Buying a used class A disesel Pusher - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Leee · RV-Dreams Community Member

Buying a used class A disesel Pusher

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Poor or no maintenance records....evidence of past or present water damage.

MarkS · RV-Dreams Family Member

This depends on your budget and what you are trying to buy. If you are looking at late model, low mileage, gently used the things you are looking for are slightly different than if you are looking at coaches that are 10 years old. Racerguy hit the two of the most important issues on any coach. To give you a really good answer we need more information.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

as Racer Guy Said........

Maint. Records

Water damage

Tire Age and Wear

Very low mileage on a older unit (did it Sit, Again maintenance records)

High mileage , Check suspension

It all will depend on make , model , year and Engine

how close is the price to NADA.....if your buying from a dealer is there a Warranty in writing....

if its over 10 tears old can you get an extended warranty

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

We just bought a 20-year-old Foretravel. The rear tires are pretty old and will be replaced. The front tires are only a couple of years old, so we're thinking about whether to replace them, too, or not. There are known issues with most brands, so get on the owners' forum of the one you are looking at and see what problems are discussed. You can just ask, if you don't want to take the time to search. Many brands have experienced owners who will inspect the prospective coach for you and let you know their opinion. Some will charge a fee, some will ask that you cover their expenses, and others won't take a thing.

Also consider the overall quality of the coach. Are you looking at an entry-level coach or a high-end one? We decided to go with a higher-end coach, even though it meant an older one, because we thought the overall quality would be better since this will be a full-time coach. If you are looking at a weekend/vacation coach that may not be an issue for you.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Some former full-timing friends are selling their 2002 Travel Supreme diesel pusher for $58K. It is a nice unit that has been maintained and has had some updates - http://laurieandodel.blogspot.com/. Not that it might interest you, but it shows that good units are out there.

Leee · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thank you all for giving us the info on what to look out for in buying a used motorhome. Sorry about not a lot of info on what we are looking at. We have just really started the process of figuring out what we want. When you are buying such an expensive item we like to really know what we want before writing the check. I can tell you so far we are looking more for a gently used diesel pusher no more than 5yrs old with low millage. With a length between 35 to 40ft. We plan on using it full time and selling the house. We will have to finance the majority of it. We will be towing something behind it but not sure just what yet. We plan on seeing as many national parks as we can. We would also like to take it into snowy areas (I know kind of backwards from the snowbirds but Arizona does not get a lot of the white stuff and would love to play in it for a little while.) We are not real large city people but do want to see some. We figured we can stay outside the cities and drive in to do the tourist thing. One place me and Bill both agree on is staying on a beach in Florida would be top dream. So to sum it up what framework, braking systems, suspension, engine and brands would work for how we would like to uses it. I hope the information here will help you to point us in the right direction.
Thanks again.
Leila and Bill

(Bjoyce thank you for the link on the nice motorhome for sale.)

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

5 years is tough since that is the duration of the recession and there are fewer units out there from 2008 model year on. Snow is not compatible with lower end diesels, they don't have the insulation, the heated tanks and sufficient furnaces to handle much time below the 20s. Our Dutch Star doesn't like it below 20, it is classed as a mid-level DP. If you really want to spend time in cold weather, get one with a hydronic heating system like an Aquahot/Hydrohot or Oasis, they seem to handle it best. Hydronic heating doesn't come until you get to mid to high end DPs, plus it has fairly high annual maintenance costs. My fear is you won't find many choices to choose from, since you are wanting low price, low mileage, fairly new, diesel, and well insulated on your "must have" list.

Leee · RV-Dreams Community Member

Ok thanks Bjoyce. You information really helps. I guess we are going to have to rethink some things on are wish list or raises how much we spend.
Thanks
Leila and Bill

JayKim-no regrets · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hi Leila and Bill,

We bought a used 2004 Alfa Seeya DP last August, I researched RV buying for at least 5 months before we even walked into a dealership, I had actually found a great local dealer online and after talking to the owners we just clicked with them, they helped us narrow down our choices and then they actually went to Florida and bought our dream home! They did all the work on it and put in updated wood floors and upholstery for us. We consider ourselves to be pretty lucky to have found an honest upfront dealer (not many around!)It's also an advantage for us that we are still in this area for a while and close to our dealers in case we have any issues, they have been out twice so far (without charge) to sort out a fault we had on the heat/ac thermostat, but they fixed it.

We had never owned an RV before, but we knew that it was the right lifestyle for us, we are excited to start our travels as soon as we get things tied up here. There are RVs out there that will suit your requirements, lots of good advice can be found on here, once you narrow down your choices, look at owner web sites, you can ask specific questions on those, we were really happy that we did that and even happier to hear the great things the Alfa owners were saying about their RVs. The manufacturer for Alfa's are no longer in business, but the owners can help with parts and pretty much anything else we have needed.

We financed most of our RV through GoodSam, but I know they won't finance anything over 10 yrs old, just something to keep in mind.

Take your time and have fun, the research is part of that fun

huggs Kim x

Trabuco · RV-Dreams Family Member

Leila and Bill,

We have a Monaco Diplomat which I guess you would consider mid-level and we just spend the winter in Deer Park, Wa. Temps for several months didn't get out of the 20's for the highs and single digits at night and even spend a few days below zero.

Our Monaco doesn't have a fully heated basement, but does have a heated wet bay. The 12 volt heater that was in the wet bay quit working so I installed a small 1500 watt 120 volt electric heater. Never had a problem with anything freezing. I installed a remote thermostat in the wet bay and kept the temp around 40 degrees.

We also used electric heat in the living areas since the park was paying for electricity. Had a couple of radiant heaters and thats all we needed to keep the rig 68 to 70 degrees.

It was a good test for our rig and I'm real happy with the performance in real cold weather.

We are currenlty in the San Juan Islands off Seattle and plan to head east mid to late April. We plan on traveling interstate 90 to get to the east coast. Seen the western half of the US enough and want to get east to New England and then down to the South East. Our length of stay depends on what we want to see in an area. It could be a day or two or a month, the ladder being more cost effective.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Is the 08 Alfa a regular Alfa or a Founders or Gold? If it is a Founders it has a wimpy little Mercedes engine and a electricity hog electric fridge, which uses more power than a much larger residential. The Gold is really nice, but overkill on TVs and such.

If we knew we had to stay where it was cold we would invest in more heaters, but the lowest we have seen is 13 in Santa Fe, NM. I lived in Pullman, WA and it got down to -25, lived in Richland, WA where it got down to -15 and I remember driving through Ellensburg, WA and it was -30. I prefer not being in Eastern Washington in the winter. In fact, I prefer not being in Western Washington in the winter, where about the lowest I remember was +5.

A friend went from a Monaco Knight to a Winnebago Vectra and really missed the superior insulation of the Monaco. Monaco and Newmar are similar in wall thickness and insulation.

Olympia is my home town and my mother lives in Tumwater.

-- Edited by bjoyce on Friday 29th of March 2013 10:34:00 AM

-- Edited by bjoyce on Friday 29th of March 2013 10:42:04 AM

Leee · RV-Dreams Community Member

Kim
When I saw you post it was so cool because just this weekend I was talking with my neighbor down the street who happens to have a 08 Alfa which he really takes great care of. He is thinking about getting rid of it in a couple of years so we have been considering buying it from him. It is a 38 ft with very low miles and he has upgraded a lot of stuff in it. The one concern we do have, like you said, was the company did go out of business and getting things fixed or replacing parts on it may not be as easy. I told my husband about the financing threw Good Sam’s club this information was new to him so he is checking into it. That is his field not mine.lol I do agree with you the hunt is part of the fun. Good luck with your new adventure and would love to hear more about how things go for you.
Thanks again
Leila and Bill
Trabuco
Thanks for telling us about how you did with your winter RVing in WA. We lived in Olympia for a short spell and loved it when our kids were little. We are hoping to be able to go back up into WA and spend a couple of months up there. Thanks for some great tips to survive the winter weather. We really have not looked at the Monaco Diplomat yet but after what you have said I think we may look a little hard at one. I hope your travels east are a great adventure for you and one day we hope to be doing the same thing.
Thanks and safe travels
Leila and Bill

JayKim-no regrets · RV-Dreams Family Member

Our Alfa has a Cat' 350 engine, runs like a dream (touch wood)

Leila, I am kinda biased, but I haven't heard too many people complain about their Alfa's, there are always some units, no matter what make/model you buy, that will have more problems than others of the same make/model. Best thing to do is have everything checked out before you hand over any of your hard earned money, even if you know who is selling the unit. Good service records on the work and maintenance that has been done during the units lifetime is important too.

I think we just knew that this was the RV we were meant to buy, hubby is over 6ft and the extra height inside helps him feel that sense of space, ours had one owner before us, they only used the RV about 3 months of the year and it was kept in an air conditioned storage building the rest of the year, they sold it because they couldn't get enough use out of it. (the hubby had become disabled) We actually got to chat to the previous owners, which was great.

Keep looking, you will know when you find your right fit, DP's are more expensive to run, but for us the fact that the engines can outlive the coach was a biggy for us

Feel free to PM me if you want too.

huggs Kim x

DorisandDave · RV-Dreams Family Member

Leila,
We just went through searching for a diesel pusher to replace our 5th wheel. We looked at quite a few and all used. We ended up with a 2005 Winnebago Vectra and love it.

The reason we chose it was because the owner (one) took excellent care of it, in fact it looks brand new. When compared with some of the larger and more well known DPs this one was in much much better shape. It has a 350 cat, heated bays and so far has cooled off and heated up well. We are in south Texas so we can speak more to how cool the coach stays rather than the warmth.

I think it all depends on the looking. When you find one you feel is right for you, you will know it. With that said, be sure to get on forums for that particular model and see what others are saying.

Besides insulation, engine and such I opened and closed all blinds and windows and cupboards. (I hate when those everyday things don't work properly!) We had previously been interested in an 08 Diplomat but the driver's window was so fogged you couldn't even see the mirror clearly. The owner was not willing to replace the few (not minor)things that were wrong with it, so a no go for us.

Good luck on your search!

Doris

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

We were visiting friends in Santa Fe and 13 degrees was the low on Halloween. We are both Washington State natives and our doctors are still in the Seattle area.

There are four kinds of Alfa motorhomes - the standard (original) ones, decent motorhomes, the Gold, upgraded everything but watch the carrying capacity, the So Long, full wall slide but I don't think they made many, and the Founder, about everything was downgraded to make a DP as cheap as possible. In 08 I know the Founder used a Mercedes engine, I think it was a Cat in earlier years. 08 Alfa's have full body paint, older ones are white with decals. People liked Alfa's because of the price break, the tall ceilings, the really deep slide and the basement air so the roofs could hold lots of solar panels. To get the tall ceiling they made the basement shorter. Some friends upgraded from a 36' National RV Tropical gas to a 2005 (I think) Alfa and had to get rid of stuff due to losing basement storage. But they love it and still have it.

By about 2006 or 07, many other brands had high ceilings. The Newmar Northern Star was a direct response to the Alfa. A couple friends have 2003 National RV Islanders, which have taller ceilings by being over 13' tall, and they also have a deep slide.

-- Edited by bjoyce on Monday 1st of April 2013 04:09:38 PM

Leee · RV-Dreams Community Member

Bjoyce
Thanks for the info on the Alfa engines. I did not know some Alfa’s units had Mercedes engines. I am not really sure which model of Alfa my neighbors have because when I was talking with them the RV was not at the houses. I have seen it parked outside their house but not really looked that closely just admired it from a far. Next time I see them I will defiantly probe a little deeper into the details of their unit. The Monaco and Newmar are brands that we have looked at a little but being we have only just start the search we may need to look a little harder at those brands. Yes I hear a lot of people do not like the rainy weather up in WA but I loved the green landscape, the great rivers, and the roses that grew wild along the highway. On the other hand that is why we really would love to fulltime so we can leave a place if the rain, snow or heat gets too much. You are very lucky to get to be in Santa Fe NM it is a great town with easy access to desert, mountains and great art. Thanks again for the info it really helps us with the search.
Leila and Bill

Kim
I agree with you on the Alfa I really like the look of them, all the windows they have and the high ceilings. We do plan on having someone come check out any unit we are considering buying. Bill knows cars but motorhomes are a whole new beast. Thanks for your kindness on being able to PM you. I will defiantly take you up on that offer.
Thanks Leila and Bill

Doris

Great advice on checking out the everyday things in RVs we have gotten so wrapped up in making sure we know what to look at with the big expensive mechanical I totally forgot about the things that would drive me crazy too. Congratulation on your new Winnebago Vectra I love that it has the heat bays which is what we would love to have. The cooling thing is a big with us due to we plan on living in the RV here in Tucson for about two year until Bill can fully retire and the summers here can get extremely worm. During the two year when he is off we would love to be able to take the rig up into the mountains in the summer to escape the heat and winter to do some playing in the snow. Thanks again for the info and great advice.
Leila and Bill

TXRVr · RV-Dreams Family Member

I recently sold my 40 DP 2005 Alfa See Ya. I am looking for a less expensive pre-owned MH. I have a comprehensive list of things I will be checking on for potential candidates - all based on my experience with owning several types of RVs. If you would like info on the Alfa or my list, please PM me.

Leee · RV-Dreams Community Member

TXRvr

Thanks for the offer I would love a list to help us out. I will try and PM you but if it is anything like e-mail sometimes they just end up floating around in cyberspace. lol
Thanks Leila and Bill