Community Forums

ScoutFinch76 · 09-07-2018, 06:05 AM

We are a married couple with 2 children ages 3 and under possibly looking into buying an RV. We have done very initial research but it seems that we are looking for a used Class C as far as style. We would like to limit our budget so that we can pay cash - less than 15k.

Initial questions - how much time do you all spend on upkeep?

What does winterizing entail? We would need to store over winter at a facility as we do not own space suitable for storage. Any tips or info about facilities?

Any tips on looking for a used Class C?

Any info is appreciated as we admittedly have no clue what we are doing and don't know anyone who has experience with RVs to ask

Thank you!

okcnewbie · 09-07-2018, 08:52 AM

I like your idea of paying cash. It will be tempting to keep going up in price range but if you are patient you'll be able to find something pretty nice. Just start going out and looking at them. The roof and slides would be pretty big on items that you should inspect carefully.

Good luck!

Isaac-1 · 09-07-2018, 10:24 PM

Let me address your topics in order,

1, Find a good class C on a $15,000 budget will be difficult, and you will likely see a lot of money pits before you find a good coach in that price range, even then the good coaches will likely be in the 12+ year old age range. This is not to say that it is impossible, just that $15,000 is the low end for a road ready coach.

Upkeep varies, on my current coach, a 28 ft 2002 Safari Trek class A I bought in 2016, I spent about $7,000 in the first year on maintenance, provisioning, and updates even though it was in overall good shape and well upgraded when I bought it. This was on stuff ranging from Pots and pans, bbq grill, to GPS, TPMS, new shocks, and a windshield sunscreen as well as about $1,200 paid out to professional shops for things like dash air conditioner repair. I am now in my second year of ownership, maintenance and upgrades have been more limited this year, most DIY again, though I did spend $750 at a shop in July after having an automatic parking brake hydraulic line replaced (blew a pin hole in the hard line and left me stranded on the side of the road), all total about $2,500 year to date ($300 on new house batteries, $100 new backup camera, $75 on water heater parts, $220 on new front suspension air bag I had to install in a campground 500 miles from home last month), ... I am also taking it back to the shop on Monday to see if they can locate a cringe worthy mystery noise that started happening on the way home on our last trip, I have no clue if that will be $500 or $5,000 (or more) to fix. I also still need to replace the spare tire I had to use a while back, that will be another $300 or so.

Winterizing, and type of facility needed (covered, etc.) depends on where you live. In the south it may mean putting antifreeze in the water lines or blowing them out with air, and draining the tanks. In Minnesota it may mean covered storage and worrying about roof snow load, as well as having electricity to run heaters inside to keep the cabinets and counter tops from getting so cold that they shatter, removing batteries so that they don't freeze and split, ...

As to tips, get a professional RV inspection (check out NRVIA.org ) before buying, if the inspector finds one significant fault it could easily pay for the cost of the inspection, which will typically be in the $600-$800 range and should take 6-7 hours to complete. Also you will need a separate coach inspection done by a mechanic familiar with the brand and model of chassis.

momdoc · 09-08-2018, 06:15 AM

Welcome. Lots of good folks here with good info
With your budget you will have to look long and hard but will find what you want. Do check age of tires, records, generator hours, water leaks, rood condition etc. Expect a pretty good hit on getting things fixed the first year then things will settle down.
Remember an RV is NOT and investment.
YOu might want to rent an RV for a weekend trip to see if it works for you.
Good luck and enjoy the adventure.

Myrons31 · 09-08-2018, 07:03 AM

Welcome to the adventures of used Class C purchasing. Been down that road and it has it's plusses and minuses. Take a good hard look at the unit. Have it inspected by a professional or anyone with more knowledge of these units if possible. Do not believe a single word a salesman or owner says. There are way too many things to list here what needs to be looked at and I wish I had done that personally.

I concur that you will be in the 12+ year range with a wide range of conditions.

While price may be the most important factor to you right now. The REAL thing you will realize besides condition and price of the unit is..... The floor plan. That will be the thing you want to pay a lot of attention to. You will be in this thing for some times longer than you want to because of weather and or length of travel. You must be able to live with how it is laid out or you will be miserable.

Upkeep... That can all depend on how you want you unit to look and or function, and of course the condition of the unit you are starting with. Some folks spend zero time washing, waxing, and or fixing and replacing components and generally not caring about how their unit looks or living with non-functioning parts. And that's fine. For them..

Some people spend many hours, many days, or weeks, cleaning, waxing, and replacing components. You just have to figure out which one of those people you will be. But I can say the first year will be spent getting the unit to where you want it to be.

Most repairs can be either learned through this very forum or online in one way or another. You will be surprised how easy some RV upkeep and repairs can be done without paying someone else. Once again that is if you have the desire to do it.

Winterizing can depend on the unit if it is equipped with winterizing equipment or connections in the water system. I do not have those and it is relatively easy to accomplish in about an hour or two. You simply drain or blow out any water holding system and introduce an antifreeze solution.

As for the outdoor storage facility. Get a secured one. Hopefully with limited access and or limited hours access. Empty the unit of anything of extreme value out of the unit and store at home. I take out TVS and electronics, but leave pots and pans and anything of that sort. Get a locking gas cap. Yes. It is supposedly a secured lot. Someone will still steal your gas.....

And there is always a chance of someone breaking in. There just is. No matter where you store it in my opinion....

You could cover the unit with a cover. I have heard plusses and minuses on that in regards to the damage they prevent and or do...

avfordguy · 09-09-2018, 10:07 PM

Lived in Michigan for a lot of years had class a and classic, winter was no issue, drain everything and blow out with 45lbs of compressed air, add pink antifreeze pump through lines add 1 gallon to gray tank and 1 gallon to black tank, remove vacuum beaker behind toilet as no drain, never had a issue even to -30 below just check roof seams in the spring when it thaws. I never covered as any RV never had a issue with cold storage.

ThePowells · 09-11-2018, 01:26 AM

Welcome to the forum!

eddndee · 09-11-2018, 08:26 PM

Two most important items mentioned and worth repeating... rent an RV to get a feel for what your needs are and when you find one worth buying, pay for an independent inspection of the coach and a mechanics inspection of the running gear!

hamfam · 09-19-2018, 07:40 PM

Welcome to the forum, great place for good information. My family and I bought our first RV last year. 97 Tioga Montana 31 ft gas ford V10. It had 67k miles and we paid just under $10k. We used it at least two weekends a month throughout the summer and one long trip. The upkeep is constant if you want to keep it operating properly. Everytime we put it away, it's cleaned, black/grey tanks flushed and ready to go the next time. Good luck on your search!