RB model wanted in So CA January 24, 2012, 03:24:25 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128008Hi all, I just posted this wanted ad. I am going to look at a 2001 model later this week. My question for you folks is this: Since I'll be fulltiming, can I get enough good service from a 2001 model with over 100K miles? Or do I need to look for a newer model, and if so, how new?Janis
Re: RB model wanted in So CA Reply #1 – January 24, 2012, 03:37:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128010Janis, If it is well maintained, I would not worry about a 2001 or 100,000 miles. We have a 2001 with 80k miles, and I expect to get much more service. We did have to spend about $3k on suspension, brakes, etc a couple of years ago.Barry 2001 RB
Re: RB model wanted in So CA Reply #2 – January 27, 2012, 04:56:47 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128084Thanks Barry. What is the expected lifespan? Is lifespan limited mostly by engine/mechanical issues or the living space/tanks/ etc.? My good luck is that I now have two LD's to look at and a 3rd not too much further away.
Re: RB model wanted in So CA Reply #3 – January 27, 2012, 06:10:16 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128085Janis, I don't think there is an expected lifespan. It really depends on how much effort and expense one wants to take on to maintain any mechanical device. As noted in recent posts there are some really old RVs out there still being used. Of course, these are probably more as an 'old-timer' hobby than practical use. I'll let others chime in, but I would guess that any RV over 15-20 years old becomes a maintenance problem for most people (myself included). I guess someone else will have to answer the question about whether the engine/mechanical issues or the living space becomes more of a problem. I would say both.HTHBarry
Re: RB model wanted in So CA Reply #4 – January 27, 2012, 06:28:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128086"What is the expected lifespan? Is lifespan limited mostly by engine/mechanical issues or the living space/tanks/ etc.?"Janis That's a tough question to answer. It boils down to how well is was treated and maintained. You want to buy one that is in the best condition, that you can afford. Low miles are almost always a plus. Our standard recommendation, when buying any used LD, is to have a qualified mechanic inspect the drive train and to have a RV tech inspect the coach. A few hundred dollars up front can save you thousands down the road. Many later model Fords, with V10s (1997+), go 150,000 miles without problems. Transmission failures are more common. When full-timing, you should always have a good chunk of available funds to cover an unexpected engine or transmission failure. RVs are not cheap to work on and, for most, full timing isn't a cheap lifestyle. If you are planning on full timing, you will accumulate miles faster than the average owner, who lives in a house, unless you plan on mostly staying in a small geographical area. How many years do you plan on full timing?Larry
Re: RB model wanted in So CA Reply #5 – January 27, 2012, 08:10:37 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128087Janis,I would go here: http://www.andybaird.com/travels/LD-guide-web/changes.htm#2000to examine the changes to the LD motorhome year by year to see what you might ga
Re: RB model wanted in So CA Reply #6 – January 27, 2012, 09:04:15 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128088"When full-timing, you should always have a good chunk of available funds to cover an unexpected engine or transmission failure. RVs are not cheap to work on and, for most, full timing isn't a cheap lifestyle." I agree with having a nest egg in case of emergencies (a new fridge is about $1,200; while a new transmission can cost several thousand)... but in my experience, full-time RVing can be a very affordable lifestyle. I won't go into details here--you can read more in my website articles "The Cost of Freedom"... http://www.andybaird.com/travels/skylarking/2009/budget.htm... and "Saving the Earth at 8 mpg"... http://www.andybaird.com/travels/saving-the-earth.htm... but the keys to low-cost living are to be as self sufficient as possible, to adopt a lifestyle of long stays and short trips (for example, I typically only move a hundred miles or so every two or three weeks), and to find inexpensive places to stay. I don't mean driving from Walmart to Walmart--ugh!--but taking advantage of low-cost or free camping in places such as Forest Service and Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds, New Mexico state parks and the like. Once you get the hang of it, you can live quite comfortably in an RV for far less money than it would cost to maintain a house and a car.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: RB model wanted in So CA Reply #7 – January 28, 2012, 10:56:58 am Yahoo Message Number: 128103"The keys to low-cost living are to be as self sufficient as possible, to adopt a lifestyle of long stays and short trips (for example, I typically only move a hundred miles or so every two or three weeks), and to find inexpensive places to stay."Andy You have minimized your living expenses as well as anyone I know and living in New Mexico's state parks is a big contributing factor. You have found what must be the greatest camping bargain in the country, spending $4.50 a night for hookups (about 1/10 of what it would cost in a California state park). No other state, that I'm aware of, comes close to this. I'm surprised that NM's parks are not full of full-timers taking advantage of the low prices.One's living expenses are based upon life-style and personal needs. There are some who need very little but most LD full-timers, that I know, travel a lot and have accumulated many miles, preferring to see large swaths of the country. Their expenses, as a whole, are much higher due to the gas and maintenance, plus many areas do not have the boondocking possibilities that we have in the western mountains and deserts. For most, travel east of the Rockies, in the summer, requires camping where electrical, for the A/C, is available. Maintenance can be expensive. The first $2000+ brake job is a real wake up call that this isn't as cheap as one would hope. Many folks do not have the skills to maintain their LDs and need to pay for most or all of their maintenance. RV specialist Mike Sylvester is charging over a hundred dollars an hour for coach work. It can add up fast just for simple, required maintenance of the coach and chassis. Then there is cost of upgrading. Years ago, RV owners might read a book or listen to the radio at night, for entertainment. Now, most have computers, cell phones, HDTVs and all sorts of other electrical devices. Many dedicated full-timers spend thousands of dollar for banks of solar panels and more batteries, along with big inverters, converters and battery monitors...all in an effort to keep up the flow of electrical power, when boondocking. There are many type of full-timers. The majority do it for a limited amount of time, one to three years, before settling down somewhere. Many, who continue full-timing, end up owning parking spots in RV parks, such as the SKP parks, where they live part of the year. The constant chase of water, power, dump stations and access to supplies wears of lot of folks out after a while. For those who do their homework, plan according and have limited traveling needs, full-timing can be an inexpensive life-style. Those who plan on often hitting the road and seeing the country from many locations, it isn't cheap. The term 'full-timer' encompasses too many life-styles to permit defining it as inexpensive.Larry
Re: RB model wanted in So CA Reply #8 – January 28, 2012, 06:40:12 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128120I really don't know the answer to how long. For right now, I am in the peculiar state of having environmental sensitivity (mostly to mold, but also to something in house dust). I feel energetic and healthy living outdoors, where I've been tent camping since August, and when I go into a house or a hotel, I get tired and lethargic after a few days. When my body shifts (Dr. says anywhere from 1 to 6 years!) I'll probably buy a house in some area I've grown to love. Right now I love the CA desert, but then it's been 'home' for 3 glorious winter months of sunshine, a very nice alternative to the snow and ice in Ohio where I lived the past 30 years. Janis
Re: RB model wanted in So CA Reply #9 – January 28, 2012, 06:51:00 pm Yahoo Message Number: 128121Wonderful advice, Terry. Thanks so much! I'll check out those links and definitely take anything I'm serious about to the factory.The one upgrade I know I want is a good GPS with the built
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