Major repair costs for a Class C
I live in Florida and I would like to travel and see North America while I still can, but on a stipend of 2,000 USD per month. I can get a used Class C motorhome for around 5,000 - one short enough to...
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About a month ago I bought a 1978 Chevy Itasca 21ft machine, ad said mechanic owned and maintained, oil recently changed, tires 2 years old, new hoses, belts, plugs and wires. All I could do was take his word and my eyes for it, and it all appeared to be true. I picked it up for $3300 ($300 less than advertised), Right off the bat he said the fridge was questionable and that turned out to be true, we don't plan on replacing it right away so thats no biggie. Took it in for a systems and mechanical check and they confirmed the fridge being junk, the only surprise was the fresh water pump. I ordered a new one on sale from Camping World and will put it in myself and that is going to run me about $110. It came without an auxiliary battery so I just picked up a group 27 AGM battery from Cabela's on sale for around $200.
There are a few drawers that need repair, a little bit of caulking that has dried, torn upholstery on the couch cushions, a non working horn and cruise control. All in all its about what we expected, no rot, no leaks, good mechanics; maybe we found the diamond in the rough, who knows?
We're planning on redoing the upholstery and curtains and putting in some new speakers and a CD player for the road, maybe another $500 since we'll be doing the upholstery and all installs on our own.
All in all its been great so far, so sometimes in can work out to get a vintage machine and not have to break the bank prepping it for adventure. I'm not saying that we won't run into problems, we'll just prepare for those as best we can (credit cards and roadside assistance). RVing isn't just for big budgets, or at least it shouldn't be. Our monthly budget is around the same as yours, and if our costs increase, then we'll adjust how long we travel or stop and work for awhile. No big deal.
Chase your dream Traveling Druid, just buy smart and expect to pay for repairs and updates along the way.
KCCO
There are a few drawers that need repair, a little bit of caulking that has dried, torn upholstery on the couch cushions, a non working horn and cruise control. All in all its about what we expected, no rot, no leaks, good mechanics; maybe we found the diamond in the rough, who knows?
We're planning on redoing the upholstery and curtains and putting in some new speakers and a CD player for the road, maybe another $500 since we'll be doing the upholstery and all installs on our own.
All in all its been great so far, so sometimes in can work out to get a vintage machine and not have to break the bank prepping it for adventure. I'm not saying that we won't run into problems, we'll just prepare for those as best we can (credit cards and roadside assistance). RVing isn't just for big budgets, or at least it shouldn't be. Our monthly budget is around the same as yours, and if our costs increase, then we'll adjust how long we travel or stop and work for awhile. No big deal.
Chase your dream Traveling Druid, just buy smart and expect to pay for repairs and updates along the way.
KCCO
