Older Class C's-any to stay away from?

[Mrsmoos]

My husband and I were looking at Class A motor homes but decided maybe they are just too big for us. So now looking at older Class C rvs. We want to be able to pull a boat occasionally. We have a budget of apx $10,000 and have seen a couple of rvs at around rthat--a 94 Jamboree Searcher and a 98 Jayco (sold already). Just wondering if there is any motorhomes in this category/price range that we should stay away from. My husband said he thinks the ones with a Ford 450 chassis are better. Most of the ones i am seeing are the 350. Any input? Are we dreaming we can get one for that much $$? We don't mind some cosmetic repairs... Any input?

[Bordercollie]

Older Class C's: It's best not to buy a Class C whose manufacturer is out of business, hard to get OEM tail light lenses, and certain proprietary items. Most hardware, plumbing etc., items are replaceable with replacement items from RV supply stores.

[EMD360]

I think the Winnebagos (and Itascas) of any age are a good motorhome. Others may disagree. Their fiberglass roofs are less maintenance and I have not heard of one "peeling off" although anything can happen I guess.
Ours is newer (2003) and was more expensive and would still be more expensive I believe, more like 15,000 to 17,000. I would try for the 90's and not an 80's or especially 70's model. Prices are higher here in Colorado too I think. We bought ours when we lived in Arizona. More for sale and more older folks ready to part with one. But leaks in a Class C are a real problem and finding the damage from them can be difficult. Good luck with your search!

[Bordercollie]

Longevity of fridges and air conditioners will vary. There is talk that current fridge and AC stuff is not as robust since it is not made in USA. Also the coolant chemistry has changed shortening life of cooling units. We bought an old beater 79 Delta Class C with original fridge that was battle-worn but worked fine as long as we owned it. Our previous 2004 vintage Dometic fridge was run for long periods with rig parked on driveway, slightly off-level, which may have hastened it's demise. Best to level rig before running fridge while parked for long periods.

[DrewE]

Bordercollie wrote:
Our fridge, roof AC unit, fresh water pump and house and starting batteries died at about 10 years old. Tires older than 5-6 year old should be replaced at about $200-$300 apiece. Expect to spend some money on replacements and upgrades with a 10 year old rig. If you can, save your money until you can buy a 3-5 year old rig unless you are handy at DIY RV work. If you are willing to spend the money have a pro truck mechanic and a trusted RV repair service carefully inspect the rig and give you an itemized list of what it needs, parts and labor.

By way of counterpoint, my fridge, roof AC unit, and water pump are going fine and are about 18 years old. My house battery does need replacement, but my starting battery seems OK; I don't really know how old they are (presumably not 18 years!). When I replaced tires recently, it ran about $160 apiece mounted and balanced at a local shop. There are more expensive tires than I got available, but these seem to be working just fine.

In short, I at least would not have saved money with a 5-6 year old unit, at least not yet. Obviously experiences can and do vary.

[Bordercollie]

Our fridge, roof AC unit, fresh water pump and house and starting batteries died at about 10 years old. Tires older than 5-6 year old should be replaced at about $200-$300 apiece. Expect to spend some money on replacements and upgrades with a 10 year old rig. If you can, save your money until you can buy a 3-5 year old rig unless you are handy at DIY RV work. If you are willing to spend the money have a pro truck mechanic and a trusted RV repair service carefully inspect the rig and give you an itemized list of what it needs, parts and labor.

[Chopperbob]

My 2001 which has a build date of 2000. The V10 heads have the upgraded spark plug threads. I would try and get
those, it takes care of the spitting out plugs problem. Later E450s have more capacities and upgraded transmissions.

[rockhillmanor]

Edit:
California is inherently high price for used RV's.

If you have the capability of traveling to pick one up, check out the used RV's in Florida! Do a search on Craigslist. Try the Orlando area first then Ocala. Then search a couple of the RV dealerships in those 2 areas.

There are a 'plethora' of real nice used Class C's down here for sale and they are priced very low. Good for you! Bad for me because I chose to sell my MH 'after' I got down to Florida. They practically give away the real nice big 5'ers down here! :W

[Big_Katuna]

I would want the 450 with a V-10 Ford. No 460. The V-10s got better around 2004.

Watch for leaks-rot around cabover; they are well known for it.

[rockhillmanor]

When looking for a used lowed priced MH I don't think there is any specific brand better than another.

DO look at the miles though. If they are REAL REAL low miles on an older MH be sure to find out if the MH was parked and sitting. THOSE are the worst and ones to stay away from. You end up with steering rod problems, calipers, exhaust problems from rust from sitting. ASK if the MH was used parked in a CG for long periods of time. Rust on an undercarriage is a killer.

I'd rather buy a higher mileage used MH that was "used all the time" versus one that was parked and allowed to be sunken into the ground for years. And the fact that they most likely left the black tank valve open and the inside of the black tank is a mountain of poo adding more unseen problems.

IMHO A nice Four Winds E450 would be my first pick. :C
They have REAL oak cabinets not the fake stuff. AND the drawers and drawer slides are all 'solid wood' too. I found the Four Winds to be well made inside and out.

Good luck in your quest to find the perfect new to you MH.

[Chopperbob]

Oh yeah the Winnabago fibetglass roofs quit peeling off? At least the rubber roofs are simple to maintain, patch, seal and
apply a new rubberized coating and is all DIY.
To avoid them is to avoid most rvs. That is hogwash!

[Bumpyroad]

anything of that vintage with a rubber roof I would be wary of.
bumpy

[DrewE]

The E-450 chassis is heavier duty than the E-350. For a few years what is now the E-450 was called the E-SuperDuty. The differences mainly relate to how much weight the chassis can carry. In either case, there's often not a lot of excess capacity for you and your stuff.

The most important thing to look for in a used motorhome, particularly a fairly old one, is how well the maintenance has been kept up with. A well-maintained entry level unit will give much better service and have many fewer headaches than a poorly kept top-of-the-line unit. In particular, look for (and avoid if possible) any signs of water damage, inside or out. In your price range, it may be hard to avoid every last spec of water damage, but do be careful to understand how much there is and what has been done to fix it. Often what appears to be minor damage is rather more significant once one digs into it.

Since you want to tow, do check the specs on the hitch. Sometimes motorhome hitches have unusually limited tongue weight ratings--a hitch rated to tow 5000 pounds might only permit 350 pounds of tongue weight. That's not a concern when flat towing a car or using a car dolly, but can be a big limit for trailers.

For use with a boat, a front hitch can be a very useful addition for launching.