the worse built motorhome you can think of

I would think if you are looking at a 1979 RV that still runs, all the appliances work and doesn't leak you just answered your question.

Yes I think a P30 chassis is great. I think my Holiday Rambler has that chassis. It has a tag axle. But I think it is a great chassis. When I drove my Holiday Rambler home, I was passed by truckers (naturally) and never swayed or moved. it felt solid as my buses. I like the p30 chassis.

The worst we have seen was a Barth. Several examples we looked at had unfinished wood in very visble places. Of course, we saw that in a Fleetwood Tradition at a show last year, although not as obvious as in the Barths.

We had a 2002 Rexhall Rexair. It was the worst in my book. Had to replace both faucets...they had cheap plastic type in it, the backup camera quit, the dash air gave out within 2 yrs, the A/C gave out within 3 yrs, the hydraulics for the slides leaked, no matter who worked on it they weren't able to get that to stop, and the slides leaked. Finally after 3 different places tried to fix the leaks, DH took the slides apart inside the rig and discovered NO caulking on most of the slides, NO screws in places it needed screws and 3/4" gaps in the flashing.....perfect for water to get into the rig. The bedroom slide had ONE screw holding it on........!!!!! Finally, we were able to sell it 4 yrs after buying......we gave up!

Gee, I lived with a P-30 chassis for 17 years and had no issues whatsoever. Didn't think much of the 454 exhaust manifolds tho.

The last one you traded in.

IMO, all RV's are cheaply made. You just have to keep looking hard enough to find it on some of them.

Given enough time and road miles:

Any motorhome whose cage is made out of wood (vs metal) is going to have problems. Any metal cage that is not welded will have problems (best on two sides.) Any motorhome whose basement cage is steel and not rustproofed will have problems. Any motorhome whose floor is chip wood vs plywood will have problems. Any motorhome that has end caps will have problems. Any motorhome that has a flat roof vs an arched will have problems.

Now you can have all of the above, and still have a good rig. But it's going to be because of the owner, and not the manufacturer.

Condition is the important thing in a used RV. An entry level unit in excellent/good condition is usually a better purchase than a high end unit in poor condition.
I have P30 chassis, it has it's faults but I don't hate it. It's just something you deal with, I'd buy another one if I liked the unit.

The plumbing, appliances, generators, and drivetrains are all made by someone else. The walls, floors, and cabinets are what the manufacturer actually makes, and even then parts of it may be questionable. Looking at older rigs a lot will depend on how it has been maintained. If you don't maintain or take care of a $1 million plus dollar rig it will look bad inside and out in a few years. But, if you maintain a $50K rig inside and out, it will look better and last longer.

I only asked because I wanted to know what older unit out there was not so good. didn't mean to offend anyone. For instance I went out to look at a 1979 Depalma motorhome. Looked great in the pictures on CL. went 100 miles to look at it Generator missing which was a deal breaker at first. then I notices that the ceiling was 7 inches lower by the AC unit and the skin flapping in the wind. Looked good but didn't seem well built to me. I see coachmens and I see Georgie Boys,, I see this and that. I just wanted to know from you guys what was a cheap motorhome. I didn't intend to put anyone's ride down. Yes I wish I could have a Prevost,, I wish God did too . I am very happy to have what I have. I am sure all the prevost owners out there would not even entertain trading my three buses and my HR for their Prevost. But I don't take that as a putdown towards my gear. Someone posted that a P30 chassis was junk. I didn't get offended I just disagree. Some people have better lives and better opportunities than others. my point is, I don't see my question to taken as a put down to someone's motorhome, .