Advice needed -90s Tioga

[Veik]

Hi All, I recently looked at 1992 Tioga 23P
We love the layout
Second owner he has been stored inside all of its life
Approximate 50,000 miles on odometer
Suspension improvement about 5 years ago
While the RV park looks great – Chassis has a few issues
Ford e350
Cab ac only blows slightly cold air - it has been converted to new freon...
Its burning about 1/4 qt of oil every 400 miles or so, per owner
It has no air bags...
And steering column has issues where cable is apparently too fragile to wistand any steering wheel telescope adjustments, owner says $400 to repair??
How critical or expensive would the ac issue repair be?
What about burning oil?
Can steering wheel be replaced easily?

We really like this RV, but these issues are stopping us from buying
$12k asking price

[Grit_dog]

^Thats good. But bottom line, $12k will buy a rig that doesn’t need any of that stuff.
We’re not taking a classic car here, we’re talking an old box on wheels to camp in.
Everyone is free to spend their money how they see fit, but if asking for opinions on how to spend their money, publicly, they can/ will get lots of advice.

[ksg5000]

Lwiddis wrote:
“Suggest you call a Ford dealer to talk about the air condition issue ”

Who at any Ford dealer is going to know anything about a 1992 motorhome with a Ford chassis? It’s 28 years old!

Believe it or not - air conditioning conversion issues are well know and my Ford dealer gave me a quote within a few minutes when I inquired a couple yrs ago. BTW ... my rigs a yr older than OP.

[Grit_dog]

Veik wrote:


We really like this RV, but these issues are stopping us from buying
$12k asking price

The issues should not be the first thing, the price should be. Followed by it not being a good decision to buy someone elses mess and a 4x worse idea if you're not mechanically inclined.
The least important issue is the actual issues with the rv (except for maybe eht oil burning thing)

[Bordercollie]

You should be able to find a much newer Class C in better condition for 12K. We bought an old rig for 13K as beginners and wound up spending another 10K the first year on engine cooling system, AC, water heater, etc., etc, just to make it safe to drive and usable for camping/touring. Read advice on buying a used Class C on this forum and don't rush to buy. Consider paying a truck mechanic and an RV repair place to inspect and provide an itemized price list for needed repairs and replacements on a prospective buy.

[Lwiddis]

“Suggest you call a Ford dealer to talk about the air condition issue ”

Who at any Ford dealer is going to know anything about a 1992 motorhome with a Ford chassis? It’s 28 years old!

[ksg5000]

92 Tioga likely didn't have telescoping steering column ... but the steering wheel can be adjusted. Suggest you call a Ford dealer to talk about the air condition issue and ask them whether burning a quart of oil every 1,000 miles or so is OK.

As others have suggested the price seems high - especially for an older RV that has issues.

[BFL13]

Veik wrote:
Hi All, I recently looked at 1992 Tioga 23P
We love the layout
Second owner he has been stored inside all of its life
Approximate 50,000 miles on odometer
Suspension improvement about 5 years ago
While the RV park looks great – Chassis has a few issues
Ford e350
Cab ac only blows slightly cold air - it has been converted to new freon...
Its burning about 1/4 qt of oil every 400 miles or so, per owner
It has no air bags...
And steering column has issues where cable is apparently too fragile to wistand any steering wheel telescope adjustments, owner says $400 to repair??
How critical or expensive would the ac issue repair be?
What about burning oil?
Can steering wheel be replaced easily?

We really like this RV, but these issues are stopping us from buying
$12k asking price

Our 1991 28ft (see photo in Profile) cost $7K Can or about $5K US. It was in a lot better shape than that one! As new owners, had it in the garage right away and it needed about $2K work on the truck part. Been good since then for that. Had to get four new tires as well.

The garage said I was lucky as most of the older ones like ours they get in need more like $6K of work.

The RV part was easier where I am my own "tech" (sort of) so it is about $10K so far after three years, most of it in the first months. (two tows by Good Sam in first year--a starter failure, and a water hose under the dog house burst)

Everything can be fixed but it cost$, so you should pay maybe $3K at most like the others are saying. IMO that rig seems like it would be more trouble, so I would not get that one. I don't know about there, but there are lots of older Cs around here in good shape going for under $8K US.

[2_many_2]

Chum Lee Said:

"In 9 years, now at 90,000 miles I've spent more on it (maintenance/repairs) than the purchase price and I do most of the work/repairs myself. No fantasy, just reality."

This is a very intelligent statement, my experience was exactly the same. I had a great time, learned a lot too, but you have to be prepared for "reality"

Best of luck!

[bobndot]

It might not pass a state inspection either.
If its using one qt every 400 I would assume that he already checked the PVC valve so its probably engine related.

[DrewE]

Steering column problem is probably the "clock spring", a sort of spiral wire assembly that allows the wheel to turn without the wiring getting all twisted up. I don't know how much they run, offhand, but $400 for parts and labor to replace one doesn't sound unbelievable. I don't think it requires replacement of the steering wheel itself. However, if it's giving this sort of trouble now, it's probably going to fail entirely before too much time has passed, and that would seem to be a safety issue as the horn would be unusable (unless you put in a separate horn button), along with any other wheel-mounted controls such as perhaps the cruise control or airbag if it has them.

I suspect I would pass on this particular unit were I in your shoes.

[Chum_lee]

Veik wrote:
Hi All, I recently looked at 1992 Tioga 23P
We love the layout
Second owner he has been stored inside all of its life
Approximate 50,000 miles on odometer
Suspension improvement about 5 years ago
While the RV park looks great – Chassis has a few issues
Ford e350
Cab ac only blows slightly cold air - it has been converted to new freon...
Its burning about 1/4 qt of oil every 400 miles or so, per owner
It has no air bags...
And steering column has issues where cable is apparently too fragile to wistand any steering wheel telescope adjustments, owner says $400 to repair??
How critical or expensive would the ac issue repair be?
What about burning oil?
Can steering wheel be replaced easily?

We really like this RV, but these issues are stopping us from buying
$12k asking price

IMO, (without seeing it (you've provided no pictures)) the asking price should be in the $3,000-$5000 range. 50,000 miles is very low, true, but, you are dealing with a 28 year old complex vehicle. IMO, age (current condition) is far more important than miles. I don't understand your comments about the steering wheel. Using a quart of oil every 1,600 miles is no big deal. If this is an R11 to R134 conversion, poor AC performance is expected. Refrigerator? Generator? Rooftop AC? What does the roof look like? Any water leaks, delam? If air bags are truly a major concern, IMO, at $12,000 . . . . . this vehicle is not for you.

For reference, in 2011, I bought (my current) 1999 Class A 30' motorhome on a Ford F53 chassis with 32,000 miles on it for $12,000. In 9 years, now at 90,000 miles I've spent more on it (maintenance/repairs) than the purchase price and I do most of the work/repairs myself. No fantasy, just reality.

Good luck to you.

Chum lee

[2_many_2]

I owned that era RV for ten years when it was between twenty and thirty years old. I am positive it's actual market value is about $4000 max, probably more like $2500.

You will never get the dash A/C to work properly unless you replace the entire setup with new components for around 3-5K depending on who does it. Simply converting to the new chemical is a band-aid fix at best. The only place to get parts for the steering will be a junk yard.

It also probably burns twice that amount of oil, I personally would not take that RV for free.

Sorry for the bad news, just being honest, I hope I am wrong and others will chime in with a more positive outlook.

Best of luck

[midnightsadie]

just my .02cts run just to meny things already wrong and theres plenty more you can,t see.

[Lwiddis]

Twenty-eight or nine year old RV for $12k that is burning oil is not a good deal.