Input on xplorer please.

[71choptop]

Am new to rv's, looking at Class B. Finally made a 2 1/2 hour trip to look at a '88 xplorer 230xl. As clean as I could imagine a '88 to be, inside and out. High top of course, that salmon/reddish interior, 42,000 miles. Weird situation, older couple has owned for 10 years, oil change card says, 8/10/09 or 42,000 miles, it has 41,500 on it, has not been used in a while, owner had gentleman store it and make sure batteries were charged, tires pumped up and such. He is now in hospis, wife doesn't drive and a friend of family is selling their vehicles. He doesn't know much about it other than it is in good condition. Comes w/ manual. Interior is near perfect as is the exterior. My first time in a Class b camping van and I must say they look bigger inside in the pictures. lol Asking 7,000, been on Craigs list for a while, last thing the guy told me, has a small used car dealer, was I don't want to store it all winter, I put the price on it, not owner, their is plenty of room to move, make me an offer, you can't offend me. I think I want it, can someone direct me to were I can find specs on this particular model and give me any info on it.

Thanks in advance.

[71choptop]

On the time/miles for the oil change, in time they figured in '09, it will be 2015 before it hits the miles mark to be changed.lol Yes, sitting a long time is hard on the vehicle, if I pick it up I may get a price from the small car lot, if they do that, to have at least the fluids change before I bring it home. Now this explorer only has the (1) set of captains chairs and a dinette that converts to a bed. when I first saw the dinette I thought, where do the adults sit. lol The double bed in the back is nice, I like not having back doors.

I am considering bidding on a '90 Airstream B190 , 80,000 miles, 460 engine, looks nice but paint is badly fading per owner, it has a more modern interior, bed over the cab and a couch and seems roomier inside.They are supposed to be good units but kind of butt ugly w/that big domey thing on top.

Probably wouldn't be the worst idea to wait a couple of months till their are more available to look at. Thanks for the comments and suggestions, they are what I need before I make a purchase that I will live w/for a quite a while.

[bsinmich]

When I get my oil changed they always put a sticker showing when the next change is due in time and miles. That could explain the fact the miles are less than shown. Figure new tires, fresh oil change, brake fluid flush, anti freeze flush, and enjoy.

[steveh27]

I have a 1997 Xplorer 230XL, but I'm sure there are many differences in 9 years. I will never part with it and travel at least 40 days a year in it.

[chast]

Hi--we also had one in the 80's--loved driving it but hated living in it. Ours had the 360 engine and it was easy to drive and had adequate power. When parked, it seemed very small and cramped. Despite doing everything I could to get better mileage, the best I could get was about 9 mpg. Sold it because at that mpg, decided something bigger couldn't do much worse on gas. All in all, it was a great rig and this one looks like a preserved gem! At that price, how could you go wrong? I would buy it and optimistically look forward to having some fun! Sure you might have to spend on repairs and replacement parts, but probably not all at once. Go for it!

[71choptop]

Have had the '71 for about 18 years,thinking of selling because it was last licensed in'10. I had thought about putting money into the '70 C30 motorhome but decided against it.

[Neverhappy]

I think you found a gem. I would buy it 🙂
Interior pics ?
Nice 71 too, makes me want to chop my 77

[Golden_HVAC]

MAke him a $5,000 offer and see where it goes.

You can figure that the tires are probably 10 - 12 years old? The tires are not safe for a long high speed drive. Keep it under 55 MPH. Keep the tires at 80 PSI (or the recommended high pressure limit). Do not load up the camper or do any camping until you get new tires. Be ready for a blowout - it can happen with tires that old.

You might need a front transmission seal. You might need a rear axle seal, or brake pistons rebuild due more to it not being used much. Probably the brake fluid is bad, and should be changed out.

Good luck!

Fred.

[71choptop]

Am a member of the Yahoo group. Really doesn't seem that active.

[rwj146]

There is an xplorer group on yahoo groups, a very active bunch. It looks decent to me. Look for major things wrong with it.. you know there will be minor things with a unit that old.

[71choptop]

Again ?

[71choptop]

[img][/img]

Yes I checked out underneath, looked good and was running for about a half hour and no drips or leaks. Hope the pic comes out. lol

[stan909]

have you laid down and looked for rust and drips ? Is there a generator ?

[71choptop]

Am sure it needs tires and a few other things, not worried about spending some money on other things when the exterior/ interior are good.

[rjf7g]

I couldn't find that particular model in the NADA Guide at http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/1988/Used/Xplorer but I suspect $7,000 is steep especially given that it has not been used recently. Does it have a current inspection on it? Are the tires 7 years old or older? I just "bought" a 1999 American Cruiser on a Dodge chassis and knew it needed work - it can cost a couple of thousands of dollars to get a chassis back up to snuff.