would not be concerned about purchasing an older coach but I would want to see maintenance records, verify that every applicance works properly and have a qualified mechanic look over the chassis and engine / transmission.

Bill.Satellite wrote:Bounder is a Fleetwood product and they are still in business should you need support. I would not be concerned about purchasing an older coach but I would want to see maintenance records, verify that every applicance works properly and have a qualified mechanic look over the chassis and engine / transmission.X2

There could be potentially many costly and dangerous concerns....AND......both coaches could be diamonds just waiting to be shined! We stepped out and bought a 1999 model about 4 years ago. It was very affordable to us, but most of all, we knew the people we bought it from and they had maintenance records to prove it was well taken care of beyond the cosmetic. Even so, we've put probably $8-10K in repairs and upgrades over the past 4 years since we bought it. Replaced brake calipers/hydraulic lines, front leaf springs, interior carpet due to roof leaks which took FOREVER to find, plumbing components that had cracked from age and were leaking. Slideout adjustments, electrical switches replaced. It's truly a shade-tree-mechanic's and a tinkerer's dream! And oh yes...tires!...first trip out we blew 2 rear tires due to their age....my mistake for not checking that.Not trying to scare you off from the purchase, but I DO say these things to help you make your decision INFORMED. An older coach is just that.....older. Just like us, things have a useful life expectancy and they wear out and will need replacing. As long as you are willing to accept that fact, you will be just fine. The fit and finish in motorhomes from some manufacturers should scare you off right away. They will just "FEEL" cheap. In others, the fit and finish will be great, but there may be underlying problems with places you can't readily see. These things are houses built on a truck chassis that rolls down the road over potholes and curves and all kinds of road hazards. They are going to break somehow, someway....in the case of buying a used motorhome, especially an older one, you WILL find problems. It's just a matter of how bad they are and how involved they will be to fix them. Check the records for frequency of oil changes, chassis lube, engine tune-ups, etc. Hoses, coolant, brakes. The usual for engine and chassis maintenance. It's not a lot different from maintaining a car....just bigger! Check the tire date codes. Tires on an RV tend to age out well before they wear out. 6-7 years old and you should be considering replacing them....especially if the unit has been stored outdoors and the tires were not covered. They might look in pristine shape as far as tread and appearance...but inside they may well have deteriorated from sitting in the sun and not being used. If the tires are old, you'll be looking at a couple grand investment or better right off the bat.Take your time, go over it from top to bottom, front to rear, side to side and any other way you can think of to look at it. Put it through tests yourself, don't just take the seller's word for it that it works.Good luck to you in this venture!!!

Unless the tires are less than three years old they will need to be replaced $$$$ especially if the rig has sat...not used often as you have no idea how they were treated. A 94 will probably only have a four speed tranny while newer will have six which will get better MPG. A newer may have a LR slide which will be appreciated on rainy days and will have better resale value.

Should I Purchase An Older Moterhome? | Good Sam Community

27 Replies

debandi
Explorer
Aug 26, 2017
We are on our newest motor home, a 2002 Fleetwood American Eagle. It is our 6th motor home. We have had 3 diesel and 3 gassers. When we purchased an older motor home we looked at newer ones first but they left us wanting more so we went older to make our monies go further. Look them over carefully, ask questions, listen to the answers and enjoy exploring this USA.
mama_sylvia
Explorer
Aug 25, 2017
Ah, with a baby I would definitely recommend going the motor home route. Imagine being able to fix baby's lunch and take your time feeding him while hubby drives. Minimal lost time! Also, the dogs will love being able to walk around while travelling instead of being cramped in a car. We took our dog in both a class A and a class C and she quickly recognized it as "pack territory" so she was comfortable being left there while we visited family. Also, I'd suggest at least looking at some class Cs because even if you don't use the over-the-cab bed to sleep in, I bet the cats would love having a comfortable high perch with windows to look out of! It's true the *generally* a class A will be roomier than a class C, but there are exceptions. Also keep in mind the need to do baby care (preparing food, feeding, changing, bathing) when you look at possibilities. We are currently getting used to our first Winnebago and it has practically zero kitchen counter space. Take along the baby seat and make sure there is a place you can buckle it and still get the baby in and out!
Headlesschicken
Explorer
Aug 23, 2017
Thanks everyone for your advice! We still aren't sure what we will do. We are now debating between a fifth wheel and class A. Our biggest issue is our pets. We will be taking our 2 dogs and 2 cats. We also just had a baby so we will need plenty of space. We thought a class A would be better because they all would easily fit where as we can't get them all squeezed in a truck for travel. But I'm not sure how a fifth wheel works. Are we able to leave the AC on and leave our pets in there and would the ride be to rough for them? Both will be costly. If we get a fifth wheel we gotta get a truck and if we get a class A we may have to get a tow vehicle. I have a 1500 Dodge Ram and we aren't sure about towing that and he has a mustang which won't fit us all. It's gonna be a hard decision! I can't wait to hit the road though. I'm sad to return to work and miss the baby growing up.
tropical36
Explorer
Aug 05, 2017
SideCarflip wrote:
Practice due dilligence when buying used.

I talked with two different people on our last outing that bought new last year. Both said that they had spent more time at the Dealership, than on the road.
Also another some months ago that had my exact same coach and bought a new one in 2012. Again, said that the used one, already had the bugs worked our and had less issues in the first year of ownership.
Just sayin..........and to each his own of course.
My feeling is with new, you've already paid for a lot of repairs and whether anything ever goes wrong with it or not. With us, it's out of the question anyway, as our budget won't allow new with anything, since we demand a good bit of quality with what we buy and can't imagine paying new price for what we have now.
jplante4
Explorer II
Aug 05, 2017
Isaac-1 wrote:
My take on it, is if you will be doing all of your own mechanic work you don't need us to tell you what you are comfortable doing. However if you plan on having it professionally serviced, be aware that most mechanics these days have no clue how to diagnose problems if they can't plug a computer into the OBD-II diagnostic port which was introduced in 1996.

Actually, before ODBII there was J1939 & J1708 for diesels.
mama_sylvia
Explorer
Aug 05, 2017
I'm a motorhome fanatic but I agree you should consider a trailer. I have mobility problems so being able to get from the driver's seat to the bed without dealing with steps is important to me. Plus, I live in Wyoming so not having to go outside in wind and weather is always a blessing. If those aspects of motorhome travelling don't apply to you, a trailer could give you the benefits of taking along your own home without the engine repair issues likely with an older motorhome. If you already have a suitable tow vehicle, that 25K could buy you a really nice late-model trailer. And, as others have said, the newer the model and better the resale value if you really do sell it in a year. RVing is addictive!
Isaac-1
Explorer
Aug 05, 2017
My take on it, is if you will be doing all of your own mechanic work you don't need us to tell you what you are comfortable doing. However if you plan on having it professionally serviced, be aware that most mechanics these days have no clue how to diagnose problems if they can't plug a computer into the OBD-II diagnostic port which was introduced in 1996.
jplante4
Explorer II
Aug 04, 2017
clicky
hostage
Explorer
Aug 04, 2017
Headlesschickens wrote:
Hello. My husband and I are thinking of traveling around the US for a year and are looking at several RVs with a budget of $25k. We found a 1994 Kountry Star that looks in good shape in the photos but are concerned buying one this old for a cross country trip. We are also looking at an 2003 Bounder. They are asking $13k for the Kountry Star and $24k for the Bounder. We have never owned a moterhome before. What are yalls thoughts? Is it a bad idea to buy a 94? Is the MPG going to be alot worse in a 94 vs an 03? Do you think parts would still be available if something happened in an 94? It has a 434 V8 and from what I understand it was a luxury model in 94. My husband is confident in his mechanical skills and feels he could handle some repair. Buying the 94 gives us money left in case something happened where as the 03 uses all our budget but I'm concerned something major could go wrong and use all our budget anyway. We would like to get some advice before looking at it as it is several hrs away from us. Do you think it's a waste of time to look at it and we should stick to a newer model? Thoughts are appreciated thank you!

heres one for $5000
https://sandusky.craigslist.org/rvs/d/newmar-kountry-star-ft-rv/6236447708.html
Bruce_Brown
Moderator
Aug 04, 2017
garyemunson wrote:
The issue of a slide is a big deal when you go to resell. Coaches without slides are VERY hard to sell anymore and the price of a used one should reflect that. If the 94 is slideless, I'd be hesitant about exceeding a 4 digit price point.

I'm not sure on the Blunder but most Kountry Stars of that vintage have slides.