Newbie wants your input before buying used

[justme47]

Hello all,

Been a lurker, but this is my first post.

Never owned an RV...but have borrowed a truck/camper, and decided that we liked it enough to consider buying, but didn't like the separation between truck and camper, so we decided that a short class C would best for us.

We are looking at a 1999 jamboree 22'6". It has 77K. we would be 3rd owner. It looks to be in decent shape though not pristine. Although it has been stored the last 7 years in a covered garage, the fiberglass is quite yellowed.

It has the Ford V-10 and seems reasonably peppy on the flat and does accelerate slowly but continuously when going up hills.

It has a crowned roof, but the interior roof is dropped down to allow for ac ducts to be enclosed. I could find only evidence of one leak in the cabover on the passenger side. I didn't appreciate any squishiness, but the rectangular piece of carpet that attaches the roof at the edge has obvious watermarks.

Tires look in fine condition but are about 6 years old...since it has been garaged except when in use and the tires show no evidence of cracking or checking would they still be OK?

Per report of owner, ac, fridge, heater all work. The generator started easily and sounded smooth.

And finally price. The online Nada prices out below 11k, the sellers are asking for 13.5K...What is a reasonable price?

Thanks in advance of any advice/direction you can offer.

[maillemaker]

Where can one find a dependable MH for $11K.

Yup, buying an old RV comes with its challenges. One trip to Disney the heater core blew just as we pulled in the park. Once the fuel pump relays burned out, which was just a prelude to when the fuel pump itself burned out. This year I had to have a new water pump put on the engine. The cruise control no longer works, and the parts to fix it are no longer available.

Everything else works just fine. For the moment. 🙂

I want to get a spare tire cover made that has the quote about the Millennium Falcon: "She may not look like much but she's got it where it counts."

[justme47]

Hello again, and thanks for all of the information.

DaHose, impressive work, but something I would really want to avoid. I would definitely rather have 3 root canals than have to deal with that kind of water leak situation!

On the basis of this discussion, I have decided that there really is no such thing as a little leak in a motorhome unless you are really willing to roll the dice.

Therefore, we will remain patient and keep looking until we find a good one. We can always re-borrow the truck and camper to hold us over until we find the unit that fulfills all of the criteria.

Also the financial advice about how much extra to count on spending, is helpful when trying to figure out a realistic price or budget. I think that I had really under budgeted for the additional cost post purchase

Thanks again

[wbwood]

Another thing to consider is how mechanically inclined you are. How are your carpentry skills? If you would rely on someone else to do the work, then you need to take that into consideration. Eventually parts fail and will need to be replaced. When they fail is unknown. We both work fulltime and my schedule varies as far as what days I work. My wife's schedule doesn't and neither does my childs school schedule. We value the little time we get off together for the weekends. The last thing I want to be doing is to repairing or replacing something. And is one of the main reasons we choose to buy new. If I felt I was a better mechanic, had more confidence in my carpentry skills and had the time to do the work, then I too would might consider a used one. But that's just the nature of the beast.

[Gale_Hawkins]

Where can one find a dependable MH for $11K.

While it is easy to overpay for the first old MH but still come out OK over time.

Read about the guy who paid $80K for about the same size MH and sold it 5 years later. The cost was more than your $11K total bill. 🙂

Buying any used MH one should add $5K to the purchase price in his mind to be on the safe side. Well if it is a diesel he may want to double that figure.

[maillemaker]

Fellow old RV buyer here. We bought our 1990 Winnebago Warrior about 5 years ago. It was 19 years old when we bought it. It is now 24 years old. How time flies. We paid $7500 for ours. We have 2 kids, 5 and 8.

First thing is, trust your nose. If it smells musty, moldy, or mildewy inside, or if it smells like someone has bombed the place with Fabreeze or Lysol, be very wary!

Our RV had a leak in the sun roof in the shower, and this turns out to be a typical problem - I once ran into our camper's "twin", one model year older, with the exact same problem. I ripped out the shower and rebuilt it but we still have a mold problem and my allergies go ballistic every time we use the RV unless I take an Allegra every day and then I'm fine.

If you already know you've got a leak problem, I would be very thorough in prodding things feeling for soft spots, and pull back carpet or upholstery or whatever is possible to look for rot or signs of water. I'd get an estimate for repair and use that as negotiation for coming to a price.

Insist on the seller showing you the operation of every single functional component on the vehicle. Refrigerator on gas, 12VDC, 120VDC. Stove. Oven. Microwave. Vent fans. Water pump. Generator. Engine. Cab AC. Roof AC. Cab heat. Furnace. All faucets. Toilet. Drain valves. Dump valves. Leveling jacks (if it has them). TV. Everything.

Make sure that the generator runs for at least 20 minutes without problem. Our generator started up and ran fine but turns out it would not run for more than 20 minutes without shutting down. That cost us $500.

Make sure that the internal water pump runs and shuts itself down when it pressurizes the system and that it does not come back on again for the duration of the time you are looking over the RV. If it turns on again it indicates the system has a leak and is not holding the pressure.

Everything that cannot be shown to be operational should be assumed to be non-operational and you should negotiate the price based on that.

Tires have a 6-year life. After that you are on borrowed time. A blow-out can rip the guts out of your RV damaging many internal systems costing thousands to repair. 5 years ago we spent about $1100 for 7 new Cooper tires.

To summarize, here's what we bit off:

$7500 for the RV.

$800 to repair cab AC and convert to R134A.
$500 fix generator
$1100 new tires
$500 rip out and replace shower and recover portions of ceiling.
total repairs: $2900

Would we have been better off spending $11000 on a nicer RV? Maybe so. But at the time of purchase, we didn't have $11000. So, we live and learn.

It's been a nice RV. It's been to Disney and back 4 times. My wife is there this week with the kids and her Girl Scout troop.

Steve

[Gale_Hawkins]

Our 1993 Class A is actually 32' so I have not driven or been in one 22'.

A plus of a Class three is that ready made bed over the cab. In fact our daughter wanted a C and it be HER domain. 🙂

In a used MH just go with what that works for the family and billfold. We do our own work for the most part and like the easy to get under our class A.

I found one needs to get his cash in place or fast source for it and be ready to jump on the 'ideal' deal when it pops up. They are out there and if a real deal they will not last. We gave $7995 for one that the going asking price in the area was $12k-$15K.

The guy lost his wife to cancer three years before and was to start chemo himself in two weeks and wanted it out of his yard before starting treatment. We saw it first on a Saturday evening and left a personal check deposit and showed up Monday with a Cashier's check for the full amount. He had 20 callers over the next couple weeks. He listed the price in his ad as he bottom line price so there was nothing to haggle about but no real time to sleep on it either.

[WA7NDD]

Justme47, to answer your question: Without maintenance records on the MH and the age alone tells one it needs some suspension work. I bought my second MH last September, inside and out,it was in very good shape, low miles but not stored for years, and garaged, and no leaks. Even the fiberglass exterior had little or no oxidation, it shined. I drove it and could tell right away the steering had a very lite feel as though the tires were not on the ground, so I knew there was work to be done. I paid 14K for a 1998 Four Winds 5000 22rk from a privet party, and there were people standing in line.

So, did I want to spend 30 to 40 grand on a much newer MH, or put some bucks into this one. I bought it on the spot, paid cash, a big advantage when buying anything. At 70 with some physical health issues, and even though I have a large garage, holds a MH, pickup and two cars, with tools to fix the MH, it is past me now.

I made of list of everything I wanted done. I bought the parts that were not available locally, Bilstein heavy duty shocks, and adjustable caster/camber sleeves, put them in the font seat with the list of other preventive maintenance items: Replace all the cooling and heater hoses, serpentine belt, shocks, clean mass air flow sensor, fuel filter, flush the radiator and V10 engine cooling system, and new thermostat. They found the tie rod ends were loose, and a leaking pinion seal. They replace the tie rod ends and seal, drained and cleaned the differential,( 15 year old oil).

I weighed the MH last Saturday loaded as if leaving on a trip. The difference between Gross Weight ratings, and actual loaded weight on the front and rear and total weight, is not much, a few hundred pounds. Total money to get all this done was 3K, that does not include the price of the shocks and sleeves. I now have 17k, less tax and license, into and old motor home, a lot less then a new price. But I only did it because of the condition of the MH, also made by a respected company still in business. You are either in or out when buying a MH. If you're in, then you are all in, or reliability will suffer.

[ron_dittmer]

Telstar made a variety of models & floor plans that ranged in length from 23 feet to over 30 feet. They were made from 1986 to 1995. I personally would look for one with the newer Ford body and interior and dash design, but I don't believe there is a problem with the earlier design as long as it is in good condition. Under-body and mechanical corrosion is always a concern. If the rig has been stored indoors most of it's life, and avoiding winter salty streets, age would be much less of a concern.

My 2007 has never seen winter salt and is stored indoors when not in use. If it had the latest Ford chassis styling, it could pass as a one year old rig.

The later Telstar has a black-out glass cab-over front which most are used for an entertainment center. But I have seen on-line a few with a single bed up there. Maybe they were converted that way, maybe sold that way when new, I don't know. It would make a nice bed for a 3rd person.

About a year ago there was one for sale that Barbara Streisand owned. It was purple inside and had a pair of built-in early-day cell phones inside. It was quite the rig for a fan to own.

[Bordercollie]

Reconsider total length. With a 27 footer you have a rear bedroom with RV queen sized bed, much larger cargo space, more interior cabinet space, larger bathroom, dinette convertible to a bed, and the overhead area used as a bed or entertainment center/storage area. You can get models with slide-outs which increase interior elbow room but add weight and potential for problems. A 27 footer is short enough for most campsites and is almost as easy to manuever and park as a 22-24 footer, OK for local events, days at the park, theme parks, etc.
A 22-24 footer is fine for a young couple that can climb up and down a ladder to the overhead bunk in the middle of the night and are not clausterphobic.
You may become irritated by having to put bags and boxes of stuff in the shower and under foot in the living area, after the newness/novelty wears off.

[PghBob]

Justme47: Water leaks with the frequent hidden rot and mildew sound the death knell for most RVs, unless you have the time, skill and talents of DaHose to repair. My opinion would be to keep looking.

With respect to length, how do you expect to use your RV most of the time? If you are like many who like to boondock in out-of-the-way places, length may be a factor. There are sites with size limitations, especially in Forest Service areas or remote locations. If you're planning to cruise Interstates or stay in commercial campgrounds, length (27 vs 24 feet) is less of a factor. Our first RV is 27 feet long and it did not take long to get used to it. You just have to remember, with any RV, to watch and adjust for tail-end swing, especially at gas pumps.

Finally, make sure you know and understand the weight ratings of any RV you are considering. The Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity (OCCC) of any RV tells you the maximum weight of people and stuff you can carry in the unit. One cannot always fill available space in the RV. It is the weight of things that matter, not space. With 3 children, you will definitely want to be safe and avoid over-loading. The weight of slideouts and leveling systems subtract from your OCCC.

Best wishes for success finding your RV. Bob

[wbwood]

What did a unit that small go for new back in '99? Maybe $40,000 at most? Seems a little high to me also. I wouldn't definitely be under $10,000 on it.

[DaHose]

I can tell you that we have one small child and a class C is the only choice for us. She LOVES her bunk bed and the extra sleeping/storage room is a real plus. Ours is 28' and the biggest I consider "reasonable" for driving around town and finding parking on typical city streets.

I can also share my experience with water damage.

Cabover rebuild thread

If you see the kind of damage I had, then you need to walk away, or get the thing for free and go for the gusto! :E

I agree with the others that tires and full maintenance will easily climb your additional expenses to over $2000 if you cannot do it all yourself.

If I could not have done all the work on the cabover of ours, we would have had to just take a complete loss on it. I simply had no option but to go for it and tackle the project.

I will also add that given some of the incredibly frustrating stories of people who have purchased brand spanking new class C MH's with leaks (we are talking gallons of water from one rain storm) in the cabover, I don't regret my choice. I had the time and skills to rebuild and I would WAY more upset about something I just paid $85K+ for, leaking and rotting before I even drove it off the lot.

If you KNOW it has a water leak, but love the floorplan and length, then I would at the very least have a repair shop inspect and provide an estimate for repair in the PPI. Although I lean toward recommending a continued search for something that does not have obvious water damage.

Jose

[justme47]

Again thanks to all,

WA7, How do you know if you need those suspension parts, I have a vague idea, as to what they are for, but not having driven many motorhomes, I don't really know what it is supposed to feel like when driving. Is there a some sort of quantifiable testing to determine these things?

Ron, took your advice and found a local listing for a telstar...I will call them tomorrow just to check it out. The interior does look to be in very good shape on the listing pictures. However it is 27' long. We were thinking that a shorter MH would be best as that would be the closest to the truck and camper that we borrowed and we thought that length was easy to deal with for parking and maneuverability. Anyone have thoughts on this? is the 5 more feet a big deal or not? also while the coach looks good, the front end ford 350 is now 25 years old, and does show its age. Is the consensus that it is better to have a higher quality coach on the backend and sacrifice a more modern motor/suspension?

Gale, I think that we are like minded on this. The problem with the short class A's is that they are rare, and most don't have many sleeping spots. we have 3 small kids to accommodate, and that's why the appeal of the class C with the overhead bunk. BTW, have you had experience with a longer MH, and do feel that the 22' is that much better?

Thanks to the others that have chimed in...At least if I end up making a mistake it will be a lot cheaper! 😉

[Captain_Obvious]

Water damage alone would have me walking. Do you want to camp or fix things?