Since my husband revealed his classic A/S retirement dream, we have done much obsessive study. First, our thanks to you all for your generous sharing! We looked at a 280's (too small), 310's (nice size, and still a "maybe"...), and 290's (juuuust right!) Fits our storage space and our travel needs.
One we saw was nice, but not "great" (as advertised
). An accident had severely dented an upper back corner (oh now, guess which one???) and torn away the awning arm. There was a leak at the skin tear and screw holes. Weak engine, soft brakes...asked too much. We had to pass.
As Chummy's dad says, "The purchase price is just the down payment." We know that whatever we get will be an investment, and my husband is an IT guy who also loves mechanic puzzles. (Does his own work on his old Alfa Romeo.) So far, we have decided that we will walk if a unit has 1) Severe dents/creases (esp. at the curved corner panels) 2) fogging windows 3) Evidence of leaks leading to a rotten floor 3) A leaking plumbing system that hadn't been winterized 4) We cannot at least drive it home where we can get it up to snuff. (Oh, and if it looks like a fraternity had a homecoming party in it...well maybe I
could clean that up
).
We are interested in a 290 that has been sitting a couple of years in Key Largo and is listed at 10k. (
Reportedly been on two trips with no problem, but I do know the brakes are being worked on at this time.) It was donated to a nonprofit by a couple who had it 11 years and supposedly hardly used it. So far we have only seen a couple of photos that don't tell us much. The mileage is
unbelievably low, but the couple who donated it supposedly had it 11 years and hardly used it. It shouldn't be too hard to tell if it actually had turned over at 100k. We have been told there are no leaks and that the skin is in good condition. We know it needs is a new fridge, one new A/C, regasket windows, new tires, and are pretty much assuming an engine rebuild. I have been obsessively studying the forum, and am getting a lot of useful information regarding motorhomes. It could easily cost 15k or more to get it in good running order.
The fellow who is managing the sale is nice, but I wouldn't buy a Moho from my own son without going over it carefully. This one would require a flight down, since we can't find a forum volunteer to give it an initial inspection. Would it make sense to first
seek out an RV service there and pay them to check it over? What is a fair fee for such a service? I would like to be 75% sure that this one has some potential before investing in a flight down, but maybe that is just dreaming. Sometimes I am like the optimistic kid who kept digging through the horse manure pile saying, "I just know there's a pony in there somehwere!"
Or maybe we should just keep waiting for a unit that costs more for better condition.
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