Used DP what to look for?

Depending on your budget and what you're going to be using the MH for, there are some great deals out there. Recently I saw an old Foretravel without slides that was a heck of a deal. If I were looking for something, I'd be looking at the older well built coaches that had some miles on it rather than the low mileage units that are rotting. Too many of the "entry" level DP don't age well if they aren't constantly maintained

If from a private owner ask for maintenance records. Tire age,cracking,bad wear. Outside paint condition. Roof (climb up and inspect) caulking, condition and hardware on roof. Take covers off air conditioner and inspect. Chassis inspection, possible rust issues ( especially bay framing and flooring). Air up and check air bags and braking system, compressor. Check battery condition, water levels, charge, age.

Check genset and operation. Check all lights. Look for delamination. Window caulking. Proper sealing and operation of slideouts. Drive the coach, does it pull one way or the other, shock condition, brakes, any odd noise, engine operation normal, trans shifting, all gauges operational. Suspension and all components.

Fill with water and hook up to city water. Do all water systems work properly without leaks? Electrical system work properly ( converter of any) tv, inside lights, stereo, remotes.

Of course the engine but your getting good info on that.

Look in all above cabinets for ceiling leaks. Look under cabinets for plumbing leaks.

I looked at my first one and it was a 58 block. Pretty easy to see

wvabeer wrote:
So the Cat is the preferred engine for reliability?

Cummins vs Cat arguments abound like Chevy/Ford controversies.
You won't see many Cat powered rigs after 07 as they did exit from providing over the highway engines at some point with new anti-pollution mandates. Since then Cummins has pretty much had the market, so not much choice in the matter with the newer coaches.
I chose to go with Cat and with the coach that we researched and settled on, the engine was only available in 05, 06 and 07.

So the Cat is the preferred engine for reliability?

And 53 block:

Cummins 53 Block Casting
53 Block Casting Identification & Information

Between 1999 and 2001, the Cummins 24v engine blocks with casting # 53 were manufactured by Brazilian company, TUPY. The # 53 block casting has thin water jacket walls that are susceptible to cracking. Frequent and/or heavy towing, failing to let an engine properly warm after a cold start, and engine overheating can contribute to the development and propagation of cracks in the water jackets of these engine blocks. The cracks can grow several inches in length and result in coolant loss. If the problem goes unnoticed long enough, overheating from coolant loss may occur. It has been approximated that some 100,000 24 valve Cummins engine blocks have a 53 casting and are of concern. 53 block castings have been identified on 12 valve Cummins engine blocks as well, though there have been no reports that these blocks develop cracks like the later 24v blocks do.

http://www.cumminshub.com/cummins-53-block.html

wvabeer wrote:

Which engines were dowel pin killers?

The "Killer Dowel Pin", or KDP, is a concern on 1989 to 1998.5 12 valve Cummins engines. A steel dowel pin is pressed into the cast iron block during assembly. The pin properly aligns the aluminum timing gear housing to the engine block during assembly. Over a period of time, vibration can cause this pin to back out entirely. When this occurs, there are basically 3 possibilities. One, the pin can fall out, bounce off the cam gears and end up in the bottom of the timing gear housing without causing any damage. Two, the pin can dislodge and be forced against the aluminum timing gear housing, cracking it before exiting or falling to the bottom of the case. And three, the worst case scenario, the pin vibrates loose, becomes lodged between the timing gears, and causes catastrophic failure. In this instance, the pistons slap into the valves and your engine literally demolishes itself.

http://www.cumminshub.com/killer-dowel-pin.html

wolfe10 wrote:
53 block was a batch of bad block castings on the Cummins B engine.

Just do a search for "53 block". Plenty of hits.

Another B issue is "killer dowel pin". Again, just do a search.

Which engines were dowel pin killers?

wolfe10 wrote:
53 block was a batch of bad block castings on the Cummins B engine.

Just do a search for "53 block". Plenty of hits.

Another B issue is "killer dowel pin". Again, just do a search.

Good to know and thanks!
For now and probably forever at this age, we have a CAT and I guess it has it quirks, as well, from what I've read.
So far, so good though and at 6mons in, with over 5K miles of various terrain.

I'm not sure what you mean by extremely low miles but you might consider that with a diesel very low mileage might not be all that great. A coach that has been used a bit has had the "bugs" worked out of it and hasn't just sat around. If, for example, you may find a 2002 that with 35K miles but has been full timed for...say 10 years has had more stress than one with 100K that has spent most of the off season in covered storage.

In many respects the drive train isn't what sucks up $$$$ it's the ancillary equipment like fridge, awnings, flooring, upholstery, and other such items that are more "consumable".