Diesel or Gas? Resale value

[qbakawnik]

Hello,

My name is Kuba, I am a musician, originally from Poland and I live in Nashville, TN for 10 years.
My DW (a Texan girl) and I owned a small TT we bought in 2012 and traveled with our daughter during my concert tour. We absolutely love camping. I have another concert tour coming up this year (Sep & Oct) and the next year, 2017 (Jan, Feb & Mar), and we are planning to buy a MH class A this time.

My biggest concern is to have a reliable unit because we will be at work rather than on vacation and have to arrive to our next venue on time. We will be driving almost every day, and almost every time we will spend the night on a campground and take over again in early morning (our average distance will be around 250 miles and the longest 2000 miles). I am considering a diesel for bigger storage underneath and also for longevity and dependability. Thoughts on gas vs diesel are welcome. Another question would be how much that reliability costs.

I would like to set my budget for $35,000-40,000. We prefer practicality over luxury, but I am hoping to have a unit possibly not older than 10 years old and will consider to spend more if necessary. I will likely upgrade after the tour in which case I would also like to have a MH which has a high market desirability. I’m wondering if there are any stats that show the best price range of used MHs in terms of ease of selling?

My tour starts on Sep 10 and I also don’t know how much time I need to prepare the MH (my last TT was 1 year old and I didn’t have to do much before hitting the road). I also consider class A for a few reasons, i.e. having a laundry machine and bigger storage.

Thank you for reading and answering my questions.

Btw, here is my website if you would like to check out what kind of music we play: www.kubecca. com

Kuba

[qbakawnik]

Artum Snowbird wrote:
I looked again at Craigslist.. In and around $60,000 there is some nice ones. Some Tiffin's, Holiday Ramblers.

I would encourage you to keep looking at the Class A section and do searches for many of the key words like "best" and "reliable" and "repairs" and "workmanship" and any others searches that come to mind, both good and bad. Each time I bought a unit I really knew what I wanted, and when it came up in Craigslist I was on it immediately.

With your daughter travelling with you, your needs will be different for layout. Having a desk area might be more important than a loveseat and a couch for example.

Rather than focusing on the price, begin to find a layout you would want for now, and for the future. Learn the original values of the many models. For example, Newmars ranged from starter Class A's with gas engines, to luxury Class A's with exquisite furnishings and features.

Thank you, that's a good advice. I know exactly what I want, so that's good. I am just trying to find out how much I have to spend to have a unit which will start every day for 60 days with no problem and handle 7000 miles without major repairs. I am pretty handy and can fix everything except the engine. :)) Thanks again!

[rgatijnet1]

I think a 5th Wheel trailer and a newer model pick-up is going to be the best choice for a concert tour. I have to assume that your concerts are scheduled in advance so it is imperative that you get there on time or incur some serious penalties.
A new truck may still be under warranty and can still allow you to go ahead if the trailer has a problem. With the three of you, a crew cab should provide on the road comfort as well as the reliability that you need. ANY class A in that price range, even with an inspection, will not be as reliable as a late model pick-up truck.

[Artum_Snowbird]

I looked again at Craigslist.. In and around $60,000 there is some nice ones. Some Tiffin's, Holiday Ramblers.

I would encourage you to keep looking at the Class A section and do searches for many of the key words like "best" and "reliable" and "repairs" and "workmanship" and any others searches that come to mind, both good and bad. Each time I bought a unit I really knew what I wanted, and when it came up in Craigslist I was on it immediately.

With your daughter travelling with you, your needs will be different for layout. Having a desk area might be more important than a loveseat and a couch for example.

Rather than focusing on the price, begin to find a layout you would want for now, and for the future. Learn the original values of the many models. For example, Newmars ranged from starter Class A's with gas engines, to luxury Class A's with exquisite furnishings and features.

[bsinmich]

I don't know the weight of the things you need to haul around but you will find that a gasser has a lot less carrying capacity than the DPs. Last year I sold my '03 Mountain Aire that was in excellent condition for les than the $34,000. It had 43K miles on it. One of the huge reasons for a Newmar is that there can be no delamination on them because they do not have laminated walls. It was also time for new tires at $3000. That is someth9ng to consider on used MHs. My gas Newmar had a limited carrying capacity that was no problem for us but could be with a child and full load of instruments.

[Kayteg1]

You can read about 10,000 replies on this forum and still not find good recipe.
Usually coach defects are easy to fix and most of the time you can delay the repair.
What you want to research what coach in your price range has the most reliable engine and transmission combo. It is not going to be easy.
I just sold 44 old Prevost in perfect working condition (Ok it did drip ATF from time to time) what made new owners very happy, but even new Prevost can break down and having it repaired can take long time.
Bottom line, marrying comfort of classA with reliability is going to be hard and your budget is not making it any easier.
Just buy what fits your needs and have backup transportation (toad)

[qbakawnik]

Kayteg1 wrote:
Czesc Kuba. Jak sie masz?
Sad part is that your budget is not enough for reliable and luxury motorhome, much less for reliable DP.
If you want to have reliable vehicle for tours -not much can beat a pickup with trailer or camper.
Pickups can be repair in many more places, than any motorhome can.
Easy to replace or substitute.
(ask Kathy how to manage 5th wheel with minivan) 😉
When my boys left the house - I moved from 40' conversion into 11' camper.
It is amazing how much space slides can add.
Good luck on your search.

Thank you (Dzieki)
I consider spending more $$ if that's necessary for having a reliable class A, rather than investing in a new trailer and a new truck. How new the coach has to be or what mileage has to have to be reliable?

[Kayteg1]

Czesc Kuba. Jak sie masz?
Sad part is that your budget is not enough for reliable and luxury motorhome, much less for reliable DP.
If you want to have reliable vehicle for tours -not much can beat a pickup with trailer or camper.
Pickups can be repair in many more places, than any motorhome can.
Easy to replace or substitute.
(ask Kathy how to manage 5th wheel with minivan) 😉
When my boys left the house - I moved from 40' conversion into 11' camper.
It is amazing how much space slides can add.
Good luck on your search.

[qbakawnik]

I understand. We sold our trailer because we want to have a bigger rv and want to homeschool our daughter while driving. I also don't want to pull anything. What do you think my budget needs to be in order to buy a reliable class A?

[MarkTwain]

qbakawnik wrote:

Artum Snowbird wrote:
I had a quick look at Craigslist for Nashville. There is options for sure. With your tight schedule, and need to keep moving, IMHO you might was to go a bit shorter than full size just for the easy of getting in and out of campsites.

There is a 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire with V10 gas available. It's $34,000, and is 34 feet long. Certainly Newmars enjoy a positive niche in the market.

Getting up into build in laundry might require a bit longer, but like everything, there is a tradeoff. What would you need to tow behind? Certainly, there is diesels to do the job, but the V10 gas engine is pretty easy and quick to fix, versus having to find a CAT shop to work on your diesel.

Enjoy the search. Nice music!

Thank you! I actually don't need to tow anything. I saw that post on craigslist (Newmar), but if it's $34,000 and it's 2001, do I have to spend some extra money for possible repairs?

Any RV that is 15 yrs. old has a high probability of needed some serious $$$$$ to get to the reliable state. I would take the RV to my RV/auto mechanic and pay him $200 bucks to check all the systems i.e. engine, tranny, rear end, RV elec./water, flush tanks, refrig. heater etc etc. before you buy.

[Mr_Mark1]

qbakawnik wrote:

Artum Snowbird wrote:
I had a quick look at Craigslist for Nashville. There is options for sure. With your tight schedule, and need to keep moving, IMHO you might was to go a bit shorter than full size just for the easy of getting in and out of campsites.

There is a 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire with V10 gas available. It's $34,000, and is 34 feet long. Certainly Newmars enjoy a positive niche in the market.

Getting up into build in laundry might require a bit longer, but like everything, there is a tradeoff. What would you need to tow behind? Certainly, there is diesels to do the job, but the V10 gas engine is pretty easy and quick to fix, versus having to find a CAT shop to work on your diesel.

Enjoy the search. Nice music!

Thank you! I actually don't need to tow anything. I saw that post on craigslist (Newmar), but if it's $34,000 and it's 2001, do I have to spend some extra money for possible repairs?

Mr. Kuba,

Anything you buy will need repairs AND maintenance. You are looking at older coaches so the repairs grow exponentially as they age.

Honestly, I'm thinking a travel trailer will work best for you and a very late model truck. An old RV will have an old drive-train and may not be as dependable as you might need.

I'm not sure if you are very mechanical minded, you will need to be if you buy an older unit.

Think this through very carefully before you proceed.

Good luck,
MM.

[qbakawnik]

Artum Snowbird wrote:
I had a quick look at Craigslist for Nashville. There is options for sure. With your tight schedule, and need to keep moving, IMHO you might was to go a bit shorter than full size just for the easy of getting in and out of campsites.

There is a 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire with V10 gas available. It's $34,000, and is 34 feet long. Certainly Newmars enjoy a positive niche in the market.

Getting up into build in laundry might require a bit longer, but like everything, there is a tradeoff. What would you need to tow behind? Certainly, there is diesels to do the job, but the V10 gas engine is pretty easy and quick to fix, versus having to find a CAT shop to work on your diesel.

Enjoy the search. Nice music!

Thank you! I actually don't need to tow anything. I saw that post on craigslist (Newmar), but if it's $34,000 and it's 2001, do I have to spend some extra money for possible repairs?

[qbakawnik]

darsben wrote:
2 of you or 3 of you?
PETS?
How many nights on the road?
My thought is MAYBE A CLASS "C".
Rent a trailer for a month from U-Haul

My wife, 6 yo daughter and I. No pets. We will leave Sep 9 and arrive home Nov 6, so 2 months on the road. I think that class C may be to small (storage wise).

[Artum_Snowbird]

I had a quick look at Craigslist for Nashville. There is options for sure. With your tight schedule, and need to keep moving, IMHO you might was to go a bit shorter than full size just for the easy of getting in and out of campsites.

There is a 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire with V10 gas available. It's $34,000, and is 34 feet long. Certainly Newmars enjoy a positive niche in the market.

Getting up into build in laundry might require a bit longer, but like everything, there is a tradeoff. What would you need to tow behind? Certainly, there is diesels to do the job, but the V10 gas engine is pretty easy and quick to fix, versus having to find a CAT shop to work on your diesel.

Enjoy the search. Nice music!

[darsben]

2 of you or 3 of you?
PETS?
How many nights on the road?
My thought is MAYBE A CLASS "C".
Rent a trailer for a month from U-Haul