Brand recommendations

X2 on the above but for $50K you are looking at a 2000-2 with maybe two slides. Up your budget a little...$ 65ish and you can get 3-4 slides and a couple years newer.

In Monaco you do not need an EXE or SIG... Dynasty is built on the same chassis without as many bells and whistles or glitz.

A good question, and one to which there have always been a wide range of answers.

I am in the "get a high quality, older DP that has been well maintained" rather than a newer "lesser" coach.

That doesn't make that right for everyone, but has served us well over 3 coaches and a quarter million miles over the last 2 decades.

Our vintage American Eagle is 19 years old.

Runs like a top, all appliances work as new.

I would add American Eagles to your list and advise that if you are looking at older units, go diesel and look at the manufacturer's flagship as they will have the best build quality, upgrades and top notch components.

On the mechanical side, as mentioned, most share all of the major stuff; engine, transmission, AC Units, refrigerator, microwave, etc.

The house itself is where the differences are. Unless you're buying a true 1,000,000 mile bus (Prevost, Newell, Bluebird, etc) most are built using a lamination process. Basically it's all glued together. What is laminated can and at some point will delaminate.

I'm a big fan of hung wall construction. This method frames the house much like a stick built home. There are aluminum studs typically on 16" centers, headers over windows, etc.

Those building that way are Holiday Rambler/Monaco, Newmar, and Travel Supreme/Enterga. There may be another, I can't think off it now.

I would suggest to talk a walk around a few local campgrounds. Look at the older units. They all look great when they're new, see what ones withstand the test of time over 10, 15, 20 years.

Friends of ours have a 2002 Newmar Dutch Star, it still looks brand new. Other friends have a 2003 Travel Supreme. Same deal, looks new. Both of these have over 100,000 miles on them and they're still tight and right.

As always, your mileage may vary.

I just happened to think, ours is almost 10 years old new. We're camping now. Last night when we pulled in the people next to us asked if this was a brand new camper. Time sure does fly, seems like we just bought this one. :B

Look at diesels only for that year range. A big plus if the owner has the repair/maintenance records. Check the tire age - they're expensive to replace. Have someone do an oil analysis.

Well-built manufacturers for that age: Newmar, Country Coach, Beaver, Travel Supreme

We have a 2001 model year DP purchased new in 2000.

It has over 100,000 miles all over 49 states (except Hawaii).

We full-timed for a number of years, and now only do six to nine months a year in the RV.

We have it serviced every year and have full records.

If I were looking for a motor home now, I wouldn't hesitate to buy ours.

However, IT IS NOT FOR SALE!

If we were to look for a used motorhome now, I would look at either PPL or Lazydays. I've dealt with both of them for parts and service, and am very convinced that they are competent and above board in the way they do business.

If you look at their websites, you can see what is available and at what cost. It will give you a good basis to assess what you might be able to get for what you want to spend.

EDIT: IMO look for Diesels, not gas, and get something old enough that you don't have to deal with the DEF stuff.

of course, YMMV

At that age I would worry less about brand and more about a specific unit's shape. Unless you are looking at Prevost, foretravel or some other high end brand - which does not calculate into your budget- brand won't mean much on units that old. The reason is there isn't a ton of difference in production level quality to start with. Most carry the same chassis and components so what quality you may have had at assembly has been shaken, rattled and rolled down to an even playing field. What you want is a unit that that is well cared for, never had a leak and is mechanically sound. Add to that newer components if the buyer has installed them. Tires is a biggie. A 20 year old MH will have a lot of stuff that is either in disrepair, needs replaced, is outdated or all of the above. Some tout different brands have different quality, but a 20 year MH from a "better" brand could be in far worse shape than one of a perceived lesser quality that was cared for. It's a bit like asking if a 20 year old Chevy is better than a 20 year old Ford. At that age too many other factors supersede brand and what may be true now certainly wasn't true 10 or 20 years ago. Just find a unit in nice shape and forget about brand. In a newer unit it may make more sense but not on a used on that old. I may get some flak for this post as it's my opinion only and brand can be a heated topic around here.

On edit: Another consideration, probably one of the biggest is floorplan. A nice, well cared for motorhome that is a screaming deal won't mean a thing if the floorplan does not work for you, especially full timing. You need to decide what you want and need in a MH, and THEN look for models in good shape and good quality. You will be living in it, so the floorplan is critical.