I have heard that a rig, say 20 years old, with 20K on it may not be a good buy. Do engine seals and other seals go bad just sitting around. I know door and window seals can. I'm more concerned about the motor. I have heard pro and con on this, especially worrisome on a diesel, Any according to a diesel mechanic friend, but have heard the opposite from another diesel guy. Any experience out there?
Very low mileage older rigs
- Thread starter patschum
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Kind of depends on how long it sat unused. If the 20k was put on 10 years ago but then it has sat unused for the past 10, that's different from if the engine was run regularly throughout that time,IMHO.
A nice long test drive will tell you if there are leaks like at the rear main,etc. If you get blue smoke on a cold startup, then the valve stem seals are gone. This info is for gas engines; I've no input on diesels.
A nice long test drive will tell you if there are leaks like at the rear main,etc. If you get blue smoke on a cold startup, then the valve stem seals are gone. This info is for gas engines; I've no input on diesels.
Van-Tramp
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Very low mileage is worse than high mileage.
The very worst thing you can do too a vehicle is to not drive it. If they sit, they are not being lubed. Rubber (hoses, tires, gaskets, bushings, etc) all corrode very quickly when not is use. Engine internals all require circulation of oils for them to stay corrosion-free. Without that circulation, all sorts of bad things happen. In fact, the oil and gasoline themselves *become* corrosive after some period of time. What once protected items become the death f those items within a few short years of sitting.
I'd rather buy an older vehicle with 100,000 miles than one with 10,000 miles hands down.
The very worst thing you can do too a vehicle is to not drive it. If they sit, they are not being lubed. Rubber (hoses, tires, gaskets, bushings, etc) all corrode very quickly when not is use. Engine internals all require circulation of oils for them to stay corrosion-free. Without that circulation, all sorts of bad things happen. In fact, the oil and gasoline themselves *become* corrosive after some period of time. What once protected items become the death f those items within a few short years of sitting.
I'd rather buy an older vehicle with 100,000 miles than one with 10,000 miles hands down.
highdesertranger
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van tramp hit the nail on the head. sitting is much worse on a vehicle than driving. highdesertranger
mockturtle
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I also agree with Van-Tramp. An RV that's spent most of its life just sitting in someone's back yard is more likely to have big issues than one regularly used [and maintained].
I believe the problem is more for super low mileage vehicles. Something that sat for a decade with only 20K on it should be less attractive than something that had a few miles put on it consistently over time and still has only 60,000K. 60K is relatively low mileage, but is not super low mileage. If the vehicle is 30 years old with only 30K on it, but was driven 1,000 miles per year and had the oil changed every few years, it should be just fine. It is when it sits for a decade with the same oil that you could get a bad one. If in humid environment, it is more of a problem. In the dry desert, not so much. And it is Not a just dried up seals, but corroded bearing surfaces as already mentioned....
Patschum,
Take stock of your abilities and know your priorities; whether or not the thing is a good buy may be contingent on your situation.
Are you mechanically inclined? Have the tools and knowledge to work on the thing when -- not if -- something goes on it? Is it a common engine, that's cheap to replace? (unlikely cheap for older diesels; junkyard engines are iffy, and remanufactured diesels are pricey) Has the thing been kept in a garage, a back-yard, shelter? How are the rest of the systems on it? Bear in mind that plastic and rubber *everything* in RVs tends to fall apart around the 20-30 year mark.
Most important, does the condition of the rest of the vehicle, and the price, justify the risk of buying something that will most likely need mechanical work in the future?
If the thing were a gasser, with a common, cheap-to-replace engine -- say, a 460 or a 350 -- in otherwise impeccable condition, stored inside (or dry climate) and ran every once in a while, the price was right, and you know what you are doing repairs-wise, a super-low-mileage rig might be a justifiable risk.
A diesel, especially a rarer one, that's sat a long time in less-than-perfect conditions -- be very, very wary.
Personal experience -- being a diesel mechanic, I drive an older vehicle ('94 F-350, 460 gasser) with a common engine/trans combination. Parts are cheap, and the thing is easy to work on compared to new ones. Much less stuff to go wrong. I bought the truck because the body/frame were in excellent shape, at a decent price, and expected the rest to need work. It did. I'm content with my choice.
By and by, be aware that current diesel fuel is not the stuff older diesels were designed to run on. Ultra-low-sulfur diesel available now does not lubricate as well as the higher-sulfur-content, dirtier diesel did in the days of yore. The work-around is making sure to put additives into your fuel when you fill up ($$). One of the results of the new fuel is that reliability of modern diesels suffers, and older ones have seals, o-rings and such-like (along with injector pumps and other components that employ said seals and o-rings) fail earlier.
Now, go forth and make a wise choice!
Take stock of your abilities and know your priorities; whether or not the thing is a good buy may be contingent on your situation.
Are you mechanically inclined? Have the tools and knowledge to work on the thing when -- not if -- something goes on it? Is it a common engine, that's cheap to replace? (unlikely cheap for older diesels; junkyard engines are iffy, and remanufactured diesels are pricey) Has the thing been kept in a garage, a back-yard, shelter? How are the rest of the systems on it? Bear in mind that plastic and rubber *everything* in RVs tends to fall apart around the 20-30 year mark.
Most important, does the condition of the rest of the vehicle, and the price, justify the risk of buying something that will most likely need mechanical work in the future?
If the thing were a gasser, with a common, cheap-to-replace engine -- say, a 460 or a 350 -- in otherwise impeccable condition, stored inside (or dry climate) and ran every once in a while, the price was right, and you know what you are doing repairs-wise, a super-low-mileage rig might be a justifiable risk.
A diesel, especially a rarer one, that's sat a long time in less-than-perfect conditions -- be very, very wary.
Personal experience -- being a diesel mechanic, I drive an older vehicle ('94 F-350, 460 gasser) with a common engine/trans combination. Parts are cheap, and the thing is easy to work on compared to new ones. Much less stuff to go wrong. I bought the truck because the body/frame were in excellent shape, at a decent price, and expected the rest to need work. It did. I'm content with my choice.
By and by, be aware that current diesel fuel is not the stuff older diesels were designed to run on. Ultra-low-sulfur diesel available now does not lubricate as well as the higher-sulfur-content, dirtier diesel did in the days of yore. The work-around is making sure to put additives into your fuel when you fill up ($$). One of the results of the new fuel is that reliability of modern diesels suffers, and older ones have seals, o-rings and such-like (along with injector pumps and other components that employ said seals and o-rings) fail earlier.
Now, go forth and make a wise choice!
NWShortyFord
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I agree, too much time sitting is worse than driving...my van has 300,000 miles on it, while that isn't what you want either it was maintained and driven, so many of it original features still function...sitting is bad...unless you find a sweet '66 cobra just sitting from 1967. I'll take it off your hands for real cheap...after all it might only have 10,000 miles on it, what a waste...
NWShortyFord
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Absolutely location matters. I grew up in Arizona...great place to leave a vehicle. Not perfect but good, lots things will still go bad, that dry air and bright sunshine sure turns rubber into dust, the wires will crack and become exposed...bad stuff. I now live in Seattle...I think you all can imagine, rust, mold, rust and maybe a little more rust. Rubber doesn't age much though. Here it is not as rusty ass the true coast, in Arcata, Ca everything rusted becasue of the sea air and ocean fog that rolls in. Things there rust overnight. Literally. I imagine Florida it would get pretty wet and hot...that says mold and deterioration.
flying kurbmaster
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Queen said:
I think where it sits and where it has lived all it's life makes a huge difference. If the same vehicle was driven or sitting for twenty years, on the streets of a northern city with snow and salt compared to one that was driven inland California and sat in a garage when not used would be two very different vehicles after twenty-five years even if they had the same low mileage.
parking on concrete compared to in the grass makes a huge difference over time. concrete dries up very quickly after it rains, humidity ALWAYS comes up from the dirt whenever the sun comes out, rusting out the vehicle from underneath
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