When you first bought your used motor home

Rental, 4 years old, bought from a dealership who, luckily, was honest, helpful and had made sure everything was in working order. Eight years later we have only had tire replacements and minor things I took care of myself.

Floridastorm wrote:
What immediate problems did you have with it?

Did you buy it from a dealer or privately?

Did you have it inspected by a mechanic prior to purchase?

What seems to be your most frequent mechanical problem with the motor home out on the road?

Did you find out later that you paid too much for it?

We did not have immediate problems but we are glad we purchased extended insurance. We purchased the coach from a dealer and we did not get any maintenance records. We did have the coach inspected but without records, we decided that extended coverage would be a good idea. The extended coverage has more than paid for itself in the almost 5 years we have had it. We have had an air bag go out, a slide controller replaced, a HEUI pump went and the injectors had to be replaced with it.

Our biggest regret was not knowing that the paint checking would get worse even though we kept the coach under cover after we purchased it. We brought it back to Newmar to have the sidewalls replaced and repainted. That was the single most costly thing we have done to it.

DId we pay too much for it? Yes and no. We paid a good price when it comes to what the coach was worth, but not a good price when you consider the cost of replacing the sidewalls.

Do we enjoy our coach? Yes. We still have it and plan to keep it for many more years. We could not afford a new or close to new diesel pusher and our coach is great to travel in and live in. What has surprised us is that there is always something we need to do. Most of these somethings are small things like replacing light bulbs, recharging water softeners, etc. But if you follow the maintenance schedules of the chassis, motor, transmission and generator, there is a lot to keep up with. We do what we can but for many things, we go to the Freightliner shop.

We have talked often about the time and money it takes to keep the coach well maintained but we would not give up the wonderful trips we have taken. We would not have taken those trips without the coach and we have made and will continue to make incredible memories traveling in our RV.

We bought our first motorhome from a dealer in Missoula, MT. It was a Pace Arrow on a Dodge chassis with the 440 engine.
Our biggest problem with it was the floor plan. It simply didn't occur to us that it was unworkable. It had two side couches that pulled out to make the bed. BUT, when the bed was made, the only way to get to the bathroom was to crawl across it!
Not good when DW was working night shift, and sleeping during the day.
the only other major problem we had was that the engine often overheated. After trying nearly everything, I pulled the radiator for cleaning and pressure testing, and discovered that the cooling fins were totally blocked by bug guts and dirt. It could not be seen because of the air conditioning condenser in front of the radiator. Once that was cleaned, the overheating problem went away.
We eventually traded it in on a coach with a rear bedroom. That was MUCH nicer!

What immediate problems did you have with it?

Had a few. On the way home, CA to CO, Loose battery connection, hit a bump and the entire MH shut down, buzzers, warning lights... but everything came back up almost immediately except the Check engine light... that was nerve racking for a new owner. Started raining, no windshield wipers... 1st trip out discovered electrical problems (shorted shore power cable) furnace blowers had worn bearings (squealing), slide-out motor working real slow and need help to move the slide out, it came in okay...replaced the motor.

Did you buy it from a dealer or privately?

Bought from a dealer...won't recommend him.

Did you have it inspected by a mechanic prior to purchase?

No, my mistake but the items which need fixed were only slightly more than the cost of a full up inspection. If I were to do it again, I would definitely have an inspection done.

What seems to be your most frequent mechanical problem with the motor home out on the road?

Only been on a short trip since brining it home

Did you find out later that you paid too much for it?

Still think I got a good price on it, so no don't feel I paid too much.

Purchased used from a class B dealer. Had seen ads on CL, but for different coaches at their lot. This one had just gotten back from new awning installs. We knew when we purchased it needed new tires. We did not have it inspected prior, but to it to mechanic for the once over. Did alignment after new tires installed. Only problems since have been circuit boards, one water heater leak at a connection. Very happy with our purchase 7 years later (it was 10 when we bought it) and we got a good deal as far as price.

Really very helpful and informative answers. Gives me a much better idea of what to expect if and when I buy another motor home. In 1990 we bought a 1978 Mallard Sprinter 25 ft class A. Kept it for about 5 years but had a lot of problems specifically electrical and with the generator. Of course, with newer technology motor homes should be more reliable these days.

When I started looking I wanted a 24ft MH.

Surprisingly I ended up with a 31ft MH when I went to look at buying a horse and when I pulled in the driveway there sat the 31ft for sale.

I went home with a used 31ft MH instead of a new show horse. :R

I smelled a little gas when looking at it and the owner said he had just filled it up and probably spilled some.

Fast forward........First trip to Florida when I went to fill up in Georgia I heard a waterfall sound under the MH. Gas was pouring out from underneath! Told the clerk and hightailed it out of that station before hazmet got there!

I had to continue my trip and was to find out that at a certain point of filling up it would pour out underneath. So I marked the gas gauge on the dash with tape where that point was and continued on.

Took a couple of repair shops before finding an RV mobile repair in FLorida that knew what it was. The fuel tank vents had got knocked out of position. They repaired it and all was fine.
UNTIL last year when I hit a pot hole on Atlanta interstate after filling it up and topping the tank off and they are once again open. **** near killed my cat riding in the back from the fumes before I stated to smell it. :(

What immediate problems did you have with it?
Hot water heater issues, and slide topper and seals leaked on FWS.

Did you buy it from a dealer or privately?
Camping World, OKC, OK

Did you have it inspected by a mechanic prior to purchase?
No, the drivetrain had a transferrable warranty with 1 year left, so no worries on the chassis. The coach I inspected/tested everything except water as it was winterized before purchase.

What seems to be your most frequent mechanical problem with the motor home out on the road?
None as of yet.

Did you find out later that you paid too much for it?
Yes, I got a good deal. And CW is repairing the above issues at no charge.

What immediate problems did you have with it?
Tires, then some interior work.

Did you buy it from a dealer or privately?
Private off Craigs List

Did you have it inspected by a mechanic prior to purchase?
I had an NRVIA inspector look it over

What seems to be your most frequent mechanical problem with the motor home out on the road?
none, and if you keep up with the maintenance, you should expect the same

Did you find out later that you paid too much for it?
No, did my research before buying

Bought a 2005 Fleetwood Excursion 39S DP in 2011.

Bought it off of CL from a private seller, we were in Alaska and the seller was in Colorado.

Did not have it inspected, but the owner probably used 200 pictures to answer all of my questions. Everything was as expected when we got there. He took four hours to demonstrate and go over everything. We took it for a test drive, he filled the tank with 100 gal of diesel and we were on our way. As part of the inspection the refer was already running and he had put water and snacks in it since he knew we planned to leave right away.

I should note that I also bought a TT later. Because the seller sounded like he was rather clueless, I did have it inspected which was a total waste of money. Again, thanks to a lot of pictures I knew more than the inspector did about the condition of the TT. It was as I expected when I got to Idaho to finalize the sale.

On the DP the seller and pictures disclosed that the seals had failed in several of the double pane windows which was considered in the price. We later changed all off the windows and frames out for new reflecting double pane windows with a lifetime warranty.

The only failure in five years and 30,000 miles has been the engine alternator. The warranty the previous owner transferred to us çovered it.

Bill