Cost of a motor home; any class

Bordercollie wrote:
If you buy an older motorhome for say $10K and need to spend $1800 on new tires, plus $500 on brakes and another $1000 on other stuff to get it safe to drive and usable for camping, you have invested $12,500 and have had some delay in getting started. It is likely that the roof AC, fridge, dash AC, awning, furnace, RV generator and converter/charger and house batter(s) and fresh water pump will need repairs/replacements during the first couple of years of ownership, (around $6K more.) Your basic investment is around $18,500 and you have had significant down time while having repairs and replacements done.
Your motorhome is now a few years older and it's market value may still be only around $10K or less depending on interior and exterior appearance and local market conditions. You may feel compelled to keep the rig and get your money's worth out of it despite wanting something newer, different length and floor plan, etc. You might say that you have had enough use and enjoyment of your older rig while you were a young family versus saving up and buying a much newer rig later for a lot more money. Just something to think about when considering buying an older rig vs a newer rig or buying a new rig with financing. Your actual experience may vary considerably.

I wonder how many of the house appliances really go bad on an older rig. I know in my own experience, it has been minimal:

My 1985 TT - the hot water tank was split when I bought it - $600 to replace the entire hot water heater system, the shop did it in one day. I blew the converter/charger - $100 for a new PD and I installed it in one day. All the other appliances were original and worked great through the day I traded it in.

My 1975 Clipper - The water heater had been replaced before I purchased it. 2 months after buying it, I had to get a new thermocoupler for the fridge - $15 and 5 minutes. The heater had a propane leak, I chose to just shut it off from the propane line as I wouldn't be using it. 2 years in, I blew the converter portion - put in the PD I had bought for the TT (I had kept it); one day to install.

Just curious what their life expectancy really is these days. Is it really that they will all start failing at 8-10 years? Or is it more "one might fail at any time"?