1st RV/Class-A : northern seabreeze vs damon challenger

[thames]

Hi all, first post here! Nice place!

I am from Quebec Canada.
We actually own a tent trailer (2 years) and we really dig those weekend escapes. We want to upgrade, we were looking at bigger travel trailers but we would have to trade our car for a bigger one... so that's a good amount of money.

I came accross an ad for a Class-A motorhome, a '95 Northern RV Sea Breeze (29'), perfect for a small family (4). Well maintained (previous owner was the owner of a major truck maintenance shop), brand new batteries (3), brand new tires (6), and fresh brake job. It has the V8 7.4L Chevy engine (pre-Vortec?), it has a 86k miles. It is very-very clean, absolutely no bad odor, clean exterior, and roof was recently entirely redone with Dicor sealant. Everything is working fine, from engine to water pump, to generator, to electric stair... seller wants 14k$, no less, considering its condition.

This is much less than we expected to pay for a new car + travel trailer. Very tempting. I never thought there were such clean motorhomes in that price range.

I verified and also found a Damon Challenger 31', 1998, less mileage (60k), Ford 7.5L engine/platform, looks as clean but we have not seen it yet in person. They are asking 13k$. Brand new refrigerator, tires have 2 years, new seat covers. Very well maintained according to the owner.

What'd you choose ? Antyhing to look for ? What about those 2 engines, are they great ? Let me know pls... thank you !

[rkentzel]

Just bought one myself back in May great motor home drives well and solid. 53,000 miles did have to install a radiator and fan clutch. Generator does not run all that well but will be fixed in time happy with it.

[thames]

Hi all, as a follow-up to my initial post, we finally found our RV.

It's a '97 Cruise Master 34' by Georgie Boy. About 42k, very well maintained with all records (new motor A/C, new Radiator, new Fridge, new awning, new tires all around, etc...). Old lady selling it following her husband death a couple of months ago.

It is a F53 Ford 460 chassis, much better handling than the P30 w/454, my wife hated the 2 previous ones we tried. Thanks all for your input, looking forward for new posts with issues lol !!

[thames]

Thanks all.

We visited another one this weekend, a '98 Triple E Commander. Very nice unit, 5k engine/transmission (replaced 2 years ago), very clean, well-built (Triple E are well reknown).

Also on our list is a 1998 Thor FourWinds Infinity 30Q, will visit tonite. I dont know much about these, is there any known issue/complaints ?

[TriumphGuy]

MagillaGorilla wrote:
H


When looking to buy a used motorhome you need to break it down to 4 categories.

1: Things you need
2: Things you want
3: Quality of the coach (the stuff above the frame)
4: Chassis (the stuff between the frame rails).

Items 1,3 & 4 are the most important.

Magilla that's a great way to put it. It's easy to get #2 ahead of the rest. thanks for the reminder, when I'm shopping I get wowed by the "outside TV" when I need to remember to do my homework on the drivetrain / GVWR etc...

[frmAloha]

The Seabreeze was made by National RV. Can't speak to this particular model, but my experience with other National motorhomes is very positive. They were built very well, and we had fewer problems with those than we did with many of the others that we owned. Plus, our 2000 SurfSide is still going strong. (also a National RV product.)

[MagillaGorilla]

Here is a little different look at it.

As far as the chassis is concerned: A Ford V8 (460 ci) is a very good motor that was made for many many years as was the Chevy V8. Parts are readily available for the motor and tranny. A well maintained V8 will give you 200k miles without a rebuild. The tranny will give you close to the same IF well maintained. With that said there will be things that will not last 200k. Belts, hoses, water pumps, alternators, power steering pumps and so on. If you plan to buy an older RV then you need to plan to do some repair work to it. Its no different than buying an older car as far as the drivetrain is concerned.

I have owned 2 motorhomes. One with the 460 Ford V8 and one with the Ford V10. I do like the V10 better but I would not say that the difference is huge. The V10 seems to have more power and require less downshifts so that is why I like it better.


When looking to buy a used motorhome you need to break it down to 4 categories.

1: Things you need
2: Things you want
3: Quality of the coach (the stuff above the frame)
4: Chassis (the stuff between the frame rails).

Items 1,3 & 4 are the most important.

[thames]

Thanks for the replies.

We visited the Damon Challenger yesterday. Although the owner has a clean maintenance record (LP, refrigerator, radiator and hoses, tires, etc), it is not so clean and really not appealing. Good deal as he wants only 8.5k$ for it in the end. He traveled the USA (from Quebec to West Coast) with it about 2 years ago and everything went very well despite its age.

We found a 1998 Triple E Commander (32') with great maintenance record and very clean according to the owner. More to come.

Speaking of experience with MH, when I was younger, our family had 3 MH .... a 1980 Centurion (class-C), a 1987 Mallard Sprinter (27') and a 1995 Fleetwood (37', Southwind I think). So I am quite familiar with them.

[TriumphGuy]

Hello Thames, I don't know much about either platform or engine, but when you're getting to that age, condition is paramount for value. If everything works, there are no leaks, there is no delamination, the price is fair, within your budget and you like the floorplan and features - it's hard to go wrong.

We are planning to go from a truck and 5er to a MH and I honestly wonder why I didn't do it sooner. There are some clear benefits to having it all under "one roof." Just have to consider if you're bringing a toad or not.

Honestly I would continue to shop and compare. You have had a tent trailer so you're not completely new to the RV thing but MH will be a different animal. I don't expect either to sell fast, so allow some time to learn about what is out there. I don't know anything about the GM or Ford engines of that year and it would beneficial for you to research those for common issues.

I would also arrange an inspection of whatever coach(es) you get serious about to make sure you aren't stuck with unseen and costly repairs.

Good luck!

[vjstangelo]

Try to find a 1999 or newer Ford V10. It is a much better engine and I'll bet you can find a motorhome in the same price range without much effort.