There is an Apollo for sale, seller said the same things, solid wood cabinets, solid frame, ect.
Delamination? Is that the fiberglass peeling away?
You will see delamination as a large bubble area in the fiberglass, where it is no longer flat. If you push on the bubble, it will probably feel soft. often seen under windows - it is the result of water leaking in. Just to clarify, some coaches will have a slight wave to the walls because the wall is not a laminated type wall. This does not mean anything bad.
Yes, I would add Apollo to the list. We often forget about them because it was a smaller company. '85 was the last year for Apollo, as they were bought out by Revcon. You may see later years, but those are built with left over parts, so technically are older than the title date. If you can handle an engine rebuild, then go ahead and give Revcon a serious consideration. Price is usually low because few know what they are, so it drives down the price. The company is no longer in business and the custom FWD scares people off. All wear parts are available off the shelf from the local auto parts stores, you just need to know what to ask for. The comment I often hear is those who bought them chose to because it was the first old motorhome they stepped into that didn't smell. If you are willing to shop, you can probably find one in good condition well under $10K. You will see some fixed up for more, but a pretty good one can still be had for less if you shop. I spent two years to find this one.
OP:
Your use of the word "vintage" is drawing some ideas for true antiques.
Daveinet:
Good answer on de-lamination.
OP:
de-lamination happens along roof line, around comparment doors and below windows.
Big Katuna wrote: Another vote for something with fuel injection, which started very late 80's, early 90's. Holiday Ramblers where aluminum roofed and well built.
To keep this in perspective, TBI (throttle body injection) does not vaporise the gas as well as a carb and therefore is less efficient. The only advantage to TBI is cold starts and high altitude compensation. Otherwise a carb will out perform TBI. If you want efficiency, you need MPFI, which is '96 or newer for GM. TBI is not a bad choice, but just keep in mind what advantages you are comparing.
Big Katuna wrote: Another vote for something with fuel injection, which started very late 80's, early 90's. Holiday Ramblers where aluminum roofed and well built.
To keep this in perspective, TBI (throttle body injection) does not vaporise the gas as well as a carb and therefore is less efficient. The only advantage to TBI is cold starts and high altitude compensation. Otherwise a carb will out perform TBI. If you want efficiency, you need MPFI, which is '96 or newer for GM. TBI is not a bad choice, but just keep in mind what advantages you are comparing.
Carbs suck. A perfectly new, well tuned carb might deliver more HP on a given day but any kind of processor controlled EFI is better than a carb for reliability and efficiency. I have had them all and carbs need tuned, coddled, and fed.
Are you saying the OP would be better off buying a carb motorhome over a newer EFI motor with a four speed trans with OD?
Blue Bird, Foretravel/Travco, FMC (Parliament coach in St. Pete has a nice one for sale). GM, the right Vixen... There are lots of options. Some darned good coaches made back then.
Key would be what successive owners have done to 'upgrade' them, what has been replaced (reefer, AC units?) what the engine condition is and the overall body condition. Could be a maintenance and/or trouble shooting nightmare...
Dave Head
Oviedo FL
95 Foretravel U320C SE
M11, HD4060
I hate to say this but where gas prices are heading if you can only afford a 5000 dollar motorhome you just can't afford one. An 80s class A probably gets 5-6 MPG so you soon could be paying a dollar a mile just to drive it. A 500 mile trip will cost 500 dollars just in gas. If you lose a reefer, there goes another 1500 bucks. These things are not cheap to own or operate.
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