Forum Discussion
rgatijnet1
Jan 08, 2016Explorer III
There are some people that take "preventive maintenance" seriously and address problems before they happen. In most cases, these owners take trip after trip without any major issues at all. It doesn't matter what type of coach they own, they are on top of all maintenance issues.
Then you have the owners that address each problem only as it comes up. They might make a trip or two without any issues, and then on the next one they are stranded with a problem. Their idea of owning an RV uses the "if it ain't broken" type of maintenance schedule.
The problem with a buyer of a used coach is that he really has no idea what type of person has owned the coach in the past. Some people are very meticulous about cleaning the interior and exterior and neglect the chassis until something breaks. Their knowledge of the coach consists of how to remove stains and vacuuming the carpet, etc. When it comes to mechanical issues, they are clueless. These are the coaches that look great, but can turn in to a money pit as you deal with the neglected items with the drive train.
Buying any vehicle used is a gamble. The best you can do is to look past the shiny things and closely examine the guts. Lots of maintenance records from a shop are great but you do not want to overlook the coaches that were maintained by an owner that knows what he is doing and does his own maintenance to a level above most repair shops.
Then you have the owners that address each problem only as it comes up. They might make a trip or two without any issues, and then on the next one they are stranded with a problem. Their idea of owning an RV uses the "if it ain't broken" type of maintenance schedule.
The problem with a buyer of a used coach is that he really has no idea what type of person has owned the coach in the past. Some people are very meticulous about cleaning the interior and exterior and neglect the chassis until something breaks. Their knowledge of the coach consists of how to remove stains and vacuuming the carpet, etc. When it comes to mechanical issues, they are clueless. These are the coaches that look great, but can turn in to a money pit as you deal with the neglected items with the drive train.
Buying any vehicle used is a gamble. The best you can do is to look past the shiny things and closely examine the guts. Lots of maintenance records from a shop are great but you do not want to overlook the coaches that were maintained by an owner that knows what he is doing and does his own maintenance to a level above most repair shops.
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