Looking at 1990 Land Yacht 36'

[jdbaney]

Hey All!

I am a newbe to the forums, but am finding a lot of great information here. I may be up all night doing some catch up reading...

I am in Texas looking at purchasing a 1990 Land Yacht located in California.

http://www.rvtrader.com/dealers/Clea...T-36-117571987

I've looked over all the pictures the best I can. I understand the motorhome is being sold "as-is" and "with all faults", but the dealer states the motorhome is "Overall in very good condition both mechanically and cosmetically and the roof is in very good condition with no sign of any current or past leaks." However, when I look at the pictures of the room to the right of the bed, the wallpaper is pealing with rusted screws in the bottom corner. Am I looking at a potential major leak with lots of problems?

Does this look like a good deal with some TLC needed or a major time bomb waiting to happen like the 1996 Cutter Motorhome? I know to look for bubbles and tap the walls for weak spots, and I'm not afraid to do some remodel work. I just want to make sure I'm not wasting my time on this one...

Thanks in advance for all the great advice I'm finding on this board.

[pago cruiser]

WOW!
That is a lot of MoHome for the $.
Looks good from the pics they took, as well as the video.

Some of the other earlier posts have covered pretty well what to look for in detail. Bit after maybe 2 months of ownership, I've had a pretty steep learning curve...

At 26 years old, unless the owner was anal or an engineer (I'm both, so I can say that...:-)) , there are going to be ...things... that need doing.

"Some weather cracks" means you will prolly need tires - about $250 ea.

Look carefully at the roof: ours had multiple layers of Dicor - it did not leak, but will soon - and looks like heck. Good news is that the fan that "just needs some lubrication" will need replacing, and then you can do the sealing as well.

Some original fixtures you may want to replace pronto - like the (for us) 20 year old plastic head that was designed for a 4 year old's height..

We tend to boondock - so a mechanical failure out of cell phone range could have tough ramifications when you have 60+ years on your personal chassis.. . I budgeted about $3k to replace every normal wearing engine part on our 96 LY30 with 73000 on her - starter, master cylinder, brake booster, ball joints, bell cranks, sway bar bushings, brake pads, shocks, wheel bearings, radiator hoses, water pump, brake hoses, brake cables, plug wires, power steering pump, etc, etc, etc. After a couple months (we still work full time day jobs) we are just about done.

Pay particular attention to the walls - as you indicated. Tap all around (small rubber mallet) the coach, in different light conditions. Have a friend help. Above the wheels I can almost guarantee some delam - that seems pretty typical. Do this area first and you will know what to hear for...

And, the fricken autopark. Does it work? And how? There are several different versions of the POS out there. GM's worst idea ever. If the drum on the driveshaft is not too greasy, hit it with a good light and look for blue steel where the pads ride on the outside. Which would mean it engaged whilst driving, (or some gomer just forgot to dis-engage it). Also, put it in autopark, and try to drive away. It should not. It may also surge, if the drum has been heated up to egg shaped. But if it does move, either the cable is out of adjustment, or the pads are gone, or the tranny rear seal has lubed up shoes, or the hydro motor is weak, or a few other failure modes. If you are relatively mechanically inclined, it is not too hard to work on: it is just an ill designed, failure prone mechanism that should have been designed as a life safety item - but was apparently given less actual thought to than placement of the cupholders...

I've just finished putting in new shoes and a new drum in ours - as well as a new tranny seal.. all three items were buggered...

If you do get it, your first purchase should be a set of chocks at camping world... to give you a Plan B when the autopark fails... and then a bonafide Shop Manual from ebay.

Good luck with the purchase - the MoHome does show really well. Hopefully the PO kept a maintenance log?

Oh - and it would be helpful to post some pics on the site: very soon that link will be dead - and having a good looking 36 LY pics may help out somebody else.

[Paul Dobbin]

It does appear to be in good shape at a good price. Just remember, they ALL look good in pictures. I once flew to Texas from Florida to see one that looked that good in pictures and knew when I approached it that I'd wasted a trip.
Nothing beats a eyes on inspection.
We drove one like that in Florida and loved it but the test drive revealed that a gas powered 36' coach uses all its power to move itself. Because we always tow either a car or a car on a trailer, we waited for a diesel pusher Airstream.

[jdbaney]

Thanks Pago and Paul for the info. Friday is the day to go look, and I hope it goes well. If I do pick it up, there's a Harbor Freight just around the corner that I'm heading to first to get a few things before the trip home. I'll have to see if there's a Camping World near there too. Wouldn't hurt to have a spare belt, hose, worm clamps, grease gun and some duct tape before I head out. Good suggestion on the autopark too.

First thing I did was to download all the pictures so I could look at them really good. If I do get it, I'll post a few here along with some in-person ones.

Thanks again.

[m.hony]

There is a terrible leak going on in the bedroom.

[kdickinson]

Looks like someone is about to have a lot of fun!

[PeterKV]

MH has Washington plates, if from the western part of the state mold and mildew can be a real problem if not stored right during the winter months, you need to really check good under couch and the bed and deep inside the cabinets, in fact in the video it almost looks like mold in the corners by the head of the bed. I spent most of my life around Seattle and had to deal with the dampness, the one real downside to living in paradise.

[garypk]

JD That is not a great deal. I shopped for 6 months & wound up with a 30 ft with under 40k miles for 11500. I was dealing with a seller 1800 m away. I had it cked at a GM truck shop for 250.00 & had a friend look it over with untrained eyes while I was on the phone asking questions. It had leaks which prior owner thought he fixed. He got the smaller seam leaks & I found the bigger top of the windshield one. I'm remaking the overhead cabinet, i pulled & cleaned the fuel tank, replaced the dash air, batteries. I will have to repair some delam but that's for next year. From my experience I think w/patience you can do better. My better half & I flew out ,bought it & drove it back & have been having a blast!

[CLKIESER]

It is a beauty! We love our 360 Classic Diesel. We bought ours out of Texas two years ago. (Paul Dobbin, hope is wasn't the way you walked away from). It's a joy to drive and camp in. I agree, that looks like water damage at the head of the bed, be careful with that, who knows what rot lies beneath. Also, they sleep six if four of them are little kids. The sofa bed and dinette are comfortable for on adult each, unless they really, really like each other! That actually is low mileage for one of that age, but high mileage for a gas engine built at that period of time, IMHO. Best of luck, keep us posted on what you decide.

ConnieNBruce

[jdbaney]

After scrambling for a hotel room and return flight on a graduation weekend, I just got home. I guess you can see where this is going... Not only did I walk away from this deal, I RAN! From something that photographed well, was a disaster in person. The description on this thing must have been of a different motorhome, because this one was awful! First thing inside, this one had a very strong musty smell. The damage in the corner of the bedroom did turn out to be extensive water damage that went across the back,along the side, past the kitchen, all the way up to the back of the driver's seat. The trim piece behind the bed was missing and the metal frame was completely rusty. The light fixtures in the bathroom were rusty and the ceiling liner in both closets and bathroom drooped. The roof that was described as being in very good condition with no sign of any current or past leaks had obviously been patched with calk, screws that didn't lay flat and paint. Even the patched calk was very cracked. The cloth on both the couch and dining seating was ripped and separated from the leather. Several of the "beautiful" wood cabinets were cracked and busted. Turns out this thing was a total waste of time and just needs to be gutted.

[pago cruiser]

Dang. Expensive education.
But now you're a smarter guy....

Keep looking; something better will turn up - it always does...

I just went back and looked at the ad: amazing how it can look so well in pics.

Also just noticed the dealership name "Clear Choice RV"! HA! They nailed that one, though maybe not as intended...

Keep hunting...

[kdickinson]

sounds like you really dodged a bullet on that one!

[m.hony]

I saw enough in the photos to discourage me.
That obviously water damaged bedroom area was enough.


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[pago cruiser]

So others can see what they do not want to see when looking at a used MoHome...



And for the saga of what this can mean if you are inclined to think this is just cosmetic...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f456...on-145069.html

Scary stuff.

In the OP pics, the leak appears to have originated at the roof to wall seam. In the thread above, the leaks had to have come from the windows. When's the last time anybody removed and resealed your windows???

[jdbaney]

Here are some of the pictures I took...

[m.hony]

I bet it reeks in there.


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[garypk]

Be patient.You'll find 1 worth the effort that is what you want.

[trey.a]

Wow. I'm glad I found this. This Land Yacht is only a couple hours away from me, and I was getting pretty interested. I noticed the water damage in the rear, but the rest looked so clean. I was willing to do the work to fix it at that price. However, I'm not willing to fix the rest of it at that price. Thanks for posting this. I hope you find what you are looking for!

[jdbaney]

After a lot of searching, I did finally find something. I won't go into too much detail since it's not an Airstream, but I think it will provide my family and I lots of memories. I found a 1999 Holiday Rambler Endeavor with only 9000 miles on it. Does need a little tlc, but other than that it's in great shape. Thanks to everyone for reading and the feedback. To all those searching, Good Luck and I hope you find what you're looking for!