77 GMC Motor Home Questions

[Computerchick]

Greetings everyone! We do not yet own a road home, but we are strongly considering the purchase of a 77 GMC Motor Home from a friend of ours. Here is my dilemma. The inside isn't in horrible condition, but it needs work. I know these vehicles are worth a lot when they are restored. We aren't sold on the idea of fixing it up to keep, as they are very expensive to drive around, but we like the idea of 'flipping' it, using it for a while, then reselling it to get a more efficient camper/vehicle combo. Anyway, it seem to me that while it could be a very nice motor home if restored, but the inside design could be greatly improved by doing some remodeling and converting the space. However, I don't know if doing so would ultimately devalue the vehicle. I appreciate your thoughts!

 

[Ezrider92356]

my advice would be if your looking to flip a 77 motor home for a profit by fixing it. probably not worth it. if you value your time at all if you turn a profit at all after buying materials to do it nice and right if you don't loose money just on materials your make penny's an hour.

just my humble opinon.

 

[Computerchick]

Thank you for the advice. We could definitely make a profit on this vehicle, just not sure whether it's terribly important to keep this vehicle 'original', since it's a collector's item. I'm thinking we can actually improve the use of the space inside, after having watched a lot of the conversion videos.

 

[highdesertranger]

it is very, very, VERY hard to make money flipping vehicles if you have to put money into them, beyond cleaning it up. you must buy it very cheap. you will be lucky to get 20 cents on the dollar of monies put in to fix it up. that's why I say you must by able to pick it up cheap. highdesertranger

 

[tx2sturgis]

If you change it substantially from the factory layout, you will most likely lose money.

If you restore it as closely as possible to original, you might make money.

If you intend to flip it, I would suggest you go for an original look as much as possible. Cosmetic changes to wall colors and carpeting can be dealt with by the subsequent owner, but if you re-arrange cabinets, holding tanks, fixtures, etc, unless you do a very professional looking job, any buyers you find will likely be un-impressed. 

Just my 2 cents....

 

[Ezrider92356]

i tend to flip a few vehicles per year most years. sometimes more sometimes less. there are times i turn down free vehicles that people offer me because they know i like to flip things from time to time. you have to do a little as possible to make to make the flip as nice as possible if your going to make anything. original is always better for resale. modifications at times can increase the value but at penny's on the dollar. generally modifications will lower resale value.

now if you intend to use the rv for a few years if you can fix it up the way you want it and get back what you have in it a few years down the road it might very well be worth it. you got to use it and enjoy it for x number of years for essentially free. and by enjoying it you got value out of your time fixing it up.

looking at a vehicle or any depreciating asset as an investment can be a very tough nut to crack. you really need to have a good idea of what it will cost you to make the necessary repairs how much time you will spend doing it and have a realistic idea of what you think you can get for it. what people list similar vehicles for online is not a realistic assessment of the value of the one that you have. for one no one ever pays asking price. they may have already been trying to sell it for two years. and they will probably end up selling it to some local person with cash in hand for half the asking price once they get tired or dealing with it or sell it to a car dealer on trade ect for 1/4 of what they were hoping to get for it.

now if its something you can get dirt cheap clean it up put some new carpet in it and a little paint and wall paper maybe a small plumbing repair or patch a small section of rot and make it look nice while only putting a couple weekends of time and 100 bucks in it. might be worth while.

not trying to be a downer just want to make sure you have realistic expectations if you are intending this project to generate a profit.

 

[Computerchick]

It's great to get feedback from someone who does this sort of thing regularly! This forum is very responsive and helpful. We are certainly looking at the option of using the RV for a few years before selling it. It's very tempting, but it's also tempting to just put the money into something we can use right away, and plan to keep long term. The RV has a lot of potential and low miles. We believe that it would primarily 'cost' us 'sweat equity', with a reasonable payback at the end. There are certainly some downsides, but we're weighing our options.

 

[tx2sturgis]

That's a really nice GMC you linked, but, according to the ad, they have $100k in it and hopefully asking $39k...

Which proves out most of the advice here, including mine. 

It could end up being a money pit.

 

[Computerchick]

There's no way we would put close to $100k into a vehicle. The one I linked was sold. I don't think the one we're looking at would require more than $10k in parts, but it would suck if I were wrong!

 

[Computerchick]

I will say that we're reconsidering at this point. It would probably make a lot more sense to put the money into a pull behind and towing vehicle combo, that we actually want to keep long term. We're thinking of something on the small side.

 

[ZoNiE]

No matter what you spend, it takes at least $20K to make a GMC motorhome reliable and livable.
Been there, Done that.
Buy it if you have the funds and plan to keep it, join the clubs (lots of good ones, We're still in ours) and enjoy the coach and it's particular brand of lifestyle.
Pass on it if you only want to flip it. You can take a running and drivable one for free, spend $20K, and you may get $15K for it when you are done. At the end of the day, it is a 40 year old Oldsmobile with a toilet. It is that simple.

 

[tx2sturgis]

 At the end of the day, it is a 40 year old Oldsmobile with a toilet. It is that simple.

 

[Computerchick]

No matter what you spend, it takes at least $20K to make a GMC motorhome reliable and livable.
Been there, Done that.
Buy it if you have the funds and plan to keep it, join the clubs (lots of good ones, We're still in ours) and enjoy the coach and it's particular brand of lifestyle.
Pass on it if you only want to flip it. You can take a running and drivable one for free, spend $20K, and you may get $15K for it when you are done. At the end of the day, it is a 40 year old Oldsmobile with a toilet. It is that simple.

That pretty much clinched it for us. As lovely and tempting as it is, we're going to look into something more practical for us. Thanks for all of the feedback and suggestions.

 

[ZoNiE]

Consider a Safari.

I have A 1996 35' Safari Sahara. It is a Diesel Pusher. Paid less than $15K. I hop in and hit the road. No worries. It just goes. It averages 9MPG, which is great for a 9 ton building that goes up a lot of hills. I am converted. Many folks in our GMC club have them now. Great coaches. Not a speck of particle board inside. At all.

The Trek Models are not bad if you want a smaller coach, but they are on Chevy P30 or Isuzu NPR chassis and have the usual GM car issues for the Chevy models and the Isuzus are doggedly slow, but the 4 cyl diesel in the NPR's sip fuel as far as Motorhomes go. The P30's either have a gas 454 or 6.5 Diesel. Treks are front engine pullers.

The Pusher Safari's go for between $15K and $30K. I could get closer to $25K for mine if I sold it tomorrow.

 

[Computerchick]

Thank you for the suggestion. We were only considering the GMC  because it's owned by our friend. We actually want something much smaller and preferably a pull behind, which means we will also have to buy something to pull it with. I'll be posting a separate thread on that subject.