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

[Kayteg1]

The truth of the life is that if you are not mechanically inclined, you better be a millionaire or ride a bicycle.
I used to drive Prevost and my whole family drives Mercedes, because with my skills I am buying them very cheap and after few years of use and some TLC, usually sell for the same price.
Typical sample how technology works, when alternator brushes wear out on Mercedes, I can replace them for $40-80 and 1-2 hr of labor.
Dealers replace whole alternator and charging >150/hr, the bill comes to $1,500-2000.
That is why rich folks sell the brand very cheap once the warranty expires.
Statistically the first owner pays $50,000 to drive Mercedes for the first 100k miles, when making 2nd 100k cost me less than 1/10 of that.
Thanks for the links to Scenic Cruisers guys.
The first one is beautiful, but knowing what is involved, I can't shake the thinking "If the guy would pay himself $2/hr on the project - he would be a millionaire"

[Naio]

SoCalDesertRider wrote:
It is true that many mechanics today know nothing about diagnosing problems, all they can do is read the computer and replace whatever parts the computer tells them are bad.

Yeah, that's what the mechanics were telling my relative! Our old family mechanic sold his shop, and these young guys... at least they refunded her money when they failed to fix the problem after several tries. But she can't find anybody else to work on it either.

So this makes me leery of buying a (small) rv older than 15 or 20 years. Diesel truck engines may be a different story.

[mike_brez]

Kayteg1 wrote:

SoCalDesertRider wrote:

Kayteg1 wrote:

SoCalDesertRider wrote:
I would like to have an old diesel greyhound bus conversion from the 70's.

That would be MCI or Prevost.
My 1972 Prevost was never used commercially, but nothing wrong with 1/2 mil miles on 1 million miles engine.

Thanks for the brand info. 🙂

I think they used Detroit Deisels with Allisons in those?

In those years there was not much beside series of 2-cycle Detroits in commercial applications.
If they were - they did not last.
I researched conversion before I bought my Prevost 12 years ago.
Lot of things look good at first sight, but will not work once you get closer.
Old city buses can be bought for next to nothing. '
But they don't have storage bays and the city gearing will not go farther than 55 mph.
Old interstate buses often have couple millions on them. Still might be worth to convert them, but who wants to put + - 50 grands into converting chassis with 2 million miles on it?
I got lucky as my Prevost had less than 30,000 miles on it. ... at least that what seller said as odometer did not have 100's k on it.
But who really care if that was 30k, 130k, or 230k ?
At some point I got exited about double decker GMC and spend 1/2 day driving to see one.. Turn out the upper floor seat are on elevated sides, having only center passage with clearance for walking.
No use for RV

This guy did it. There was a fella on the forum here that purchased one and had it delivered by the tv show shipping wars and was featured on tv delivering it. HERE is the thread.
HERE is a piece of the a&e episode cruisin for a bruisin

[SoCalDesertRid1]

It is true that many mechanics today know nothing about diagnosing problems, all they can do is read the computer and replace whatever parts the computer tells them are bad.

[Kayteg1]

Lot depends on engine brand.
Even 2-cycle Detroits have their roots in 1930's, still good number of them are used in Church buses, local dump trucks and motorhomes.
Parts are still easy available and if you worry about finding mechanic for old Detroit, try to find one who will touch Bluetec engine on my 7 years old Mercedes. Or Airmatic suspension.
Having very old and very new vehicle brings the same problems it seems 😉

[Naio]

How is it, finding people to work on those old engines?

I see a lot of mid-80s RVs in prices I could pay, but a relative was telling me the other day how much trouble she has finding a mechanic who can work on her 1988 toyota (car). Apparently you have to find a mechanic who is old but not retired, as the young ones are trained on cars with internal computers and can't diagnose without. So she said.

[msturtz]

love2tow wrote:

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.

The Class C units have less usable floor space and a much longer turning radius than comparable Class A units.

[frankdamp]

If you really want something different in a bus conversion, go for a mid-1960's Leyland "Atlantean" double-decker bus! There were quite a few built with turbo-charged 680 c.i. engines for long-distance inter-city service. They had a top speed approaching 90 mph.

I grew up in the town of Leyland and saw a lot of them being tested. I worked for Norton motorcycles for a couple of years before we emigrated. It was interesting riding my test Norton at 80 on the freeway and being passed by a double-decker. The slipstream was really rough.

I doubt very many have been converted as RVs, though. A vehicle 14' 6" tall would keep you out of a lot of places. On the positive side, many were only 30' long.

[J-Rooster]

If a older coach has complete service records that shows it has been taken care of and I liked the coaches floor plan than that's a go. I would purchase the coach through my Credit Union. Here's a website to browse for used coaches www.demartinirv.com

[SoCalDesertRid1]

That's a really cool bus :). What's under the 2nd story passenger seating level, extra tall storage area? That's sad the floor isn't flat.

[Kayteg1]

SoCalDesertRider wrote:

Kayteg1 wrote:

SoCalDesertRider wrote:
I would like to have an old diesel greyhound bus conversion from the 70's.

That would be MCI or Prevost.
My 1972 Prevost was never used commercially, but nothing wrong with 1/2 mil miles on 1 million miles engine.

Thanks for the brand info. 🙂

I think they used Detroit Deisels with Allisons in those?

In those years there was not much beside series of 2-cycle Detroits in commercial applications.
If they were - they did not last.
I researched conversion before I bought my Prevost 12 years ago.
Lot of things look good at first sight, but will not work once you get closer.
Old city buses can be bought for next to nothing. '
But they don't have storage bays and the city gearing will not go farther than 55 mph.
Old interstate buses often have couple millions on them. Still might be worth to convert them, but who wants to put + - 50 grands into converting chassis with 2 million miles on it?
I got lucky as my Prevost had less than 30,000 miles on it. ... at least that what seller said as odometer did not have 100's k on it.
But who really care if that was 30k, 130k, or 230k ?
At some point I got exited about double decker GMC and spend 1/2 day driving to see one.. Turn out the upper floor seat are on elevated sides, having only center passage with clearance for walking.
No use for RV

[John_Joey]

Well a BB is a school bus and should be designed to take a roll over to protect our kiddies. Might explain why there are no slides on them.

Now on the other hand I really don't see a lot of old school buses going down the highway at 70mph being driven with one hand either.

Once again an old coach is mostly in the head. If you wouldn't feel comfortable driving a 1965 restored car cross country but still own (or want) one (so others can swivel their heads when they drive past your driveway or see a picture on the internet) then your 30 year old MH will be used the same way.

I can count on one hand how many old BB with out of state plates I've seen driving cross country. I'm sure there are rallies for them, just like for old collector cars. It's all about how you want to use an old MH.

[mike_brez]

SoCalDesertRider wrote:
That roll over would have demolished a typical wood framed motorhome!

Yep the older ones were roll over certified.

[SoCalDesertRid1]

That roll over would have demolished a typical wood framed motorhome!