12-13k Budget For Motorhome

[jerem0621]

DW and I are about convinced that we want a motorhome. Here is our plan, however, I wanted to consult with the experts first because I understand that plans vs reality are often two different things. So we want to plan for reality.

We own our TT, Dually, and Golf Cart outright. After we sell out the Truck, Trailer, and Cart, along with some savings, we are going to have a budget of about 12-13k for a coach.

I know that we will not be able to get a coach with a slide or a DP, but I would like to know if it reasonable to get a good 30 plus ft gasser for 7-10k and put an additional 2-3k in the coach to get it up to speed (tires, tune up, etc.) Looking at local prices I seems the year range we will be looking at is 1990-2000 depending on condition (seems condition drives the price more than the year)

Is this an unreasonable expectation and budget? Can I get amenities like auto leveling in this year range? We want a Queen walk around bed, split bath, dinnette and couch, a chair or two would also be nice. Any other caveat's recommendations? Any particular brand? ETC..

I will be replacing my DD with a vehicle that can be a toad, but that is a different conversation.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[havasu]

jerem0621 wrote:
Thanks! Your Picture has given me hope! I thought for sure I was doomed! (Especially the fact that yours has a slide!)

The secret is being able and willing to tackle the work yourself. I have done 4 rigs now and learned something every time.

The first rig I paid someone to do a lot of the work - you know the story... $100 of parts and $1500 in labor. Now I am selective about what I do myself and what I farm out to a professional and I also decide what HAS to be done and what I would LIKE to have done - the first comes under the 'initial purchase' budget and the second as funds and time allow.

A lot of people will tell you that don't do this or that on an older coach because you will not get your money back - many people ignore the advice because they never intended to sell - well those are the rigs that you need to find 🙂

If I calculate what the PO spent on mine over the last 2-3 years, it was pretty close to what I actually paid for it.

Look beyond the surface issues and focus on the structure, the mechanics, leak damage and the tires. The rest can be cleaned and appliances can be replaced cheaply (except for the refrigerator). Just remember that DW will see the dirt first!!

[Jagtech]

The pre-1999 Ford F-53 chassis used the 460 engine, which is essentially bullet-proof, regardless of mileage. Altho many will say its not the best choice of coaches, it is certainly reliable, and cheaper to maintain / repair than some of the alternatives.

[jerem0621]

havasu wrote:
So I purchased my 1995 Newmar Kountry Star for $12,000 - 75,000 miles on a F53 chassis with the 460 motor.

It came with 8 brand new (< 1 year) tires, a Banks exhaust system and a new roof. One a/c had been replaced at some point.

Inside it was a little dirty and needed a couple of weekends of hard work to clean it.

Outside was faded and I paid someone to polish and strip it and someone else to redo the decals - I could have done it myself for the cost of materials and vinyl.

All the appliances worked - I have replaced items because I wanted to, not because I had to, and I resealed the roof with eternabond ($100) for peace of mind.

They are out there if you look 🙂


This is what $12,000 can buy you if you look hard enough!

Thanks! Your Picture has given me hope! I thought for sure I was doomed! (Especially the fact that yours has a slide!)

[havasu]

So I purchased my 1995 Newmar Kountry Star for $12,000 - 75,000 miles on a F53 chassis with the 460 motor.

It came with 8 brand new (< 1 year) tires, a Banks exhaust system and a new roof. One a/c had been replaced at some point.

Inside it was a little dirty and needed a couple of weekends of hard work to clean it.

Outside was faded and I paid someone to polish and strip it and someone else to redo the decals - I could have done it myself for the cost of materials and vinyl.

All the appliances worked - I have replaced items because I wanted to, not because I had to, and I resealed the roof with eternabond ($100) for peace of mind.

They are out there if you look 🙂


This is what $12,000 can buy you if you look hard enough!

[huffmeister]

jerem0621 wrote:
DW and I are about convinced that we want a motorhome. Here is our plan, however, I wanted to consult with the experts first because I understand that plans vs reality are often two different things. So we want to plan for reality.

We own our TT, Dually, and Golf Cart outright. After we sell out the Truck, Trailer, and Cart, along with some savings, we are going to have a budget of about 12-13k for a coach.

I know that we will not be able to get a coach with a slide or a DP, but I would like to know if it reasonable to get a good 30 plus ft gasser for 7-10k and put an additional 2-3k in the coach to get it up to speed (tires, tune up, etc.) Looking at local prices I seems the year range we will be looking at is 1990-2000 depending on condition (seems condition drives the price more than the year)

Is this an unreasonable expectation and budget? Can I get amenities like auto leveling in this year range? We want a Queen walk around bed, split bath, dinnette and couch, a chair or two would also be nice. Any other caveat's recommendations? Any particular brand? ETC..

I will be replacing my DD with a vehicle that can be a toad, but that is a different conversation.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

I have an '02 Itasca w/all the upgrades and were I to offer to sell it I would start at the low BB of about 30K.

Times are tuff but I suspect you are pursuing a dream but I wish you luck.

[Sully2]

glamisorbust wrote:
I'm not bashing the P30, just simply stating the facts. We had a 1982 southwind on the P30, now we have a 1994 georgie boy on a P30 and they are both about the same. The ford's frame is built much heavier than the chevy-it's a true fact.

Its absolutely true! And if you buy a Ford chassis of the same vintage yo get something with "wheel barrow" sized tires and a coach that rides rougher than a cob...and ya cant do anything about it.

Take your choice

[bsinmich]

For that money you won't get a Workhorse with the 8.1L and Allison Trans. The 1990-2000 chassis were Chev. 454 and Ford 460. The '99 and up could have the V10. I((n '96 Chev. came out with the 454 Vortec. That had MPFI instead of TBI and was a great improvement. The Ford 460 had problems with the exhaust manifold bolts breaking and exhaust leaks that would burn out the plug wires. We had a '96 Pace Arrow on the Chev chassis and had no problems with it. We did have a steering stabilizer and steersafe on it. None of these are really designed to run easily at 70 MPH. At 55-65 they handle pretty good. Water leaks are the one thing you should watch for. Roof leaks are many times difficult to find and seal. When water gets into the side walls many will delaminate if they have laminated walls. Newmar and a couple others do not have laminated walls and avoid that problem.

[TechWriter]

jerem0621 wrote:
I would like to know if it reasonable to get a good 30 plus ft gasser for 7-10k and put an additional 2-3k in the coach to get it up to speed (tires, tune up, etc.) Looking at local prices it seems the year range we will be looking at is 1990-2000 depending on condition (seems condition drives the price more than the year)

Is this an unreasonable expectation and budget?

Unreasonable? Yes, I think so.

Out of curiosity I checked several used motorhome sites for <$10K Class As. Two of the sites came up with none, but there was more than 20 listed on other site. The latest year in this price range was 1997.

So there are Class As out there in your price range, but $2-3K in additional maintenance seems low. Very low even if you do your own work. Besides the engine & tires, what about the other stuff in an almost 20-year-old motorhome? Air conditioner(s)? Fridge? Batteries? Water heater? etc etc

You could end up with a money pit.

[wny_pat1]

Had a 28 foot 1994 Chevy P-32 chassis. I just did not like the way it handled. I now have a 36 foot 1994 DP what rides on hard rubber torsion bar suspension. It rides and handles a 100% better that the old P-32.

[glamisorbust]

I'm not bashing the P30, just simply stating the facts. We had a 1982 southwind on the P30, now we have a 1994 georgie boy on a P30 and they are both about the same. The ford's frame is built much heavier than the chevy-it's a true fact.

[jerem0621]

msmith1199 wrote:
$13k is what I paid in sales tax when I bought mine. 😞

Lol! I am not there yet! Climbing the ladder now, but that fourth rung is hard to grab ahold of. Lol (upper management)

[sundance_8]

People are always bashing the P30 chassis, but I had a 1994 34-0 National Dolphin with that chassis and loved it. Went all over the US including 2 1/2 months in Alaska. Sold it to a friend and now he loves it. Just my experience and it was great.

[msmith1199]

$13k is what I paid in sales tax when I bought mine. 😞

[havasu]

You can find a single slide coach in that price range. Although I would love a 4 slide 42' behemoth, our one slide rig is very workable and we fulltime. I wouldn't spend extra getting a 2 slide as the second slide will be in the bedroom and you can live without that extra space in the there.

The only thing is that you will have to hunt hard for your prince(ss) among a lot of frogs - they are out there, I found one, but you have to be prepared to do a lot of looking and prodding before the right one comes along. A wrong decision could put you $10,000 in the hole if mechanical problems exist and/or you need a set of tires.

[crimmps49]

We bought our 2000 Coachmen V10 Ford F53 three years ago for $13K. We found it on Craigslist. The widow was selling it as she had no interest in using it w/o her hubby, nor did her children. We were lucky and everything worked great and all maintenance records were inside in a folder. We have done upgrades and minor repairs since. We did find there are a lot of people that think their rig is worth much more than it is. We looked at many other rigs until this one came along. Take your time, check everything over, try things out---don't impulse buy, there are many rigs for sale. Good luck in your hunting.