Used RV under $20,000

We looked for the better part of a year, 1st at toy haulers (tow behind) which we discovered we didn't have the truck for, briefly at Class C's and finally several WINTER months searching for an affordable Class A. We didn't find a great deal but it was a good deal that worked for us. The coach has some issues (lots of northern winter use) but I use it for boondocking anyway so it's not like I'm throwing pearls to swine. I am very happy with the integrity of the selling dealer. He could have stuck it to us but instead outlined many many issues I would have missed.

We saw a lot of low cost deals on older coaches with little mileage but no slides. I didn't trust those as a long term investment as we would be putting miles on ours and using it frequently. Plus the fashions were ugly (more inside than out).


This is the deal we found -

$20,000 - 2002 Fleetwood 1 slide Terra in 2013 with 63,000 miles for just under $20k out the door. It included new Chinese tires (the old tires were very very old)
$600 - then we had to insure it, pay taxes on it
$2,500 - it needed a TV, 4 shocks, backup camera, propane tank, dash radio, Scan Gauge and a WHOLE LOT of little items (1st camper purchase).
$400 - for specialized tools, impact, sockets and such
$800 - for preventative maintenance items like trans flush, diff flush, inspection by an RV shop, filters, oils, etc
$400 - for stuff that was just plain broken (uwave, $200 fuel line, refrig board, more)

So in all our $20k Class A was almost $25k, and I did most of the labor. If you aren't handy it will cost you a LOT more and your RV will be sitting waiting for service more than you could ever imagine.

Good luck with your quest.

Best,
- bob

2112 wrote:

bsinmich wrote:

2112 wrote:
Should he avoid a Workhorse chassis?

Why would you want to avoid a Workhorse chassis?

I was under the impression they were not well supported anymore.

PPL has a nice Safari Trek in his price range on a Workhorse and recall past Workhorse discussions. I'm not saying this Trek would be a good FT candidate but it got me thinking.

He claims to be mechanically deficient so I was thinking of directing him away from potential issues. He is in the 12yr+ range.

What about the plug spitting 460's?

It wasn't the 460 that spit out the plugs. It was the early V10s that didn't have enough threads and had to be tightened properly to stay in place.

bsinmich wrote:

2112 wrote:
Should he avoid a Workhorse chassis?

Why would you want to avoid a Workhorse chassis?

I was under the impression they were not well supported anymore.

PPL has a nice Safari Trek in his price range on a Workhorse and recall past Workhorse discussions. I'm not saying this Trek would be a good FT candidate but it got me thinking.

He claims to be mechanically deficient so I was thinking of directing him away from potential issues. He is in the 12yr+ range.

What about the plug spitting 460's?

2112 wrote:
Should he avoid a Workhorse chassis?

Why would you want to avoid a Workhorse chassis? They ride better than ford from the same years, give slightly better mileage, and have a better transmission. Workhorse is starting to build RV chassis again.

2112 wrote:
Should he avoid a Workhorse chassis?

I would not. Chassis is well supported thru the primary and secondary part suppliers along with knowledgeable mechanics.

Should he avoid a Workhorse chassis?

I'm not understanding the negativity, because I find 30-34 foot non-slide type A gas motorhomes anytime I check the market. They are often less expensive than smaller C's of similar age, because the demand for C's is greater and non-slide A's are really hard to sell.

Age range is going to be 15-20 years to get that price. In most brands, you have to go back more than 10 years to find A's with no slideouts, the slides have been an A buyer's "must have" at least that long.

My favorites for value in that age and price range are early Bounders and maybe a little newer, Fleetwood's lower price Storm and Flair models. The Bounders were among the first modestly priced A gassers to have generous basement storage, tankage between the frame rails and floor in a heatable enclosed space, and bus like styling replacing sloped front ends. For other tan Fleetwood in that era, I like Winnebago Brave, maybe the upscale Adventure (price differences between model lines tend to shrink with age).

To get prices you want, and readily find no slideouts, you'll be looking at middle to late 1990s, maybe even a bit earlier, and into early 2000s for entry models like Hurricane or Coachmen Mirada, which may not have the basement storage of a Storm or Bounder for non-slide models. For most of this age range, you'll be finding 454 V8 on Chevy (later Workhorse) chassis, and 460 V8 on Ford chassis. Engine tunes for medium duty truck models (i.e. motorhome and panel van chassis) in this era were not as powerful as today, but adequate for the lighter motorhomes they powered, but not particularly economical. Getting into to late 90s, Ford replaced the 460 with a slightly smaller high-tech V-10, and when Workhorse took over the medium duty chassis business they replaced the 454 with a Vortec engines (7400 then 8100) using more advanced electronic fuel injection. But that may be too new for your budget.

With a $20,000 budget, I would be looking for a $10,000 to $15,000 going to the motorhome purchase, using the rest of the budget restoring it to the reliable transportation you seek. What is old enough to fit into your budget is likely to need some work, either because it is well used or has deteriorated from non-use. These RVs come on the market in this age and price range often because someone has decided their money would be better used upgrading to something newer, rather than put into what they already have. People don't fix up old RVs to sell them.

OK so lets assume that the OP does not want anything but a class A and wants to know if he can find a CLass A in his price range (after all this is exactly what the PO says).

Can you find a class A at $20k or under? = Yes

Can you find one that is mechanically sound for that price? = yes

Will it require some tinkering during the time you own it? = yes

Will it be a money pit? = unknown. There is just no certainty either way.


When looking for something look past the chrome and shine and look at the bones. Look for something with lower miles and with a proven chassis like a GM, Ford 460 V8 or even the Ford V10. These motors are basically the same thing as the motors in cars and trucks. That means that almost any garage can work on the basics.

Before buying check the oil for metal. Do the same with the transmission fluid. Make sure little things like the wipers, lights and that sort of stuff work. How does the exhaust look? That will be pricey to replace. How are the brakes? Basically all the stuff you would look at on a used car before buying it.

Now to the inside. Make sure the fridge works on both gas and electricity. This is an expensive fix if not working correctly. Depending on where you live you may need to check the AC unit (s). I live in the North East and have NEVER used my AC units. Check the heat out, make sure its in working order and so on. Just go through the unit and make sure things work as they should. All of this can be done in relatively short order.

Also be sure to drive it. If you cant drive it, you don't want it. No matter what bs the owner gives you, you just don't buy it without driving it.

Now as far as finding this for under $20k, yes it can be done all day long. I just sold a 1995 Damon 36' gasser for under $9k. It needed new tires, a new license plate holder and that is all it needed to be road worthy. The graphics were crusty and the toilet flush peddle needed to be reconnected but that's about it. It has 35k on the clock and ran like a top. If the new owner put a few grand into it he will have a great Class A for well under the $20k your looking at. furthermore there are NICER units out there than my old one. So keep your eyes open and you will find one.

We paid $23,000 for a 2003 Itasca(part of Winnebago) 30 footer with low miles but it does have 2 slides. We've had to spend some money our 1st year and a half with it but nothing huge like a new motor or trans. If I buy another one it will probably be a Winnebago or Itasca.