A true "novice" question

[begete]

Please hold your laughter....

We are looking at older motorhomes and Class Cs, not just because of cost, but also because as I have mentioned in other threads, I am extremely allergic to preservatives in the building materials used to construct RVs, and after 4 years or so, the fumes seem to abate.

I know absolutely NOTHING about the mechanics of engines, etc. and my husband isn't a whole lot more knowledgeable in that particular area.

The last Class A we owned was 10 years old when we bought it, and had no problems in the 3 years we used it. Did we just luck out? The mileage was only about 25,000 miles, and at $13,500, we didn't feel we were taking much of a huge financial risk.

We are now looking at Class C's from 2003 - 2007, and are quite shocked at price tags starting at $45,000 and up - so are feeling a bit of sticker shock at the financial risk we would be taking.

My very elementary question is: how, exactly does age play into the future longevity of a motorized rig? Which is more significant, age or mileage?

We have found a WinnieMinnie at a dealer not too far from here which is said to be in "excellant" condition, has the floor plan we are searching for, but with tax and registration added on, the total is likely to come in close to $50,000. It is a 2003 Class C with about 30,000 miles on it. The dealer has a good reputation.

Is this a good deal? Should we be worried that it is 7 years old?

Thank you.

[frankdamp]

We bought an 02 Forest River Georgetown Class A (32') with 12,000 miles a couple of months ago for $36,000. Taxes and reg was another $3000. That price looks about $12,000 too high to me.

[idenphones]

I found this to be very helpful. Not gospel but helpful just the same.
New Car Prices, Used Car Values, New Car Reviews & Car Buying Guides - NADAguides.com Official Site

[tncruiser]

Originally Posted by begete

Please hold your laughter....

We are looking at older motorhomes and Class Cs, not just because of cost, but also because as I have mentioned in other threads, I am extremely allergic to preservatives in the building materials used to construct RVs, and after 4 years or so, the fumes seem to abate.

I know absolutely NOTHING about the mechanics of engines, etc. and my husband isn't a whole lot more knowledgeable in that particular area.

The last Class A we owned was 10 years old when we bought it, and had no problems in the 3 years we used it. Did we just luck out? The mileage was only about 25,000 miles, and at $13,500, we didn't feel we were taking much of a huge financial risk.

We are now looking at Class C's from 2003 - 2007, and are quite shocked at price tags starting at $45,000 and up - so are feeling a bit of sticker shock at the financial risk we would be taking.

My very elementary question is: how, exactly does age play into the future longevity of a motorized rig? Which is more significant, age or mileage?

We have found a WinnieMinnie at a dealer not too far from here which is said to be in "excellant" condition, has the floor plan we are searching for, but with tax and registration added on, the total is likely to come in close to $50,000. It is a 2003 Class C with about 30,000 miles on it. The dealer has a good reputation.

Is this a good deal? Should we be worried that it is 7 years old?

Thank you.

thats about what i paid for a new 2009 hr atlantis 128 se last march

brianj

[AFChap]

I don't think either age or mileage alone are "most" important ...they go together. For instance, very low mileage on an older rig would likely be worse than higher mileage would be as it would indicate rig has been used very little, and has sat there rotting most of the time. It would be more likely that most things are in good working order if the rig had an average of 5k or so per year over the lifespan than it it had a yearly average of 1k. Actually, the most important to me in a used RV is maintenance records so you know the owner has done the regular required maintenance (oil change, etc). That should be based on elapsed time rather than miles. If the rig averaged only 1k per year and the owner only changed the oil after reaching 3k or 5k on the odometer rather than at least once a year, that would be a bad sign. Of course, when buying a used rig from a dealer, you often cannot get or see much in the way of maintenance records.

[homelesshobo]

You should keep looking, for 50 grand you can do a lot BETTER, NEWER, and bigger. IMO, talking to the OWNER of the rv , means a heck of a lot better than a salesman who is making his living off you.

[denochs]

If you have 50K to invest, I would look at class A coaches unless you have something in a C that only it can give you.

Dave

[Vegasdan]

50 large for an 03 C? I'd walk no matter how good his reputation was. You can get into an A class gasser with comparable miles in an 03 for less.

[TXiceman]

In today's market (a buyers market) a realistic value on a used RV is NADA, LOW RETAIL, with no options added.

I would offer 20% under low retail and work from there. Do not get suckered in to this one because you love it. There are plenty of good used RVs on the market.

Ken

[scenic route]

KEEP LOOKING... The deals are out there. Last January we bought our '05 Holiday Rambler 36' DBD(class A) with 17k miles, new Michelins and in most excellent shape for what you are about to pay for the Winnie. I agree with the NADA low retail w/no options theory...many times, even LESS.

Of course we did a lot of preventive maintenance items just to make sure of when they were preformed and if done properly(no maintenance records and I don't recommend buying without them, BTW)...we are now on our fourth month of traveling with no issues...knocking on wood here! Have fun with the SEARCH and take your time! Patience, Grasshopper! Bob

[begete]

Thanx everyone. We did pass on the 2003 WinnieMinnie, not just because of the price, but when we actually saw it, the fabrics on the furniture were worn through, and the carpeting was very badly stained. It had only 35,000 miles on it for its 7 - 8 years, so we are guessing it must have been lived in. Not sure how that would impact on reliability/longevity of tanks and mechanicals.

[rough road]

begete, this seems to be a very good time to buy a used motorhome if you have not been to these sites visit them, if for nothing else to check pricing;

RV Trader® - RVs - Fleetwood, Airstream, Winnebago, Keystone, Forest River, Newmar RVs and More - RVTrader.com

http://rvt.com/

[danes-on-tour]

I have found RV-online very usefull when trying to establish the value of used RV's. Use f.x. the "sorted by price" feature and check out what $50.000 will get you.

[rough road]

Thanks to the Danes for another source, a new one to me. An '03 Chinook-one piece body!- with the chevy monster 8L and 25k miles,asking $49k AND a Cali rig to top it all off.

Sure wish I had the cash-or even half the cash, or even the down payment.........