Would it help if the miles on the machine be included on most of the inquires, particularly mechanical? jc
I think so. There's an old saying - "It's not the years, it's the mileage". ;)
Steve
But if the miles are to low for the year, that would be a problem to some people.
My thoughts are.
A coach with very low miles per years tells me that the coach has not been used much thus not been maintained very often and sitting still distroys from the inside out.
Everything lasts longer if exercised AND maintained well.
My coach is a 1999 and has 160 K well maintained miles.
How many miles are on yours?
137K
116k...that's 'bout 8k per year...last 8 yrs...used very little, but all is well and operating fine. Dash A/C has been the greatest maintenence cost due to lack of use. But, from now on, now that it's fixed, willl run the coach every month for the requisite 30 to 60 miles while in storage.
237K
For me, a coach that comes from a low salt environment is the number one consideration. No matter how many miles or how well maintained, a coach driven on salty roads is going to be trouble whether bulkhead or electrical problems. A real disqualifier.
Number two consideration would be a coach that had been stored inside. Decals and gelcoat don't like sun. Inside storage also generally means someone that took the expense of storage also took good care of everything else. These sell the fastest for the most $$.
Floorplan/length would be my third.
Hangar queens may have lots of little problems (or a major one) for a while when they emerge. Nothing wrong with miles on a rig.
Batteries, tires, fridge are no big deal. EZ to replace if coach is good.
Have to compromise a bit as too many prerequisites and not that many Foretravels could mean you come up empty. We did, were very lucky and are very happy.
Bought our '93 with 62K, now 82K two years later. Only very minor expenses (except for fuel).
153,000; 73K in the 8 years we've owned the coach.
86,000' bought with 42,000 three years ago. Currently in west yellowstone. 450 ISM, lusting for 500 HP, can't imagine that in a 36 foot coach!
On Thursday, August 25, 2011, Chuck Van Tassel <svt1961@yahoo.com> wrote:
A well used coach with high miles will likely need time and money to replace worn out systems and equipment.
A mostly unused coach will need time and money to replace the sytems and equipment ruined by lack of use.
Best bet is to find a middle ground. To me a key factor in selecting a used anything is the care and maintenance it received by previous owners.
My 91 U225 falls into the "not used much" category, with 85,000 miles on it. It is taking a lot of time, and a fair bit of money to straighten out, but I'm able to do almost all the work myself. If I had to farm out all the work, I wouldn't have touched it, because labor costs would likely exceed what I paid for the coach. Fortunately, I work for free, and was willing to dive in and put in the hours.
It was priced accordingly. I reasoned that at that age, I would have to replace or repair most of the systems, regardless of how nice it looked. And if I had to make that investment, might as well find a coach at a good price to begin with. It did come with 6 new tires, and a freshly rebuilt 5.9 with a new rad, so I feel I got a bargain.
Steve