Sunday, March 11, 2007

Trust Your Instincts

Well, the newer RV was not as expected so I'm keeping the one I have. The pictures were great; the engine was not. Fortunately, I brought friends who know engines and no one could guarantee that the RV and I would return home 150 miles away safely.

So the search continues...

5 comments:

  1. Adrienne,

    Sorry to hear about the Motorhome on eBay. There honestly are some really great deals on eBay and of course, there are some sellers using eBay to dump crap that they don't want to sell local. I have bought over 800 things on eBay in the last 6 1/2 years, from 50 acres of land to microwave, to an engine, transmission and so on. 99% of my deals were excellent. I really pay attention to the sellers feedback, and read it all, no matter how many years it goes back.The ONE thing that I dislike personally is buying from a dealer because I know you are paying a large commission to a salesperson. If I don't buy my next RV on eBay, I'll buy it from a private person, not a dealer. Thats just my opinion. Some people would rather oay more at a dealer in order to have a place to return it to if problems turn up.
    Mike G

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah! the old engine problem. Been several accounts of engines being filled with heavier oil and even sawdust to mask the noise and stop the oil leaks. Especially when older gas engines have exceeded the 100,000 mile mark. Even seen RVs at about the 5 year mark that have the same problem. On the other hand, my RV is a 1988 27ft class C with a 7.3L diesel with only 75,000 miles. That darn thing just keeps chugging along. My wife and I (both seniors) are still repairing/replacing things inside the unit and some body work too. Been trying to sell it (my wife has had enough) but with the market today, no one wants to pay a fair price. A real shame! Its just right for a family to enjoy too!. Hope you can find one likes ours.
    Good luck!
    Rick and Marina
    (Seniors By Design, RV'ers By Choice)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Greetings,

    What was wrong with the RV?
    How much was winning bid?

    At 28 years old how much were you planning on spending on engine
    /tranny repairs?

    If I bought a 15+ year old motor home I would expect that it would need a bit non camper repairs as well as camper type repairs.

    I would expect to spend about $2500 on it. Replace all wear parts (plugs, filters, belts, pumps, Brakes, fluids, etc.) Maybe tires, shocks, radiator?

    I don't think I could trust it otherwise.

    If one buys any vehicle over a certain age we can expect it will need some money thrown at it. In the case of it being nearly 30 years old an engine rebuild unless you found a real 'preserved' gem.

    Peace and Blessings

    ReplyDelete
  4. Glad you found out in time. Nice to have friends. Seen many RV's over the years filled with heavier oil and even some sawdust to lessen the noise and oil leaks in older engines. Even gas engines in the 5 year old range can suffer from this problem IF the owners don't keep the maintenance up to date. My wife and I have a 1988 27ft Class C with a 7.3L diesel that just keeps rolling along with 75,000 miles on it. We still have to replace /repair things inside the unit and even some body work on the fibreglass and plywood sections but its home on the road. I've been trying to sell it as my wife has had enough but no one wants to buy it at a fair price. So we both hope you keep enjoying the RV life style .
    Drive Safely.
    Rick and Marina

    ReplyDelete
  5. Other than the oil leak from the oil pan, the brake fluid drip from the brake line, and the gasoline in the freshly-changed oil, the engine's timing was off. It was a little more than a carb adjustment and a tune-up, unfortunately. The owner is a very nice man and we just had different ideas about what "runs well" means. I didn't feel comfortable driving it home (150 miles).

    ReplyDelete