Buying a Motorhome not a mechanic

One with no water leaks that is about five years old.

For most motorhomes it's entertain 6, feed 4, sleep 2. and you would need a toad for side trips. Would you be better off with a 4 door pickup or a full size van and pull a bunk bed travel trailer. Have you rented a TT or Motorhome to see which would work best for your family. Ever camped before? Are you sure this is what the family wants to do.

I think you should first figure out how you are going to use it. I mean going out for a weekend or 3 or 4 days or going on a 4 week road trip. Driving to a place and plopping down or moving about every 3 or 4 days. These are all considerations as to how comfortable the coach for that activity. Sitting for a couple of hours or for days. And the same for sleeping. Making up the beds every night or time you move or having it ready.
That's where I'd start. Then get a floor plan and go from there.

In the long term one could buy a mechanic for about the same cost as a motor home. It all depends on age of both and the condition they are in.

Strange cryptic posts from the OP...

New or used? Size? Class? Used is recommended because they depreciate huge. We bought an Itasca, Made by Winnebago, 7 years ago and it is now 17 years old for $24000. It's a 30 ft. Class C. We think the quality is about as good as it gets yet we have spent thousands to repair and upgrade which is just what you do with a MH. If I replace we will stick with used Winnebago.

When you say "not a mecahic," do you mean not a vehicle mechanic, or not at all handy? There's a difference; being handy with typical household repairs and maintenance--things like caulking or adjusting cabinet hinges or minor appliance repairs--is very useful for keeping an RV in shape, even if one is somewhat clueless about the details of transmissions and engines and whatnot. Even better is being willing to tackle something you didn't previously understand based on YouTube videos, forum posts, etc.

Anyhow, for a class C motorhome (and probably a class A as well), the actual chassis bits are perhaps the simplest to keep working; it's basically a slightly overgrown van chassis, and for the most part they're pretty straightforward to work on and pretty reliable, though of course there are various parts that wear out with use and time. Basic work like topping up tires, changing oil, etc. is about the same as on any car, and sometimes easier because there's more room to access many parts and more space underneath the vehicle to worm one's way around.

Keeping the rest of the RV in shape is a more or less constant series of little things, such as resealing/recaulking holes and seams, keeping propane appliances clean, replacing the odd compartment door holdback that snaps off, finding and tightening a loose wire, and any number of other odds and ends.

In terms of economy, a used motorhome often offers the best value as the initial depreciation is significant and presumably on a used motorhome any build problems from the factory have been fixed. When buying used, how thorough the previous owner(s) were with their maintenance and upkeep is quite important to consider, possibly more so than age or mileage or brand. Of course, finding a layout that works for your family and systems that meet your needs (things like tank sizes) is also very important.

I would suggest giving some thought to how whatever unit you're looking at would work as your children grow. Many RV bunks, for example, are pretty short, and might be fine for an eight year old but in four years when they're a lanky twelve year old and a foot or two taller would be quite inadequate.

Almost certainly the most cost-effective RV for six people, though not the most convenient or luxurious, would be a pop-up camper.

Welcome to the Forum,hopefully you will get some good input on your quest for that RV,

Mine would be that the one you are looking at may be very well suited for your family.

As a plus it is built on a Chevy Chassis that will give you more comfort all around.

Good luck in your search.

Tight budgets and motor homes aren't a good pairing. Unless these are your children and grand children stay out of it.

what ever you do, STOP,THINK, what your doing before you buy, don,t let a sales person talk you into dept. you can,t afford. thers some great used rv,s out there just keep looking.