How old is "too" old?

[maromeo]

We looked at several brands and ages from new to about 2010. We also weren’t sure if we wanted a gasser or DP. After we test drove several gassers we really felt the softer ride with the DP. We also had some requirements, nothing longer than 34’ or taller than 12’ 1” to fit under our cover.

We are lucky, we live in a RV Mecca. Many snowbirds come down and end up purchasing new and so we have a lot of inventory to choose from. We have miles and miles of used RV dealers here.

We found a 2013 Palazzo 33.1 with 40K , full body paint,11’10” tall. We ended up paying 88K for it., last year in Oct. Today I see them on the Trader for 100K +. The original owner left all the paperwork inside the unit so we can see what has been done. It was like new inside, new inverter put on, new convection microwave oven and really didn’t show any wear inside. Outside has a few scratches but not a deal breaker.

After we purchased we replaced the tires which the dealer split the cost of the tires, mattress and batteries. We have driven our coach from AZ to TN twice and several weekend trips around AZ with no issues. We are happy with our purchase.

[SalmonJoy]

Inspection, inspection, inspection by an independent Inspector. We bought 2004 Newmar Dutchstar and the dealer said they had inspected it. $10,000 later I really do like it. But be prepared to do a lot of small repairs on it.

[mraineri]

We bought a 2000 38’ Dutch Star DP with 65000 miles. Spent 8k more getting it up to snuff. Very happy with it. It’s my version of “This old House”. Always some little thing I can work on or improve. I’ve seen friends buy new and have more issues than me. Whatever you get, just do due diligence.

[valland]

Trust you feeling is this junk or has it really been taken care? The small things will tip you off. Like they never fixed a window shade, means they never changed oil either.. That example might be a stretch but that's were I start.

[TwelveVolt]

The dealer offered an extended warranty on our 1999 American Coach. Since this was my first RV, that seemed important and helped close the deal. Once the deal was done, the dealer came back with "Oh, sorry, that coach is too old to be covered by our extended warranty". Just something to be aware of. In hindsight, the warranty would have been a break-even at best. The money was best left in my pocket to cover all expenses instead of just those listed in the contract.

We have been fortunate with no major expenses other than tires, which were 10 years old and that was factored into the negotiated price. While learning the ropes, I did get suckered into a few repairs that I now realize were not absolutely necessary. I was talked into changing parts because they were old, not broken. Now five years down the road I can say it was a good decision to go with an older, well built DP. Having the manufacturers of chassis and coach still in business was a consideration and I have used their resources on several occasions for parts, drawings and troubleshooting.

[bemmy miffer]

Originally Posted by gvette85

I've always been an advocate of let someone else take the depreciation,or maybe I'm just cheap !!.That being said you can find some really good deals out there if you are diligent.I recently bought my first class A after looking at junk for over 2 years.I found a 2004 Dolphin 5342 with 16 K miles on it.It had been stored in an enclosed building for 6 years after the original owners wife passed away.I have every receipt for service, recall receipts,and all the books and owners manuals since it was built. I even have the original bill of sale.As previously said I think overall condition and proper maintenance are much more important than year model.I looked at a couple of relatively late models,a 2012 and a 2008 that were pieces of junk.Interiors in both were terrible,slick tires,etc. you get the picture.I've always been told that RV's are like Corvettes,they sell more by condition that year model.

The trouble with buying something stored for a length of time is engine seals will dry out. When that happens they tend to leak.
Repairing front or rear main oil seals is far from cheap.

[BUGNUT]

Originally Posted by H Steinhoff

I would look at a 2011 or 2012 Tiffin Allegro Breeze 32BR. You be able to find one for well under $100k.

From my research these coaches came with a Cummins 275HP or the Maxxforce 7. Cummins diesels are great, Maxxforce not so much.

[trippy]

Purchased our Excursion from a dealership this past April. Had 8200 miles on it and 87 hours on the generator. Wanting a 33 ft dp and not being able to afford a brand new one. Of the few models out there meeting that description. We settled on the Excursion. Seen a couple really nice ones personel sellers. We were always 24 to 40k short with money. So attempted to get financing on line. That didn't work either. So the dealership it was. 122K out the door with 7 year ext warrenty and sealer for the paint.
Bought it on a Saturday and returned the following Saturday to pick it up as the dealership was going to go through it and make sure all was good.
Gonna say dealership didn't do much for checking as when we picked it up and did our walk through missing fuel cap, ice maker not working, stove burner not working. We took it home anyways. We are about three hours away from dealership.
The extended warrenty has been extremely useful. Water pump recently went out and it was covered, the rubber seal on the out side of slider tore and to my repair shops surprise the extended warrenty covered that as well.
have put 6k miles on it back to Kansas from here in sunny so cali this past summer. Vegas 4 or 5 times with another trip planned this weekend.
Love our used Excursion

[HometimeRV]

I researched for 2 years and we did not want to go too long with a diesel pusher either. I looked every day. I finally found a 2012 Tiffin Allegro Breeze diesel pusher with only 5k miles on it. Still looks brand new. Wife named her Bonita. Has auto air leveling and is only 32' 8" long. We have only had a few minor problems with broken plastic parts. This is what we have put in to it so far: New tires, Safety Steer System, 1 new upgraded smart TV, new seat covers, wireless internet, 6 solar panels (1800 watt) and 2 lithium 300 amp hour lifeblue batteries for solar. We have 2 slides. Roughing it smoothly. Tiffin builds quality. Great customer service and parts dept also. We are so glad we went with quality after reading motorhome nightmares facebook page! There is a shorter version also with only one slide. Safe driving!

[Piros1]

Originally Posted by BUGNUT

From my research these coaches came with a Cummins 275HP or the Maxxforce 7. Cummins diesels are great, Maxxforce not so much.

Yes stay away from the Maxforce engine. I have two in my fleet and have had nothing but problems. I have had to replace the engine in both trucks. If it weren’t for the equipment on the truck and setup of the crane I would trade or sell them both. We will not own another International product.

[AA4TG]

Don't forget that the pre 2006, I think, DPs didn't need DEF fluid or the regen filters which come with added engine plumbing and the expense to maintain the added system.

[Clocked Out]

We went from a 43' Trawler Yacht (twin diesels) to a 04 Tiffin Allegro Bus 38 TGP. So glad we did! Yes she is an "older" Bus but we looked for a really long time and passed on many for all the reasons already mentioned. We didn't want a "Hangar Queen" that sat and was not used regularly. Our Bus had 2 previous owners and it was properly maintained and used regularly. The Bus had been back to Tiffin for upgrades a couple of times (Residential Refrigerator, Some Custom Cabinets, Modern TV's, Window shades New A/C Heat Pumps and etc.). We have ALL the receipts and all the original documentation that came with the coach and it was all organized in binders. She had 6 brand new tires installed 3 months before our purchase. The outside shines like new and except for the fact that the original owners put a Bra on the front and left it there (it ruined the front paint and 3M mask). Our largest expense and it was large was to remove the Bra, remove the 3M mask and completely repaint and restore the front. We also added a Safety Steer and we are approaching 100K in the miles and it has a Cummins ISC 8.3 liter rated at 350 HP. We keep Everything maintained and properly serviced. We have spent many happy days and nights and have been to 14 States so far. We have found that with due diligence Good & maybe even Great ones are out there!

[Piros1]

Originally Posted by AA4TG

Don't forget that the pre 2006, I think, DPs didn't need DEF fluid or the regen filters which come with added engine plumbing and the expense to maintain the added system.

Actually it is pre 2008 that will not have regen or DEF emissions systems. There are a few 2008 that were built in 2007 that didn’t require it either. That said there were also some 2007 engines that did have a regen system but not sure if they were used in an RV.

[pobstlmo]

Whatever you buy I would hold on to $10k for repairs, first thing would be to replace the tires, $5k a safety issue with 30k lbs rolling at 65 mph. My DP had 70k miles at purchase 12 years old but I still needed to change the tires, fluids, water pump, belt etc.. because it sat a few years.
PPL of Texas has lots of RV’s to choose from, in all price ranges, and they gave me honest advice.
Helps to see 10 coaches before you purchase one.