Any veteran advice before I buy this 1999 National RV Tropi-cal 6370?

[empirenine]

Howdy all!

My family of 4 has done numerous trips in our current Viking popup camper and we've decided it's time to move up. The effort involved in packing up/collapsing the camper has proven laborious & burdensome, and we find ourselves modifying travel plans because of that. By pure chance, a relative we were visiting last week on our roadtrip happens to be selling an RV and we jumped at the opportunity to check it out.

So we now have the opportunity to purchase his 1999 National RV Tropi-cal 6370 for a "family discount price" of only $10k. I did many hours of research the day prior and was able to inspect the coach fairly extensively over about 90 minutes. The owner was out of town that day so I had to quiz his son for any answers I needed.

Here's a summary of the coach's condition:

Basics
37' coach
Single slide out
Tag rear axle
Owner (trusted relative) states that everything functions well

Power
48k miles (Triton V10 engine)
5500 watt generator (unknown hours, visibly quite dirty)
New AC recently installed
Per owner's son, water pump may need to be replaced

Exterior
Tires in excellent condition
Suspension was free of leaks, bushings appear to be cracking
Axles showed no leaks or obvious issues
Hydraulic levelers are dirty but functioning properly
Moderate rust in/around water pump bay
Some minor rust in other bays
Most seals appear to be in reasonably good condition
Paint/decals have seen better days
Windshield has a small crack (far above driver's view, approx. 6" in length)
One crack in the outer shell between a window and vent (see pictures)
Roof seals appear to need replacement soon
Roof generally showed
Awnings function but appear to be fairly worn & dirty

Interior
No obvious signs of leaks (I checked corners, joints and seems throughout)
Appliances working as expected
Corian countertops in good shape
Carpet & furniture need replacing (we would do this anyway)
Some light fixtures broken or missing (plan to upgrade anyway)
Overall very dated and in need of updates (which I don't see as a negative)

Unknowns
Slide out - Because the owner wasn't present, I wasn't able to witness the slide out functioning. But based on his word and my own visual inspection of the mechanics, I trust it is in good working order.
Test drive - I also wasn't able to drive it yet but would do that before committing to purchase it.

Questions
1. What have I overlooked?
2. Any common issues for a coach of this age?
...and most importantly...
3. Does your gut tell you $10,000 is a good value for this coach?

Thanks in advance for any insights or advice you can provide!

[Waiter21]

Generally, for our usage, Tire age is more important than tread. Tires that show UV cracking, or 8-10 years old are generally ready to be replaced.

Here is a checklist I use for the Ford F53 of that year:

F53 inspection / maintenance checklist – 1999 Southwind 35S

If you are a DIYer, 10k seems like a reasonable price. If you need to pay to get stuff fixed, this could be a money pit.

[empirenine]

Generally, for our usage, Tire age is more important than tread. Tires that show UV cracking, or 8-10 years old are generally ready to be replaced.

Yeah, great point and I did take that into account. The tires didn't show any cracking and the rubber looked to be a couple years old if I had to guess.

Here is a checklist I use for the Ford F53 of that year:

F53 inspection / maintenance checklist – 1999 Southwind 35S

Thanks for this, super helpful!

If you are a DIYer, 10k seems like a reasonable price. If you need to pay to get stuff fixed, this could be a money pit.

Luckily I am very much a DIYer and actually look forward to a project like this. I definitely expect major repairs to arise in the coming years but the rest is basically a hobby for me.

Thanks for your input!

[Meames1]

It looks quite solid underneath. Check the date codes on the tires, only way to know for sure. If you're handy, I say go for it. The only thing that would make me unsure is the crack in the fiberglass, while not extremely hard to repair, I wonder how it happened and make sure the wall is solid and not what caused it (internal water damage etc..) Expect another 5-10K in updates depending on how far you want to go. With that being said, there isn't much you can buy for 20K and you'll know what you have.

[clifford j]

10 K is not a lot of money, you'd pay that much for a good sedan that seats 4
:>) like others said ,be prepared to be a DIY guy. Make sure you have an emergency cash fund for unexpected repairs. Good luck to ya

CLIFFORD

[Scooter]

You might investigate an extended service contract. Probably 6 companies or so, have been recommended on this forum. You should get an exclusionary contract with seals and gasket option. Don't get a parts named contract. We bought an US Warranty Corp contract Eagle Plus........which has LOTS of options. Have not yet used it. It is essentially an insurance policy.....like home owners, auto, medical, EQ, life, etc.

[F4Gary]

Originally Posted by Meames1

It looks quite solid underneath. Check the date codes on the tires, only way to know for sure. If you're handy, I say go for it. The only thing that would make me unsure is the crack in the fiberglass, while not extremely hard to repair, I wonder how it happened and make sure the wall is solid and not what caused it (internal water damage etc..) Expect another 5-10K in updates depending on how far you want to go. With that being said, there isn't much you can buy for 20K and you'll know what you have.

This. That crack would be my biggest concern. Rust looks more like surface rust. Those slide out toppers can be replaced at a reasonable cost.
Hopefully owner/relative can give you a good idea as to maintenance performed. Hopefully it has been used/driven recently (withing the last year).
Sounds like a great price.
Good luck.

[kenwyatt]

As others have said the crack would be my concern. East to fix for a DIY’er but will it keep coming back. Due to location it may. Do some research by googling like units for sale but 1999 it just doesn’t seem like much of a discount

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined us!

Since you're a DIY guy I would say it's a good buy, assuming the test drive doesn't reveal any other problems. Check the slideout carefully and check the code dates on the tires.

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Waiter21]

That crack says something is going on in the refrigerator compartment. Look carefully for water damage in and around the frig and also that window.

[deandec]

Just a caution. Look inside of cabinets for evidence of roof leaks. That step is easy to forget.

Also, get the tire date codes to determine age. Visual condition is not necessarily accurate for a heavy vehicle.

I have the impression from years ago that National built some very solid rigs about that vintage.

[empirenine]

Originally Posted by Waiter21

That crack says something is going on in the refrigerator compartment. Look carefully for water damage in and around the frig and also that window.

Thanks for this, it hadn't crossed my mind. I'll definitely do some more investigation on the fridge next time I see it!

[empirenine]

Originally Posted by deandec

Just a caution. Look inside of cabinets for evidence of roof leaks. That step is easy to forget.

Also, get the tire date codes to determine age. Visual condition is not necessarily accurate for a heavy vehicle.

I have the impression from years ago that National built some very solid rigs about that vintage.

I did briefly check the interior of the cabinets & closets for leaks and nothing caught my eye, but I'll be sure to use a flashlight next time.

I have the impression from years ago that National built some very solid rigs about that vintage.

Exactly the kind of anecdotal veteran info I was hoping for, much appreciated!

[tomgrigsby]

Ten years is considered max for rv tires. Check the date codes since you'll be looking at eight tires at something like 3-5 hundred dollars each.