Used RV Help

[luckyc1423]

I am in the process of trying to find a good used RV.

I found a good used RV on craigslist and I have been texting the owner back and forth all day.

It is a 2014 Columbus 320RS

I asked the owner what all was wrong with the unit and what might need to be replaced and they said this

"the main living room slide was repaired a few weeks ago, gear broken and was all replaced with brand new gear packs. we had the manual crank repaired. 1 tire was replaced recently. replaced an exle shackle and fixed alignment"
"needs a new mattress"
"1 shade needs replaced due to their daughter drawing on it"

Is this stuff that I should be afraid of? Anything that would be a deal breaker?

[alboy]

IT would seem the majority of trailers come with cheap shackles and need a wet bolt upgrade with the heavier shackles.The neoprene inserts are shot by the time the unit is delivered across country.Worn shackles that go oblong will cause alignment issues and take your tires out,ask me how i know!!

[Jim-Linda]

Since you are in Houston, just go over to PPL and look to your hearts content.

Jim

[rhagfo]

luckyc1423 wrote:
I am in the process of trying to find a good used RV.

I found a good used RV on craigslist and I have been texting the owner back and forth all day.

It is a 2014 Columbus 320RS

I asked the owner what all was wrong with the unit and what might need to be replaced and they said this

"the main living room slide was repaired a few weeks ago, gear broken and was all replaced with brand new gear packs. we had the manual crank repaired. 1 tire was replaced recently. replaced an axle shackle and fixed alignment"
"needs a new mattress"
"1 shade needs replaced due to their daughter drawing on it"

Is this stuff that I should be afraid of? Anything that would be a deal breaker?

This sounds like they hit a really bad pothole, or curb!

[fitznj]

Even if you buy brand new, you WILL be taking it back to the dealer many times to fix many things

I think this is a very miss-leading; I've bought 3 campers and never took the it back top to the dealer for any work.

Back to the OP - I would not be concerned with the "issues" you state , except for the shackle, they seem pretty trivial.

I've broken a shackle when I cut a corner too tightly and forced one
of the wheels in too much. Shackle broke and bent the hanger slightly. No big deal, bought a new shackle, straightened the hanger and had the alignment checked. Had the trailer for several years with no further problems.

[Durb]

That model was on my very short list when looking for a new 5er as I loved the plan and execution. I ended up buying an older rig that had never been used and was "perfect" and had no flaws. The problems ended showing up once I used it although nothing I couldn't fix. There will always be problems. This seems like an honest list assuming it is complete. You might want to see if the tire was replaced due to a blow-out. If so, check out the underside for damage.

Good luck, I think a family could be happy with that model trailer

[ScottG]

If one shackle or tire is bad, they're ALL bad.
Or time bombs.

[zb39]

Even if you buy brand new, you WILL be taking it back to the dealer many times to fix many things. This is very common in the RV industry. Or you fix these items yourself. Better to buy a used one where all the nit noid things have been done.

[mobilefleet]

most units have only a 1 year warranty, a few manufacturers offer 2 years, but it doesn't transfer to subsequent owners. You'd have to handle the repairs

[korbe]

Would all the repairs fall within the warranty of the rig? Can you get those records, or at least communicate with the service dept?

[avvidclif1]

Hire a good RV tech to inspect it for you. Especially the roof and looking for water intrusion.

[fj12ryder]

Personally I would give it a pass unless the floor plan was something you figure you won't find again. The things you mentioned to me are pretty serious and not normal items to be fixed on a two year old unit, unless it it has many thousands of miles, and hours of use.

To my mind there would be lots of other trailers out there with much less troublesome issues. These may have fixed, but I'd still be uncomfortable with them.

[bpounds]

Of those things, I think I would ask for more info on the shackle repair. What was repaired and why?

Slide-out stuff happens, not too surprised.

Mattress, well most OEM mattresses need replacement right out of the gate. And on a used unit, will feel good to sleep on a brand new mattress, compared to even a good used one.

Tire replaced is to be expected. Figure you might need all new tires anyway. I would want to know that the tire replacement had nothing to do with the shackle repair, or if it was related, again more info needed.

On the surface, that list of stuff sounds like honesty, for what it is worth.