2000 Damon Escaper should I buy it?

[kiwirover]

Hi folks,

I am new to the class A world of RVing.
I am looking at a 2000 Damon Escaper that has 120k miles on a 300hp Cat. It is well laid out but has done a lot of work and shows normal wear for that mileage on the inside I guess, soft spot in toilet, and needs a total good cleaning. The exterior has a few issues, small crack in drivers side windshield, side cargo door hinges need work, LF fender needs repair,paint needs attention, tires need replacing, awnings need replacing. It seems to run ok but during idle the bedroom vibrates quite a bit I thought but I have never been in a diesel pusher before. Asking price is 25k. Some may ask why I am entertaining buying something that requires this much work, well first off it is in my price range, I can repair most of the things myself to a high standard, it has the layout I am after and has the leatherette interior, not cloth which I prefer. I do not know much about these coaches so are hoping current and previous Escaper owners can shed some light on this scenario.
How many miles does the average maintained 300 HP Cat last, I say average because I do not know how well it has been serviced. It is a trade in at a lot.
I maybe able to get the price down some and figured with all of the above repairs it may owe me around 29k not counting my labor or any of the bedroom vibration issues if that is not normal. Thank you for your time reading this and for your help on helping me decide whether to purchase it or not. Does anyone out there have one of these for sale that is ready to hit the road with less repairs required, feel free to contact me. Kiwirover

[Skip426]

Welcome to iRV2.

The Cat 3126B, 300 HP.; fuel system is not very tolerant of dirty engine oil or poor fuel filtering . The 120k, shouldn't be an issue if properly maintained.
Engine trans mounts may need replacing for the vibration at idle.

JMHO: A soft spot in the floor my be an issue that requires more than a" little" repair, particularly in the bathroom. Could be a BIG repair required.

Here's a file on the engine.