300 cat

[Barski]

Looking at a 98 safari with a 300 cat,3126b, anything I should be looking for, it has 46000 miles. Thanks in advance for any info.

[atomic98]

The main thing is to get the records of maintenance from the current owner. Also, the maintenance costs are HUGE compared to a gas motorhome. Last thing, this particular year of motorhome is notorious for overheating...in my case I tried everything but couldn't keep the thing cool. I traded mine for a travel trailer. I loved driving the motorhome, just needed something that I knew was not going to overheat.

[atomic98]

And last item....take it on a LOOOONG test run, with hills if you got them. I'm talking over a half hour. It takes that long for all of the fluids to reach full operating temp.

[Catch14me]

Having a few miles on it is probably a good thing, in my opinion the lack of use can cause more problems than regular use. The mpg is probably not going to be that much better than gas RV but you will like the suspension that comes on a diesel pusher. Since you have a tow vehicle be sure the 300 HP is going to give you enough power and of course any signs of leaks and rust in the engine compartment as well as the interior of the RV.

[Thewellz]

Hi Barski we have an 01 with a 3126b C-7 turbo (300hp) it has 50,000 miles on it, I have never had an issue with the motor, If it is cooled by a rear radiator as mine is you just have to make sure you keep the rad clean, when clean it runs like a top, when dirty it doesn't like long steep grades. Ours has plenty of power and gets pretty decent milage somewhere between 9.5 and 10 to the gal. at 65 miles per hr. I do all filters and fluids myself to save cost... i would say it costs me around $550.00 per year averaged out doing things myself.... some years more some less. Keep the filters clean and it should run great......I would check to see when the trans has been serviced(fliud and filters) when the rad has been flushed, when the air brake dryer filter kit was done, how much life is on the air filter and when the fuel filters were changed these are all routine things to check,that may tell you if it has been looked after, it might be getting close to the life of the shocks as well. hope this helps you.

[Automobilist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atomic98 The main thing is to get the records of maintenance from the current owner. Also, the maintenance costs are HUGE compared to a gas motorhome. Last thing, this particular year of motorhome is notorious for overheating...in my case I tried everything but couldn't keep the thing cool. I traded mine for a travel trailer. I loved driving the motorhome, just needed something that I knew was not going to overheat.

Well, I've got to disagree just a bit with this.

Service records are good to have, but unlikely you'll get much on a coach that old. Now, concerning maintenance costs, in my experience (have owned two diesel pushers) it costs less to service them than a gas coach. Diesels don't really have tune ups like gassers do; no spark plugs or ignition modules to fail. They are built for thousands of hours of heavy use, and require little more than regular lube, fluid & filter changes. 46,000 miles is very low for a diesel. Brakes typically last over 100,000 miles on diesel pushed chassis. Overheating is typically simply a dirty radiator.

Concerning Safari's; we looked at several. We really wanted to like them, because they are cheap compared to other coaches. Typically good design, layout & materials. Three things really turned us off though: the "Torsilastic" suspension, the brakes and the rear mounted generators. The ride is inferior to a good air suspension coach, not nearly as smooth. Drive both types to see for yourself. The brakes are hydraulic, not air as on the vast majority of diesel pushers, and the rear mounted generators produce a great deal of aft weight bias. In other words, they are not as well balanced as other coaches. Other Safari's may be different, but the '99-2002's we looked at were basically all the same undercarriage.

There is a whole cottage industry devoted to curing the Safari chassis problems. It seems to take at least $4k to make it handle well. Problem is, it's band-aid stuff. The heavy generator will still be in the rear. It will still not have air suspension, etc.

The upside is; Safari's seem to be priced well below similar size & age coaches. Plus, they generally look pretty good, even with the cheesy animal murals out back. So if looks and low price are more important than ride & handling, it may be a good choice for you. There are many happy Safari owners, who undoubtedly feel it is absolutely positively the best choice. Good for them, really. They voted; they spent their money on one.

As I mentioned, we really wanted to love Safari's. Just couldn't though in the end.

[Barski]

Thank you all for your info. Turns out coach has way more issues than I care to deal with and sales people way to rammy.

[bachler]

Breather vent out the back of the coach;;; Check to see if you have a grease fitting of the Waterpump/fan It MUST be lubed . Or it can cost $4000.00 To redo the complete job.. Do what has been posted plus the Fan lub You are good to go..