What Concerns Should I Have?

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Found a nice looking 2004 Chinook Premier 2100 Class B on Craigslist.  It looks like a Ford E-Series front (doesn't state in the ad) and the description indicates a 10-cyl engine.  The thing I have concerns about is that it supposedly only has 17,000 miles.  I'm looking for input from those more experienced than I.  Thanks in advance.
 
It depends on who owned it and what it was used for when it comes to the mileage. You do get a few that use them to snowbird in for a few months every year, so the mileage is less but wear and tear on the inside is more noticeable. Chinook is one of the most desirable units so they do run scams on them. The price is usually a good indication of a scam - "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is". I know that just recently, there was a scam running on a Chinook with Craiglist. I reported it as I do all of the others.
 
Post the ad and we'll tear it apart for you

or you can google the picture, google the contact information, google the title, etc.
 
A number of them advertised with that mileage in different states have been flagged and removed.
 
Beyond what has already been said you should be very careful buying an RV that is older than 10 years. I owned a class C for a while and even new it had issues because they really, no exaggeration, slap these things together and then wait for customers to find the faults so they can repair their mistakes. Also if anything goes wrong with the camper figure being laid up for a whole lot more than a week or month in some cases.

17000 miles isn't that uncommon with RVs so that wouldn't raise a red flag. The best advice for buying is the o get something that is preowned so that the problems have been taken care of and stay away from 10+ year old RVs because that's when they begin to cost money in repairs. Another thing, it helps so much if you are mechanically inclined and have some knowledge of appliances, electronics, plumbing, electrical, and other handyman knowledge.
 
Probably a scam. All the Chinooks that I see people want way more than they are really worth. Someone wants less? look out!
 
If this is the ad, my first instinct says scam.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/rvs/5844615966.html

The first clue is that there's only one photo, no interior shots.

For me, that's a major red flag. Even if it's a legitimate ad, the lack of photos causes me to question what they are hiding.

Another red flag is the general lack of descriptive information on the vehicle.

Generally speaking, most vehicle owners can, and will tell you all about their vehicle with very little prompting. That same owner selling a vehicle is going to want you the buyer to know how special that vehicle is and will usually do so in the add. Sure, you get the occasional Joe Friday, "Just the facts maam.", seller, but even then they will provide more than a sidebar and a single sentence describing the vehicle.

Next up we have a yellow flag, not a disqualifier, but something that raises questions. They have it listed as a front wheel drive vehicle (FWD). It's actually a rear wheel drive (RWD). This is more than likely an error on their part, but could be an attempt at misinformation. I would speculate that they think FWD means four wheel drive, which it clearly is not.

The mileage is also a yellow flag. It's not unheard of to find an RV with an average of 1,500 miles a year, but it's much more common to find them with considerably more miles on them. Again, it raises questions, but is not by itself a disqualifier.

All of this together screams scam. You may get lucky, but if I were you I wouldn't go anywhere near this one,
 
vanman2300 said:
Beyond what has already been said you should be very careful buying an RV that is older than 10 years. I owned a class C for a while and even new it had issues because they really, no exaggeration, slap these things together and then wait for customers to find the faults so they can repair their mistakes. Also if anything goes wrong with the camper figure being laid up for a whole lot more than a week or month in some cases.

17000 miles isn't that uncommon with RVs so that wouldn't raise a red flag. The best advice for buying is the o get something that is preowned so that the problems have been taken care of and stay away from 10+ year old RVs because that's when they begin to cost money in repairs. Another thing, it helps so much if you are mechanically inclined and have some knowledge of appliances, electronics, plumbing, electrical, and other handyman knowledge.
I wouldn't rule out anything over 10 years old. In fact, the older ones seem to have less problems than the newer ones because its a pretty basic set up - nothing fancy and no computer stuff. Since I currently live in an RV Park I have the opportunity to talk to a lot of people and the new ones have a lot of problems.
I bought a 1988 Honey Sportcruiser For $2,900 and it had 33,000 miles on it at the time. I have been living in it for about a year and it is my daily driver to work and on my weekend adventures. So far I have put exactly $ 1900 into it. $1000 for six new tires, $600 for back brakes, and $100 to have it towed on a sunday when a pulley froze and I needed a new belt and $200 for the mobile mechanic to come to my space and repair the belt. As you can see these are pretty much normal expenses no matter what you drive. (It would have been less if I was mechanically inclined I am sure.)
It all depends on what you can live with. Mine is basic as in I have a shower/toilet combination, only one sink, the couch folds out into a bed, a refridgerator that no longer works ( i bought two little ice chests and use them instead - I can live without the refridgerator) and no slides or fancy stuff you see now like tv's on the outside. You can always make getting it inspected by a mechanic part of the purchase deal. And I found mine on Craigslist listed for 4500.00 so the price was negotiable especially when I told the sellers my intentions of taking off and living in it. Good Luck finding what you want and happy adventures!
 
I read the title and wanted to suggest some random concerns you might like if you run out, but now I see you had something more specific in mind...
 
Look for flood damage.   Most places will replace the carpet but not the padding underneath, pull a corner of the carpet and see if there's water damage to the underlayment?
 
Thank you everyone for the responses. I did send an email to the address referenced for the ad, asking about the mileage, and got no response. As one poster mentioned, this ad only had one picture, but I've seen a few ads on Craigslist with only one or less than a handful of pictures. I figure there are probably folks out there who are either too lazy to take more pics, or they aren't very savvy when it comes to selling something.
 
I was wrong.  There are two pictures, not one.  I also didn't notice that the poster incorrectly stated the vehicle chassis as Chevorlet, but it's actually a Ford.  I'm with some of the others here...I think this is a scam.  Here is a screenshot of the ad:

 
Color and colour are both spellings for the same word, but here in the USA color is the word usually used. Makes me think the add is from a foreign source.
 
DannyB1954 said:
Color and colour are both spellings for the same word, but here in the USA color is the word usually used. Makes me think the add is from a foreign source.

With the 'u' is the Canadian spelling!

I type in both languages... :D

Now if auto spell check would only learn both, I'd be way ahead... :rolleyes:
 
Almost There on my spell checker I can add words that the checker says are misspelled. words like highdesertranger now get auto corrected. highdesertranger
 
highdesertranger said:
Almost There on my spell checker I can add words that the checker says are misspelled.  words like highdesertranger now get auto corrected.  highdesertranger
 I know, I just get tired of having to tell it to spell properly.... :p
 
It's also the King's (Queen's) English, as in Saviour (King James' Version)
 
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