Buying a used Lazy Daze with Roof leak

[kevinlyndsy]

Hello I went and looked and test drove a 1998 Lazy Daze 26.5 RB that I found on Craigslist. Asking price is $9500 it has new tires brakes and batteries. Overall I think it looks to be in real good shape. The big negative though is the roof leaked a couple years ago from the center vent and made the ceiling and roof soft in a 3 ft area. The owner sealed over the entire roof and it no longer has let any water in for the past year. I read alot about avoiding roof dry rot. But if leak is stopped and coach looks good I think at the low price it could be a great deal. I will just use it as is and don't plan on doing a major repair. The owner has had it for 16 years and seems to be a real nice guy. Any advice out there before I buy it this weekend. I really have always loved laze daze but their price has always been out of reach.

Thanks

kevin

[j-d]

Part of the draw to this coach is no doubt that it's a Lazy Daze. A shot at one of those is always something to consider carefully. Used to be the cheap RV's had wooden framing and better ones had aluminum. Exception was Lazy Daze with its very carefully crafted WOODEN framing. I take that as a warning that the damage to this particular coach might be more widespread than one with metal roof framing. Another reason to vote NO on this one.

[midnightsadie]

OK heres your question answered the leak rotted the roof wood ,some day driving down the rode ,the roof WILL CAVE IN. its just a matter of when.

[midnightsadie]

never ever buy a leaky roof ,now the owner told you he sealed the leak, BUT NEVER FIXED the rotten wood, RUN AND FAST,theres lot of good rv,s out there keep looking.

[kevinlyndsy]

old guy wrote:
some people haven't seen what water does to the interior wall studs. every thing may look just fine until you take the out side metal off or the interior wall out. the studs will crumble in your hands. if you still think you want it go ahead and buy it, just start a bank account for a major repair some day. and I mean major. it is not cheap to repair and replace a wall. I repeat, DON'T BUY IT. hate to be the one to say I told you so.

Old Guy I like your advice for sure but don't you think there is still life left in this Lazy Daze I mean this rig Is by no means ready for the junk yard.

[kevinlyndsy]

Bordercollie wrote:
I would be concerned about the roof caving in from the weight of the roof AC unit with road shock and vibration underway on cupped concrete highways.
That could be a problem 500 miles from home.

where the ac is mounted is very solid I checked that out

[old_guy]

some people haven't seen what water does to the interior wall studs. every thing may look just fine until you take the out side metal off or the interior wall out. the studs will crumble in your hands. if you still think you want it go ahead and buy it, just start a bank account for a major repair some day. and I mean major. it is not cheap to repair and replace a wall. I repeat, DON'T BUY IT. hate to be the one to say I told you so.

[Bordercollie]

I would be concerned about the roof caving in from the weight of the roof AC unit with road shock and vibration underway on cupped concrete highways.
That could be a problem 500 miles from home.

[JT]

It sounds to me as if you had already decided to buy this rig despite the unknown extent of the water damage, so I'm wondering why you felt you needed input?

Just a suggestion, but I'd be *very careful* when standing/walking on the roof anywhere near the site of the known leak! :E

[pianotuna]

Water damage is often a run away situation. Cosmetic is not the issue. Mold is.

[kevinlyndsy]

Talked to my local trusted RV Service center showed him the add on CList. He said they refurbish roofs all the time expect about 4K for them to do it. But if you get a good price say $8K enjoy as is. He even said the coach looks pretty good in the ad. Even if I wanted to invest in making this solid again I think I would still be ahead on the price if I had a service center replace and rebuild the roof. These things go for $18-$20K all the time. There are less than 15 Lazy Daze Coaches for sale on the web right now. I might make an offer today and see what happens.

[DrewE]

I'd at least pull the trim ring off the inside of the vent that leaked (should be about a two minute task with a screwdriver) and inspect the structure around the vent. That should tell you a good bit about the damage or lack thereof to the structure in the area.

[kevinlyndsy]

Yes plan to buy as is and enjoy as is. If I see a need to repair the roof down the road maybe I will or just get rid of it. I have to reiterate the current owner got it from his dad and just not big into RVs he assures me they used it last week in a huge florida rain storm and everything stayed dry. I have had several older RVs and enjoyed owning them outright with out making payments and just dealing with their quirks. We are talking a high end Lazy Daze motorhome here. They are pretty rare here in Florida and might just be worth the investment. I really think I could get it for $8000.

My first RV was a 1990 Coachman it leaked big time on our first trip from the typical bunk area. I thought about fixing right but that just seemed to technical for my skills. So I cleaned the entire roof installed Eterna Bond tape over everything then poured Liquid roof on top of that. Never had any more water issues and enjoyed for several more years. When I sold it I sold it cheap but cut my losses do to the enjoyment I had with it. I am waiting for someone to pipe in with a bad story of roof collapsing down the highway or family got sick from this unseen black mold that possibly could be hiding.

If I buy I will do a thorough Roof cleaning and inspection install some eternal bond tape and caulk some things maybe buy a RV cover when parked and just enjoy it on the small trips that we do. I have no immediate plans of cross country trips or full timing.

Thanks For the info all

Kevin

[Lantley]

Kevin As I understand you are saying the damage is strictly cosmetic.
If damage is only cosmetic, BUY it. If damage is more than cosmetic Beware!

[PSW]

I must be missing something here?

Kevin says he wants to buy it "as is" and just drive and enjoy it "as is". Assuming the roof doesn't collapse, what is wrong with that?

Kevin buys it for, say, nine grand. He enjoys it for two years and sells it for seven grand. That is 85 bucks a month for all the fun. Now, that assumes that everything else continues to work. If you can do repairs (even minor ones) yourself, you could do well on something like this. If you demand perfection in all things....fahgetaboutit.

Paul

[Cobra21]

Kevin, If you are handy at fixing things, this could be a good value. If you are one that can't do repairs, then maybe not. If you need to open the roof
later for repairs, they always end up to be more than expected.
Brian