Older Diesel Class A help

[andy29847]

Most of the dealers advertise on RVtrader.

The dealer with the most motorhomes when I was shopping was:

Porter's RV Sales Home

I went to Porter's excited about buying a motorhome. I looked at more than 20, but I didn't find anything I wanted. The business model around here seems to be buy wholesale, market the motorhome before spending any money on it, and negotiate with the prospective buyer for repairs, cleaning, or upgrades to be done after the contract is signed. FWIW, the motorhome that I saw at Porter's that I liked the most was a 2000 Monaco Executive. The outside looked like it had been in the sun a long time and the upholstery showed extreme wear. I expect that someone lived in it for year. Heck! It is still for sale.

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/200...ion-5001801933

The dealer who does the best job of online marketing that I saw is Motorhomes of Texas. I still like to look at his site.

Luxury Pre-Owned Motorhome Dealer for Foretravel Newell Country Coach.

My decision points were: 40' or less, Cummins ISC or ISL engine, NO diesel boiler (heater) system, at least 2 slides, condition of the coach.

[kalinina]

Newmar on spartan, 05 with 3 slides, great coach

[FatChance]

We bought a 2004 Newmar Mountain Aire 4016 (400ISL/Allison/Freightliner XCR IFS) from the second owner. From my point of view, this coach was about as good as it got (except Prevost, Newell, etc) before the RV market reorganization and emissions changes in the late 2000s. The biggest plus for this coach was the meticulous maintenance done by the previous two owners backed up with all maintenance records since new.

[herbc]

I like them all and thank you. I am planning on hitting the road all the way to Myrtle Beach in about 2 weeks looking for my RV. Studying all the sites mentioned will help me plan my course. Thanks Always.

Herb

[smp005]

I just went thru this myself.. took 2 years of searching to find what we really wanted. I also feel it is safest to go with a coach made by a company still in business. We ended up with a Winnebago. I called W and asked if I could still get parts for a 2006 Journey and the parts guy told me that pretty every part is readily available. We ended up with the 350 Cat C7 engine which, while Cat no longer sells engines to the RV market, there is plenty of service and parts available. The Freightliner chassis is also something I don't think you could go wrong with either...

[Poppy01]

We have a 1994 Newmar on Spartan chassis. Have had any problems finding parts. Just replaced the slide motor with a factory fresh part. Same with engine and chassis parts. There are still many mechanical Cummins and Cat motors around, so parts are plentiful. When I've talked with mechanics, they all say they are the most reliable ones on the road.

[TwelveVolt]

Make a list of must-haves and a list of nice-to-haves. Some items on the lists may be:

-Side radiator vs rear
-fiberglass roof vs rubber
-tag axle vs not
-max/min slides
-engine mfgr
-max/min coach length
-booth vs table & chairs

This will help you narrow it down and not spend time looking at features you have already decided you do not want.

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by herbc

WOW! Thanks for all the responses and good advice. I amin no hurry and will study well. Always helps to gather expert info from users like you guys. Anyone know the place in upper South Carolina that has the motorhomes?

If you are willing to travel a bit west..
Here may be some good candidates to consider..
ALL Pre Owned motorhomes Inventory


As a side note..I personally would stay away from anything advertised by POP's RV...they just seem to be a bit too squirrelly for my liking...

[miwok]

Originally Posted by TwelveVolt

Make a list of must-haves and a list of nice-to-haves. Some items on the lists may be:

-Side radiator vs rear
-fiberglass roof vs rubber
-tag axle vs not
-max/min slides
-engine mfgr
-max/min coach length
-booth vs table & chairs

This will help you narrow it down and not spend time looking at features you have already decided you do not want.

I liked the RV Trader app, you may save certain listings and see if they disappear quickly or not, I used this method to see if I was shopping correctly, and visiting some when I could. At some priced "right" I found a shady dealer with spray cans touching up stripes, in a bad part of Sacramento, Mesa, and other places.

The most recent one I found, Country Coach in Cincinnati, the dealer was anxious to sell, but before I got there, I just happened to drive by a private sale by a family whose owner garaged it since 1997. Well, it had most of what I wanted many on the list above, NOT a Country Coach, but the Cummins/Allison 6 spd, well kept. Gonna take a chance on it, but the alternative for me was to save and wait a couple more years..

[Papaslick]

We found our latest rig on RV Trader and traveled 2 days to Pennsylvania. The coach is a 2005 HR Navigator PGA model 45PBQ with a paint matched 30’ enclosed trailer. Perfect for our 2 - 2012 Goldwing trikes and our beloved 2014 smart car. Incredibly this rig had set with little but starting the engine rolling it out onto the drive way and back for over a year. Some issues to deal with, but still happy with the deal. 515hp Detroit delivers pleanty of push. We love going big and not going home. Just remember after 2010 DEF is in.

[mtofell]

Lots of great info so far and this is a GREAT place to get educated. I'm a bit of a junkie for message boards and have spent hundreds of hours researching for a very similar purchase to yours someday in the future. I like the pre-emmission stuff (generally 2006 and earlier) but as the years tick by those coaches are getting old. I think there is a lot of value in going a couple years older for a higher end original coach. My brand hierarchy is as follows:

Top End which I likely won't be able to afford or would be just too old:

Prevost, Newell, Bluebird, Wanderlodge, Foretravel

High End that I really aim for:

Country Coach, Beaver, Monaco, Newmar, Travel Supreme

Still very nice but likely at a lower price/quality point:

Winnebago, Forest River, Fleetwood, Itasca, Coachmen

A lot just depends on how old you're willing to go at a given price point. When shopping I sure like private party high quality coaches. I always figure a high end RV parked in front of a million dollar house has a better chance of having been well maintained versus one on a dimly lit lot with a sleazy salesman.

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by mtofell

Lots of great info so far and this is a GREAT place to get educated. I'm a bit of a junkie for message boards and have spent hundreds of hours researching for a very similar purchase to yours someday in the future. I like the pre-emmission stuff (generally 2006 and earlier) but as the years tick by those coaches are getting old. I think there is a lot of value in going a couple years older for a higher end original coach. My brand hierarchy is as follows:

Top End which I likely won't be able to afford or would be just too old:

Prevost, Newell, Bluebird, Wanderlodge, Foretravel

High End that I really aim for:

Country Coach, Beaver, Monaco, Newmar, Travel Supreme

Still very nice but likely at a lower price/quality point:

Winnebago, Forest River, Fleetwood, Itasca, Coachmen

A lot just depends on how old you're willing to go at a given price point. When shopping I sure like private party high quality coaches. I always figure a high end RV parked in front of a million dollar house has a better chance of having been well maintained versus one on a dimly lit lot with a sleazy salesman.

Wearing a plaid jacket, slacks and smoking a cigar....

[NCC-1701A]

Before buying, be sure to perform a very thorough check end-to-end. If you don't possess the knowledge, hire a pro. There are some good checklists in the New Rig Showoff
Forum stickies. These lists will give you many things to think about and look for as you walk through rigs.


While not necessarily an issue to buy rigs from companies that didn't survive the recession, I stuck to those that did looking at Tiffin, Newmar, and Winnebago. I called Country Coach's parts and asked about availability...most systems were commercial brands, but they were honest and said some parts were made only for CC and could take 3 months to get and would be expensive.



Good luck!

[Ludmilla]

I also agree with looking at Newmar, Tiffin and Country Coach.