1997 Dolphin - should I be concerned?

[jdefant]

I am a newbie to the motorhome experience. I have owned a small popup for years and now we are considering a class A. Looking at a 1997 Dolphin and I have a some concerns. First, should I be concerned about the fact that National RV is out of business? I plan on having a mechanic check out the coach but is there anything in particular I should look at or be concerned about? This forum is awesome and you guys are great with all your help! Thanks in advance!!!!

[gary peterso]

We like our 95. Look it over good. if price is right go for it.

[Bill WA6YBD]

We sold our 1995 Dolphin about a year ago and got a newer Dolphin. We loved our 95. Bought it new on 96. It was a great motor home. As long as the maintenance has been kept up I'm sure it still has lots of life left in it. Don't worry about National being out of business as everything in the rig is far out of any factory warranty.

[Never_be_Rich]

We have a 1997 that we have owned for 5 yrs. First, the unit is 14 years so check the roof for condition and the sides for any delimination. Have someone who has owned MH's help you with this. Check for water damage inside. You can expect various minor problems, because of age. (However, friends that have newer units have problems also.) You did not say what chassis ... our is a Ford F53. Some problems with the Fords, fuel pumps - has it been replaced with the never style? Does the unit have a manifold or headers (Banks)? The manifolds are prone to breaking bolts. I lost a transmission at 60,000 miles, but this seems unusal from what others have said. We do enjoy our unit and would do it again.