wildebill308

“Would you buy an older diesel or newer gas model? We want to be 30 feet-plus in length.” Hate to say it but you probably won’t find a diesel in the 15-25K range that you want to buy. “What are some good websites to shop used RV’s?” You didn’t put your location in your profile or signature so I can’t recommend places near you. Ebay is a good place to look as most of the big dealers post coaches there. When you follow the link back to the dealer you can look at the rest of their inventory and location. Don’t be afraid to travel to get the best coach for the money. You know about Rvtrader so hear are a couple of others. http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/ http://www.mcclainsrv.com/ http://www.generalrv.com/ Do a search you can find local dealers you might not have known about. “What is the markup on used RV’s? If we are planning on spending 25K should we be looking at 30K in hopes the price is negotiable?” http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs I would not add in any options and start at low retail. Remember to check the dates on the tiers for age 7 years old is about max. “What "make" can we get the best deal on? Is there a brand that they flooded the market with and maybe there are better deals on that make?” I like Bounder ,Tiffin, Winabago, Itaska. The most important thing is Condition. The second is floor plan, can you live in it. Take your time sit down and look around. I would plan on having it checked by a reputable RV teak before buying. “I’m very handy and wouldn’t mind having to do improvements to the RV. I have done flooring, paint, upholstering in some of our other campers.” That’s good you will save money on minor maintenance items that others have to pay to get fixed. You will find plenty to do. It is just like a house but one that is subjected to being driven down rough roads in a near hurricane. “Would you buy from a dealer or private party?” I would by where the best deal is see the part about having it checked out. Some dealers will make big promises but the reality is your warranty in most cases ends when you leave the dealership. I think you may do better in some cases with a private party sale Just do your due diligence when checking it out. Bill

It is getting harder to find #2 that is not a B10 or higher biodiesel blend. At one of the seminars they were saying only run #2 and not a biodiesel blend but that is getting harder to do. Bill

I think I would be concerned about the fuel and add a good additive with biocide before taking it out for a run. I would also be running the generator with at least 50% load. Bill

If I was looking at a gas chassis I would buy the Workhorse W with 8.1 GM gas engine and Allison transmission. Not that the Ford is that bad but the Allison transmission is that good. Bill

I don't know of any manufacturer that recommends slide support of any kind. Bill

While I haven't had a Cat to play with there are several people selling chips and or tuners for Cat. I think the Bully Dog works similar to the Banks diesel tuner. https://www.bullydog.com/product.php?ID=95 The "Cat" guys will be along to probably give you more advise. One thing is to check your transmission to see if it will handle more torque and horsepower. I would add a boost and EGT gage to keep track of whats going on. Bill

A good shop should be able to find hinges. Bill

I run the furnace when I need to on the road. When you are trying to heat with the dash heater use the setting that recirculates the inside air so you don't have to heat the out side air. The same when using the AC. Bill

Welcome to the forum, Mike. Need more info what are you going to use it on, etc. As a general rule, I have seen little benefit in fuel saving devices. Bill

That would be great if I had a Roadmaster. I have a Blue ox that I bought used along with a Brake Buddy and all the accessories except the base plate for $400.00. So I think having them check it out at the coach and basically rebuild it for $25.00 was a good deal. Bill

The tram routs were color coded to the maps by the flags on the tram. Perhaps it could have been explained better in the literature. I drove Handicapped Golf carts. The rain was a challenge for every one. I got my new to me tow bar serviced by Blue ox for only $25.00 they said it was in great shape. Bill

Welcome to the forum. Bill

What Herman said. My GPS correction is +5.8% that can add up. My unit doesn’t shift into 6th until 65 mph. I would use at least 10 tanks to get an average that helps average in the conditions you are driving in. Bill

That is a good link thanks Bill

What year? The biggest thing is the transmission control that helps to firm up the shift points so it doesn’t down shift to quickly from OD. I have been told that the Banks moods produce more benefit on the older V10s and not as much gain on the newer engines. Bill

I don't know if this will help but most of the throttle body injections work much the same. http://www.gmcmidwestclassics.org/Web%20pages/Tuning%20the%20TBI.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jayrabe/GMCMH-EFI http://gmcmotorhome.info/list.html Bill

Hear are a couple of links to more to see and do. http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/guidedtours.htm We did this on the last trip to the canyon. They have entertainers in the car. Also did the guided bus tour of the south rim. The guide showed us things you will never see otherwise. http://www.thetrain.com/ http://www.thetrain.com/grand-canyon/grand-canyon-tours/ You can drive your car but there is a FREE shuttle service. “A free shuttle bus system operates in the Grand Canyon Village area. Make your visit easier and save fuel by parking your car and using the shuttle to get around.” Flagstaff has many things to see and do and it is only a short way from the canyon. Things like The Petrified forest, Painted Desert, http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60971-Activities-Flagstaff_Arizona.html Don’t forget Albuquerque NM and old town. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60933-Activities-Albuquerque_New_Mexico.html Santa Fe is only about 70 miles north. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60958-Activities-Santa_Fe_New_Mexico.html I am working this from the wrong direction I know but Amarillo TX http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g30165-Activities-Amarillo_Texas.html We stayed hear easy in /out Fun service was we didn’t have to unhook the car to go eat. There was Free limo service to the Big Tex Steak house. http://bigtexan.com/ http://www.overnitervpark.com/ You didn’t say what route you will take from Branson but the most direct is 40. You should be able to make OK city in one day don’t have much experience staying there. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g51560-Activities-Oklahoma_City_Oklahoma.html Most of the places I have listed are a day apart I don’t like to drive to far in a day 350 miles is long enough. We stayed in Williams and took the train up to the canyon fun trip. Lots to see in a short time. Just me but I would get west as fast as I could there is weeks of things to do and see around the canyon. Bill PS: TAKE THE TOAD

Yes Gas buddy is your friend. I will use Pilot if I am in an area I don’t know. You can spend a lot of time trying to find that fuel that is $.05 cheaper and then have a hard time trying to get in and out. When home I use Kroger. There is one near where I keep the RV and it has diesel on the outside pumps so no problem getting in and out. The best part is you can use your fuel points. Best I have ever done was $0.70 off the pump price. The only bad is you only get 35 gal at the discount. Bill

Stan, Thank you for your service and welcome to the forum. Bill

If you can't find one that looks like a fairly easy one to make. Bill

I would get the gasket from Cat. Look at and make sure all your clamps on the intake and exhaust are tight. Bill

Welcome to the forum. One thing to be aware that you change the whole filter and housing-- you can’t open the housing to just change the filter inside. That is at least on 95% of the diesel coaches. Bill

My 2003 Bounder came back as BMW parts. You just have to love Google. Bill

Good link. Thanks. Bill

When I was looking I did some research on line and found several coaches in my price range that were worth looking at in person when I got to Motor home specialties in Alvarado I said I was looking for a used coach with payments under $1000.00 a mounth. They basically said they didn’t have one I could afford. They claimed not to have the ones on their web site. I decided they were right. Bill