Community Forums

Snowman 1 · 01-09-2011, 09:09 PM

I'd keep looking. A 20 year old motorhome sitting at a Ford dealership has lived a hard life. And nothing will turn the DW off the RV lifestyle faster than an RV that needs lots of work.

If this coach was sitting at the original owner's driveway, he had all the service records to show you, and would be willing to go over the coach stem to stern and show you how everything works, that would be one thing. But this unit is at a dealership where my wife could tell you more about it than any salesman working there.

We bought a ten year old 38' HR Imperial with the 8.3 Cummins a couple years ago. I know the coach you're looking at is a few feet shorter but I wouldn't want anything less than that 1050 lb/ft moving our Imperial. We've put 10 grand in that behemoth and it was in great condition. They're money pits, pure and simple. Also, Banks doesn't make a $1000 upgrade kit for your 5.9 Cummins. $3-4K is more like it.

Long story short...if money is the main reason hotels and eating out is cheaper any way you look at it over owning one of these things. We own one for different reasons.

Mike Canter · 01-09-2011, 09:15 PM

I bought a complete Banks Power pack system for a 5.9 for $1000. It was on sale when I bought it and this was about three years ago.

Hudsoner · 01-09-2011, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowman 1

Long story short...if money is the main reason hotels and eating out is cheaper any way you look at it over owning one of these things. We own one for different reasons.

Money is not the main reason, the main reason is to have our own bedroom and bathroom along with us (and tow a car behind).

Living room and kitchen are of no importance to us, because we do not want to spend our days in it. We just want to use it as a motel/hotel room on wheels. And we want to get it as reasonable as possible, since we don't know whether we like it that way.

Hudsoner · 01-10-2011, 12:43 PM

Thank you for your advises here, but I think that I pass on this coach. The seller just emailed me this note;

It is important for me to tell you that the Dynasty is a fixer upper. There are issues with the body and the wheel wells. There are interior fabric issues. There are issues with the interior side walls.

GOLDWINGER2 · 01-10-2011, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hudsoner

Thank you for your advises here, but I think that I pass on this coach. The seller just emailed me this note;

It is important for me to tell you that the Dynasty is a fixer upper. There are issues with the body and the wheel wells. There are interior fabric issues. There are issues with the interior side walls.

....and that's what they can see right now. Wait until you get it home.

Since you only want to sleep in it a small Class C may fit you well. Pull a small car if you need to.
J

Hudsoner · 01-10-2011, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GOLDWINGER2

....and that's what they can see right now. Wait until you get it home.

Since you only want to sleep in it a small Class C may fit you well. Pull a small car if you need to.
J

I need to pull a Jeep Grand Cherokee, because that vehicle is what has all the mods for me to do my off-roading.

I could use some more ideas from you guys. Searching the internet, I find quite a few reasonable priced diesel pushers, but they are all fare away form where I live. How would one deal with a situation like that. I can't fly for the rest of the year around the country looking at used motorhomes. My current experience told me not to buy anything unless I had a chance to look it over very well.

How did you guys buy your used motorhome?

Midniteoyl · 01-10-2011, 10:27 PM

Funny you should ask... I drove for over 5 hours to Ohio to look at what turned out to be a POS. Nothing like he said or the pictures showed. On the way back, I called my wife and asked for any others I had written down that was on the way home. She mentioned one and I called the number, asked if it was still there and if it was ok to stop by between 11pm and Midnight. 'Sure' he said. Met up, test drove it (great time, at night, to see all the lights and indicators) and that was that... Drove back 2 days later and picked it up.

nodine · 01-11-2011, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hudsoner

I need to pull a Jeep Grand Cherokee, because that vehicle is what has all the mods for me to do my off-roading.

I could use some more ideas from you guys. Searching the internet, I find quite a few reasonable priced diesel pushers, but they are all fare away form where I live. How would one deal with a situation like that. I can't fly for the rest of the year around the country looking at used motorhomes. My current experience told me not to buy anything unless I had a chance to look it over very well.

How did you guys buy your used motorhome?

Don't discount a gas motorhome. There many gas motorhomes out there pulling a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Bob

Hudsoner · 01-13-2011, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nodine

Don't discount a gas motorhome. There many gas motorhomes out there pulling a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Bob

It's just so difficult to find out about their tow rating. I looked at some Workhorse chassis, and they seem to have only 3500 lbs (the Jeep is about 4000 lbs). Dieselpushers seem not to have this problem. But it is hard to find a short one, because we do not want to be longer than 34' feet, and if possible even shorter.

I would love to find a gasser that can pull the Jeep, because I get a much newer unit for the same price.

nodine · 01-14-2011, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hudsoner

It's just so difficult to find out about their tow rating. I looked at some Workhorse chassis, and they seem to have only 3500 lbs (the Jeep is about 4000 lbs). Dieselpushers seem not to have this problem. But it is hard to find a short one, because we do not want to be longer than 34' feet, and if possible even shorter.

I would love to find a gasser that can pull the Jeep, because I get a much newer unit for the same price.

All gas motorhomes and many diesel ones will have a hitch receiver rated at a maximum of 5000 lbs. I believe that is referred to as a Class IV receiver. Our previous motorhome had that type of hitch and was only 33 feet long and it was a diesel. The Diplomat has a receiver rated at 10,000 lbs but it is 40' 10" long.

Good luck on your search,

Bob

**JohnRR** · 01-14-2011, 04:52 PM

My Pace Arrow has a hitch rating of 600 tongue weight and 6000 tow capacity from the factory and it is for sure gas.

Hudsoner · 01-14-2011, 05:48 PM

I looked at a 2002 Fleetwoud Fiesta with the 8.1l Chevy. It had a 5000 lbs hitch, but the tow rating on the inside sticker was only 3500 lbs.

I found the same in a 1998 Fleetwood Bounder. It seems that the hitch itself is mostly strong enough, but that the chassis/transmission/brakes are not heavy enough to pull more than 3500 lbs.

It seems to me that the Ford chassis can pull 5000 lbs, while the Workhorse/Chevi chassis can only do 3500.

GOLDWINGER2 · 01-14-2011, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hudsoner

I looked at a 2002 Fleetwoud Fiesta with the 8.1l Chevy. It had a 5000 lbs hitch, but the tow rating on the inside sticker was only 3500 lbs.

I found the same in a 1998 Fleetwood Bounder. It seems that the hitch itself is mostly strong enough, but that the chassis/transmission/brakes are not heavy enough to pull more than 3500 lbs.

It seems to me that the Ford chassis can pull 5000 lbs, while the Workhorse/Chevi chassis can only do 3500.

They must have gone backwards, my '88 Pace Arrow on a P-30 chassis has a tow rating of 5000#. The hitch is rated at 5000# also. My RV is 34ft and has a 454 engine.
J

Hudsoner · 01-14-2011, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GOLDWINGER2

They must have gone backwards, my '88 Pace Arrow on a P-30 chassis has a tow rating of 5000#. The hitch is rated at 5000# also. My RV is 34ft and has a 454 engine.
J

Could also be that they made the house heavier with all those new tricky things?