Why are fill-timing coaches less desirable?

[H.Huester]

Have read numerous comments on the net indicating that coaches used for full-timing are less desirable than those just vacationed in. Some folks are even pretty adamant that they would NEVER own a coach that has been full-timed. Why is that?

More wear and tear on the coach/house systems?
More interior/exterior personalization?
Potential for more quick (possibly jerry-rigged) fixes?
A general funk from people living for a long time in such a small space?

Please share your thoughts.

Thanks
H.Huester

[BigV]

DW and I looked at a lot of coaches. Ones that had full time residents had a lot more wear and tear on them. Some things very visible like worn carpet, drawer sliders, worn locks, broken down furniture etc...

As far as jerry-rigged fixes we found the same no matter what. Some people just don't take pride in repairs.

We did wind up buying one that had been full timed. Main reason is we got it CHEAP and decided to go through it ourselves from end to end. Found a lot of factory installed problems and only a couple of bad repairs. We are into it for less money that if we had bought one that was not a FT and I feel have a better coach.

If you have the ability to work on them yourself you might consider them a bargain, if not you wont be happy.

[Dr4Film]

I have owned my 2002 Windsor PBT since December 2003. Have lived in it full-time from the very first day I brought it home. Prior to that I lived in a 1992 Airstream Landyacht for one year.

The previous owners had used it to travel around the country to promote a new business called Creative Memories. I had no problem purchasing a coach which had been lived in for 1.5 years or more.

Whenever looking to purchase anything used, it is a matter of how well has it been maintained. However, to NOT buy a rig just because it had been lived in full-time is ridiculous.

I would much rather have a coach that had been used daily versus one that had sat in storage in extreme heat and cold situations with the systems not being used. Too many problems when they come out of storage. I've seen it too many times. I can always replace carpet, cabinet hardware, furniture, etc. However, it becomes very expensive to replace critical systems that have been abused by not using them. Such as the rooftop A/C's, Inverter/Converter, refrigerator, electrical, generator, engine, etc. Those are some pretty expensive repairs or replacements.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

[Twomed]

Internet myth??? Have seen good and bad in week end and FT. I always depends on maint and care given by the owner. Worn items can be replaced easily. Abused items will end to be expensive "gotchas"! JMHO

[RickO]

I agree that it seems to be a common belief that rigs used for FT have been somehow "worn out" and should be avoided... I even had John DeMartini of DeMartini Motors tell me that.

However, with a few years experience under my belt now I tend to disagree. I found that living in my coach made it easy and important to keep it maintained. When any little thing isn't working properly I have the time to fix it right away rather than put it off because we only have the weekend.

I suppose it can work either way but I sure wouldn't avoid rigs that had been used for FT.

Rick

[Gary RVRoamer]

I don't think it makes any difference, except for possible cosmetic wear and tear from more use. Fulltimers tend to take better care of their rigs, since they are using them day-in and day-out and depend on them 100%. But that doesn't mean all fulltimer rigs are well cared for, or that all weekender rigs are not.

To me, it would not make any difference in a buy decision - I would go on the physical evidence in front of me.

[nbounder]

There's another piece to this - Fleetwood tells you in the manual not to 'full time' in it. Why? because as we breath and move around, we perspire, even a teeny bit. This moisture is absorbed by the walls, ceiling, rugs, etc, and can make it easy pickins for bugs, etc to prosper and multiply. Mold will grow a lot better in dampish environments.

[BigV]

If that's the case they should never sell an RV in Washington.

[83Eagle]

After looking at a variety of Motor homes over the course of 3-4 years before we were given our current rig I can see the positives and negatives on both sides of the part-time used rig vs. the full-time used rig.

I inspected rigs in storage that I could not believe the damage to as well as rigs that were like new. Same went for the 4 rigs I looked at that were used full-time. 2 of them were beyond my ability to make what I consider usable, and 2 of them were nearly brand new.

Looking back I am really glad we waited until my wife's Grandparents were willing o part with their Mallard before investing in a motor home. I was happy that I knew where it was coming from, and that they had owned it since 1998. I also liked the record-keeping. It was not cool that it basically sat for 5 years (took that long of asking to buy it before they decided to part with it). Great thing was that it was primarily stored indoors when not in use ever since they owned it. That made an amazing difference when comparing it with others we had looked at.

Really it all depends on the owner and the level of care they took in the rig. Honestly our Mallard isn't without issues, but they are all cosmetic (curtains, etc...) or general maintenance items (for which I am learning more and more about). Love that I was able to find inexpensive indoor storage for it though. That is awesome.

[go6car]

In my opinion, a big part of that is the "funk" part. But this is not necessarily limited to full time rigs, or even to motorhomes. (I looked at a used popup years ago and it smelled like........people. As soon as you opened the door. I'm not sure how to actually describe this smell, but if you ever have the same experience you'll know exactly what I mean. ). I've also been in some full time units listed for sale that had no smell at all. Others, you could immediately tell had pets of some kind in there. It all depends.

Less interior carpeting and fabric furniture, etc. does help. With all things pre-owned, it's all about the care and maintenance of the individual rig (and all it's critical components). Things like carpeting, window treatents and furniture can be replaced, but it's an added expense (sometimes pretty significant) that you'd have to figure in to your individual budget.

Also might depend on how sensitive your individual nose is, too!

[Tha_Rooster]

I agree with the funk smell due to pets or just down right nasty. It doesn't matter FT or part time rving if they did not take care of it and clean they will look worn and smell. I have looked at a lot of units in my time and quit a few you could not make it past the door.

[JimM68]

"full time" doesn't mean moving all the time, either. All sorts of different full timers out their. I'm sure some have 2 rusted in place TT's, one in Arizona, one in NY, live in each 6 months and fly between them.

Full time doesn't always mean always on the move.

[tomwalt]

I don't think the FT vs. PT should be a factor. Look at how the owner maintained it (vs. polished it up to get rid of it).
Over the years I've seen very clean as well as funk units - from both FT and PT owners.

[Ramblin]

I bought my coach (02 National Dolphin LX) from a couple who had full-timed in it for a few years, then had parked it for a few years. It was in great condition, and was well taken care of.

I'd not hesitate to buy a coach that had been full-timed. Every situation will be different, and shoud be evaluated individually.