Do Tires on a Class A Rot with age?

[JRS___B]

I have browsed through ads for used Class A motorhomes and noticed (just my observation) that motorhomes that are 7 or 8 years old, even the high end ones with hardly any miles on them, seem to be advertised for more affordable prices.

On the other hand, 2 or 3 year old motorhomes, even those with high mileage, have asking prices approaching that of a new unit.

Is this partly because a 7 or 8 year old motorhome automatically needs all new tires?

[JRS___B]

Ron - I think my observations kind of are in agreement with what you are saying.

Motorhomes seem to depreciate different than automobiles.

According to Edmunds.com, a new Cadillac depreciates 25% in the first year. Then 8% and then 7% per year for each of the next 4 years, or 53% after 5 years.

A motorhome seems to depreciate more in a straight line of roughly 7% or 8% per year.

So a 10 year-old motorhome eventually depreciates by 70%. Thus a $400,000 to $500,000 unit goes for $120,000 to $150,000 in year 10.

But, unlike the Cadillac, I do not see any 2-year-old Motorhomes selling for 33% less than a new unit.

My take away on all this is, that if we decide to switch to a motorhome, instead of getting a new fiver next year, then I should look for a low mileage older unit, and just assume $5 grand for new tires. As you said, it is a drop in a bucket.

[J-Rooster]

Yes to your question! I finally put a new set of Michelin Tires on my coach after 10 years, ozone cracks were appearing on the sidewalls.

[wallynm]

Read this

aged out tires

JRS & B wrote:
I have browsed through ads for used Class A motorhomes and noticed (just my observation) that motorhomes that are 7 or 8 years old, even the high end ones with hardly any miles on them, seem to be advertised for more affordable prices.

On the other hand, 2 or 3 year old motorhomes, even those with high mileage, have asking prices approaching that of a new unit.

Is this partly because a 7 or 8 year old motorhome automatically needs all new tires?

[lanerd]

JRS & B wrote:
I know, after I re-read it, that the phrasing on my post could have been better.

It was just that I have seen new very deluxe motorhomes that are way up there out of my reach at $400,000.

And there are the two year old versions at $350,000, still way out of budget.

Then I see a similar size unit that is several years old and the price is $75,000 to $100,000.

It just appears to me that at a certain age high end motorhomes continue take a disproportionate depreciation hit.

I thought having to buy all new tires might be a factor because they certainly cannot be cheap.

Well, you need to define "several years old" and what level of coach you're looking for. The years that you mentioned 2002 - 2005, are 9 to 10 years old, so yes they will have depreciated much more than a coach of 2 or 3 years old.

Currently we are looking at higher end motor homes that originally were in the $400K to $500K range that may be in the $200K to $250K range now and we are finding that they are typically 2006 to 2008 models. If we drop down to 2004 to 2007, the prices drop to around 150,000.

So in regards to tires, the typical tag axle coach that has 295/75-22.5 tires will cost about $5K to replace. $5K to $200K is a drop in the bucket...

Ron

[JRS___B]

Thanks.

It's kind of like in the old days when a person bought a three year old used car. You automatically assumed you would need new tires and a new battery because practically no one ever sold a car with a good battery and tires, and at that time, three years was the most they were good for.

[PapPappy]

When we bought our MH, it had just had new tires put on it. We still got a good deal, and it was one less thing we had to deal with....especially with a 800 mile trip home!
I think you will probably find that "cliff" where cars, RVs, Boats, etc. start to drop off in price. There is usually a pretty hefty drop as you drive off the lot, but then it settles for a few years, with a small percentage drop each year...then it seems to drop again about 8-10 years...to stabilize itself of something?

Tires are a factor, but there are lots of things in the RV (appliances and such) that are age sensitive, and all of these will help devalue the RV as they age.

[kalynzoo]

Yes! On a previous MH I had wonderfully looking tires, 8 years old, I kept the tires covered, clean, etc. Only about 30K miles as we only went on vacations a total of about 6 weeks a year, adding up all the weekends and such. On a trip I blew the first tire in Colorado, an outside duel, and the companion tire blew coming home in Nevada. Probably because of the strain when we limped 30 miles on only one duel. I now change tires every 6 years, needed or not, just insurance to save my vacation travel time.
JMHO

[gene327]

I well know the cost of new tires for my National 2001 motorhome, I just replaced all six at a total price of $550 a tire including mounting and balancing. The tires replaced were original equipment and while not weatherchecked, I did not trust them do to their age, I was quoted $900 +freight per tire by Camping World at their new store in Blue Springs Mo. That price did not include sales tax or mounting and balancing.

[JRS___B]

I know, after I re-read it, that the phrasing on my post could have been better.

It was just that I have seen new very deluxe motorhomes that are way up there out of my reach at $400,000.

And there are the two year old versions at $350,000, still way out of budget.

Then I see a similar size unit that is several years old and the price is $75,000 to $100,000.

It just appears to me that at a certain age high end motorhomes continue take a disproportionate depreciation hit.

I thought having to buy all new tires might be a factor because they certainly cannot be cheap.

[Hjudge49]

The rule of thumb is that when your tires get 5 years old, they need to be inspected annually. They absolutely dry rot. The only way to really know is to dismount the tire and inspect it on the inside. I just replaced my tires. They were 6 years old, had over 1/2 of the tread left, and looked fine on the outside. When we took them off, they were cracked inside and ready to fail. A blowout can cost you several thousand dollars.

[raindove]

In 2009, we purchased a '98 Class A very reasonably. Had around 40K miles on it. Look at the tires and see if they are cracked or dry rotted. We saw several MH's with tires that still had good tread, but they were cracking.

The one we purchased, we used for 2 yrs. Then one trip we had a blow out. We replaced ALL the tires at that point.

Look at the tires on a used unit, even if the owner says they recently put them on. Also check the things that are expensive to fix - make sure the genny runs, a/c's work, get up on the roof and look at the covers and seams/caulking around everything. See how the roof itself looks. Check the engine. Look for signs of water leaks and delamination. Make sure water heater and refrig work.

There is a lot of******to look through when you are looking at used. But there are also some gems out there that the owners truly took care of. It's all in what a person wants or can afford.

We found a nice one and we feel blessed to have it. I'd rather have an older MH, that is paid for than a newer one with a fat payment book to go with it.

Good luck.

[lanerd]

You have two questions here.

1. (from the title of your post): Yes, mh tires do rot with age, just as any other tire does.

2. (from the question in the post): No, that is just the normal way of depreciation. The older it gets, the less it is worth. Granted, a mh 7 or 8 years old will need new tires if they are original, however, the cost of new tires is just a fraction of the cost of the mh itself.

Ron

[GENECOP]

Many factors go into pricing an RV, tires definately need to be changed at 8-10 years of age.