Community Forums

Pairajays · 05-24-2011, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finhawk

What are you driving , Jim?
Bruce

A 1997 Beaver Marquis. Previously, owned a 2002 36' HR Endeavor. Traded straight across for the Beaver. Before the Endeavor, had a 1994 Country Coach Concept. Going with the Endeavor was a big mistake.

First mistake I ever made.

Jim E

Pairajays · 05-24-2011, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cb5300

Now I disagree with you here....Slides open up the floor plan and allow more living space. I have 4 slides and wouldn't think of having less...except maybe having a full wall slide, then 3 would be OK.

I certainly want argue with you about more living space. However the cost verses comfort level is way out of whack. And, just how much more added living space are you getting for your $100K. If you have children or entertain a lot, the four slides could be justified. Of course, no one has to justify what there preferences are.

Jim E

ctcamper · 05-25-2011, 04:56 AM

Find a floorplan that you like. I have two slides and am very happy. I personally don't like the slides on the passenger side ( in the front) as I like to sit outside and they interfere with the space under the awning. Plus that front passenger slide is a good place to hit your head as your leaving the coach at night....People that stay inside all the time will want more slides.
I like gas coaches as the maintenance costs are less. Unless you're fulltiming I don't see the benefit of a diesel coach, and then only if you get a large ( 40+) footer and you need the powerplant to move the extra weight.

THT · 05-25-2011, 05:43 AM

I have a 2005 with 26000 miles 350 cat Meridain Itasc one owner and have had some minior problems but nothing big

Harry

Camping4fun · 05-25-2011, 06:20 PM

Newer motorhome with higher milage is the best way to go.

Mike Thomas · 05-25-2011, 07:11 PM

The first year, you are under warranty and you will probably be going back to the dealer to get things fixed under warranty. You will still be without the use of your rig, and have the expense and time of transporting it back and forth.

After that first "shake down", it will work fine, if you do the regular maintenance. This period will last 5 to 8 years.

At about 7 to 9 years you will have things that just get old. Rubber starts to disentigrate, things will rust, electrical connections corrode, rubber seals start to let go, things that no matter how many miles it has on it, it doesn't matter. At that point you are fighting time. If you don't mind fixing things, and you can get your hands on good wiring diagrams, plumbing diagrams, etc, you can keep it going for a long time.

We have a 1995 Winnebago Adventurer. Winnebago can supply wiring diagrams, plumbing diagrams, all kinds of documentation. They also will be able to sell you all kinds of replacement parts, for lots of years. Maybe other brands do this as well, I have no experience with other brands. But motorhomes are sometimes funny creatures, and without those diagrams, it is very difficult to figure out how they did things.

What ever you buy, be sure it has all the manuals for the motorhome and everything in it. Our motorhome was 10 years old when we bought it. I may be a little fussy, in that absolutely everythings works as it should. But it comes at a price, I work on it all the time. An old friend, who is now gone, had campers, and motorhomes nearly all his life, summed it up this way. He said,"If you are not driving them, or sleeping in them, you are working on them, get used to it."

ctcamper · 05-25-2011, 08:26 PM

Mike is 100 percent right.

My last Class A I had to get service manuals and I was glad I did.
Winnebago is great for diagrams and parts numbers, anything in the coach you can find and find where it goes or what number wire goes where...
My new Tiffin I found out has no support for documentation as far as diagrams. They give a wiring diagram book which is basically how long each wire is and what gauge .. some info on connectors.. no parts numbers or detailed drawings. No plumbing diagrams.. I am spoiled with winnebagos... that being said I like the build quality of the Tiffin, maybe a touch more than the Winnebago and the factory support is good also.

I can fix most anything so a new coach is ok for me as I will not need a dealer. Like boats or houses, they get old and there is always something

queen_of_3 · 05-26-2011, 03:56 AM

Thanks for all the responses. We plan to use the motor home to tailgate at football games at our son's college. It is about a 4 hour ride from our house. We also plan to camp on short trips (1 week max) with our two younger sons. Our sons would rather sleep in a tent so we don't need a lot of room. We also plan to stay close to home when camping. Please let me know what you think.

BarbRN · 05-26-2011, 04:46 AM

We just got a nice quality Winnebago with 12K on it and feel very lucky. It's a buyer's market right now.

Plan on getting a great deal and don't RUSH! We looked and considered many but it never felt right. We bought this from a private owner, a widow who ended up with a motorhome she had no need for. Husband was meticulous and it's near perfect. We found a Tiffen we made a deposit on with a private owner and at the last it was found to have a major, recurrent leak issue. We never saw evidence of it either. The owner was very honest and let us out of the deal. Many of the lower priced units we saw had leak issues you could see. Buyer beware. We just got lucky I think. Everything works so well. They can be a money pit. The new tires were more expensive than we knew. The larger 22.5 " ones are unbelievable in price. They only had 12k on them but anything with 5 years time still needs replacing regardless of miles.

Purplefans & Harvey · 05-26-2011, 04:51 AM

So that means you're looking for something that can hold a grill, the beer and have a bathroom nearby?

Slides aren't necessary, unless just one to add to the living area during the week of camping if there's rain. We had our first one without a living room slide for 5 years and it was fine for us, except for those few rainy days, then we felt cramped. Took it to tailgate parties also!

deandec · 05-26-2011, 10:38 AM

I do not own one, but for your described needs, I would be happy with a gas Winnebago Adventurer. Several friends have one with a slide that are very dependable, comfortable and practical. Long established manufacturer.

melvonnar · 05-26-2011, 11:47 AM

If everything else is equal I'll take the low milage older motorhome every time'
The more its used the more ware it has on everything.
Brakes shocks bearings; etc etc etc.

Forest Grump · 05-28-2011, 02:33 PM

We bought a 1991 HR 31' 3 years ago and love it. It had 52,000 miles, new frig, flooring, upholstery and was finger licking clean inside. The engine [asses smog better than most new cars. The Ford 460 engine and D40 tranny is a beast. We get from 7 - 9 mpg. Our tank capacities are huge, 40 gal propane, 75 fuel, 70 FW, 40 GW and 38 BW.

We got it for 10K. I put in 645 AH of batteries, a 3,000 W inverter, 80 amp converter, amp meter. Then 4,000 W Onan generator had only 70 hours on it. It does everything we want and more and we own it.