Considering used Coach. How old is too old?

[love2tow]

Good afternoon,
My wife and I are in the infancy stages of research toward an rv purchase. I'm trying to start by casting a wide search net and then narrow it down over the next year or so.
Researching the brand new units seems straight forward minus the variations in build quality within the same companies...

But used coaches are something I don't have much insight on. Coming from travel trailers, I'm very hesitant to buy a used unit. But I have read a bunch of threads on "New or Used Class A" etc... and have been able to get some good information but I still have a couple of questions.

First, I see some coaches by Holiday Rambler, Tiffin, Damen, and others that I really like and seem to be in decent shape. But... they are from 2006-2008 or 8-10 years old. In theory, they are solidly in my price range, look to be in good shape and were pricey units when new. Am I going down a rabbit hole by looking at something this old? Even with good maintenance records and service history, age scares me when I haven't been the original owner.

Second, what is financing like for a used coach? Is there a cutoff age where banks will not lend or will jack the interest rates up to crazy levels?

My goal for my next unit is to keep it for a decent amount of time. I'm 33 and my wife is 34. We have two young kids. (A four year old daughter that LOVES camping and a 1 year old son who loves it but doesn't' know it yet.) We will not be able to upgrade coaches every couple of years so I need to make the right decision the first time. We are coming off of a terrible travel trailer experience (purchased new) so we are a bit timid about this entire process but know it is truly what we want to do.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in our journey.
Mark

[barmcd]

Our's is 16 years old and in good condition. Condition is much more important than age. We saw a bunch of newer coaches that cost a lot more than ours that were in bad shape.

[Bill_Satellite]

Just keep in mind that more often than not, the more expensive the coach was when built will determine how old or is. I love my 28 year old Prevost but I would not touch a 28 year old entry level Winnebago (or similar).

[Helimech]

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4070/4500846083_d63859cacd_z.jpg

[love2tow]

2gypsies wrote:
In our full-timing lifestyle we talked with many who traveled constantly in older motorhomes. It all depends how it was taken care of and that you do the same. A 10-year old one isn't considered too old. Many do it with a 20-year old one.

Friends of ours are still full-timing in a 2003 Dolphin. They've been to the Maritimes and to Alaska with it and it runs good.

I think the key is to go with a 'quality' manufacturer. Damon would not be in the running. Some models of Tiffin and Holiday Ramblers would be good as would Newmar, Beaver, Country Coach, Alpine. They were high quality in their time and if the maintenance was done on them they would be awesome in older age.

I don't know your budget and it would even be great if you could not get into debt with it.

Check out this site for some ideas on prices. There's a 35' bunkhouse Winnebago for $41,000:

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used_rvs_for_sale.htm

THANK YOU for this website. The prices seem fair as well. I'm assuming this is around the price I can expect to pay and not the overly inflated price.

And thanks for the info on some of the older units. I will do a little more research into those.

Is it safe to assume that going the diesel route would be best if looking in that age range?

[love2tow]

msturtz wrote:
Hi, we made the switch from a towable to a motorhome. It is vastly easier to use if you do mostly weekend trips and some dry camping mixed in. We have 4 kids 25, 11, and two 3 year old twins one boy one girl. We have had two towable units and two motorhomes. We started with a Class C gas and ended up with a Class A diesel pusher. The first thing you need to be aware of is floor plans that will work for your family. The less setting up for travel the better.

I have heard that the setup is a bit easier once you get used to it. I actually love the setup and takedown process, as well as the drive to and from the destination. Most of our camping is weekend or long weekend trips with 1 or 2 larger trips thrown in. But in any case, I think the kids will enjoy riding in a MH rather than a pickup truck. I have been looking at some of the floor plans and there are many that would work and some that wouldn't. Trying to decide if bunks are the way to go or if they are a waste of space.

And we have all but decided on a class A. I like the C's and the A's but the payload of a large C concerns me. I pack very light for myself but my kids and wife come with A LOT of stuff. And I really like the Super C that is built on the Ford F550 (Thor) and the RAM (Nexus, I beleive) but those are out of my price range as new units and the used market is tiny.

[2gypsies1]

In our full-timing lifestyle we talked with many who traveled constantly in older motorhomes. It all depends how it was taken care of and that you do the same. A 10-year old one isn't considered too old. Many do it with a 20-year old one.

Friends of ours are still full-timing in a 2003 Dolphin. They've been to the Maritimes and to Alaska with it and it runs good. The do a lot of western mountain driving.

I think the key is to go with a 'quality' manufacturer. Damon would not be in the running. Some models of Tiffin and Holiday Ramblers would be good as would Newmar, Beaver, Country Coach, Alpine. They were high quality in their time and if the maintenance was done on them they would be awesome in older age.

I don't know your budget and it would even be great if you could not get into debt with it.

Check out this site for some ideas on prices. There's a 35' bunkhouse Winnebago for $41,000:

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used_rvs_for_sale.htm

[msturtz]

Hi, we made the switch from a towable to a motorhome. It is vastly easier to use if you do mostly weekend trips and some dry camping mixed in. We have 4 kids 25, 11, and two 3 year old twins one boy one girl. We have had two towable units and two motorhomes. We started with a Class C gas and ended up with a Class A diesel pusher. The first thing you need to be aware of is floor plans that will work for your family. The less setting up for travel the better.