Need wisdom, and opinions

[Me_n_T.D]

Hi, we have been members here for some time and have done a lot of lurking, but now are 8 months from retirement. We live full time in an older class A in a beautiful rv park. As our dream gets closer we are beginning to panic a bit about taking this older 2006 coach on the road. We know we will have to spend at least $4000 maybe more to get it road ready. Even then things can go so wrong and break down.

We are now pondering whether getting something newer is a good idea. Knowing our retirement income will be fixed and that we will be making payments is also a concern we will have our pension and husbands SS
To live on with the IRA as emergency only $. We don’t own a truck, so a trailer would include spending twice, even looking at a small class c that start around $70 for new. What do you think? Thank you

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by Me_n_T.D

. . . we are beginning to panic a bit about taking this older 2006 coach [a 31' SeaBreeze gasser] on the road. We know we will have to spend at least $4000 maybe more to get it road ready. Even then things can go so wrong and break down.

We have a 2001 Class A, but it's a diesel which I think has held together longer than a 2001 gasser. However, diesel maintenance is pricey.

Personally, I'd want something longer than 31 feet, but YMMV.

We gave up our 2004 SeaBreeze for our 2001 DP.

Originally Posted by Me_n_T.D

We are now pondering whether getting something newer is a good idea . . . We don’t own a truck, so a trailer would include spending twice, even looking at a small class c that start around $70 for new. What do you think?

Look at used -- www.pplmotorhomes.com.

[Mr.Mark]

Mary and Todd,

What do you think your coach needs? How many miles are on it? Is it needing new tires?

I wouldn't put the cart before the horse. If you are going to sell your coach the money that you put into it to make it 'road worthy', you will probably get most of that back.

If your coach is paid for I would think long and hard about saddling myself with new debt at retirement. It sounds like your funds will be somewhat limiting. You can always buy a newer coach later if real problems arise.

I looked up on RV trader to see what your coach would look like and it's quite nice. National made a good coach and many of them are sought after.

Until you give us more info, I think I would get your coach road worthy and take off. An '06 coach is not that old at 13 yrs. old if you have taken good care of it.

Also, keep in mind anything you buy has the potential to break-down. Going to a known (your coach) to an unknown (new used coach), would make me a little nervous.

Safe travels,
Mark

[Me_n_T.D]

“What do you think your coach needs? How many miles are on it? Is it needing new tires?”
(Don’t know how to do the quote thing)

We need tires, stabilizer bars, fix water pump (coach not motor)
Get some rust issues dealt with that’s what I KNOW needs work.
Mileage 22k But has sat here at the coast quite some time Took it out last November and besides the bumpy sway issue it ran fine

I do love it it’s nice but the fear of getting stranded is on my mind.

We also wanted to visit parks, state and national and were worried we are too long

[Mr.Mark]

M and T,

From what you have just described it doesn't seem like it's all that much to do.

Believe me, another coach is going to need something too, even new ones.

You have extremely low miles. As long as you stay up on maintenance (brakes, tires, oil changes, transmission oil change, etc.), I would certainly give it a whirl with what you have and hit the road. You have 8 months to get things done which is plenty of time.

Once you get going, I think you will relax and not worry so much. And, things WILL happen, that's the nature of the beast.

I've always heard that 35 ft. is the limit in National Parks but people get in with their 40 footers all the time. California might be a little more strict.

Mark

[grindstone01]

My opinion is that you are already familiar with your MH and seem happy with it for living arrangements. An 06 MH is not that old and the mileage sure didn't wear anything out.
I would keep your current MH and see how it goes. Like others said, you can always upgrade later by choice.
Getting a different MH has it's own risk and just being unfamiliar with it can be expensive until you figure out it's quirks.


"Having a problem is not the issue, it's how you deal with the problem that really matters". Quote from somebody.

[Waiter21]

An older motorhome is like an old house and an old truck.. They'll require maintenance.

I'm a DIYer, so I have no problems owning and repairing just about anything on the MH.

After we purchased our used MH almost three years ago, I went through it and did a cost analysis of doing preventive maintenance, vs the risk and consequences of failure. The older the unit gets, the higher the risk of failure items.

Example: a $15 crankshaft position sensor has a low to medium risk of failure. The sensor is low cost, and the consequences of a failure is the MH is dead in the water. SO, I replaced it as a preventive matter (keep the old one in the tool bob)


Our Southwind is in very good condition. The worst that could happen would be a complete trashing of an engine or transmission while far away from home.. Not to big of a deal if we're close to home and I can do the work at home. Its more of a challange if it happens while on the road. In this case, I'm prepared to spend $10k for an engine or transmission....

I guess the point is. If you can do maintenance yourself it may be worth fixing the old home that that you like. If you need to write a check for every little thing that goes wrong, then either you'll go broke, OR the maintenance will not be done.

[twogypsies]

I agree with others. Fix it up and use it. It only has 22,000 miles.

As to the size, we're ones that have successfully gotten into public parks with our 40' motorhome - national parks, state parks, national forest, Corp of Engineers, County and City. Don't worry about your baby 31'.

When you do take off don't park long-term on the coasts! The salt air can do much damage. Or else, keep it washed continuously.

[Ron750]

I wouldn't worry about your length. I don't have a RV, but I'm mainly looking at 31 foot Class Cs.

https://outdoorsrvmfg.com/wp-content...ngth-Chart.pdf

https://camperreport.com/best-rv-len...ational-parks/

[okmunky]

Originally Posted by Ron750

I wouldn't worry about your length. I don't have a RV, but I'm mainly looking at 31 foot Class Cs.

https://outdoorsrvmfg.com/wp-content...ngth-Chart.pdf

https://camperreport.com/best-rv-len...ational-parks/

Check carefully your cargo carrying capacity (ccc) in a long Class C. I was surprised that the ccc on my 24’ Forest River Forester clone is much higher than the longer Foresters. In other words - adding length, which means vehicle weight, subtracts from how much cargo you can carry. More cabinets and closets doesn’t mean you can carry more. It means you can carry less. For full timers that is a real challenge. You might want to look at super Cs. Bigger engines and higher ccc.

[Barbaraok]

We have a 2002 coach - have been on the road since 2006. At this point, it makes more sense to maintain her rather than investing in a newer model since we only have 3-4 more years before old age (we are in our mid-70s) rears its head and we hang up the keys. I would be worried about the fact that there isn't a lot of miles and she obviously needs to be out running. You really need to think about new hoses/filters/fluids as you start, plus new tires and batteries. Yes, it will cost some money, but so would a newer coach.

No you are not too long for state and national parks. We are 37' nose to bumper plus another 18" or so because of our drop-down hitch for the car. We go everywhere, never had a problem.

[super_rep]

It's always cheaper to fix things up than buy new. We have a 2004 coach with 135,000 miles on it and have kept up with all the maintenance. We wouldn't think of trading for a new one. .

Every summer we take off and just travel where ever we feel like going. We are full timers and spend 6 months in southern AZ during the winter.

Just fix up your coach and relax and enjoy your travels.

By the way, we used to live on Alameda Ave in HMB. Sure do miss the fog and going to sleep in the summer where we could hear the waves, the Princeton buoy and the seals when we had the windows open.

[Itchytoe]

Originally Posted by Me_n_T.D

We need tires, stabilizer bars, fix water pump (coach not motor)
Get some rust issues dealt with that’s what I KNOW needs work.

That's nothing. You could do all of that in a weekend depending on the rust issues. What exactly are those? Big difference between a frame with holes in it and some dime sized spots of rust starting to show through the paint.

[Me_n_T.D]

There is a tiny bit of cosmetic rust problem, but our slide....hardware? It’s looking bad. No longer black, just rust. I’m going to try to google how to handle that. We also have some slide awnings that need replacing and some lights that probably need to be replaced. I feel so dumb, I don’t even know how to go about having new tires put on. Is it just like a car? Take it to a tire shop where they work on RV’s?

I sure appreciate all your relplys... I asked for wisdom and here you all are