1984 Beaver

[edh1550]

I am look ata Beaver RV but dont know anything about them first 1. What are some of the things I need to ask (besides does it leak?).It has 74k miles this person is the 3rd. owner has had it for6or7yrs.any help would be greatly app. ths

[Gale_Hawkins]

To use to go fishing from time to time 50 miles from home old chassises càn be OK. For cross country trips radiators may need recoried or replaced, tires, belts. Roof condition is #1 on house concerns.

In 2007 we bought a 1993 on a 1992 Chevy chassis with 91K miles for $7995 from a motivated seller with great tires and a remanufactured transmission. In 2011 it was flawless on 8000 trip to the Pacific through 17 states in 31 days in part due to our working on it for 4 years. I used it to teach home and auto repair to the twins.They asked for a MH and got one at age 9 but came to regret it. 🙂

The 31 day trip was awesome and they turned 14 when we were in CA. Now they are seniors in high school. The daughter is working part-time doing well on the job and the son just this month passed his Eagle Scout board of review. The old MH gave them a lot of work and travel experiences. We made many shorter trips like swimming meets, parks, museums, etc as test run's and building my driving skills.

My take away. Do not buy anything over 10 years old unless you are looking for an expensive and long project.

[Islandman]

As several others have noted, Beaver motorhomes from that era were high quality and looked impressive, they were one of the first to have gelcoat fiberglass and were ahead of their time so to speak. When we purchased our first motorhome in the early 1990's, we fell in love with a 1984 Beaver, but alas didn't have the money to buy it, should have borrowed what I needed and been happier. They were built on the GM P30 chassis with the Chevy 454 engine, lots of power but kind of hungry for gas; have the exhaust manifolds checked out as some of those engines had leaky gaskets. If you can swing a good deal, you will have something to be proud of.

[donfrump]

edh1550 wrote:
I am look ata Beaver RV but dont know anything about them first 1. What are some of the things I need to ask (besides does it leak?).It has 74k miles this person is the 3rd. owner has had it for6or7yrs.any help would be greatly app. ths

well there pretty ugly looking. most likely 454 chevy system
mileage is decent most likely burns oil as all those 84 motors did
If u can buy it right and its all u want or need it may be fine
$5000 max assuming motor runs good,drives good and trans shifts good

[edh1550]

not ever sad to say

[wolfe10]

See my post above!

Also, tell us how mechanical you are-- a 30 year old coach will likely require work to keep going.

[edh1550]

what do u need to know? I have not went to drive it yet gentleman says in good shape runs an drives good has 6500 onan genr.water filter sys.w ice makerelect/lp waterheater zip dee awnings alway around back up cameras spot light an docking lights 72k miles

[bluwtr49]

Yes, please give more details. To the right group of people that could be quite a find.

[wolfe10]

Please tell us more about the Beaver you are looking at so we can give you more directed comments.

What chassis? Gas/diesel?

What model?

If you have a link to the listing, post that.

[jaycocreek]

I had one in that era,a Beaver class C,there first coaches were Class C's until the 80's.It was on a Dodge chassis but the coach itself was bullet proof..Never a problem with anything coach related.Excellant build quality.

[jplante4]

We had a discussion about older motor homes last week and the one point that came out clear was to pick a rig that had high quality when built. Beavers certainly fill that requirement. 1984 was before the SMC (Safari Motor Coach) purchased so Beaver was still building coaches in Oregon.

SMC bought Beaver and Monaco bought the whole mess in 2003 or so. You should have no issues getting parts because most of the components (fridge, stove, engine etc) are still being made. Body parts (front/back cap etc) can be had from a salvage yard like Colaws, but the older the coach the less likely it will be to find what you are looking for.

Another point from last weeks discussion was it helps if you can do most of the work yourself. And there will be work to do. Older coaches are a labor of love. The good side is, in a park full of "paper bag buses", yours will stand out.

Here's a link to everything you'll need to know about Beavers.

Click

[ronfisherman]

Moved from Class C.

[Valkyriebush]

Beaver made quality RV's from what I've heard. 84 has lots of age. Get an experienced RVer to go over the RV with you real good.