ncrowley
New Mexico
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Joined: 10/02/2009
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I am looking to purchase a used Class A diesel, 37 to 40 feet. There are older (8 plus years) class A's without very many miles. What issues do age alone (vs mileage) cause? Should I avoid vehicles that are over a certain age?
Nancy
Nancy
2004 Newmar Northern Star
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Tom/Barb
Oak Harbor
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Joined: 10/16/2009
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All Rubber and plastic parts are effected by UV light, they re prone to cracking. Electronics are dated, and if it has been in storage a long time the wake up syndrome will be a hassle.
2000 Newmar mountain aire 4081 DP, ISC/350 Allison 6 speed, Wrangler JK toad.
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past-MIdirector
Michigan
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Joined: 03/03/2007
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A MH in most cases is not going to have as many miles as an every day vehicle. On average most people drive there MH less than 6000 miles a year. When we were both working we only average less than 3000. Some a MH that's 8 years old can have 24,000 miles because they only were able to go weekend camping close by or make a few trips per year. We bought a 2004 with 20,000 miles in the spring and have had very few issues.
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Dale.Traveling
Newport News, VA
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Gas or diesel your first concern with non-mileage related aging is anything rubber or similar synthetic materials. Tires, cooling and hydraulic hoses, engine belts, window and roof seals, suspension bushings and such. The materials dry out and basically turns to dust and losses it’s malleability. Tire crack and leak air, hoses leak, seal leak, belts break and so on. Avoidable with preventative maintenance, inspections, planning and budgeting.
Older coaches with low mileage desirability is a coin toss compared to higher mileage rigs. Some will say sitting is as bad or worse than constant use. Personally I feel there are too many variables involved with either to make a blanket judgment.
A good general rule of thumb is an older unit will cost less up front but with potential high maintenance costs, a two or three year old has been thru the warranty rework and a new unit may need a return trip to the dealer for post-sale punch list repairs. For a DP I would preferred a coach in the five to ten years range with an average mileage of around 5-7K per year.
Good luck with your search. It's a buyer's market so be picky and be ready to bargain to get the price range you can afford but is also fair to the seller.
2006 Hurricane 31D aka 'Moby' the Whale
FCC(SW) US Navy Retired 1980-2003
Stella my Navigator
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Cocoui waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge
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olfarmer
Iowa
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Check the date code on the tires, have the belts and hoses checked. Look for signs of roof and window leaks. Look for delamination on the exterior.
Ed & Ruby & the 2 cats
2001 Winnebago Brave 30W
7.4 gas Work Horse Chassis
99 Jeep Grand Cherokee
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PyrateSilly
Home
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We just got our coach this year and it is 18 yrs old with 90k miles on it. The things you need to look at are not the age or miles but how it was taken care of during the years.
Thom, Gascap and Christine having fun in a 1993 Monaco Crown Royale 40ft 300hp RV.
Our blogged repairs and travels
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kcgaz
Scottsdale, Arizona
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I concur with everything that has been said above...we also saw one that had sat for so long that the fuel turned to sludge, which resulted in the fuel tank having to be cleaned and the in-tank fuel pump needing to be replaced.
God Bless,
Kevin & Tracy
1993 Fleetwood Tioga Arrow, 30', Ford 460...Still on the road!
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glodal134
OHIO
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Joined: 10/05/2010
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Besides the obvious - Tires - roofing - window seals deterioration of rubber plastic etc. I think the big question is how much of the necessary repairs and or improvements can you do yourself ? Or will you have to take the coach to a dealer / repair facility - for HV/AC plumbing - electrical - Body work engine / transmission etc. This is what makes a older coach less attractive to some unless they have deep pockets.
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RVJimofOregon
Central Oregon Coast
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Joined: 09/13/2003
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ncrowley wrote:I am looking to purchase a used Class A diesel, 37 to 40 feet. There are older (8 plus years) class A's without very many miles. What issues do age alone (vs mileage) cause? Should I avoid vehicles that are over a certain age?
Nancy
When I got my MH in 2005 (it was a 2000 and had only 16,000 miles I said good, as low mileage is good. This is true for a car but not for a MH. I think mine was used as a home and not as a RV except for one long trip. The generator had like 20 hours and little did I know it has to run under load for 2 hours per month.
I would like to have one that is used like every month.
A Diesel motor (as most gasser) will out live a body period. You can see a lot of million mile trucks on the highway but MH over 100,000 are rare. I was green about MH and made all the mistakes that a rookie can make. I was lucky as I did lick out and get a good rig that has treated me well.
Do a search on RV.net and you can find out a lot of good information.
RV Jim
Jim & Joyce
Central Oregon Coast
No RV at this time but looking!
Treat the earth well, It was not given to you by your parents,“It was loaned to you by your children”
Indian proverb
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bluwtr49
Green Valley, AZ
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It's all in the maintenance. If you find a coach that's 10 yo, used for 5,000 every year and scrupulously maintained you'll have a good unit.....and there are a lot out there at a decent price.
Dick
2000 40" DP Beaver Patriot Thunder Cat C-12 425 HP, 1550 Tq
1997 Jeep GC Limited ---toad
2008 Toyota Tundra Crew Max Limited TRD (Retired)
2009 Cougar 268 RLS ~8700 lbs road wt (Retrired)
2006 Jeep Liberty Turbo Diesel.....TV in Training
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