Class A Recommendations

[Retired]

Ive decided to buy a Class A diesel pusher in the next 60 days. The wife has M-J-J off work so we are going to head north and west to escape the southern humidity. Us and the two pups. Ive been holding off making any major financial decisions. Covid, worried about the conquences of the election and where fuel prices may go, but no one can predict the future so Im not going to worry about it.

I want to spend 40-50k. I see bunches of diesel pushers 95-05 model years with asking prices of 20-50k. I hate debt, but Im going to borrow 40k on the home at 3%. Thats almost free money and gives me more options paying cash vs trying to finance an older rig.

I want a walk around queen or king bed, prefer no slides, side radiator, quality over age or amenities. Metal or fiberglass roof is high on the list. Im pretty handy with tools but do not want to deal with water damage or a major project.

I really like WanderLodges, but its tough to find a coach in that price range, even at 30 years old.

The only Class C that floats my boat is a mid-bath Lazy Dazy, but for the same money you get much more in a Class A.

Any recommendations on what brand or model to look for? So many coaches have similar sounding names and there have been so many buyouts and mergers, its tough to know who makes what or made what.

Im 60, the misses is 55, she wants to work this schedule 5 more years to maximize her pension. I see us on the road M-J-J every year and a Florida Keys trip D every year. Once she retires we will continue or hang it up, so Im really looking 5 years into the future at this point.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Buying a 15-20 year-old diesel coach can bring with it some potential issues that need to be factored in; age and condition of tires & batteries, engine/transmission service needs, condition of appliances, roof condition, etc. You can certainly find a great coach in that age/price range, but it takes “due diligence.” Don’t let your “next 60 days” time frame get the better of you! And, realize that right now it is a seller’s market due to the pandemic surge in RV sales.

TJ

 

[Retired]

If I dont buy in the next 60 days, I may as well wait until summer 22 since its the M-J-J timeframe we are looking to use it.

I have rebuilt several classic Mustangs, disassembled down to the shell and rebuilt from there. Im in the middle of a 67 now. I have a show worthy 65 and the 67 may end up as a TOAD. I know what to look for on an inspection and will only buy if its the right coach at the right price. I do not make impulse buys on anything.

What I really need to know is what are the quality coaches in the 95-05 era.

I would consider a gasser, but I know we will be in the mountains alot and may have a TOAD so I would prefer a DP.

My two current Mustangs. I have had about a dozen of them the past 10 years.

 

["EZ"]

For that budget I would seriously look at a newer gas powered Class A. The diesel pushers you can buy for $40,000 will be in such rough shape that you'll spend your whole vacation repairing everything that keeps breaking. There is a certain price point that you want to stay above to realistically be able to find a reliable diesel pusher. $40,000 ain't it.

 

[High Desert]

I think you are going to have a real difficult time finding a DP in that price range that will not require a lot of work, up front. I just took a look at the local DP dealer here in central Oregon, and they don't have a thing on their lot under $79K for a used DP. Here is one that is there now, a 2004 Beaver: 2004 Beaver Monterey MONTEREY | Beaver Coach Sales This should give you an idea and they have zero inventory of used gassers under $130K in class A's. Kind of the times we are in, Matter of fact, when I took my 2 year old rig in for some minor work, they offered to buy it back from me on the spot as they cannot get inventory.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

If I dont buy in the next 60 days, I may as well wait until summer 22 since its the M-J-J timeframe we are looking to use it.

I have rebuilt several classic Mustangs, disassembled down to the shell and rebuilt from there. Im in the middle of a 67 now. I have a show worthy 65 and the 67 may end up as a TOAD. I know what to look for on an inspection and will only buy if its the right coach at the right price. I do not make impulse buys on anything.

What I really need to know is what are the quality coaches in the 95-05 era.

I would consider a gasser, but I know we will be in the mountains alot and may have a TOAD so I would prefer a DP.

My two current Mustangs. I have had about a dozen of them the past 10 years.

OK it is time. I will make a suggestion that has more potential. Buy a used MCI bus that has been converted. They truly are designed and built to last for millions of miles. Most conversions start with a solid drivetrain be it many miles. Roof leaks and weak structure are almost never an issue. It's all about the quality of the conversion, not the bus.

 

[Retired]

Actually I have found several nice DP and some gassers in the 35-50k price range. One or two owner with maintenance records and always under cover is not uncommon.

 

[Retired]

Well, after some converstions with the storage and insurance people, we dont think a MH is right for us financially.

A couple years ago covered storage in my area was running $100 a month. Now its running $240+. I can park a TT under a RV carport at my SILs house but not a MH. So free parking or $240+ a month parking.

I asked my insurance guy why as my truck ages and the value goes down the premium doesnt go down a significant amount. His answer is that a new truck and a 20 year old truck does the same amount of damage when it plows into a new Mercedes.

At this stage the expected use of a MH vs the cost is more money than we want to spend.

I think we will be much happier in a TT.

I have an offer from CARVANA on my F150 that is 3k less than we paid for it, so we may order a new F350 and tow a TT for the next 5 years then reevaluate.

 

[Joe Hogan]

Having an older RV has become an issue for some as some Parks limit access to rigs older than 10 years. People can complain and justify their perfect rigs, but Park management set the rules.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

@Retired and @Joe Goodxrvn I'll start with retired. Cost can't be the reason. consider that a night at an RV park/resort is considered good when around $50.00, five nights a month is a months storage fee. I don't argue your considerations. I wonder if the compromise will make you happy for $250 difference in ownership. If you were one to disperse camp or forest camp ground camp $250 would be considered huge, for me that value is huge because I don't spend nights in RV wonderlands. I spend my nights on public lands. I prefer Pull trailers to MHs ask the two MHs I have on a piece of property, slowly falling into oblivion.

Now on to Joe. I brought up your point as my own a while ago. Was told that many parks don't care about age just condition. OK that's the way I interpenetrated it. I had been rejected at an RV park for a restored 91 I had, and was recited the rule. I took the parks word for it, but have had many argue this point. I mostly unless in dyer straights don't use RV parks, not because of RV age so much as my desire to as @Neal stated in a post name recently. "To Go Where No..." is my mind set. I truly would rather have old, restored(by me), well crafted, minimalist RV's. To me they feel more like home.