What Constitutes Vintage Class A
DW and I are dissatisfied with the build quality, and lifestyle of our new 2013 travel trailer. We're having trouble selling outright, due to a seeming glut on the market. We are considering trading i...
Forum Discussion
I have a 1990 P30 Chassis Mallard Sprinter. It's most definitely vintage. But, everything works and the 454 pulls the 28 feet of class A really well. I can easily out pull semi-trucks up hills while pulling my Honda CRV behind me. But my chassis has the throttle body fuel injection which seems to run really nice and get great mileage for a motorhome. The brakes aren't fantastic. I have the same basic master cylinder, hydraulic brakes as a bread truck or a one ton dually. So, when in traffic I let the fools go on down the road and I drive easy. If you go with a motorhome from this era then I recommend that you have a basic knowledge of mechanical repairs. Would I buy another 1990 model motorhome? Sure, no doubt. I have my money's worth out of it by now so, it's pure fun at this point.
Don't be afraid to buy an orphan. All the parts are all the same for everything. Same chassis parts, all Chevrolet, same house parts, fridge, AC, water heater, furnace, microwave, TV, etc.. as every one else. The modern tires are far better than the 16x7.5 D rated tires that came on it. Replacement parts are super cheap. I replaced my master cylinder with a remanufactured part from Autozone and the grand total after core exchange was $27.00 bucks. Someone installed an exhaust gasket on the right manifold and it blew out down at the beach. I drove it home sounding like a tractor. My mechanic charged me $150.00 to repair it. That's a deal. I do my own oil changes on the generator and the engine. That cost me roughly $75-80 bucks for both. I flush my radiator every couple of years and that's cheap. So, you get the idea.
In a perfect world, if I were shopping for a "vintage" motorhome I'd get something made in the mid 1990s that has been used at least a couple of times a year and maintained well. I would worry about the preventative maintenance of the chassis and the generator. Then I would worry about any history of roof leaks. If the fridge is bad or the roof AC I would not worry as much about that. The roof AC is a heavy but really easy job. An RV fridge is expensive but, if the price of the RV is right it's worth it.
I have a buddy that recently bought a used class A on a Ford chassis with the 460 V-8. His motorhome is gorgeous and clean as a whistle. The 460 runs great. It was from the mid 1990's, not sure of the exact year model. He got it relatively cheap. It was owned by an older couple that took great care of it but, decided to stop RV-ing. The downside of our 28 foot is that we have one bedroom in the back and a fold out sofa. The dinette is too short for a guy my size to comfortably sleep there. If we had a class C we would have the bed over the drivers compartment. But, yes, there is something to be said about driving an A. It's comfortable and roomy up front. If I were going a long way I'd choose the A every day.
Yea, I'm wordy..
Don't be afraid to buy an orphan. All the parts are all the same for everything. Same chassis parts, all Chevrolet, same house parts, fridge, AC, water heater, furnace, microwave, TV, etc.. as every one else. The modern tires are far better than the 16x7.5 D rated tires that came on it. Replacement parts are super cheap. I replaced my master cylinder with a remanufactured part from Autozone and the grand total after core exchange was $27.00 bucks. Someone installed an exhaust gasket on the right manifold and it blew out down at the beach. I drove it home sounding like a tractor. My mechanic charged me $150.00 to repair it. That's a deal. I do my own oil changes on the generator and the engine. That cost me roughly $75-80 bucks for both. I flush my radiator every couple of years and that's cheap. So, you get the idea.
In a perfect world, if I were shopping for a "vintage" motorhome I'd get something made in the mid 1990s that has been used at least a couple of times a year and maintained well. I would worry about the preventative maintenance of the chassis and the generator. Then I would worry about any history of roof leaks. If the fridge is bad or the roof AC I would not worry as much about that. The roof AC is a heavy but really easy job. An RV fridge is expensive but, if the price of the RV is right it's worth it.
I have a buddy that recently bought a used class A on a Ford chassis with the 460 V-8. His motorhome is gorgeous and clean as a whistle. The 460 runs great. It was from the mid 1990's, not sure of the exact year model. He got it relatively cheap. It was owned by an older couple that took great care of it but, decided to stop RV-ing. The downside of our 28 foot is that we have one bedroom in the back and a fold out sofa. The dinette is too short for a guy my size to comfortably sleep there. If we had a class C we would have the bed over the drivers compartment. But, yes, there is something to be said about driving an A. It's comfortable and roomy up front. If I were going a long way I'd choose the A every day.
Yea, I'm wordy..
