DrewE wrote:
free radical wrote:
Modern engines will start and run easier and get much better mpg too..
I wouldnt go back to carburetors if you paid me..
Id be weary of any Twenty year old chassis being in good solid shape..
Inspect everything very thoroughly..
Twenty years ago isn't quite so long ago in technological terms as you seem to be thinking.
A twenty year old chassis would be a '96, and so almost certainly have electronic fuel injection and probably a four speed overdrive transmission. Modern engines (and the newer transmissions) will get a little bit better mileage, generally speaking, but it's not the night and day difference you would get with a 30 year old carbureted engine and a three speed transmission. I regularly get between 7.5 and 8 mpg with my 18 year old 32' class C on the interstate. New ones of similar dimensions (frontal area and weight) seem to get maybe one half to one mpg better, from what I've read here.
Fuel injection is well worth having, there I fully agree. And there are plenty of little odds and ends that may very well need replacement on an older chassis like bushings and belts and hoses and bearings, which can add up to a seeming death by a thousand paper cuts. Still, I'd be more concerned about the maintenance and upkeep of the house part of an RV of that vintage than the chassis, though of course one should pay attention to both.
Exactly, if everything is in pristine condition (which is the basis for the thread), there is no significant advantage to going newer.
The reality of finding a rig in pristine condition is a separate question but finding one in good condition where it's just regular maintenance is very possible.
Personally, I think the sweet spot is around 7-10yrs. At that point the heavy depreciation is done but since a great many rigs only get used 2-4 times per year, if the standard maintenance is done, there is a lot of life in them for a very good price.
