1997 Class C Winnebago, 47,000 miles too old to buy?

[Xavpil]

I did my due diligence and read the FAQ and also did a search
I am looking at a 97 Winnebago Minnie Winnie with a ford engine with 47,000 miles on it.
It looks great cosmetically and drives good. But I know this is the tip of the iceberg and it will require a thorough inspection.
It is my first RV. I’d take it across country.
I know it depends on a lot of factors but is there a rule of thumb that says RVs shouldn’t be older than....
Thx guys

[ron_dittmer]

pianotuna wrote:
Ron,

My 2005 has disk brakes. I've replaced the rear brakes 3 times since 2009. I've driven it about 120 miles and I try to avoid using the brakes when ever possible.5

Rear disk brakes became the standard for the E350 a few years after 1997, maybe when the E450 was introduced.

[Grit_dog]

^If that's your experience, then older vehicles are a challenge. BTW, brake light switches for your van are like $10.99 at any parts store and easy to replace, which I'm sure you're aware of.

Which is why I mentioned that if your are not a shadetree mechanic, at a minimum, expect to pay more and be frustrated.
It's a balance between budget, knowledge, need and convienence. With a **** shoot of whatever might happen.

[BFL13]

No luck finding one part for my 1991 so far. Had two things happen at once of course :(. Had the big red brake light come on while driving and the anti-lock sign too. Stopping ok, try not to worry too much. Then the parking brake red light would not go out either (except it was not on at all--see the rest--). The little plastic switch that pushes up and down by the parking brake was broken in two for some reason.

Can't get one of those little things anywhere it seems. Glued it so it worked and the red light still stays on! Drat. Lots of brake fluid in the pot up front. Then read in the manual way into it that the pot has to be more than half full--it has to be full near to the top. Who knew?

So filled the pot up from half and red light goes out as it should also the anti-lock read-out. Then the little part came unglued so now no parking brake red light. Rats. So have to keep remembering to release the brake when starting off--no red light to remind me.

But at least the scary red brake light is not on anymore while driving. With my 2003 Chev truck I sometimes get the ABS warning --it comes and goes by itself--got that solved over on the TV forum, but at least the Chev manual says you still have brakes when that comes on. With the 1991 E350 it does not tell you that, so you bite your nails and hope you make it home ok.

Stupid stuff like that could ruin the OP's dream trip across country. Local area, you can get home somehow and get things fixed even if you have to abandon the rig at some garage out of town.

Of course stupid stuff can happen with a new rig too, but less likely. Also on any cross-country trip you need deep pockets and extra time in case things go wrong. With the old RV, you just need deeper pockets I guess!

[pianotuna]

I loved my 1987. However maintenance costs were $0.25 per mile. I drove it 200,000 miles. It was shared with my brother. In the end I purchased my own RV and he bought me out. The repairs started looping--for example the power steering had to be fixed in year #2, and fixed a second time in year #8.

Parts became an issue for the chassis. The house part was reliable with only the water heater board going out. It had 125,000 miles on it when purchased.

[klutchdust]

Bumpyroad wrote:

klutchdust wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
My concern would be that 5 to 7 years down the road you may have trouble getting anything for it so it all depends on the cost, assuming other issues are no problem.
bumpy

Anything meaning what, house or chassis? Chassis parts are readily available, maybe the shiny do-hickey

moulding may be unavailable but then there is always Walt's in Riverside.

anything as in $$$ selling it or unloading it. I believe that the OPs response indicated he understood me.
bumpy

My apologies sir, i misunderstood what was written.

[bobndot]

Xavpil wrote:
I don’t plan on keeping it that long actually
I am too young to retire and enjoy the open roads weeks at a time. I just want to go on my dream road trip cross country while I have the luxury of being able to work remotely

I think you will be better off renting a unit for a one time vacation that you can do in a month or two . That way there is no prep and you walk away from it. That freedom might be money well spent.

Consider how long it might take you to get an rv repair appointment to repair a older rig while on the road. With rv sales going thru the roof now, the shops will be overloaded.

[BFL13]

Xavpil wrote:

BFL13 wrote:
Suggest you are a good candidate for renting a Class C.

Renting prices are out of this world, $300/day, and limited to 100 miles/day, unless I am not looking at the right vendors

Yipes. Anyway situation remains. After you have had it for a while and things stop breaking, you can trust it better for long trips.

[Bird_Freak]

Have it inspected, replace all belts and hoses then go have fun. I have been driving old vehicles on long road trips for years. See my sig.

[Xavpil]

BFL13 wrote:
Suggest you are a good candidate for renting a Class C.

Renting prices are out of this world, $300/day, and limited to 100 miles/day, unless I am not looking at the right vendors

[Xavpil]

Thx

[BFL13]

Nothing against buying an older Class C at a good price, but the OP's idea here is not a good one IMO.

With ours it took a few short trips over the first six months to get it in shape. Right after buying it went in for a mechanical inspection where it got a few things done. Even so, it had to be towed twice; one time to get a new starter, second time it was burst hoses under the doghouse-no water would stay in radiator long enough to drive it.

After the first six months it has been great except needed new tires--of course it was an inner back tire that went flat.

So the one "dream trip" is likely to be when all the fun happens. 😞
You will wear out your Good Sam Emergency card.--and don't leave home without one of those!

The RV house stuff will have problems that mostly you can fix yourself, except you might have to order parts from Amazon. How to do that on the one dream trip?

So IMO don't do that. Suggest you are a good candidate for renting a Class C same as those European tourists do. If you meant to buy it and stay local doing short trips here and there, then yes.

[Bumpyroad]

klutchdust wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
My concern would be that 5 to 7 years down the road you may have trouble getting anything for it so it all depends on the cost, assuming other issues are no problem.
bumpy

Anything meaning what, house or chassis? Chassis parts are readily available, maybe the shiny do-hickey

moulding may be unavailable but then there is always Walt's in Riverside.

anything as in $$$ selling it or unloading it. I believe that the OPs response indicated he understood me.
bumpy

[klutchdust]

Bumpyroad wrote:
My concern would be that 5 to 7 years down the road you may have trouble getting anything for it so it all depends on the cost, assuming other issues are no problem.
bumpy

Anything meaning what, house or chassis? Chassis parts are readily available, maybe the shiny do-hickey

moulding may be unavailable but then there is always Walt's in Riverside.

[pianotuna]

Ron,

My 2005 has disk brakes. I've replaced the rear brakes 3 times since 2009. I've driven it about 120 miles and I try to avoid using the brakes when ever possible.

[ron_dittmer]

Xavpil wrote:
I did my due diligence and read the FAQ and also did a search
I am looking at a 97 Winnebago Minnie Winnie with a ford engine with 47,000 miles on it.
It looks great cosmetically and drives good. But I know this is the tip of the iceberg and it will require a thorough inspection.
It is my first RV. I’d take it across country.
I know it depends on a lot of factors but is there a rule of thumb that says RVs shouldn’t be older than....
Thx guys

There is no rule of thumb with age. If it smells good inside (no moldy smell) and there are no water stains on the interior walls, especially in the cab-over bed area, then at the right price, that rig might be worth considering.

Given the rig is a 1997, the Ford chassis might have the older V8 engine, or the later V10 engine. The older V8 gets worse fuel economy and are prone to exhaust leaks where the manifolds bolt to the engine. The manifold bolts like to break. The V10 engine that replaced it is a much better engine with improved fuel economy and reliability. Since you mentioned going cross-country, know what to expect concerning fuel consumption.

You did not mention the length of the rig, but back in 1997, the E450 chassis did not exist. So if that rig exceeds 25 feet in length, it may sag a lot in back when you are loaded for a trip. Unless a previous owner addressed that problem, plan on adding a leaf spring or two in back per rear corner. Also heavy duty front and rear stabilizer bars and heavy duty Bilstein shock absorbers. Going cross country with these things addressed will make your cross country driving experience much more comfortable and safe.

If you buy that rig, you will surely want to adjust the rear drum brakes so the shoes are right there at the drums with a free-spinning slight drag after you pump the brakes. Otherwise the front brakes will work exceptionally hard, and the rears won't contribute adequately. Trust me on that, I know from personal experience with my previous motor home. It is a night/day difference in safety, especially noticed in mountain and canyon driving. If that chassis is not equipped with 4-wheel anti-lock front brakes which I believe to be true, the front brakes will lock up and skid when slowing down in the turns. Think about that nightmare. The rear drum brakes work exceptionally well, but only if adjusted properly for maximum performance. With 4 tires in back, they will stop that rig very nicely without skidding, especially because of the weight on those rear tires.