How old is too old? And a Fleetwood question. - RV-Dreams Community Forum

earthmommy · RV-Dreams Family Member

How old is too old? And a Fleetwood question.

mpierce · RV-Dreams Family Member

AT least warranty issues will not be your problem. You are your own warranty station now! LOL

I love vintage items. Had 64 Airstreams for years. Raised our kids camping in a 26'. The key is condition. You NEED to check it out carefully. If systems work, and there have not been water leaks causing problems, it can be a great RV. Or, it could be a piece of rolling junk.

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

A few things jump out as I looked at the photos of this Class C

> I know pictures can be deceiving but it looks like there is a lot of wear on the carpets...
>There are water stains on the curtains at the front of the overhead sleeping area. Looks like a lot of water has gotten on them
>The kitchen area looks really tight. I guessing to put something in the oven you would have to stand off to the side to be able to bend over and slide in a pan. Plus no help with the dishes...it's a one person kitchen.
> I would have it checked over by an independant RV appraiser.
> Since this is being offered by a dealer they will start with a high price, you should be able to get quite a bit knocked off of the price if the appraisal doesn't show any problems.

PIEERE · RV-Dreams Family Member

Really check the front overhead on the inside very carefully especially the front window area for leaks and look under the mattress especially in the corners for mold and seperation. On the ouside where the overhead meet the main body for stress cracks and also for delamination any where. I am singe have an older Class C and yes they can get really crampy at times and mines is 27 ft. I also think $20,000 is high for a 13 year old unit. This looks like no more than $13,500.00 to me. JMO! PIEERE

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

Never "Too Old"........Just make sure which ever one you are considering, check it over real good, and then real good again.

earthmommy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks everyone! I did notice the stains on the curtains and immediately thought...yikes, water damage! I looked back again and the carpets do seem worn. I've already decided to rip out any carpet in whatever rig I buy...old carpet kind of grosses me out...LOL

Pierre...thanks for your input on the price. I wondered how their asking price stacked up against what experienced folks would feel it was worth. Any how about that UGLY fabric on the couch and dinette...??? Definitely some interior modifications there. I can see the couch replaced by a storage structure with a real mattress on it, and a work/play/eat area with storage on either side to replace the dinette.

I'm not too worried about the kitchen size, since I will probably solo anyway. And even if I buy sooner rather than later, and take trips with my kiddos, they'd be short ventures so I think we'd be okay.

How does one go about finding someone trustworthy to inspect an older rig, prior to purchase?

FT Dreamin · RV-Dreams Family Member

We own a 1993 Foretravel 40' DP with no slides. We have been FT in it for 2 years now and I am still amazed at the quality of this bus! We bought it on ebay of all places after searching for about 18 months and actually paying to have two other nightmare RV's inspected. At 20 years old everything is still pretty much original and everything still works pretty much like new. In all of my searching I figured out I'd rather buy an older quality home than a newer one with flashy bling and substandard construction. We were very fortunate to get an exception deal on this MH - about 1/2 of market value and have had minimal repairs - the two largest were a new cooling unit for the fridge (we installed) and a new radiator.

The two I had inspected were both out of state for me so I used google, craig's list and forums like this to find inspectors - glad I did.

I literally spent 4 or 5 hours a day pouring over every RV for website looking at ads & photos and making phone calls inquiring about ones for sale. The inspection report I received on the first one gave me a really good guideline to follow when looking at MH's on my own. When you do find one one worthy of ponying up the $$$ to have an inspection done try and be there so you can see what all is being checked.

So I don't think there is a "too old" if the rig has been well maintained and was quality to begin with.

earthmommy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks for all your input everyone! I am finally at a point where this dream is close to being a reality. The owning an RV part of it anyway...the FT part is still down the road.

The more ads I read the more I see that saving as much as I can and continuing with my credit rebuilding are my main tasks. In the meantime I've been looking at for sale ads all over the net, and trying to narrow down models that will work for me. I am totally fine with an older model, I'm one who wants quality over bling for sure! Plus whatever I get I will be modifying to suit my eventual FT needs.

I keep going back and forth between wanting to buy something sooner, and so financing looks appealing, but I suspect that's the instant gratification part of me...and waiting while I save and save and save and pay cash for something. Each has it's advantages specific to my situation. I'd like to buy in the next year or so, and then do modifications and enjoy shorter trips while the kids are little, and then travel more as they get older, and eventually FT on my own.

Everyone's thoughts and input etc are welcome and appreciated!