Community Forums

spopoff · 03-06-2010, 12:42 AM

Hello rvers ,this all very new to my wife and me,we just bought a 89 35'coachmen sportscoach 4 last july and the only trip we made was driving it home.It was a bad first impression, it had a bad exhaust manifold leak that I was not told by the seller,it made for a smokey trip for 400 miles home. Never drove it again,been trying to fix all other problems the seller never mentioned[runs hot going up summits,tach doesn't work,speedometer worked for about 50 miles then quit,pacbrake leaked exhaust]. So thats the way its been going,not very fun so far!

**Petro** · 03-06-2010, 06:27 AM

spopoff;

Welcome to iRV2. We are glad you found us. Sorry to hear about your problems. When buying a 20 year old coach there is a saying "buyer beware". There some well maintained older coaches and some that are not. My suggestion is to take it to a reputable shop and have it gone over.

Post often and tell us how everything works out for you. Don't be afraid to ask questions as we have a great group here who like to help when they can.

Don

HD4Mark · 03-06-2010, 06:44 AM

Welcome spopoff,

We have our first used coach and luckily purchased from a dealer they took care of most of the bugs. On our first real trip with it and still ironing out some minor stuff.

Hopefully if you have the time, money and patients you will solve the problems with your coach and it will become a joy instead of a nightmare. Then with any luck you can look back and say "it wasn't that bad".

The way we are trying to look at it is that everything we fix or have fixed it one less thing to worry about since we will make sure it is done right.

John H... · 03-06-2010, 07:28 AM

Spopoff,Welcome to the foruum. Sometimes when they say you get what you pay for can be hurtful and costly. However, if you are mechanically inclined, most anything that is broke can be fixed. If you aren't then you will have to find a reliable mechanic who will do some work for you. Especially if he is familiar with RV's. Good luck and know that a lot of your questions can be answered here. John H....

spopoff · 03-06-2010, 08:40 AM

Thanks for the encouragement,I feel that I am somewhat mechanically inclined, I work on all my vehicles ,but the rv is more challenging, I'll keep plugging away at it. Sid&Jamie Popoff B.C. CANADA

John H... · 03-06-2010, 08:44 AM

Try not to be overwhelmed. Work on one item at a time. If you find something your not sure about, just post it here. Lots of knowledgeable people on this foruum, who are eager to help. John H....

John H... · 03-06-2010, 08:47 AM

Sid, Which engine do you have in it??

PNWGirl · 03-06-2010, 09:00 AM

WELCOME Spopoff!!!

As you can already tell, you have found one of the friendliest forums around

I, too, am a newbie but I have a 25 year old TT. I was very lucky that she had been very well taken care of and I have fallen in love with her

Was tired of motels, when going out of town to dog shows, and decided to get her and stay on site. Never had a clue that I would enjoy it SOOO much!

I am so sorry that your first experience was so bad

The guys, on this forum, have decades of experience and the best of all, share it! There are no stupid questions, believe me, I would know

I hope that your next trip is everything, for you, that your first trip was not!

Sheila

Bob N Deb · 03-06-2010, 09:42 AM

Don't be discouraged. I have an older motorhome a 91 and have had some mechanical problems over the 3 years that I have had it . You will learn that even the newest most expensive motorhomes can have problems. When things break while on a trip you have a choice of making it a disaster or an adventure I prefer adventures and in my life I have had my share.
Bob

HD4Mark · 03-06-2010, 09:44 AM

You will also find that if you have any problems while at a campground there will usually be more help than you know what to do with. RVers seem to love to help each other out.