Soon to be owner..maybe!

Make sure tires are no older than 5 years old by date codes and have them inspected for serious side-wall cracking. When a tire comes apart, the steel belt can flail the wiring, holding tanks and propane lines under the motorhome as well as cause possible loss of control and injury to you and others.

If working properly now, expect fridge, water heater, roof AC unit, RV generator and converter/charger to sooner than later need replacement or repairs, most last about 10 years. Have the entire brake system serviced and brake fluid flushed/replaced. Front flexible brake lines may need replacement, they can cause loss of steering control. You mentioned your intent to camp locally, you still need to have a safe to drive, reliable rig.

Okay my friends and advisors!--looks like I have bought my rv...the 1998 Coachmen Catalina Sport250MB. They are having it cleaned,picking up Mon.if it doesn't snow. My cousin is going with me to get it..he will drive it and generally check it out. My nephew will caulk the roof on the first decent day---I don't like tarps and want freedom to work in it this winter. I am at once excited and then apprehensive..haven't had a C in about 6-7 years..and I am that much older! I think this floorplan will work for us,kitchen workspace and storage are not great,but sleep areas (and some privacy with the back bedroom)are what is necessary..(DH on dinette.) Think good thoughts for me Please! Thanks! Janalee
PS what is the difference between Dicor Lap Sealant and regular Dicor caulking?

You want it, nobody else will buy this fall--chances are and with a 98/97? Old and the price is just OK. What is an 18 year old car worth? Then translate that to the RV chassis. You don't have a lot of choice in your area and if it meets your needs, stay interested, but don't rush into it.
Dirty? Is the carpet stained? How do you know the cabover is not rotten? What about the back panel? Did you look underneath? I mean on your back? How rusty is it? How well do the tank levers work? Any signs of leaks? Dark spots on the tanks etc. What are the tire codes?
Could it be a 97 chassis and a 98 model RV? How many owners? State of the roof? Did you do the free check on the VIN number? I have friends who bought a Coachman of about that vintage and found they had LOTS of leaks in a downpour. Mentioned they might need a new roof. What will you do with it if it is in worse shape than you think? Have you had it checked out by a mechanic? Do the brakes have to be completely fixed? Bought a truck last year that needed new rotors this year and along with a check engine light problem with the fuel system cost me $1800.
You said you have a lot of experience with older RV's so this may be worry about nothing. We knew nothing when we bought our RV but have had pretty good luck with it so hope you get lucky too!

Well,I gave the '98 a good look over..exterior in great condition,needs new awning fabric (showing some small holes on the roll..didn't open it),interior very good but very dirty-used by son and his buddies..definitely needs new mattress (but maybe foam toppers will do). The floorplan is very good for us-25'is good for our driveway. So,(the son is handling the sale..?) He says dad would come down to $11k--I am quite sure dad doesn't know the true shape of it-I have offered $10,500 due to needing awning fabric and mattress..insisting they clean it(son agreed to the cleaning) and said son should insist dad look it over. One other thing,he thinks it is a '98 but I think it's a'97..not a big deal nada wise.I hate to let it go over $500 but it is a principle thing at this point! CHIME IN HERE PLEASE! By the way,maintenance seems to have been up to date,inspection last month and two new batteries,also rv dealer did the winteriizing...the son went to Adirondacks for leaf-peeping last month with his friend..no problems.

Bordercollie - I agree, but as you illustrate, even buying new, you have to do that same maintenance at some point.

That was my point - unless you're going to buy new every 3-5 years, you're going to have to do maintenance on your rig sooner or later. Buying new every 3-5 years costs a lot of money.

That leaves buying new at a higher purchase price and pushing back maintenance a few years or buying used at a lower purchase price and doing maintenance sooner. It will wash out in the end.

Mostly agree with "toedtoes" but an old rig will likely have more problems to troubleshoot and need more frequent fixes/replacements that will be hard for a disabled person to do. Our fridge and roof AC died at about 10 years in our 2004 rig, bought new . The awning needed new fabric at around 10 years.The fresh water pump, converter charger, and house batteries needed replacement at around 10 years. You can expect to spend significant money on repairs and replacements if you want the rig fully functional and safe to drive.

Maybe you could offer to split the difference at eleven. I mean to loose the deal on that one camper you've been searching for over a couple grand. you may find another one at your price. Drive it down the road and blow a tire and have to spend 12-15 hundred for new ones then your kicking your self for walking away. Go with your gut.

Well,I am still holding fast to my $10K offer..I doubt there is a huge line forming to buy at this time of year..MY rv is still out there somewhere...

xxjanaleexx wrote:
Okay friends...how does $12,000 sound for a '98 25' coachmen with the floorplan I have searched for. It is next to new, 40k miles,Genset,New tires. He won't budge on price..always garage kept. I need help on this one,guys,since there is no reason I can't wait til Spring. I tried for $10k but no dice...Will I recoup enough in say 3 yrs if I have to give camping/driving up then? Maybe I am just being stubborn hoping he will be the one to give in--he was actually asking $17K...way too high...Jan

Not knowing anything else, it doesn't sound unreasonable. But, it will depend on if all the appliances are fully functioning, if there's any signs of leaks, etc., and if the engine is in great shape or OK shape.

Can you get it checked out by a mechanic first? If the guy is holding fast on the $12,000, I'd insist on the inspection before a commitment to purchase it.

Bordercollie wrote:
If the buyer of an old rig can do most appliance repairs and replacements as well as routine maintenance activity themselves, buying an old rig might be cost-effective. Physical limitations with aging can require owner to pay someone to wash the rig, perform basic maintenance and trouble shooting/repairs just to keep the rig usable and safe to drive.

The same limitations will affect ownership of a newer rig also.

Even though I bought a really old rig, I have put less money into it in order to get it in good working order than I would have paid for a newer rig. And what I'm doing in maintenance now is exactly the same things I'd have to do in a newer rig. The cost is no different due to the age of the rig - if I can't do my own oil change on an old rig, I can't do it on a new rig. In addition, there aren't any expensive computer modules, etc. that aren't repairable outside of a dealership in my old rig - meaning I can price repair costs from various shops rather than have to go to the dealership.

In the end, it's what you're comfortable with. The only time I would tell someone not to buy an older rig is if they want to drive off the lot and travel cross country OR they think it is a cheap way to RV - time to make sure everything works correctly, etc. is necessary before just taking off and there is no cheap way to RV.