Hi brdtim,
I do not consider a 1998 Holiday Rambler Imperial old... You may have found a good deal.
Last Sept. 08 I bought a 1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge PT-40. Yes it's a 27 year old coach this year. The first question, I am always asked is why would I do that. My short answer to that is the Quality of the unit, (custom made) this coach sold new for $265,000 in 82. Unit had 63,000 miles and all systems worked, we are the 4th owners.
In buying a new or used coach the first question that must be asked is, what do I want to do with my motor home and how do I want to do it? Here I can only give a few of my answers to that question and hopefully it may help those new to RVing and shed some light as to why buying used can be a good thing.
Safety is number one for me, how well is this unit going to do in a mishap? (Wanderlodge is built like a tank).
We will be going 3/4 to full time and moving to NM. (40' and good storage inside & out, usable floor plan)
Need a unit that can handle some weight with full timing and be safe going down the road. (My GVWR is 42,000lbs & the Sclwt. is 28,700lbs that gives me about 13,300lbs for load) (I find it sad that some folks buy a nice coach and find out later, that it's almost over loaded when they drive it off the lot).
What will I need to add to the coach? (more cost). (My coach is loaded)
Gas or Diesel? (with or without computers). (6V92 DD diesel for me, hooked to an Allison 5sp with no computers to go out, I like the KISS system).
How much fuel, water and holding does it have? (I have 300 diesel, 100 water, 72 gray, 82 black, 44.4gal LPG)
Sales tax & license? (you can save a lot here buying used)
Can I pull a toad with this coach? (Yes)
How much of the repair work can I do? (this is big one). (To be honest I can do about 90% of the work need to be done on our coach) However if you are not a mechanic, it is not that hard to learn how to fix a lot of small things, others will help you, if you ask.
Do I want or need slides? (No for me, more weight, leaks water and they get stuck).
Deprecation? (Not so much on used, just the market economy at the time you sell). In a down market, buying good.
So all of this went into buying the Wanderlodge and the economy help a lot, as the cost went way down. When we first found this coach, the asking price was more than we wanted to spend. It was priced right for a Wanderlodge in a good economy, not a bad one. The PO had been trying to sell it for 3 years and wanted out and he understood the down turn in the market. So we got a very good deal. Our deal with the PO, was all major systems had to be in working order. Before my daughter and I flew to TX, to inspect the coach, the refer went out and the PO installed a new one, at no cost to us.
When we got to TX, I drove the coach over 60-70 miles on the interstate, county roads and some city driving. I would do this if buying a new unit, always do a good long test drive. We then stayed in the coach and did a full 2 day check out of the unit, I was in or under everything. I bought the coach and drove it 2,345 miles home to Seattle. I drove mostly at 60-65 mph and the coach ran flawlessly the entire trip, engine used 3 qts of oil.
A few months ago I took my coach to Roseburg, Oregon for 8 new tires. I also stopped at Southern Oregon Diesel (one of the best shops in the PNW) for a chassis inspection. Remember, safety is number one with me. This is something I could have done myself, but would have taken me a month to complete. Getting under the coach would have been real work here at the house. Anyway we found some things that needed replaced right now, some others that I did because I was there. With the tires, chassis work and parts I left $6,500 in the state of Oregon. Keep in mind this went into the coach, to make it new again, money well spent. I now have a drivetrain & chassis that is as good as new.....
Knowing what I know now about my coach, would I still have bought it? Thats easy, YES!!! I am money ahead for what I have and what it will do. Is my 27 year old coach perfect? LOL no it's vintage and I have lots of little things to fix and upgrade and that is the fun part. My daughter and I stopped in Alamogordo, NM for 15 days on the way home. One thing I did not know I would be getting when I bought the Wanderlodge, (this came out of left field, lol) was the number of people, other RV'es that stopped by to take a closer look at my Vintage Wanderlodge.
In buying a used coach, brdtim has the right idea in asking questions. Learning as much as you can about a coach you are thinking about buying, will in the end save you money.
