Mommalu
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Joined Feb 03, 2007
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Re: motorhome pricing
Older is fine if you're aware everything is old, age takes its toll on many things. We love our old 07 motorhome, but much needed to be replaced, it sat in a barn much of its life, so there's plenty of unseen rust. Funny how the local inspector didn't notice it, well it was nowhere on his report. After replacing a rusty exhaust manifold, belts, hoses and filters it drives, rides and handles wonderfully. The leveling hoses are rubber and old so they had bulges and have all been replaced, as well as the refrigerator, 2 A/Cs, water pump, inverter, batteries, you get the idea. Big thing is many older units had/have quality build, ours is solid going down the road, no squeaks, no leaks, can run all day at 65-70 mph. It's perfect for us once we systematically replaced the older things that time and use wore out. Best of luck, and with tools and utube many of us become far more mechanical than we could have ever imagined!1.1KViews0likes0Comments- 810Views0likes0Comments
Re: Washer issue driving me nuts
Stupid me I bought a bucco bucks Bosch dishwasher for the house, 4 yrs later a repairman asks how often do you run this? I said we have a son, his bride and newborn living with us as they find a house, and I do daycare for the grand kids, so 2 maybe 3 times a day. He stated MODERN DISHWASHERS ARE ONLY DESIGNED TO RUN 3 TO 4 TIMES A WEEK!!! I wore it out!! Energy efficient means less water, smaller motors, smaller heating elements, ETC. Pretty sure it's the same for all modern appliances. With our HE washer I often have to wash clothes twice to remove dirt/odors, or use a heavy perfumed detergent and softner(not going to happen). I also have to wipe the water out of the rubber door gasket to avoid moldy stagnant water sitting in it, and removing the detergent tray and spraying with a bleach & water solution to prevent mold in that dark moist area. But hey we we're saving the planet even though we are having to run the appliance twice as often to get the results of the old ones running once. Truly I don't understand it, but what are the options? Wipe out every area, spray with a bleach/water solution and hopefully you can get ahead of the smell & mold. Sorry for the rant, but its my challenge too.385Views0likes0CommentsRe: Best ride for the buck
We had an 2014 Jayco Precept that I hated to drive. I have a CDL, drive coaches & school buses. We put upwards of 4k in steering/handling improvements but it still was a bear to keep on the road with wind or passing semi's, the v10 though a very capable engine is NOISY and thirsty, best mpg we saw was 8.5 mph. We traded it in for an older 07 Coachman Pathfinder, not a Tiffin, Newmar or Winnie all superior rigs, however much pricier. We head to state parks on weekends, we don't sweat the dirt roads or the trees rubbing along the side of the rig as we head to our campsite. We paid under 70k, and it's a camper with comforts, muddy dog, accident prone grandkids, don't phase us. I wanted a pre DEF, and a 5.9 Cummins because it's one of the best engines out there, yes it's a bit under powered at times but it's proven itself in pick ups, box trucks, school buses, motorhomes and boats. It's simplistic and parts are available, no issues getting service or maintenance done. My hubby was amazed at how quiet this motorhome is to ride in and no bang from the expansion joints. He works while I drive. With older units often you are limited in financing, we paid cash. It's older so be prepared to upgrade. We replaced A/C's, refrige, driver & passenger seats, plastic sinks, old faucets, upgraded all lights to LED and a new bigger inverter. Another 20k BUT it fits our needs, drives like a dream and we get 10 mpg doing the speed limit. Figure out your wants/needs and I'm certain there is an older unit out there for you. Best of luck!184Views0likes0CommentsRe: Let’s hear your best MPG and driving style ?
I drive it like I stole it with our 40' 5.9 Cummins, hit 75 and 78mph and got 9.3 mpg pushing a small house down the road. My 5.4 Ford pick up gets 13 mpg driving it the same way, tho it lacks a bathroom, kitchen, queen bed, water heater, 90 gallons of water, a furnace, couple of tv's and a fully stocked refrigerator and bar. It's all about perspective and what you're willing to put up with and or settle with. We're all different, and it's ok! Get out and enjoy yourself!427Views0likes0CommentsRe: Used class a ?
We bought an 07 Coachman 40 DP, with 53K miles for under $70K and love it. However you need to take into consideration that things may need replacing, or you want to upgrade to new and improved items especially if it's been lived in, or sat too long. We were prepared for an additional $13K, we're at $20K. Tho we up graded things that most would live with. Wanted to add our personal touches. Here's a breakdown, started with a new exhaust manifold, it runs great now! New driver & passenger chairs, because the seat belts wouldn't retract, and they weren't comfy. New refrigerator, 2 new A/C's, new mattress, replaced plastic sinks with residential, faucets too. I hated the bronze door pulls and light fixtures so I replaced them with brushed nickel and upgraded lights to LED's. Replaced the tired old AM/FM radio with an Alpine 3x7"screen with Apple play, can use our phones for GPS and tunes, upgraded the speakers too. Then the inverter died and took the batteries with it so that was upgraded from 1200 watts to 2000 apparently they last about 7 years. Sounds like a lot but we love this thing and are confident with all the systems now. My hubby calls it the SS for "She Shed" LOL Good luck in your search, may you find one that fits most of your wants and needs, they're out there!774Views0likes0CommentsRe: Fuel mileage
I have the CDL in the family, I do most/all of the driving. We had a 04 32' v10 with the 4 speed, never towed anything, its our weekend get out of town vehicle. It depends on the conditions, the F53 chassis is often all over the road with a good wind, with hills the v10 is screaming as it drops gears for more power, even in the tow haul mode. After adding $4000 in "handling improvements" we were able to do the speed limit most of the time, though it was still a white knuckle experience. We saw low of 4.5 mpg with a 25 mph head wind to 8 mpg on a near perfect day with few hills. If we ran the genny for A/C on those 85 degree days our mpg dropped .5 miles per gallon so from 7 to 6.5. The upside was the v10 always started, got us to where we needed, and was cheap to maintain, absolutely no issues. However, for work I drive diesels, so we traded the 2014 V10 in for a 2007 40' with the small but mighty 5.9 Cummins diesel, no more white knuckle driving, and we see 8 to 10 mpg. There's no perfect motorhome out there, just figure out what you and family need to be happy, and then enjoy it. My truck only gets 13 mpg, it has no queen bed, shower, bath, refrigerator, stove, tv, recliners or couch. Put it in perspective, basically you're driving a house. You want mpg's you drive a tiny little car, that is only for driving not living in. Have fun in your search for your home on wheels.239Views0likes0CommentsRe: Fulltime Capable RVs
This is why I love this forum. It's not a one size fits all, my way or its wrong group of people. Successful RVing brings out creative thinking, and the more we use our rigs the more we define what we're willing to put up with, or pay for and its vastly different from the most basic and simplistic to more creature comforts to skies the limit technology. Most of us are somewhere in between.1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Approximate fuel milage of these 2 motorhomes?l
We have the 5.9 in a 40' coach, always drive with full water of 80 gallons and always do the 70 mph speed limit on the interstate. Even with a good head wind the lowest we have ever gotten is 7.9 the most 8.9. We had a 32' V10 we drove the same and mileage was between 5.5 to 7.5, it was all over the road, a rough ride and a screaming engine that put out so much heat we often had to drive with the genny and the roof A/C on. Once stopped the heat from the drive shaft would heat the floor from engine to the rear wheels, even with both A/C's on it was hard to cool the interior down. Happiest day was trading in the 2014 and buying the 2007 diesel. Granted with an older coach there are things to update. However its a joy to drive, we talk now no more shouting, no more jarring bumps. Just my 2 cents.907Views0likes0Comments
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