Advice on older Class A motorhome

Looking for more comfortable digs at the track next year, also possibly doing a lot more traveling. There are some seemingly good deals on early '90's class A's around here (under $10k), most look pretty good too, most with either Ford 460 or Chevy 454 power. Anyone have experience with these or specific warnings of what to look for, etc.? I'm planning on pulling our little 6 x 12 box trailer with it, and possibly parking it in our steep driveway.
Looks like a lot more comfortable travel than our pickup, and a LOT more comfy than our tent as well, especially dragging the little lady out to parts unknown to go racing.

 

In '09, I borrowed my buddies '95 37' Pacearrow with the 460.
Pulled a 7x12 trailer with 6 racebikes, 12 stands, 12 spare wheels, etc....from Cincinnati to Salt Lake for the Miller Nationals. 3500 mile round trip.

The motorhome did great. Cruised at 70 with no problems. Could hit 80-85 comfortably on the long, flat stretches of highway.

I had a chance to buy it, wish I had.

 

Here's my take on the topic, you'd be better off with a class c rig from the 2000's over a class A from the 90's, simply because back in the 90's bump outs weren't as popular as they've become in the past 10 yrs.

I was just checking out a class C model on craigs list when I spotted your thread here....lol Personally, my dream rig will be based on the Sprinter with it's diesel motor, unless the motorheads here talk me into another platform that's as efficient and durable as diesels tend to be.


Oh, btw, what's your budget?

 

Id suggest avoiding the Ford 460s like the plague. I really like the mid 90s Chevy powered rigs. 454/4l80E trans and 12 bolt disc rear end are reliable pieces on the chevy. Yo

Problem with "older" homes is most of the rigs were way overloaded. Ford used I beams in the front to make handling subpar and chase every seam/crack in the road. Chevy used airbags inside the front springs/a arms and some builders 1/2 assed stuck an extra leaf in the rear or masked overloading with airbags on the rear. Again a bandaid. Freightliner and John Deere made some chassis too but you rarely see those for sale. (in gas models)

Chevy definitely had the better drivetrain over Ford. Only issues Id look for in the chevys is the "death coolant". A good coolant/heat core flush will cure those ills.
Also check the suspension close. Switching to quality bushings and a trac bar makes a huge difference in handling.
Fords have issues with cracked heads... and of course way in the back where its a bitch to fix.

Been intermittently shopping for a replacement rig and some of the units Ive seen need more work than Im motivated to do. Almost all of them have leaky roof seams. All of them had dearched leafs in the rear. The parts arent expensive... but the labor will go north of $2k in a hurry especially if you have to cut the floor up to get at the spring hangers.

Brands I like are Winnebago, Georgie Boy, Tiffin, Rexhall, and Newmar.

Personally the best condition mohos Ive seen have been garage kept. Of course the asking price on one stored inside will be much higher but could be worth the extra $$$ in lieu of replacing a roof or windshield. Keep in mind they are ALL money pits...not as bad as boats but pretty close. Get a good towing plan and find a good shop if youre not handy.

 

+1,

The Sprinter/Mercedes diesel platform will get you 15 plus miles per gallon!

Matthew

 

Chevy/GM had manifold problems in the late 80's and early 90's, they would crack, would be a expensive fix for a 10k motorhome. A lot of the Class A's in the 90's had airbags in the front springs, inexpensive to fix when they go bad but a major pain in the ass to install. We started with a 95 Bounder which was an awesome rig (until we had a manifold issue) then upgraded to a 03 Winnebago sightseer and now have a 35 ft. Forest River Georgetown.

 

I just bought this. A 1977 Bluebird Wanderlodge. Cat engine, all galvanized steel construction and 10 mpg. $9000 and indestructible.

 

You could retrofit that thing with a tiki bar, stripper pole and a disco ball.

 

I was looking at old motorhomes for a bit when a buddy said-

When buying an old motorhome, think about every thing that can go wrong with an old car and an old house, then double it.

That said, that blue bird is cool. -Snack

 

The Bluebird is pretty cool!
My budget is still TBD, obviously as little as possible to get the right rig. Around $10k would be great if I can find one that won't leave us to die in the middle of the Arizona desert...
We race 2-strokes, so I do know my way around a set of hand tools, I just don't know a whole lot about what to look for on a motorhome other than signs of leakage and standard motor stuff. I have seen several diesel rigs f/s around $30k, are the motors really that durable?

 

1984 Vogue

I've been looking at a lot of these also. This is a pimpin, really clean rig.

 

Holy cow! That thing looks like it needs its own zip code... j/k... Looks nice...

 

or loop the "im a bluebird" chorus on a loudspeaker...

 

A good inspection takes a few hours. Best to make a checklist so you dont forget to look at anything in the heat of shopping.
A few months back someone suggested looking at wholesale auctions. I didnt see anything "outstanding" in terms of deals.

On diesels... sure they make more power and weigh more but also cost alot to operate versus a gas engined one. And of course that means heavy truck shop prices on service and air operated brakes/suspension.

 

I recently went from a toyhauler to a Class C motorhome and 10' single axle trailer and haven't looked back. I purchased a Tioga 26Q for a couple of reasons. No slideouts which means it's a bit lighter. I do sacrifice having a sofa in the coach, but I have a kitchen table, nice chair to sit in and a separate bedroom in the back. My GF can sleep in with the door shut while I'm making coffee breakfast, etc.

Mine has the Triton V10 and I roll 70+ w/ my bike and all the gear and tools no problem. The fuel mileage is about 8 miles/gallon but the track I frequent the most has a huge stretch of 30 miles of all hills.

In a couple weeks I will be going with my rolling tool chest, two bikes and gear. Reason I got the single axle trailer is for weight as well - my old 12' dual axle is much heavier.

My friend has the same coach but pulls my old trailer and has had air compressor, tire changer, 6500 watt generator, 20 tires, 2 bikes, monster tool chest, two huge tents, etc. and it pulls it without brakes. Once you get a trailer on the back this loaded down it definitely moves the coach around.

My advice is make a checklist of what you want in the coach, rent some to try out for teh weekends and then make the decision. I had a list of what mine had to have and passed up some good deals because they didn't have kitchen tables, etc. Also, mine has a huge storage comparment that goes all the way through in the back. I leave my tents, tables and chairs, flooring etc. in there so I dont' have to take up room in my garage. Below is a picture of my set-up from last month....errrrrrr is it race weekend again yet?

 

You need to talk to Jack Rebney

 

OT the documentary about him is pretty good.

 

We've been racing out of a 31 foot 1995 Jayco Class C (Ford E350 Chassis/460 V8 engine) for the past 5 or 6 years. I've put about 50k on the RV with no major problems, and only a few niggling issues (which you're going to have with any RV), new or used.

In your price range, I think you will be able to find a decent Class C, but you are going to be pushing it with a Class A. $10k seems to be the lower limit for anything that hasn't been used as a rolling meth lab or driven by hillbillies to NASCAR races.

I can argue both sides of the Class C/Class A argument, but one nice thing about a Class C is you're dealing with the tried and true Ford E350/E450 chassis & drivetrain. Other than cracking exhaust manifolds, which is just a minor annoyance -- you get a small metallic popping noise in some conditions -- the 460 has a good reputation. The same can't be said for the V10, which has suffered a few more issues.

Chassis-wise, you're dealing with a Ford Van (I'd say 95% of Class C RVs are built on Ford chassis). Anybody who works on a Ford van can work on your motorhome (assuming they can fit a 13-foot tall vehicle in their shop). Brakes, suspension, exhaust -- all the parts are the same as used on Econoline vans and available at NAPA, AutoZone, etc.

One thing to watch for with a Class C and most single-axle gas Class As is your trailer weight. Most Class Cs over 28 feet are right at the edge of their GVWR with just a full tank of gas and water. The 16" tires are usually the weak link in the chain (Class A's with larger wheels/tires can usually handle a higher tongue weight). We pull a 6 x 12 with ours with no issues, but my guess is if we corner-weighed it we'd be exceeding the rear axle/rear tire weight rating. Keep the rear tires inflated to their max and keep a close eye on the pressure.

When you're shopping, check the DOT "born on" date on the tires. It's recommended the tires be replaced when they are 5 or 6 years old. Not only is a blow-out on an RV expensive due to the damage to tanks, lines, etc., but roadside service is expensive as you're looking at airbags, manual tire changing, etc.

The other things to look for are pretty straight forward -- roof damage/water damage (look for waviness in the sides, soft spots in the roof, and discoloration anywhere). Obviously make sure everything works -- generator, AC, heater, fridge, water heater, converter, range, microwave. All of those can be fixed/replaced, but spending $3k to replace the genny or $2k to replace the AC on a $10k RV probably isn't the best path to take.

Most RVs are only driven about 5k a year. But that doesn't tell you how much the RV was used -- some drive short distances, but spend a lot of nights in their RV. The hour meter on the genny might give you a clue, but if they're staying at parks or campgrounds, they probably rarely run their genny.

For me, the ideal previous owner is the retired couple that are trading up or getting out of RVing. If the guy is a retired shop teacher or engineer, so much the better. Avoid anything with NASCAR stickers -- you can just about guarantee the roof is huffed from people standing on it, and you're looking at minimum $3k to replace the rubber roof, and more if the sheathing has to be replaced.

We bought our RV from a retired couple that we're getting out of RVing. He had a Tupperware container with every manual for every thing in the RV (you'd be surprised how many that is, and how handy it is to have them), as well as a logbook of all the maintenance. Since they were getting out of RVing, we bought the rig "furnished" -- plates, silverware, sheets, towels, coffeemaker, leveling blocks -- pretty much turn-key, which was great since it was our first RV.

Arizona and Florida are great places to buy RVs due to the large number of retirees in both states.

Good luck with your search. We love having an RV at the track and wouldn't go back.