reliabilty

[billy1davis]

We just about bought a Grand Design and first did some research on quality and found that it is not just GD with issues but most of the 5vrs. Unless one buys the oldie but goodie around 2009 and earlier.
Then we looked at pushers and found that they have all the goodies most of the time. But my number one issue is having a trouble free vacation. I am beginning to realize I will be dealing with breakdowns regardless of the make. Seems to me that to get reliable rvs I might be better off getting a pusher. We had a pusher for 2 years and have had all the other types also. Those two years with an older pusher were trouble free and the guy that bought it is having the same experience.
If we got one we would be looking at 2005 probably and older...budget 50k
Your thoughts??

[RFCN2]

We have an 18 year old Diesel Pusher that we are the second owners of and have had it for almost 11 years. We fixed a lot of stuff when we first bought ours, but since then we rarely have things go wrong. But we are not in much of a hurry so in the rare instance of something that needs fixing it is not a big deal.

Of course something outside of your control can happen. Last fall we were in Wilcox AZ and a tornado hit less than a mile away. That caused 12,000 dollars of damage to our coach. It was still drivable though. Scarred the **** out of me, the dog, and my wife.

Bob

[hotjag1]

I keep up on regular maintenance and service on both of our motorhomes and I can say that we have had 1000's of miles of trouble free vacations. The diesel maintenance costs more than the gasser but we've never had a ruined vacation due to a breakdown from either one.

It's entirely possible to find a good DP in the early 2000's but you may have to up your budget closer to 60k for those years.

[jmtandem]

and first did some research on quality and found that it is not just GD with issues but most of the 5vrs.

In the RV world the letters 'RV' sometimes unfortunately stand for 'ruined vacation'. You will be fine with a fifth wheel if you work through any new issues before you take off on the big trip. No RV is 100 percent drop dead reliable not even Airstreams. So you pay your money and take you chances but if you work diligently to get the initial quirks out of the unit you should be good to go. Buying a 15 year old pusher because you had one once and it was dependable is really a huge gamble as it is now older and depends a lot on how the maintenance was handled. A new fifth wheel will be under warranty if that is any part of the decision process.

[Bill_Satellite]

If you are looking for a trouble free vacation you might want to drive your car to a local beach hotel! 2nd best is a air/hotel package to somewhere you like. There are other vacation options but looking for a trouble free RV is likely not anywhere on that list!

[STBRetired]

Have a friend selling his 2005 38ft DP for $68.5K. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it mechanically. Whenever there was an issue, he had it fixed right away and keeps up on his maintenance. Seems like he had an issue every once in 2 years or so. I know it is above your budget, and I'm not trying to sell it for him. The point I want to make is that there are 15 year old RVs that are reliable and up to date on all their maintenance if you just keep looking for them. On the other hand, another acquaintance has a 2013 DP that can't seem to go more than 200 miles without breaking down, Of course, he doesn't do maintenance as he thinks it's "stupid" to spend money on it if it isn't broken.

Look for the first, avoid the second.

[Lwiddis]

Ask to see all 15 years of the MH’s maintenance records.

[wildtoad]

You’ll be looking for a 15yo DP RV for under $50k. You should expect to a few issues, maintenance that needs to be done, things not working as expected. But I hope you find something you like.