My questions are:
1. What sort of inspection should I perform, or get someone to perform? Could I ask the owner for permission to take it to a local mechanic?
2. I am very concerned about engine and transmission...since this is a 1988 model, do such old models have reliable check engine light. Could I assume that if the check engine light is not on, the engine/transmission is fine?
3. Since this is going to be a private seller in CA (I am in CA too), what paperwork do I need to show up with when I go to the seller? I am guessing I will have to buy insurance first? What is the exact process of title transfer? How does one make sure that the title is good and there are no surprises when I attempt to register the rv? At what point do I pay the seller...I guess I am just looking for a sequence for the buying process.
4. What is the way to arrive at a fair price? Is NADA guides the best resource?
Any other pointers so keep surprises to a minimum will be most appreciated. Thanks
A lot has already been covered. We also bought an older RV. We bought a 1990 Winnebago Warrior about 8 years ago.
1) Request to see every functional item on the RV actually function. Then figure out how much the cost to repair it will be for each non-functioning item. Use these costs to negotiate deductions in sales price.
Things to consider:
Do all burners of the stove work?
Does the system have a propane leak-down detection gauge? If so, check the propane system for leaks. You basically pressurize the system, set a witness needle to the pressure needle, then turn off the gas at the tank. If there is no leak, the two needles stay together. If there is a leak, pressure decreases away from the witness needle.
Google to learn the how to read the date codes on tires. Tires have a life of about 6-10 years regardless of tread wear. I learned after we bought our RV that the front tires were 4 years old, the back tires 10 years old, and the spare was 19 years old. That was $1000 for us.
Check all the cab vehicle controls, like the air conditioning. As old as it is, if the AC does not work it will have to be upgraded to R134 refrigerant as the old R12 is not in use anymore. That was $800 for us.
If it has a generator, see if it runs, and leave it running for at least 30 minutes. Our RV generator started and ran, but shut down after about 20 minutes. That was $500 for us.
If it is old enough to have a carbureted engine instead of fuel injection, that's a headache. I remember pre-fuel injection days and even when they are running right you just can't beat fuel injection.
Ford systems from 1985-1995 should have OBD-I diagnostic capability.
Have the water tank filled with water, and turn on the water pump. The pump should run until the system pressurizes, and then it should shut down. Leave it on during the inspection. If there is a leak in the system the pump will turn on periodically to restore pressure. Check for leaks.
RVs as old as 1988 may not have the now-mandatory propane detectors. On an old RV like that I highly recommend you install propane and Carbon Monoxide detectors. I installed a hard-wired combo propane/CO detector near the furnace intake and separate CO detectors in both sleeping areas.
Look for evidence of leaks and past leak repairs. Water kills RVs. If you see bubbles or blisters in the outside of the RV, particularly under window openings or along the roof line, the RV has leaked and the wall is deteriorating.
Trust your nose! If you walk into the RV and it smells like mold and mildew, you've probably got a leaking RV.
Gently push on all interior walls up near the ceiling. If anything feels soft or makes crunchy sounds - you probably have rot from a leak. I had to rebuild our shower and the toilet walls on ours.
Take a look at the headliner. Our headliner was held up with staples. The headliner was originally a vinyl material with little holes all in it, backed with an adhesive and thin layer of insulative foam, followed by more adhesive. This was stuck to the ceiling. Over time, the foam aged and disintegrated, and hence had been "repair" by stapling it to the ceiling. The disintegrated foam fell through the tiny holes in the vinyl material, raining little tiny bits of foam dust on everything in the RV, like a giant roof-sized pepper shaker. Drove my allergies insane. I finally pulled it all down and glued fiberglass paneling to the roof.
Make sure the roof AC works. If it has integrated heat, make sure it works.
Make sure the furnace works.
Make sure the water heater works. If it also has electric, make sure that works, but beware - don't turn on the electric heater until the water heater is full of water or you will burn it out in seconds.
Make sure you can hook the RV up to city water.
Make sure the refrigerator works on gas and electric and 12V (if it supports all of those). This can be hard to tell because the systems are slow to cool down. I'd ask that the refrigerator be turned on to run on gas at least 12 hours before the inspection so you can verify it is working.
Make sure all faucets work.
Take a look at the roof. If it has been painted over with latex roof sealer, you may have had a leak that has been painted over. Also look for evidence of repairs. This may indicate there was once a leak.
Make sure all electrical things work if only running on internal house battery power and when plugged into shore power.
My Dad says RVs basically have a life of about 15 years, and after that they start to fall apart. Ours is pushing 30. It does require maintenance and things do break, and she isn't pretty any more. But we paid $7500 for it 8 years ago and we could not afford to replace it today. The occasional repairs are still less than an RV payment.
If you are handy with repairs you can save a lot of money.
