Community Forums

TourNut · 01-21-2016, 04:14 PM

New member - no RV yet , question : What part of the country have used RV's that typically don't have rusty & corroded frames and drive trains ? I want to purchase a RV from that area , willing to travel to there of course. I don't want to buy a rusty nightmare of a RV , being from Michigan ! Thanks in advance.

wildtoad · 01-21-2016, 05:14 PM

They store a lot of airplanes in the south west desert for that very reason.

Ray,IN · 01-21-2016, 06:01 PM

Look around the Phoenix and Tuscon areas, then around the Las Vegas area.
OTOH, I've never read one post complaining about frame rust damage to an RV since I joined irv2.com in 2002.

CampDaven · 01-21-2016, 06:10 PM

Yuma is overflowing with new, used and consigned RVs.
Beware that snowbirds usually come from snow states. Many arrive pretty salty. A close inspection is advised.
I have seen some pretty rusty undercarriages, cargo door inside edges, etc.

Mr_D · 01-21-2016, 06:20 PM

To be really sure of not getting one from the rust area you could try searching in Southern Mexico for one that didn't come north at anytime.

Oldrtrcr · 01-21-2016, 07:09 PM

I live in Northwest Pennsylvania and none of my RV's have seen any salt

chuckftboy · 01-21-2016, 07:10 PM

Avoid any sold around Flint, Michigan. I hear the water rusts everything. LoL!
Here in the South East they seem to stay pretty clean

lancslad · 01-21-2016, 07:51 PM

Maybe on higher end RV's they're totally painted underneath but down here at entry level not so much. I've spent hours with spray paint touching up the missed areas from Forest River quality control.

LVRVLUVR · 01-21-2016, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TourNut

New member - no RV yet , question : What part of the country have used RV's that typically don't have rusty & corroded frames and drive trains ? I want to purchase a RV from that area , willing to travel to there of course. I don't want to buy a rusty nightmare of a RV , being from Michigan ! Thanks in advance.

motorhomes have wheels...flippers buy the rusty ones and sell them in az

slemnah · 01-21-2016, 08:06 PM

What kind of Rv are you looking for? Year, size, slides, engine size? (Mod Edit)
Steve

Grey Ghost I · 01-21-2016, 09:11 PM

The very first thing I looked at before I bought mine? I actually got under it and looked for rust before I went inside. I had been had on a previous coach.

Mr_D · 01-21-2016, 09:25 PM

We live on the rainy side of WA and I've never really worried about rust on the underside of an RV or car. They don't use much if any salt or corrosive chemicals here. I did see a few spots on the 13 yr old Dutch Star and was going to fix them but we traded it off last Feb. The Magna seems to be totally undercoated but I did see some rust spots around the bay doors that I spotted with a rust converter and then painted. The rig was built in OR, sold in FL and the original owner was in the midwest so it could have been in the "salt belt"

edgray · 01-22-2016, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TourNut

New member - no RV yet , question : What part of the country have used RV's that typically don't have rusty & corroded frames and drive trains ? I want to purchase a RV from that area , willing to travel to there of course. I don't want to buy a rusty nightmare of a RV , being from Michigan ! Thanks in advance.

Welcome to iRV.com

IMO, you cannot determine a correct answer to your question. That is because where it is located NOW has no bearing on where it has been.

My signature coach was delivered to the original dealer in "perfect weather" San Diego, CA. Unfortunately it left the factory in Iowa on 12/26/2009 and was driven on chemically treated roads enroute to CA. The underside was NOT washed off upon arrival as WBGO claims is their "standard policy", (code for BS). When I took delivery at the CA dealer's Tucson AZ store in June 2010 the chassis and entire underside was a mess, and covered in rust.

So, IMO, the only way to know about your concern is to ask the seller, and then verify with your own inspection before purchase. As others have said, AZ is full of flipper coaches this time of year-especially around Quartszite. Buyer beware.

TourNut · 01-22-2016, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slemnah

What kind of Rv are you looking for? Year, size, slides, engine size? (Mod Edit)
Steve

I have seen a few on the internet sites , that are around the year 1996 - 2002 era that some only have about 30 K miles for only about $10 K - $15 K . The Michigan ones here at that age are pretty much ruined by the salt . But in the south-west I think there would be some with minimal rust. especially if they had been undercoated.
All that being said and I am still doing research , trying to figure out which ones , Class A & Class C , would be the more reliable brands : Right now I'm at a Winnebago , ~ 30 ft , slides - possibly , Engine size - the Ford V-10 or GM 454 , which is more efficient , quieter ? ( Being a retired product designer , I'm used to researching products before I act )