Want to buy RV and need advice please

Agree with the price increase at just above the $25000 mark a sweet spot seems to be. Since you have RVed you most likely know most of the systems and if you don't, ask them to be demonstrated. And by the same experience you check everything twice to see its working, dates on batteries and tires(bargaining points) and don't be in too big of a hurry, kiss a few frogs. Take a good test drive on curvy roads and freeway, find a hill to go up and down. Look for service records.

LEN

$25,000 bought as a 25 foot class C Jayco. It needed tires...badly (like hubby was even a bit scared to drive it home and he is not easily scared of anything). It was 2005 and purchased by us in 2012. Tires $1360. It had 18,000 miles on it and looked little used.

We love the size...use it as a mobile hotel and for all trips so far have not had a toad.
Just bought a jeep to explore some off road places that RV cannot go.

They are out there. Agree with private seller sometimes circumstances demand quick sale of nice units. Be diligent and look. It is harder in NY to find the smaller c's or at least it was for the 1+ years I was looking.
Donna

I would go the Class A forum and read lots of threads. There are some great threads on gas vs diesel, what length, costs of owning a class A, etc.

At $20K, you have to decide between a much older diesel or any older gas. There are pros and cons that have been discussed in great detail in the class A forum.

Either way, it is an older coach. I purchased from a dealer and did not have a history of the coach. The good news was I purchased an extended warranty that has more than paid for itself. If I was to do it again, I would purchased from a private owner that took meticulous care of it. Someone that knows what maintenance should and has done all of it and has the records to prove it. I would also look for one that has been kept under cover when not in use.

Also be very careful about the paint checking issue that coaches had between approx 2000 and 2008. It is a defect in the sidewalls that cause little checks under the paint. It is most noticeable in the dark areas. It will get worse as time goes on and eventually the clear coat will lift off. You can try and have those area repainted but it often comes right back. I had slight paint checking when I purchased mine and even though I stored it in a garage when not in use, the checking got worse over time and the clear coat was popped off in some area.

Dogslife wrote:
My husband and I are ready to buy a USED RV.
Would really appreciate if anyone has any ideas/tips/warnings etc before we make the plunge?

A little about us.

1. Our budget is $20k in cash. (We do have more, but only if it was a spectacular deal)
2. We have had a trailer before and definately want a motorhome.
3. It is just for two people and our German Shepherd (sometimes).
4. We like convenience, comfort and space, but are not extravagant.
5. We will mostly use it for 3-5 day trips.

We are already looking at some online. We would never buy unseen, but some of them are looking really good.

Why an RV?
Do you plan to do lots of traveling around?
If you plan to stay in one place,city,town for 3-5 days why not rent a hotel or motel and save 20Gs

kerrlakeRoo wrote:
As everyone else has said,,,, read
For a $20K motorhome, its going to have some problems, think about what are the easiest things for you to deal with, decide what problems are deal breakers (hint ,,water damage) And then determine what you may be able to work with. Its going to be a process at that price, and there will be some learning, but by the time your done, you should be an old pro for in the future.

I agree with this. I'd add that you should do some research now on the electrical systems, etc., to better understand how things work. That will help you decide what you're comfortable doing yourself versus having to be done professionally. The more you can do yourself, the less money you'll need to get it up to standards.

And do look at different floorplans, etc., at dealers and shows, etc.

When you do start looking at actual motorhomes for sale, make the seller operated everything (stove/oven; fridge; heater; water heater; faucets; water pump; etc.). If for any reason they won't show you it in operation, walk away - no matter how "common sense" the reason sounds. If they have nothing to hide, they'll take the extra effort to show you it works.

Like others have said, read, look at as many as you can to get a feel for what you want, then take your time and buy the right one. I bought my first class A motorhome last year, a 28 ft 2002 Safari Trek with an 8.1L vortec gasoline engine, it had been well updated by the previous owner or two with new tires, batteries, fridge, sine wave inverter, carpet, seating, safe-t plus, steering bell cranks, trac bar, flat TV, 400 watts of solar panels ..... all since 2014, and I paid just over $20,000 from a private seller (asking was $25,000, I countered at $19,000, we settled on $20,500) it was a thousand miles away though so recovery cost added another $1,200

As others have said, there will be things to fix / upgrade on any used older RV, even if the previous owners did a lot of work, there are still things that fell through the cracks, or just different priorities on upgrades. For me this has added another $4,00 or so to the costs doing most of the work myself. Some of it was small stuff, but small stuff adds up, here is a general list of what I have done to give you an idea, in no particular order:

$430 Fix brake problem, turned out to be damaged cap on the master cylinder, plus flushing brake system, most of this was RV shop rate labor, but hey when the brakes get squishy going down the road you stop at the nearest shop

$650 Dash air conditioner repair, it would blow cold at random, 2 full days in a shop I have been using for years, they 3 separate intermittent wiring issues, plus being a bit low on freon, they earned their money on this one.

$220 New LED sealed beam style headlights, I like seeing where I am going after the sun goes down and those old dim halogens just don't cut it. The new ones are still not as good as the HID's on my car, but they are close.

$650 new Koni FSD shocks, the old factory ones with 75,000 miles may have had some life left in them, but the new ones are a major improvement, no more porpoising going down the road

$260 front sway spreader bar, a suspension upgrade all wide track P32's should have

$165 Sumo Solo airless rubber springs, they helped, were easy to install, and I think great bang for the buck.

$125 new rear sway bar bushings, while installing the shocks I noticed the old rubber bushings were shot, front ones had been replaced by a previous owner

$185 See-Level 709 tank monitor system (open box amazon deal)+ $70 in custom wood trim work, like most motorhomes mine came with the nearly useless 1/3, 2/3, full monitor panel that always reads wrong on black and gray tanks, worth every penny

I think those are most of the bigger ticket items, however there were still numerous $20 - $150 items like, various marker lights, propane regulator (old one had a leak), propane extend-a-stay kit (old one was missing hose and valve leaked slowly), rear view camera (moisture in lens), headlight switch (old one had overheated at some point), CB radio (old one dead), electric heating element for combo propane/electric water heater (burned out), new Oxy-genics shower head (more better), 2 gallon water pressure accumulator tank (quieten water pump, and supply enough water to flush the toilet in the night without turning on noisy water pump)


Then of course there are pots, pans, BBQ grill, camp table, chairs, towels, sheets, pillows mattress pad, ...

You could do this, DUtch Star


or this
take over payments.

As everyone else has said,,,, read
For a $20K motorhome, its going to have some problems, think about what are the easiest things for you to deal with, decide what problems are deal breakers (hint ,,water damage) And then determine what you may be able to work with. Its going to be a process at that price, and there will be some learning, but by the time your done, you should be an old pro for in the future.

There are many ways to look for a used RV,don't be in a hurry do a lot of research, Kick some tires,decide which floor plan you can live with

One of the many avenues to look at is the Former Rental Market

There you will get a good value for your money and a RV that has had proper maintenance.There more that 90 owners on that thread and all are happy with their choice.

Enjoy your quest for that perfect RV that will suit your needs and budget.

With 20k budget you will be looking at 15 plus year old motorhomes, 20 years and older if its from a dealer, stay with private party sells and your money will go further.