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Old 02-06-2016, 05:43 AM   #127
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You realize that vintage trailers did not have painted cabinets? They do now because people didn't want to care for the wood.

Nothing is finer than seeing a vintage RV with its perfectly restored or cared-for wood paneling and cabinets.

Plus I love the aluminum windows and vents. So much nicer than today's plastics.

Maybe you can get your vintage look just with fabrics and accessories?
I'm not sure what you are calling vintage but my parents 1956 Sportcraft (or whatever) had some kind of paint with built in chips that covered everything. As soon as one moved out of the luxury yacht class varnish went and paint moved in. Much less maintenance.
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Old 02-06-2016, 04:50 PM   #128
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wblynch View Post
You realize that vintage trailers did not have painted cabinets? They do now because people didn't want to care for the wood.

Nothing is finer than seeing a vintage RV with its perfectly restored or cared-for wood paneling and cabinets.

Plus I love the aluminum windows and vents. So much nicer than today's plastics.

Maybe you can get your vintage look just with fabrics and accessories?
Hi Bill, thanks for your comments. I went out to our trailer today and took some measurements. You're right! I think I am going to add a faux tin back splash behind the sink/stove area (as to not add any more weight then necessary) and then I found some really cool fabric to replace the boring window valances with some curtains and make some throw pillows. And with the proper accessories it will be perfect.
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Old 02-08-2016, 07:02 AM   #129
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...So when it came about to buy an RV, we knew we want vintage (we can afford the new). "High Line" vintage to be precise. We looked at Prevost, Beaver, Monaco, and Vogue. Since I didn't have ANY experience with MH, I decided to buy 34' 1991 Bounder. Five grand cheap, with 67K on the clock. VERY dirty/trashed inside, but VERY good mechanically. I spent two months remodeling the whole interior (I gutted it out) for 6K (materials/furnishings only, my labor "free"). It came out perfect. Then I buffed/polished/waxed the exterior, and put the new graphics on it, and it turned out great! Took it to ID (2500 miles RT), and AZ (500 miles RT). It performed fabulously. Doing this, I learned a LOT about the Bounder, and MH in general.

Bounder had 460 Ford, and it's a good engine, but it had no power on the grades (when I purchased it I had NO IDEA about the difference between DPs and gassers).
Maybe, but maybe not. It you want high line vintage, you could look around for a Revcon. Trust me, after dropping a 502 in it, there isn't a diesel out there that will come anywhere remotely close for the power to weight ratio. The DP may ride better, but it won't handle as well. While you may like wood, some high line coaches use Wilsonart laminate, which holds up better than wood. Otherwise, you may want to add Foretravel on your short list. Once Revcon went out of business, a very large percentage of former Revcon owners now drive Foretravels, and for good reason.
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Old 08-28-2018, 10:24 AM   #130
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What a terrific thread. While I am a HUGE fan of Bob Tiffin, if you gave me one of their new coaches, I would sell it and use the money to buy a pre-2008 coach and make sure it is fixed up. All the manufacturers (that I am aware of) seem to be having issues with quality control these days.
We love our solid as a rock, single slide unit.
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Old 08-29-2018, 11:16 PM   #131
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I chose vintage over new...and I'm keeping my RevCon, Flatnose Frank

I could have bought a new coach. But after a crazy hard year and half of restoration, 1200 hours and more money than expected (still less than any new motorhome), I have a 1 of 1 vintage RV, with all the 2018 technology I need, built to my own quality standards and style, that I know every single hose, panel, rivet and wire connector on. I had an epic journey of blood, sweat, and tears getting here that I would never have had just walking onto an RV lot.

Working bugs out, still, and likely will forever, but I'll take Flatnose Frank over a cookie cutter MH any day.

But that's just me. The older I get, the more vintage I seem to appreciate.
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Old 08-30-2018, 06:57 AM   #132
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Hey that thing is looking really good. When you do all the work yourself, you end up with a high level of confidence that you know everything that can go wrong, you probably have all the right tools with you to address any likely issues, you know where to get what you need, and it doesn't take long to figure out what broke and how to get it apart. I just sold my Revcon after 16 years of ownership. The new owner and I have conversations on a regular basis, where I am giving him information on where stuff is, how to get it a part, and the best solution. In 16 years of ownership, 85,000+ miles, it never left me stranded. Yes, things broke, but I was never stranded, never towed, never where I needed another vehicle to go get parts.
Oddly, with this newer coach, and even though it was previously owned by my dad, I still do not travel with the same level of confidence that I did with a 35 year old coach.
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Old 08-30-2018, 09:57 AM   #133
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Many of us are hanging on to our vintage RV's because we are in no position or cannot afford the newer ones. Is there any one out there who chooses to keep their vintage RV even though you can easily step up... or how many of us would get rid of our vintage RV for a newer one if we were able?
I could get something newer but my current one fills all my needs.

Whatever may have been wrong with it before seemed to have been fixed by previous owner.

Plus, a good way to meet people because I seem to get a comment almost every time it is taken out.

After I had new tires put on it two years ago, someone left me a note saying If I want to sell it call......

I can't say enough about it. Sorry I dragged this comment on and on.

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Old 09-01-2018, 05:46 AM   #134
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Our rig is a 37' 93 Holiday Rambler Imperial. Its our 3 MH. It appeared we got a heck of a deal, but after a few hundred miles the motor took a poop, lost the hydraulics in the brakes twice, and many more issues. It was parked for 8 months while we modified our lifestyle to save $$$ and figure out what to do. Went to several RV shows and were SHOCKED at what 80 to 150 K will buy. More like what that kind of $$$ WONT buy. I would never bust on anothers rig but the newer units (up to 150 K anyway) lack quality in a way thats kind of shocking. So, we spent a lot and replaced the motor with a factory Ford 460, updated the brakes, rebuilt the tranny, etc etc. Spent more than its worth, but holy moly that Holiday Rambler was, and still is nearly perfect inside. Not bragging but the quality is exceptional. No slides, but we can deal with that. 2K miles in 2 months and loving it. Small issues but the mechanicals are good.
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Old 09-01-2018, 09:42 AM   #135
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Nothing is finer than seeing a vintage RV with its perfectly restored or cared-for wood paneling and cabinets
You need to look at an older Revcon. The cabinetry will almost always be in near perfect condition. It is Wilsonart laminate formed over a solid wood frame. The doors are cored with a honeycomb support. I just sold my 35 year old Revcon, and the cabinets still look like they did the day they left the showroom. They don' t scratch, or have the corners chipped off. they can be punctured, but you can repair that surprisingly well. They just hold up and do not get easily damaged.
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Old 09-02-2018, 07:50 PM   #136
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I bought my 1997 Fleetwood Southwind 32V. First I could afford it, and secondly, it appears to me and several other RV owner friends that many of the older motor homes were built better and are easier to work. My neighbor has a nearly new Fleetwood excursion with a cat 340 hp diesel pusher. He has been looking my motorhome over and he likes several of the features of mine. His dinette is tiny compared to mine and when it comes time for repairs there are so many electronic gadgets to deal with. He is not mechanically inclined, I am. I just removed my E40D transmission and installed a newly re-manufactured E40D with just a few electrical parts on it. It was a straightforward job. First time I have dealt with a three section drive line but its been finished and shifts like butter. So after purchasing it for 8500 dollars and doing a lot of work on it, I now have 16,000 dollars in it and it still books for 21 to 23 thousand dollars. So for me this has really worked out well. I have installed 7 new tires including spare, recoated the roof. buffed out the finish on it and it just looks great. It only has 25000 miles so with my anal attention to the mechanics and systems upkeep it should run for years.


It sold new for 89000 $ no way I would spend that much!!!
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Old 09-02-2018, 08:24 PM   #137
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I am renovating a 1987 Class A. Though it is a lot of work, when I am done I will know everything about it intimately and I will have a floor plan that works for our needs.
I appreciate taking something and making it better, knowing that I am not only saving myself money, but I am taking something that had seen better days and making it greater than it was before. I am incorporating new technology that meets my needs, without the things I don't.
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Old 09-04-2018, 09:09 AM   #138
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1995 isn't what I would call vintage... but we love our 95 Winnebago Warrior. It was well carried for and after we remodeled to suit our needs and updated what needed updating it has been a pleasure to own. Never a breakdown or problem on the road. The key to financial sanity for us has been I have been able to do 95 % of the coach and mechanical work and we did most everything at once.
P30 front suspension air bags has been the only aggravation and i'm confidant that a coil spring upgrade will fix that .

Yes it was a lot of work but the choice was 100K +and payments or $15K and several months of weekends.
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Old 09-07-2018, 09:59 AM   #139
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In the last few days my DW and I have removed the last of the rotted interior. The new plywood for the floors is inside. When I walked inside this morning it smelled of new wood instead of musty! Feels good to be heading in the right direction. I am working toward getting it to where we can use it next month for our residence while we are working site operations for a music and arts festival we do every October. It won't be finished by any means, but hopefully it will be dry and comfortable, with a toilet and sink, oh yeah, and a comfortable memory foam mattress upon which to lay our weary bodies for a few hours between intense work.
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Old 09-07-2018, 04:56 PM   #140
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WE had a 1988 Itasca Sunflyer 22' on the Chevy P30 chassis. I did many repairs, modifications and additions and it worked great for boondocking at our local lake. It was easy to launch the boat with as it drove like a big pick up truck. Only took up a couple of parking spaces at Walmart.
Then we drove it from Az. to Michigan and stayed in it for a month. Then is when we also decided we wanted to do more extended trips away from home but the Itasca was pretty tight quarters for us and the cat. Biggest thing was the only place to sit was at the dinette that I was not comfortable at.

This is when I started looking at Craigslist for a larger MH. We looked at a couple but nothing popped out at us. Then the wife stepped into the 1999 Winnebago Adventurer 35' with Super slide. As soon as she said "This is the one" I knew that I was buying it even if it was not in top shape. Turns out there were, and are, things that needed fixing but not bad for something close to 20 years old at the time. Does have some delamination now since driving on the uneven lakeshore and time has passed since purchasing it.
I do love driving the Ford F53 chassis on the highway compared to the Chevy P30 chassis.
We have been gone some our home now since July 13 and staying in the Adventurer is very comfortable. Meets our needs very well.

I have gotten comments about fuel mileage from other RVers but It not any worse than the '88 Itasca. Besides if one decides to buy a motorhome of any size one should have decided that mileage is not a priority.
At 70 to 75 mph we get 6.5 mpg. At 60-to 65 mph we get 7.6 mpg. This is loaded and pulling a dolly with the wife's Tracker on it, so over 20,000 pounds going down the road.
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