2 More I am looking at and Service Records

[Pen Wize]

Hi, all

I am now thinking of checking out these two. On the 1998 one, the guy said he does not have any service records but claims he has kept up on maintenance on it. Is not having any service records a red flag? He has no issue with me taking it to a mechanic.

https://onslow.craigslist.org/rvs/6099225725.html

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/rvs/6119773234.html

Any feedback is welcome!
Thank you,
Chanah

 

[OutdoorFT]

That 98 slide is huge. Would make for a very cozy home. Id just have it looked over real good. If it checks out, then do you need the records? I dont have all my records on my truck, but I keep it maintained.

for the the price, as long as it checks out, id go for the 98. But thats a preference.

 

[closeanuf]

I'm not sure if you are alone or not but for one person I would go with the one without the slide.  That is a huge slide and gotta be heavy.  I would also much rather have the 460 engine.  You asked for opinions; there's mine.

 

[user 37446]

Hi there,

RV shopping is always a challenge. Aside from the need for a complete mechanical and separate RV "house" inspection, a quick look at both ads showed this to me:

First one (1998). 29K in 19 years?? I'd sure want to find out why the mileage was so low. That's not really a good thing for rv's. So much dries up/rots from lack of usage. I also am not a fan of such a huge slide. Lots of weight, seals leak, the slide mechanism can break, very cold or hot when put out, bad balance for the unit.

Second one - much more appropriate miles for the age, has leveling jacks (pricey option), all looked pretty good until the last picture of the passenger front corner. See the water damage from the overhang? That's common due to the construction style and seams, yet has it been repaired? That's a must to verify!

Service records are a real plus, sounded like #2 might have them. If bought from a dealer you usually never get any.

Inspect, inspect, inspect...   :-/

 

[jonsun]

Service records are a negative. It means they took the unit to be repaired because they can't do anything themselves. Which means they probably don't know they even have problems half the time. Not to mention service shops are there for one reason....to make money not to love your vehicle. At best the work is usually just good enough

 

[rvwandering]

It looks like there's some delamination from water damage on the overhangs of both RVs. This is a common problem but if it was repaired soon after the leaks occurred everything may still be structurally intact and all you'll have is a cosmetic issue. Check the inside and outside skin by pressing on the wall and overhang floor surfaces and look for discoloration and rippling on the inside surfaces.

 

[olddude48]

I think the early Ford V10's had problems with spark plugs blowing out of the heads. I'm sure it wasn't all of them but it would be of concern to me.
The heads are aluminum and only had two threads holding the plugs in. I'm pretty sure it was corrected in the early to mid 2000's. I would have that checked by a mechanic.

 

[SoulRaven]

I looked up the phone number which took me to "One Mans Junk" on FB. What confounds me is that on Feb 13, he had one listed on the FB page, a 1993 Ford, 28', the photos look the same as does the description match, he was asking $13,000. Maybe he did acquire a 2nd one, but the descriptions are awfully close with the rims and such.

Tony and Karen are right about delamination. Avoid it.

The Royal Classic, I looked it up to see who manufactured it, and it was the Canadian manufacturer, Glendale. They had a very good reputation. Slides can be a pain in the butt, but the extra floor space is nice if you have pets or "extras" to sit out.

Also, maintenance records can be as simple as the owner just jotting down when they had certain work/replacement down and that is handy to give you a hint of what might be an issue sooner than later. While not a necessity, it is a "nice to have".

 

[Pen Wize]

Hi there,

RV shopping is always a challenge. Aside from the need for a complete mechanical and separate RV "house" inspection, a quick look at both ads showed this to me:

First one (1998). 29K in 19 years?? I'd sure want to find out why the mileage was so low. That's not really a good thing for rv's. So much dries up/rots from lack of usage. I also am not a fan of such a huge slide. Lots of weight, seals leak, the slide mechanism can break, very cold or hot when put out, bad balance for the unit.

Second one - much more appropriate miles for the age, has leveling jacks (pricey option), all looked pretty good until the last picture of the passenger front corner. See the water damage from the overhang? That's common due to the construction style and seams, yet has it been repaired? That's a must to verify!

Service records are a real plus, sounded like #2 might have them. If bought from a dealer you usually never get any.

Inspect, inspect, inspect...   :-/

Yes, this is the one my older son likes too. I plan to have a mechanic look it over and hopefully, an RV tech. My two sons will be with me sometimes. 

 

[Pen Wize]

Thank you all! Your suggestions and what to look for are very helpful!

 

[Pen Wize]

Oops, that response was for someone else, sorry

 

[user 37446]

I'll make a generalized comment on service records, all examples based on personally owned vehicles:
1 - In 2014 purchased a 1998 Honda CRV AWD from a family friend. The guy was a retired trucker who pulled the unit behind his motor home. It had 168K on it when I got it, with about 100K being towed wheels down. He had every service entered in a little notebook from day one. He had kept the major (non-oil change) receipts which backed up the written records.
Primarily due to the look-see from the family member and the service records, I purchased the vehicle over the phone, not something that I'd ever do otherwise. It was nice to know it had been very well maintained, and I didn't worry a bit about it, ever. It also allowed me to sell over book value later when I moved on.

Example #2 a Buick Lesabre, 2005, from a GMC dealer (in 2010). Came in on trade but no records and no GM service details either. Worst car I've had in years, turns out later that a mechanic told me it likely had not been serviced regularly, the dealership changed all the fluids (90K) but later on, my mechanic could tell by the vehicle's condition (other items) that it had been driven for tens of thousands of miles past needed maintenance work. In retrospect, I should have waited for a by-owner car that had records, instead of thinking that a "clean" trade-in at a new car dealer would be ok.

I will always take service records as proof that the owner got the work done, as opposed to heresay. Since I am one of those individuals who isn't so good a mechanic to "do it all myself", (rare, I know), I depend on documentation to help me decide.

In the next life maybe I'll be a mechanic but until then, I will ask for service records!