Sweet Spot for DP Odometer Mileage

[deandec]

I have been reading this forum for nearly 13 years.

When it comes to DP purchase targets the common advise from posters is:


If it has too few miles, beware its lack of use.

- OR -

If it has too many miles (100,000+) beware the high mileage wear.


So, how does one determine the mileage that is a safe buy on a Used DP?

[Sully2]

Its a math formula. Odometer reading divided by interior cosmetics divided by exterior condition times....etc...etc.

A coach with 45K miles on it and an interior that looks like hogs were being raised in it...I won buy. Conversely a coach with 65K miles; clean interior and engine oil that appears to have been changed at the 15K milage mark. NOPE! A generator filthier that a rooting hog...nope...not that one either.

Its the sum of all its parts that will determine the actual value of a large DP motorhome.

[Thunder_Mountai]

INMO the issue is not the number of miles but how they are put on the engine. I would rather have one that has 1000 miles per year put on it on four 250 mile trips rather one that has only one trip a year at 1000 miles. That said, a diesel driven and well maintained with 10-15K miles per year is not a problem either.

[bluwtr49]

I just but a Beaver Marquis with a Cat C-12 and 90K. Mileage is the least of my concerns.

I like large displacement low reving heavy hunks of iron. Peak torque at 1300 rpm, redline at 2100 rpm. None of that winding up to 5-6K to pull hills.

[deandec]

MrWizard wrote:
When I saw the title, sweet spot on mileage, I thought fuel mileage
And the sweet spot is determined by gearing, and the tach is the best way to find it...

The operative word is "Odometer" mileage in the title.

[10forty2]

predawn wrote:

10forty2 wrote:
Another thing to consider is the year model...regardless of the mileage. In the early '90s, the EPA required low sulfur diesel to be used in on-the-road vehicles. Not being designed for it, seals in the engines started going bad as a result. I don't know exactly what model year diesel manufacturers made design modifications, but I'd guess late '90s.

Iam no expert but from what I have read and seen this is all pure falicy. I have heard that some put a quart of 2 stroke oil in a full tank of fuel But I see many many early 90,s DP and have not had anyone I talked to say they have or had any LS fuel related problems

Just going from experience...in the early 90s we ran Ford diesel van-type ambulances. When the low sulfur diesel fuel came out, we started to have major problems with the engines...especially the seals around the injectors. Had to have al of the seals in all of the ambulances replaced several times due to the low sulfur fuel. Additives helped, but until we bought newer trucks with engines and seals designed for the low sulfur, we had problems. I remember one time in particular that I was on a non-emergency transport and an injector started leaking bad enough that we had to pull over and wait for another truck to come get us and the patient. We had to tow the affected one back to the shop. Ford dealership blamed it on the fuel. FWIW....

[MrWizard]

When I saw the title, sweet spot on mileage, I thought fuel mileage
And the sweet spot is determined by gearing, and the tach is the best way to find it...

But this thread wasn't what I thought

To answer the question ...
When everything has just gotten broken in, and running sweet.

[predawn]

RV daytrader wrote:

predawn wrote:

J-Rooster wrote:
100,000 miles on a diesel engine is near new to anyone who has experience with them. I've drove them most of my adult life everyday!

maybe so but the 100K on the MH itself usually means excessive use = excessive wear

agree...the engine may be just broken in...but the starter, a/c compressor, alternator, fuel pump, wheel bearings, shocks, u-joints, suspension parts, etc, etc are more worn out than a rv with only 40k on it!

along with Fridge,water pump,microwave, coach, lite switches.wall paper etc etc etc

[RV_daytrader]

predawn wrote:

J-Rooster wrote:
100,000 miles on a diesel engine is near new to anyone who has experience with them. I've drove them most of my adult life everyday!

maybe so but the 100K on the MH itself usually means excessive use = excessive wear

agree...the engine may be just broken in...but the starter, a/c compressor, alternator, fuel pump, wheel bearings, shocks, u-joints, suspension parts, etc, etc are more worn out than a rv with only 40k on it!

[predawn]

10forty2 wrote:
Another thing to consider is the year model...regardless of the mileage. In the early '90s, the EPA required low sulfur diesel to be used in on-the-road vehicles. Not being designed for it, seals in the engines started going bad as a result. I don't know exactly what model year diesel manufacturers made design modifications, but I'd guess late '90s.

Iam no expert but from what I have read and seen this is all pure falicy. I have heard that some put a quart of 2 stroke oil in a full tank of fuel But I see many many early 90,s DP and have not had anyone I talked to say they have or had any LS fuel related problems

[10forty2]

Another thing to consider is the year model...regardless of the mileage. In the early '90s, the EPA required low sulfur diesel to be used in on-the-road vehicles. Not being designed for it, seals in the engines started going bad as a result. I don't know exactly what model year diesel manufacturers made design modifications, but I'd guess late '90s.

[predawn]

crasster wrote:
I think the best thing people can do with a DP that is not being used a lot is keep it covered somehow (shelter, cover, etc.) and to drive it every two weeks. Put some fresh fuel in it once a month, even if just a gallon. Drive it (not just run it) until full warm up.

covered? all MH gas or diesel fair better covered?
Drive it ever 2 weeks. Rediculous
Fresh fuel? diesel last,s indefinitely .just have to make sure you put anti algicide if its sitting too long(over 6 months roughly)
Should be driven every 4 months or so just to keep tires from flat spotting and seals lubed up etc.I go 6 months and never had a problem ever

[crasster]

I think the best thing people can do with a DP that is not being used a lot is keep it covered somehow (shelter, cover, etc.) and to drive it every two weeks. Put some fresh fuel in it once a month, even if just a gallon. Drive it (not just run it) until full warm up.

[predawn]

J-Rooster wrote:
100,000 miles on a diesel engine is near new to anyone who has experience with them. I've drove them most of my adult life everyday!

maybe so but the 100K on the MH itself usually means excessive use = excessive wear

[rgatijnet1]

The engine is one thing, but there can be other expensive parts that can fail because of the way the coach was maintained or where it was used. An acquaintance of ours with a 4 slide Monaco coach with 70,000+ miles just got hit with a $7000+ bill to remove and replace his radiator. He bought the coach with the expectation of the engine running forever. The engine may very well run forever but if the coach was used in a salty environment, either from road salt or shoreline salt, and the aluminum radiator was not properly rinsed, things like that can get expensive to deal with.
As with any coach, the engine is just one small part of the total package.