Community Forums

nubber · 11-10-2011, 10:15 AM

Any opinions appreciated. good and bad. Thanks

maintenance papers available
full paint, no damage
tow package
Front tires near new, rears good.
roof and ceiling have no issues
gen in good condition, used periodically yearly
accepting reasonable offers

Castanet Classifieds - 32' Gulfstream Sun Clipper.

Dixieray53 · 11-10-2011, 10:33 AM

Does it start, run and shift and stop without any obvious issues? I have been looking at older RV's for our kids to use. I think it looks like great deal...Best of luck.. D

bbeane · 11-10-2011, 10:37 AM

Sounds like it may be worth that, looks like the owner has taken care of it. But as you are aware it is soon to be 22 years old, so it's really a crap shoot as to what will need repaired in the near future. You also need to look at the roof, and inside for any evidence of water damage(look inside the cabinets and closet, and closely around windows), and make sure everything works. Due to it's age IMHO it just would not be worth a bunch of major repair, unless you are a DIYer and need a project.

gaugeguy · 11-10-2011, 10:38 AM

I wonder what the year is.
It looks pretty decent, but I would be concerned about what the ad doesn't say. Like: how many actual miles and condition of the furnace, water heater, range & oven. generator, roof A/C as well as water pump and holding tanks.
Lots of questions to ask.
It may be a great price, depending on the year and it looks great cosmetically, but ................. the ad doesn't touch on much of the really important stuff.
Just my opinion.

gaugeguy · 11-10-2011, 10:42 AM

Sorry. I guess I missed the first sentence of the ad. 1990.
We bought a 1975 Minnie Winnie which I am still working on. It only has 49k miles on it but, other than the drive train, it needs almost everything repaired or replaced.
Good luck!

62_inrightlane · 11-10-2011, 11:08 AM

Based on the pictures it looks nice. Price is probably fair if everything is in working order.

I think the ad also gives an indication that each year you will have maintenance issues with things that have reached the end of their usable life. Engine, brakes have been replaced, however there are a lot more wear items that will probably need to be replaced.

Since the new owner will probably use it much more frequently than the old owner the list of repairs and items that wear out will probably accelerate.

Just my $0.02 worth.

GOLDWINGER2 · 11-10-2011, 12:00 PM

Some where between 8 and 9k would be a good price. At 12+ hopefully you won't have to spend much more on repairs.
J

Heater · 11-10-2011, 12:11 PM

I owned a 1994 national dolphin for one year. It had the original 454 and trans with 75000 miles on it. When I bought it everything worked. All I did other than normal maintenance was get in and drive it for a year. The only reason. I sold it Was that we wanted a pusher and slides but it was a great starter! I gave 10k for it and sold it for 10k. It was our first unit and I would do it all over again.

Cat320 · 11-10-2011, 01:25 PM

I'd want to know why were the engine and transmission replaced. How much mileage was on the coach before the engine was replaced? That should give you the total mileage on the frame/body.

nubber · 11-10-2011, 02:00 PM

here's some info for some of the questions that have popped up. new engine at 90k, new trans about 100k. 115k total

All operating systems are in good working order.

Roof maintained annually, no stains or damage of any kind to the ceiling.

I'm thinking the only items that might need addressing are the suspension components? I asked what he might do if he were preparing for a long trip. His answer was maybe a wheel alignment. The tires he just changed on the front had minor irregular wear.

gaugeguy · 11-10-2011, 03:02 PM

For what it's worth, here's the NADA Guide website:

1990 Gulf Stream SUN CLIPPER Series M-8322 - 32' Special Notes, Prices & Specs - NADAguides

It does not give any accounting for mileage. 115,000 miles on an American-made truck chassis is a lot, but it looks like you might not have a good deal at hand.

PlayItForwrd · 11-10-2011, 04:02 PM

For what it's worth-- 4 years ago we bought our '87 31' CruiseAir III. (Ford/Deere chassis) Wasn't in fantastic shape, but not horrible by any means-- outside was a bit weathered, the storage doors were needing attention, the inside was in real good condition, worst part was some of the wall paneling veneer was flaking off. I had to fix a kinked gas line and the park brake. Other than that, we got 3 troublefree years use out of it..

Now, back in 2007 the economy wasn't in shambles, and our '87 would the same as a '91 now--

We paid $7200 for it. And I bartered it to a friend for what works out to be about $5000 when we bought the Allegro. And this minute it still has less than 70k miles on it.

Around here I see early 90's 30-32' gassers in the 8 grand range pretty regular. I'm thinking 12-anything for that '90 is steep. And this is just my opinion, but I've always felt that new engines in motorhomes equals very crappy maintenance habits. If the engine wouldn't handle it, everything else can't be far behind...

WeatherTodd · 11-10-2011, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nubber

Any opinions appreciated. good and bad. Thanks

maintenance papers available
full paint, no damage
tow package
Front tires near new, rears good.
roof and ceiling have no issues
gen in good condition, used periodically yearly
accepting reasonable offers

Castanet Classifieds - 32' Gulfstream Sun Clipper.

worth about 1/4 asking. Set your sites to a 1996 or later. Significantly better drive train and of course ODBII

WeatherTodd · 11-10-2011, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nubber

here's some info for some of the questions that have popped up. new engine at 90k, new trans about 100k. 115k total

All operating systems are in good working order.

Roof maintained annually, no stains or damage of any kind to the ceiling.

I'm thinking the only items that might need addressing are the suspension components? I asked what he might do if he were preparing for a long trip. His answer was maybe a wheel alignment. The tires he just changed on the front had minor irregular wear.

If youre not handy... the suspension is going to be expensive.
Havent worked on any ford chassis... but at a minimum the front and rear springs are probably fatigued. Ball joints/bearings/brake lines need close inspection.
Looked at a 97 winne adventurer... I was familiar with the chevy chassis but even with 30k on it... the supension needed over $2k in parts to be "safe".