gbopp wrote:
Condition is the important factor when buying a used RV.
A low end unit in excellent condition is usually a better choice than a high end unit in poor-fair condition.
Be prepared to compromise on what you want.
Look at everything in you budget range, don't limit it to the make.
when you find something you like, concentrate on that make/model. But, be ready to make a compromise.
***Link Removed*** is a good place to search, they have the floor plans on the advertisement, it will give you an idea without seeing the unit in person.
When you narrow it down to certain RV's, don't forget to check the tire age. RV tires usually age out before they wear out. You may find the right motorhome and then realize you need to buy new tires.
Use the search as a learning experience and ask lots of questions on the forum BEFORE you give the seller any money or sign any agreements.
Hire a RV tech to do the inspection if you feel you are not capable.
OK, I'm gonna jump right in here!
These are things that I will need to know in the near future. My wife and I have been toying around with the idea of selling our 5'er and buying a motorhome. Since we have two Jeep Wranglers (YJ & JK) to act as toads, we are looking for something capable of handling that extra towing duty. We are only looking at used MH's. I have been scouring the internet looking at units and evaluating them as to cost and suitability. We are empty-nesters, and would travel with our two labs (chocolate and black). Right now we are in a 30 footer and it suits us fine, but the wife would like to spend more time exploring destinations. We normally tow with her truck, and unloaded it rides like a buckboard since I've added the Timbren overloads on it.
We are not newcomers to the RV lifestyle. When we met (in 1987) she had a 17' Serro Scotty she pulled with a '73 Chevy C1500, and I had a small truck camper on a 1978 Dodge Power Wagon. From that we have gone through larger truck campers, four pop-ups, a 13' Shasta Ultralite, a 15' Sunlite, a couple of Terry's (24' & 27') and we are now on our second fifth wheel. Heh, at one time we had a truck camper, two popups and the 27' Terry parked in our back yard. It just depended on how far we were going on the next trip as to which one we loaded up. But I digress; we are familiar with what to look for on the coach end. I just want some input as how to tell if an RV has been cared for by the previous owner, and which units have known problems to look for. I went through ALL 81 pages of the breakdown thread in the sticky section. That in itself nearly convinced me to not venture into the motor home arena.
So, what have we done so far?
First, we set a hard budget. Since we will only pay cash and never consider financing, we have decided that $25K is our limit. Based on that, we seemed to have ruled out most DPMH made this century - which is bad since we really like diesel when hauling. Our trucks are typically used for hauling hay, cattle, or one of the tractors when not being used for recreation (RV'ing), so we appreciate the abilities and efficiency offered by a diesel engine with a sturdy transmission and oversized drivetrain. I am also familiar with all of the preventative maintenance required as I try to do all of that type of work on all five of our vehicles and both tractors, and all of our trailers.
Second, we started looking around local lots to find the floorplans and amenities we liked. We are lucky to have a PPL lot near us in Cleburne. There is also a CW lot up on I-35 north of Burleson we have been meaning to visit, but they have a very limited selection of MH's in our price range. I have all but given up on trying to find one on Craig's List - even though that is where we found our fiver about four years ago. All of the MH's seem to be either scams or units suitable for use on a deer lease, providing you have a suitable truck to tow them there if it is further than about 100 miles!
Third, looked for an active Class A forum to ask questions!It is looking like the units within our budget are going to be from MY2003 to 2005 with a gas engine. I am hoping to keep the unit to around 32', as that is the length of our RV cover now. Also, I think that length should give us the requisite towing capacity to haul around one of the Jeeps through
most terrain. I won't ask if the Ford V-10 is superior to the Chevy 8.1L or 7.4L Vortec, as I don't want to start a brand war. Either one would be OK with me, as long as it can do the job. I just realize that I will probably be going slower than I currently do with a diesel pulling a 10K camper.
My dream would be to find a repoed P chassis with a blown up 8.1 for about $5K. I promise to build a special "P-Pumped" 24 valve ISB to mate up to the Allison transmission and then hit the road!
