2001 Mountain Aire potential purchase

[NO1ZX6R]

My wife and I have been looking for our first RV for a couple of months. It looks like something pretty cool may have turned up now. We're going to look at a '01 Mountain Aire 4095 tomorrow morning. The seller lowered the price recently and it seems to be way below market value. Also appears to be in perfect shape with new tires and batteries, all maintenance, and a ton of features. I'll of course have it inspected if we like what we see tomorrow but this could be a great opportunity for us to have something much nicer than what we anticipated getting for our first rig.

It's my understanding that this is a pretty nice DP. It has the 350 Cummins, Allison and about 83k. Anyone with experience in this unit please share. Thanks

[Spk64]

We purchased an '02 MADP with a 400 ISL last year, lots extras and was well maintained with records.
So far no regrets and loving all the extras. Hydro hot, power reel for 50 amp cable basement freezer and more.

[Sky_Boss]

In case you don't have this...

LINK TO BROCHURE

GOOD LUCK!

[NO1ZX6R]

Originally Posted by Spk64

We purchased an '02 MADP with a 400 ISL last year, lots extras and was well maintained with records.
So far no regrets and loving all the extras. Hydro hot, power reel for 50 amp cable basement freezer and more.
Attachment 97548

Nice - I don't know if this one has Hydrohot, I don't think so. It has a lot of features though. There will be an awful lot of systems to learn!

Thanks for the brochure link. I was able to find that last night too. I wanted to see the list of features. May be a little difficult to sleep tonight cause of excitement

[lepperal]

We have an '01 MADP; overall, very pleased. I would advise checking the boots on the ball joints; at this age, they could well need replacing. Could be over $3k.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by NO1ZX6R

I'll of course have it inspected if we like what we see tomorrow but this could be a great opportunity for us to have something much nicer than what we anticipated getting for our first rig.

That's how we ended up with the Magna rather than a third Dutch Star! Premier RV made us a deal we couldn't pass up.

["007"]

The options will be in the Brochure and here is a Owners Guide for coach.
Here is a Newmar PDI list.
Good luck in your pursuit.

[NO1ZX6R]

Originally Posted by lepperal

We have an '01 MADP; overall, very pleased. I would advise checking the boots on the ball joints; at this age, they could well need replacing. Could be over $3k.

Good intel - thanks to all for the input. We're in NY tonight and will be checking out the unit tomorrow morning.

[Ramets]

Originally Posted by NO1ZX6R

Good intel - thanks to all for the input. We're in NY tonight and will be checking out the unit tomorrow morning.

Ditto on the ball joints. Spartan had a problem with inferior boots in the early 2000's. Since you can't replace JUST the boots, and have to do the whole assembly, it's about $3,000. But don't let that deter you, it can be negotiated into the price. If they're bad it won't be hard to see. The rubber will be all cracked and brittle. The Mountaineer is a fine coach if taken care of. Be sure to get ALL maint. records. The boots were shot on our 2000 Dutch Star when I bought it over 5yrs. ago. I had them replaced, and we've been fulltiming ever since.

[mlr1951]

We have a 2000 4093 and love it.

Mike

[TechWriter]

We bought a 2001 MADP 4095 in 2010. We did plenty of mods & replacements (AC, fridge, hot water heater, basement slides . . .). See Projects on our blog.

The front ball joints are an issue with early IFS (Independent Front Suspension) Spartan chassis. I had mine replaced in 2013 by Precision Frame. It cost about $1500. Plus, I upgraded to Koni shocks (front & rear) for about $800 at the same time to save labor costs.

[Air Baron]

We bought our 2001 Mountain Aire 4095 around 3 years ago from the original owner, with 21k miles, new Michelins and ball joints. Ours was really loaded with options, including $8k for full body paint...which still looks new. The only major repair has been $4k for an exhaust manifold replacement. We exchanged the carpet for laminate. After 23k miles, 37 states and 78 different campgrounds, we are ready to stop full timing...and may even sell it.

This year/model is a fantastic motorhome for touring the country, including going up and down the steepest mountain grades. It has plenty of power/torque and rides like you are floating on air...a true magic carpet ride. Luxurious. Solid. Quality. Spelled NEWMAR.

Just out of curiosity, what is the current market value that you referred to? I just saw one for sale on-line in CA for $82k. I will sell mine to you right now for that...and I'm closer in FL. Good luck with your purchase.

BTW - Make sure the one you buy has the Spartan/Cummins chassis that can tow 10,000 lbs. The Freightliner/Caterpillar chassis is rated at only 5,000 lbs. Big difference in torque.

[NO1ZX6R]

Here's the conclusion of our visit: we did not purchase the coach. It checked out as very clean both inside and out. I had my PPI checklist ready but it was not necessary due to a few items that my wife and I felt were not adequate for our expected usage. Hence making the thorough going over unnecessary.

The dinette booth seemed too tight to comfortably sit in for eating, and not big enough as a bed area for our 14 yr old son or one of his friends. (We want to be able to sleep 6). The washer and dryer in this one are two separate units and the washer is on the bottom. It's top loading and the top could not be opened more than 1/3 of the way. This would make it very difficult to load and unload clothes! My wife did not like the carpet or tile. The bed was positioned inside the bedroom slide in such a way that my wife and I felt claustrophobic when we laid on it. My wife did not like the bathroom layout and I could not stand in the shower without my head being inside the skylight. Not very functional for washing your hair!

It was disappointing since I think I could have gotten it for about $48 and NADA for this one is around $72. Great deal or not it was just not functional for our intended use. Someone is going to get a great deal on this rig. My search will continue eventually. Right now we need to step away for a little while as this looking and checking out coaches is taking up a lot of time and I'm getting behind at work!

Thanks again to everyone for contributing to this thread. I appreciate the insight and feedback.

[NO1ZX6R]

Originally Posted by Air Baron

We bought our 2001 Mountain Aire 4095 around 3 years ago from the original owner, with 21k miles, new Michelins and ball joints. Ours was really loaded with options, including $8k for full body paint...which still looks new. The only major repair has been $4k for an exhaust manifold replacement. We exchanged the carpet for laminate. After 23k miles, 37 states and 78 different campgrounds, we are ready to stop full timing...and may even sell it.

This year/model is a fantastic motorhome for touring the country, including going up and down the steepest mountain grades. It has plenty of power/torque and rides like you are floating on air...a true magic carpet ride. Luxurious. Solid. Quality. Spelled NEWMAR.

Just out of curiosity, what is the current market value that you referred to? I just saw one for sale on-line in CA for $82k. I will sell mine to you right now for that...and I'm closer in FL. Good luck with your purchase.

BTW - Make sure the one you buy has the Spartan/Cummins chassis that can tow 10,000 lbs. The Freightliner/Caterpillar chassis is rated at only 5,000 lbs. Big difference in torque.

To answer your question: I ran the NADA on the one I was looking at and it was $72k. The seller I met with is asking $50k. There are a bunch of comps listed for sale right now for anywhere from the low $60's to the low $80's