Need advice on purchasing an older RV.

I was in the same boat as you. 10k budget. Looking at mid 1990s everyone had water damage or were ragged out. Some needed new rubber roofs which cost about $100 per foot. I came apon my rig that was a bit older but mechanical sound, had an aluminum roof and underbelly and best of all it live most of its life in Utah and the undercarrige was spotless and rust free.

Bought it for 5k gutted and redid the interior. Fixed the only water damage that was in the basement compartment. Changed all fluids, rubber parts, U joints, fuel pumps, brakes, resealed all windows and openings. Basically anything that wears out or would need service. My wife and I did all the work, took us about 5 months and spent about 4k . So for 9 k I have a rig I can drive anywhere (except past a gas station lol).

If your handy and or have resources to fix it. Take your time and find a good foundation to start with. Just realize no matter how old or new they always need something fixed or fiddled with.

Have fun finding the right rig is part of the fun. Then make it your own.

JKaz

In '96 Chevrolet moved to the Vortec 454 which was a huge improvement. Make sure that the chassis is the same as the coach year if you use that as an important criteria. Many coaches are on 1-2 year old chassis. Delamination means the glue in the walls is not holding anymore. This is usually caused by roof leaks. That is a very expensive or time consuming job to repair.

robotspaceman wrote:
I work at a roofing supply company run by extended family, most of my friends are handy with home repair and whatnot, so a leaky roof isn't the worst thing.

I would walk away from any rig with water damage. There are enough rigs out there without, that you should not buy one with...
and yes I've repaired two water damaged RVs

.....
I've been told that Fleetwood is one of the better brands out there and having seen the newer ones up close I'm pretty sure there's a reason they're still around. Quality lasts, and obviously there's a boatload of problems that can arise with a motorhome of any kind, so I'm not particularly worried about that.

Well, no, almost everything you wrote there is wrong. Fleetwood was (it went bankrupt) was one of the "average" brands, and poorly run.
Quality does not last, maintenance does. At the age you are looking for who did the maintenance, and how well, is much more important then who built it.

While shopping for a 5er we once saw a three year old New Horizon, probably one of the best rigs made (new cost over $100,000). It had been trashed by the original owner. While we saw a 20 year-old Fleetwood looked like it had just rolled off the show-room floor. The owners took care of it, kept it in a garage, really put some care into the rig

Is NADA guides a decent starting point to reference when you're considering price of a vehicle? Granted there are numerous things to keep in mind, so clearly any suggested price is largely subjective.

We're looking at having around 10k to spend for a vehicle and I've seen the models we're interested in for less than that. Putting some extra cash into the thing will obviously happen, we just want to hear back from people who've owned one of those models on what they think of them.

Thanks :)

NADA is the average reported selling price by the dealers. This price is anything from 20% to 50% higher then private sales.

But, again, it's CONDITION. We once knowingly paid above book for a rig that had been incredibly well cared for (garaged, seldom used,etc)

It's all about condition

and I really do mean, walk away from any rig with water damage.

Leaky roof is a bigger deal than you believe ... water rots wood and creates delamination issues which are expensive PIA repairs. If I were buying a used RV I would spend the money (about $100?) and have the rig pressure tested .. will show you all the potential sources of leaks.

You mentioned that you work at a roofing supply place and that you are able to work on an RV. First thing is thats very good because RV's are cheesy and always need something. Second thing is DONT buy anything with signs of water damage. You may think its small or the owner may be down playing it or the price may be great but often times the damage that cant be seen is very bad. You can have water signs on the ceiling and have your foot go through the floor. Dont do it.
You can replace the engine or trans or appliances. If you knew it had a blown engine you could get a price and know where you stand but when it comes to water damage you will be crushed as you open it up and that sinking feeling hits you. There are too many to choose from so just go slow. The ideal rig will probably be stored indoors, you just need to find it. One of the first things to do is get up on top on your hands and knees and inspect EVERY inch of it for soft spots. If I was buying a new RV I would be on top doing that. As you move around listen for snapping or cracking noises from bad plywood. The number one RV issue is water. Then there is the side of water and RV's that oldmattb touched on.

Oh yeah... And do not spend to the limits of your budget. Keep a reserve for emergencies. A couple of weeks after we got our current coach (the '98), we had it all ready to take a trip - tanks filled, fridge on, etc. During the night, the tiny pipe that feeds the ice maker broke and pumped about 50 gallons of water into the coach. The entire front half of the coach was squishy.

I have a extraction carpet cleaner, so the water was cleaned up in about half a day. The 15 years of ick in the carpet released a smell that would not go away, so I tore all of the carpet and pad out and replaced it with laminate. The pipe that caused the issue was replaced with copper for about $10. I can only imagine what the total job, plumbing, cleaning, new floor would have cost at an RV center.

You will get some surprises - that is the way of motorized bouncing box houses!

Matt B

We ended up with a '98 diesel for about twice your $10k limit, but we looked at a LOT of gas RVs in your price range.

Almost none of what we saw were great. Most has worn carpet or some fabric tears, or significant fading on the outside. After a few months, we (mostly my wife) decided we would have to spend more to be pleased.

My own opinion on shopping in your price range - the story is the most important. Why is it in the condition it is in? Why is it being sold? Was it loved and well-maintained? Why were faults not corrected?

The chassis of gas motorhomes seem to be Ford or Chevrolet, both are generally good, and strong opinions seem to have more to do with NASCAR than objective measures of reliability. We have looked at many Bounders (there are a lot out there), and they seem just about like anything else.

I would buy an RV with a bad engine or transmission if the price was right and the story fit - that is, if there was a good reason for the failure and a good reason it had not yet been addressed. If I am lied to or feel like it, I would pass on an otherwise amazing deal. I bought a 40-foot diesel that had not been moved for six years because the story was solid, the answers were truthful, and the price reflected the risk. It came out great.

Engine, transmission and generator are huge bucks items. Water damage would probably be a deal breaker without knowing the extent (and I am a serious DIY person.) Most everything else is just dollars - if the fridge is bad (and the story fits), you account for it in the price, make an offer and replace it.

My best price resource is the sold charts on PPL's website. They consign a lot of RVs, price them aggressively and sell a lot. Don't be afraid of insulting people with low offers - you are there to do business, not make a buddy. We actually paid asking price for our current coach - it had just been marked down by the seller 50 percent from his initial asking price, and NEEDED to sell. I caught the craigslist ad minutes after he marked it down, and was there with a cash offer in twenty minutes.

Matt B

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/sold/class-a-motor-homes.htm

Deleted

I work at a roofing supply company run by extended family, most of my friends are handy with home repair and whatnot, so a leaky roof isn't the worst thing. Obviously it's not desirable in any way, but preventative maintenance is a lovely thing if you're diligent. I myself am mechanically inclined and have no fear of a bit of greasy work. I fully expect to have to get in there at some point and twist a wrench.

I've been told that Fleetwood is one of the better brands out there and having seen the newer ones up close I'm pretty sure there's a reason they're still around. Quality lasts, and obviously there's a boatload of problems that can arise with a motorhome of any kind, so I'm not particularly worried about that.

Is NADA guides a decent starting point to reference when you're considering price of a vehicle? Granted there are numerous things to keep in mind, so clearly any suggested price is largely subjective.

We're looking at having around 10k to spend for a vehicle and I've seen the models we're interested in for less than that. Putting some extra cash into the thing will obviously happen, we just want to hear back from people who've owned one of those models on what they think of them.

Thanks :)

Fleetwood made some good coaches that could still be reliable and usable. But, for something that old, preventive maintenance is everything. Think of a car that is that old. Now, add a house that bounces down the road.

The life expectancy of most of the components is less than 20 years, so you would have to expect that some, if not most, have been replaced at least once. The one potential problem that is very serious is a leaking roof. Avoid any rig you find with water stains anywhere around the ceiling. Engines and transmissions are somewhat common, so repair or replacement is not totally prohibitive. Expensive, but not out of the question.