How old is too old?

[Empty_Nest__Soo]

We're looking to buy a used motorhome (our first.) I'm leaning toward an older higher-end MH, such as Newmar, in order to get the features we would like within our budget.

I would like the MH we buy to last for 10 years and be reliable if we give it good care. I don't mind doing the simple maintenance items and repairs, but I'm not looking for MH renovation to become a hobby. I will probably hire all significant work done.

Right now, I have a reasonably good comfort level with buying a 10 or 12 year old Newmar or equivalent MH that has been cared for and is in good condition. I feel that it should last another 10 years without maintenance issues becoming enough of a problem to cause me to sell it. Is this a reasonable expectation? How old is too old before it figures to become too much of a pain in the backside?

Thanks.

Wayne

[Empty_Nest__Soo]

LongWeekends wrote:
. . . To the OP, I wouldn't worry about a ten year old RV at all assuming you can get documentation of maintenance.

That is where I was coming from. Nice to hear numerous others verify this thought.

havasu -- Thanks for the clarification. Your original post gave me a start. LOL

Thanks to everyone who responded. This discussion has been very helpful to me.

Wayne

[LongWeekends]

CCIntrigue wrote:
We have a 10 year old Country Coach that's like new.

Close to the same here. But rather a 2004 Coachmen now with 57k miles on it. A very entry level DP by any standard for sure. However, we have owned it for almost two years now and the only thing we have done is replace the tires. We bought from a very meticulous owner and it really paid off IMHO.

The only reason I would get rid of it would be to upgrade to a nicer coach similar to what the OP is considering. And it would probably be 10 years old as well.:) To the OP, I wouldn't worry about a ten year old RV at all assuming you can get documentation of maintenance.

[havasu]

Empty Nest, Soon wrote:

havasu wrote:
From my experience, when you buy an older MH you have an initial period and expense of 'fixing her up'. That could be 30%-50% of the purchase cost.

. . .

Just to put some numbers to this . . .

I was hoping to spend in the neighborhood of $50 – $60,000, up to maybe $80,000, for the initial purchase. With due diligence on my part before buying, I was hopeful that another $10,000 would easily take care of bringing it up to snuff.

Are you suggesting that I may need to put more like $15,000 to $24,000, or even as much as $40,000 into it for fix-up? Or were you thinking 30% to 50% of a much lower purchase price?

Wayne

I would suggest that $10k would be sufficient - my 30-50% was based on my experience of $20-$30k rigs. At your price point you should be able to find a very nice rig - just shop around and remember it's a buyers market.

[doxiemom11]

We purchased a 10 year old Monaco that is 13 years old now. We put 6 new tires on right away and had an alignment done. Had the chassis inspected and all it needed was an oil change for the coach and generator. In the 3 years we have now replaced old vent fan covers, the refrigerator and furnace circuit board and resealed everything on the roof with etrnabond and fixed a connection leak on the water heater. In 3 years, including the new tires we have spent less than $5,000.

[Jay58]

17 and going strong

[wny_pat1]

BigRabbitMan wrote:
Then again, you could buy one like mine (see signature) in very nice shape for $14-16,000 and put the rest of the money in and envelope and just draw a little out every now and then.

There is one like mine that has been all redone and converted to a Duramax diesel w/allison that you can get for about $25,000.

That could be a real love affair!!! Now if I could figure out how to put a queen bed in there. Gorgeous coach even today! And I have a hard time thinking you could pick up one of $14,000 in good shape.

[BigRabbitMan]

Then again, you could buy one like mine (see signature) in very nice shape for $14-16,000 and put the rest of the money in and envelope and just draw a little out every now and then.

There is one like mine that has been all redone and converted to a Duramax diesel w/allison that you can get for about $25,000.

[ferndaleflyer]

I agree with buy a older high end unit. Mine is 15year old and was $234,000 when new.....At todays prices you can't hardly get an entry level DP for that amount of money and it won't have 1/2 the things mine does. Its the little things. Today if you can find one these are selling for around $50,000. stay away from dealers for the best deals.

[FormerBoater]

These discussions always interest me.

Coming from the world of boats, age was never weighted as heavily as it is in the world of Class A's.

Good construction and good maintenance are what is weighted most heavily in the boat world.

That is what my guidelines were 4 years ago, the coach is now 15 years old and does not show her age.

Design, build quality, materials quality and craftsmanship trumps age IMHO.

[TechWriter]

I bought a 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire a few years ago and put a fair amount of money into it since then.

I assumed that the diesel engine, drive train, and general coach structure would be good for another 10 years, but there are other things I replaced/upgraded that were getting "long in the tooth" after a decade of use . . .

- replaced both original AC units with new Penguin IIs,
- replaced original inverter with a Magnum,
- replaced the fridge cooling unit,
- installed a new hot water heater (got a bigger one),
- upgraded the water filtration system,
- installed a large solar system,
- lots of maintenance issues: fixed roof, new carpeting, etc, etc.

Much of this was preventative -- not all this stuff broke. I just figured it was time to replace before we hit the road full timing.

[deandec]

We purchased ours when 7 years old. Eleven years and 65,000 miles later we have had one major issue, the injection pump failed and cost $4,000 when it was 11 years old.

I was able to replace the dash AC compressor when it failed myself, but would have cost about $1,500 to have it done professionally.

The biggest issue for a well maintained older coach could be exterior cosmetics. Repainting is expensive.

I would take this rig across country in a without concern.

[cwdavis]

sdianel wrote:
Our 2004 Country Coach has 110,000 miles on it and is still going strong.

We bought ours when it was 10 years old had that many miles on it, and it's still truckin'. Generally, these diesels will go 300K+ miles before requiring any major service, and their chassis' are such that they shouldn't give you problems for a long, long time.

It's the condition of the house you need to focus on, especially water damage that may not be immediately apparent to the eye.

[JetAonly]

We just finished 11k miles in our 2000 Dynasty. We did have some issues the first couple of years with engine sensors. It had sat for 3 years. It has still cost less than a warranty would have cost.

One thing no one has mentioned. Regardless of your diligence, you will find that your how you think you will use your MH will be a bit different than how you want to use it. It is why people trade in their MH. Buy your last MH first if you can, but be prepared to either make do or trade. With that in mind you can fix most things but you can't make it bigger. Buy more room, floor space, size than you think you need.

[RayChez]

If the coach is a diesel 20 year old, it would be no problem. Gasoline is another issue. They just do not last as long as diesels do. Just get the upper scale coach on any brand and you should be alright.

[shaneperch]

Buying used is the only way to go. I can't afford the cost of these units new. I mean they post stickers on them like "oh yeah,, I'll get two" I mean 320,000 Yeah I'll buy two. No I rather buy a 30 year old motorhome that is in good condition so I don't have to sign over my soul to have one. Unless God finally answers my prayers and can make a decent living. until then it is used and I got my Holiday Rambler and the two AC units are no good and the generator was missing,, and replaced it with an Onan I had on hand. I did pretty good. need to buy used roof units Colaw which is 90 miles from me feels that they are made of precious metals. someday soon I hope.