Community Forums

hdflsts2002 · 08-16-2012, 10:44 AM

Looking to enter the world of RVing. Don't yet have a coach, and am trying to learn as much as I can thanks to the world of the internet. One that I'm looking at, at the moment is a 2000 Holiday Rambler Ambassador 36' The unit has an Cummins ISB 260, it has new last year exhaust manifold and turbo. I can see no signs of any water damage from the roof and the current owner has all his service records. The unit has just over 60K mile on it and the current owner is asking 35,475 for it. Seems an odd number to me so perhaps that is what is owed I don't know as I just had a quick first look and initial conversation with the owner.

From what I have seen in looking on the net Holiday Rambler seems to be a pretty good brand/model. What I'm wondering is what any of you can tell me from experience about this particular year and model, good or bad. Also is this a good engine, what things should I be looking for?

The main reason for looking at getting into RVing is that the wife is a traveling nurse and would be able to live out of something like this on her assignments which last 13 weeks each and she usually does 3 of those a year. Any and all suggestions, advice, comments is greatly appriciated.

Thanks to all in advance,
Tony

cb1000rider · 08-16-2012, 11:02 AM

I have a 99 HR Vacationer, which is gas.
I've owned one other Class-A, a Gulf Stream, and can tell you that the quality of the HR is better.
The roof is fiberglass, aluminum sides, insulation is better, and general fit and finish is good. The tank controls and flushing are better than most Class-A gassers.

Appliances are typical / normal / nothing special.

You should have it inspected... It's worth it.

Ours has been kept covered, but it still needs some re-caulking, which is going to be typical of this age. Roof was in good shape, but some of the tape is in need of freshing and I could find cracks in the seals for the tank vents.

Compared to the DP (Diesel Pusher) market, I'm not sure that these coaches are the upper end of the quality bar, so compare on craigslist (nearby major city) and RVT in terms of what you can get for $35k in +/- 2 year range.

Also - what do you know about it. Was it kept inside? Was it maintained and the owner has proof of maintenance? If so - this is a big plus. Without records, assume that you're going to need to start over and do all maintenance, which on a diesel will be thousands of dollars.

Age of the tires?

When is last big trip it made?

I don't know about the motor, nor do I know anything about ride quality on the diesel version.

hdflsts2002 · 08-16-2012, 11:20 AM

I do know about the tires, the front two were like 2 or 3 months old the back tires were somewhere around 3 years old and had about 10K on them. Current owner did point out the tires and did have all maint. records, but as I had no idea what sort or how often maint should be done I just flipped through them quickly like I had a clue. I told the fella who seemed nice enough that I'm in the very early stages of looking and would get back to him if I was going to give his motorhome serious consideration and would look at it closer then. Figured that would give me time to try to find out what I really should be looking for and to find out if this is even a reliable unit for what we hope to use it for. Never thought to ask about what sort of trips they took it on or where it was kept. Thanks for those pointers.

Steve Ownby · 08-16-2012, 11:49 AM

That year Ambassador was built on the Roadmaster 4 air bag chassis. There is a known defect with this chassis. The trailing arms are at a very high risk of failing. An after market company, Source Engineering, has designed replacement arms that solve the problem. This 4 bag chassis is also rough riding but Source has developed a ride enhancement kit that appears to solve the ride issue. The cost for both of these improvements if done at the same time is in the $5-7,000 range.

hdflsts2002 · 08-16-2012, 11:56 AM

Steve, thanks good things to know. If I follow up on this one I'll be certain to see if the trailing arms have been replaced or not.

Thanks, Tony

Moxy · 08-16-2012, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Ownby

That year Ambassador was built on the Roadmaster 4 air bag chassis. There is a known defect with this chassis. The trailing arms are at a very high risk of failing. An after market company, Source Engineering, has designed replacement arms that solve the problem. This 4 bag chassis is also rough riding but Source has developed a ride enhancement kit that appears to solve the ride issue. The cost for both of these improvements if done at the same time is in the $5-7,000 range.

Hey Steve, I have to respectfully disagree on both points, as you know I have a 2000 HR Ambassador, the control arms on the 2000 are not subject to failure it was later that the arms were changed and subject to problems, as far as the ride on the 4 bag, well I'm sporting a 10 bag S chassis now and I have to say I have an appreciation for the ride on the 4 bad Ambassador and for the price that coach is a steal imho, the gas milage will knock your socks off, the ride is light years ahead of any gasser or entry level pusher. and dont let anyone tell ya the 5.9 doesnt have what it take, cause it does, even towing 4K car she had no problems getting around.

IMHO you need to consider the coach you are looking at seriously and at that price if all checks out I would grab it cause you wont buy mine for that.

Good luck

Moxy

hdflsts2002 · 08-16-2012, 02:27 PM

Moxy, thanks for your input. Was just looking through another forum here about chassis issues and from what I have read so far, 5 of 37 pages I would agree that you are right that the 2000 is not affected. From what I have seen so far it is 2002 on.

Ok as someone VERY NEW to all this I'll assume that 5.9 is the Cummins ISB 260 in this thing (5.9 Liter? damn why couldn't we stay with Cubic inches). That was something I was wondering myself would it have enough snot to pull the wife's Altima. Having never dealt with diesels before I didn't know if that was enough to pull the coach and the car and not work the thing to death. Guess when you're looking at diesels or maybe motorhomes in general it's better to look at torque rather than horse power?

I can see that there is going to be quite a learning curve involved in RVing but with the help of this board and the people here I think I'm off to a good start.

Thanks again for your input and every please keep the comments coming, I'm a sponge just waiting to soak up any knowledge you are willing to share.

Tony.

Moxy · 08-16-2012, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdflsts2002

Moxy, thanks for your input. Was just looking through another forum here about chassis issues and from what I have read so far, 5 of 37 pages I would agree that you are right that the 2000 is not affected. From what I have seen so far it is 2002 on.

Ok as someone VERY NEW to all this I'll assume that 5.9 is the Cummins ISB 260 in this thing (5.9 Liter? damn why couldn't we stay with Cubic inches). That was something I was wondering myself would it have enough snot to pull the wife's Altima. Having never dealt with diesels before I didn't know if that was enough to pull the coach and the car and not work the thing to death. Guess when you're looking at diesels or maybe motorhomes in general it's better to look at torque rather than horse power?

I can see that there is going to be quite a learning curve involved in RVing but with the help of this board and the people here I think I'm off to a good start.

Thanks again for your input and every please keep the comments coming, I'm a sponge just waiting to soak up any knowledge you are willing to share.

Tony.

Tony, I pulled a 2006 chev malibu on a dolly close to 10000 miles, with no issues at all, the 2000 HR Ambassador is a great entry level diesel that will not let ya down, great gas milage, good to great ride, easy to maintain, even self maintain if you are handy at all, i would not hesitate to sell mine to anyone,

Good luck

Moxy

CJScepter · 08-16-2012, 08:53 PM

I had a 1999 Monaco Dip, it had the 275 hp and also a Banks Stinger kit, I would guess it was MAYBE 315 hp. I would ask, is it a 6 speed allison 3060MD trans or lighter version. The 6 speed 3060MD is very good. The lighter trans have less gears and aren't rated to handle as much HP. or weight. A friend of mine has a 230 hp Cummins in a older 32 ft pusher and it won't get out of it's own way, and gets pretty bad fuel mileage also. I think he said it is a 4 speed trans.(he can never take his foot off the floor!) I think the ISB is a great engine, check on the F53 casting, some also had a dowl pin that could work it's way loose and cause trouble. Do some searches on these things, I don't know for sure that they affect the 260 ISB but learn what you can.
Good Hunting! Keep asking all the questioned you can think of.
John G.

Robe4446 · 08-16-2012, 11:18 PM

I have a 2000 Holiday Rambler Endeavor. It has 120k on the 5.9 L diesel with the Allison 6 speed transmission. Still runs great and has plenty of power to tow my Jeep Wrangler Unlimited at interstate speeds with no problems.

Moxy · 08-17-2012, 05:32 AM

the 2000 will be the 24valve and the allison will be the mh 1000 5 speed OD that has its limitation as far as toque, it will easily handle the 5.9 as long as the torque is under its max rating, and as stated the gas milage is incredible.

Steve Ownby · 08-17-2012, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moxy

Hey Steve, I have to respectfully disagree on both points, as you know I have a 2000 HR Ambassador, the control arms on the 2000 are not subject to failure it was later that the arms were changed and subject to problems, as far as the ride on the 4 bag, well I'm sporting a 10 bag S chassis now and I have to say I have an appreciation for the ride on the 4 bad Ambassador and for the price that coach is a steal imho, the gas milage will knock your socks off, the ride is light years ahead of any gasser or entry level pusher. and dont let anyone tell ya the 5.9 doesnt have what it take, cause it does, even towing 4K car she had no problems getting around.

IMHO you need to consider the coach you are looking at seriously and at that price if all checks out I would grab it cause you wont buy mine for that.

Good luck

Moxy

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the mis-information (worse than no information). I was remembering the trailing arm issue as 2000 forward when it was really '02 forward. The ride enhancement kit would still be an attractive option as I have heard glowing reviews of it.

The important thing is to do the research and it sounds like you are. When you get info on forums like this from old farts like me, be sure to check it out.

Thanks Moxy for the correction. By the way, how do you like the S chassis?

Moxy · 08-17-2012, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Ownby

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the mis-information (worse than no information). I was remembering the trailing arm issue as 2000 forward when it was really '02 forward. The ride enhancement kit would still be an attractive option as I have heard glowing reviews of it.

The important thing is to do the research and it sounds like you are. When you get info on forums like this from old farts like me, be sure to check it out.

Thanks Moxy for the correction. By the way, how do you like the S chassis?

Once you have has "s" you will never go back thats for sure, still getting use to her

TurbineGuy · 08-17-2012, 09:38 PM

Our previous coach was a 2001 34' HR Ambassador; what a great little coach. Driving it in the 60's would net 10-12 mpg, pulling a little Geo Tracker. It had the Cummins ISB 260 and if I recall right it had a 4 spd +OD Allison, thou I could be wrong. I am sure it was the same package for the 36' for both years.
If the seller doesn't have all maintenance records I would recommend having the engine and transmission oils analyzed before you buy. A few bucks spent now could save you a ton in the future.

TG