I have a 1999 HR Endeavor, 36 foot with one slide, Ford V10. It had about 85K miles when we bought her, but we got her at a great deal. In the last 4 years, we've replaced tires, replaced front leaf springs, replaced sway bar bushings, added front air bag helpers, replaced interior carpet, and patched roof leaks. Fortunately, I've been able to do most of the work myself, so we are only out the cost of the parts. In the end, it's a 19 year old coach that has been from NC to Florida and back, by the previous owner's reckoning, about 60 times. And from what I can tell, it was severely overloaded every trip. There are going to be parts that are simply worn out. I knew that going in.
Oil changes and engine maintenance are fairly straightforward. Fit and finish of interior furnishings are top-notch, as far as I'm concerned. When I go into other, newer coaches, I can get an immediate "sense" of how cheaply they were manufactured. I've never felt that from our HR. The ride? Well, it rides like a delivery truck....but that seems to be the norm for the F53 chassis, so I can't really complain or really do anything about that. I've got the handling to a point where I'm comfortable with it, but I'll never be comfortable going cross-country in it...really no more than about 300-400 miles out from home. It's great for us to go for long weekends at the local lake and a once in a while week vacation. And by it being older, we haven't hesitated to add our own flavor as far as interior finishes and decorating. When we decide to upgrade, and we will eventually, I know we'll never get out of it what we've put in it. But, we will have had a great time and learned a lot before sinking money into a newer rig.
Just my $.02 worth.....
1999 Holiday Rambler Endeavor, 36' Gasser
Triton V10, Ford F53 Chassis
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