What's Next?

[ol__yeller]

OK, we've sold the TT and my TV. Due to health concerns we have decided that a MH, Class C or A would be ideal. As we only have about $20K to spend we are obviously looking at used RVs. I have found several Class Cs that would work but after the DW looked at them she decided that she might not be able to help with the driving as we first thought. This is not troublesome for me as I usually do most of the driving anyway. It was the setup and teardown of the TT that was doing me in. After looking online at several Class As I have some questions that I haven't found answers to yet.

We are probably looking at a Class A, Gas, around 30' and around the 2001-2 vintage. I had a Ford V10 and was happy with it but I have no experience with the Chevy 454. Is the V8 enough to pull the RV without undo engine wear? We had them in the school bus fleet (similar to a class C) when I drove a few years ago and they seemed to last for about 150-200K before the district unloaded them. Do the Chevy class A chassis of this vintage have the Allison transmissions? Are there any weak points I need to consider?

I see that tires are are a big expense and they should be replaced every 5-6 years. I'll be checking them on any potential purchases.

I know how to check out the house side stuff from my TT days but is there anything different in a class A that I should know? Thanks in advance, I'm just trying to make the best informed decision I can.

[glamisorbust]

Oh, and I wouldn't buy anything that "needs work". If they are too cheap to put in a new battery or fix the brakes, chances are everything else has been neglected too. There are plenty of people out there that really take care of their stuff and spend big money doing it. You need to find that guy...

[glamisorbust]

My RV parts counter guy is awesome and has basically seen it all. I talk to him from time to time, and one time I was asking advice on what brand RV would be the best bang for the buck. He told me to stay far away from gulf stream. He told me the parts for winnebago's are 2-3x as much as parts for any other run of the mill RV. The example he gave me was a roof vent. A regular RV roof vent might be $20, where the special "winnebago only" part is $50. I would try and stick to fleetwood, any division of monaco, tiffin(the best). Actually, I would skip searching for any of the others and wait until a nice tiffin allegro comes your way. They are out of red bay, alabama and from what i've heard their product and service are second to none. I would look at more than two before you decide on one. I would look at about 10 before you decide to pull the trigger, just to get a very good idea of what's out there and what it all costs.

[ol__yeller]

I am looking at 2 of these tomorrow. One is a Winnebago at 30'. It is a 2001 with only 23K Miles, no slides and new tires. Needs brake work and an engine bay battery. This one has the Chevy chassis.

The other is a 2000 Coachman at 32'. It has around 34K miles, also no slides and new tires. Supposedly it needs nothing and is on the Ford V10 Chassis.

Both RVs are asking priced below $20K.

I'll let you all know what I find out after looking. Any further advice is still very appreciated!

[glamisorbust]

I have a 1994 georgie boy pursuit 28' class A on the chevy P30 chassis and the 454 with 4 speed transmission. I got it in decent shape and in the last 6 months I have sunk a ton of time and money into it trying to make it right. Here is the list of things I have replaced, and what it cost me:
Roof A/C unit, dometic 13.5 BTU $600
Roof materials, coating, caulking, etc $300
Used tires from craigslist, enough to get me by for a year or two $450 plus $140 to install.
Front airbags inside the coil springs $100
All 4 new shocks $100
Generator service(oil, filter) $20
New carpet and vinyl flooring/trim, etc. $500
Water pump, 3 belts, thermostat, all new heater hoses & clamps, radiator cap, radiator flush and new fluid, engine oil & filter $300
Expansion valve, multi switch, pressure switch, new a/c hose, receiver/dryer(all for the dash a/c system, $175
Charge the dash a/c to test for leaks $153
Plus, I built a new trailer hitch and spare tire carrier. The list I just put together does not include any of the labor which I did 100% myself. If I would have had someone do all the work, it would have easily been $5k, maybe more. The RV as it sits is probably only worth about $8k. But now, it's exactly what I want, it's paid off and works for us. The 454 has enough power to get the job done, and the auto tranny's since about 1993 have gotten a lot better. They used to use the TH400 which was just a 3 speed and notorious for leaving motorhomes stranded. Back in the 80's, we had the same style class A and went through 3 transmissions in about 10 years. The P30 chassis is less than desirable, it's not built heavy enough to carry the weight of a big motorhome. On a smaller 30' or less without slides, it should be just fine. All motorhomes are gas hogs, none of them will get the mileage of a prius. Mine gets about 9mpg with no headwind and about 7 pushing a ton of headwind with a heavy trailer. Just look over whatever you get very carefully, have a mechanic check it out. If it is still on the original water pump, hoses, roof air, you need to budget that into the total amount you will spend. These things are money pits.

[ol__yeller]

427435 wrote:
Be aware that repairs to a diesel will be very expensive------and repairs on a 15-20 year old diesel are quite likely (unless you can find one that has been really, really well maintained).

Hope you have several thousand $$ left over after you buy any MH.

I would recommend a 2000 MH with a V10------$20,000 may buy one if you shop around.

Not looking for a diesel. The budget is what the budget is. I don't want to go into debt to finance our fun.

[427435]

Be aware that repairs to a diesel will be very expensive------and repairs on a 15-20 year old diesel are quite likely (unless you can find one that has been really, really well maintained).

Hope you have several thousand $$ left over after you buy any MH.

I would recommend a 2000 MH with a V10------$20,000 may buy one if you shop around.

[Go_Dawgs1]

You have half the battle because you know the house side. The 454 is a real gas hog. I had one in my 87 Allegro and now I have a 8.1 Vortec on a smaller Class C at 26' and it does much better. The V10 is a good motor, based on what I have read on the forum. In looking at early 2000 MH, when we were shopping, I didn't find many with the 454. I would try and stay with the V10. If you know trucks then you will be able to know what right or wrong with a MH. Not much different, but bigger.

I know Redmond is a ways from Chehalis, but try looking at Ulhmanns in Chehalis. We bought our 03 Chateau there in January and are great people. I also liked what I saw and heard from the people at Sunset RV.

Good Luck
Arnold

[workhardplayha1]

I have found the motor home much easier than the TT. I had a Class C and now the Class A. I prefer to have a smaller motor home because it is easy to set up and take down. I also like that I can make u turns in most urban areas and make my way through most parking lots. We usually are only out for a few days at a time so with some extra planning we are good for a few days.

[RayChez]

454 Chevy engine is a very powerful engine. So there is no problem which engine you have Chevy or Ford they both will do the job. I had a 2002 F-53 chassis and it did not have the Allison transmission. Not sure about the workhorse of that era.