Traveler2013 Report post Posted February 13, 2014 I'm an owner of a 1999 Disovery 37V with about 50,000 miles on it. A few months back I had a Freightliner Service Center to do it's 50,000 service plus replace all necessary worn parts including replacement of the tires, suspension air bags, and hoses, etc, plus I had both AC units replaced. The coach is in excellent shape now but it's physically looking a bit on the aged side. I'm debating whether to buy a new (or newer) coach in the next year or two, or maybe having my 37V re-painted with a modern paint scheme, and having the interior re-done (furniture, flooring, and electronics). I'm curious if anyone has gone through a similar major update to their older coach, and if so, were you pleased with the results, and can you recommend shop(s) to do this work? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted February 13, 2014 Not sure there is a "one answer fits all". We are on our second coach that we bought older, used that had good "bones", but needed a major re-do-- basically neglected, not abuses. Did most of the work ourselves, including new flooring, appliances, window coverings, some furniture, as well as a COMPLETE (I mean complete) mechanical inspection, service and in many cases upgrade. We end up with a very nice coach for 25% of what a new one of comparable quality and amenities would cost. But, clearly not everyone can do or is interested in doing that amount of work. Hiring it out is another option, and would likely add quite a lot to the cost. Others just want new-- either because they are tired of the old one, or can't "live without" some of the toys found on newer coaches. Heck, we don't have slides, but frankly don't want them. We have found that we are pretty good at going to an RV show (particularly a large one like the Tampa RV Show or the upcoming FMCA Convention) and being able to look at new/newer coaches, keeping our current one in mind. It really helps gel the "upgrade this one or buy another" question. It also gives up a lot of ideas (take a camera with you) of what upgrades you would do the one you have now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted February 13, 2014 Brett just about covered it all, but I have one note. 50,000 miles on a diesel pusher is very low miles, especially when you are the owner, and have done all the routine maintenance and know that has been done. If you buy another used one, you would not have this assurance. I, like Brett, go to every RV show that I get a chance, and build on the same ideas. 50,000 is just barely broken in. A full body paint job, depending on who does it, cost about $8000.00 to $14,000.00, and look wise will triple a coaches value. Good luck, Kay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jlandon13399 Report post Posted February 13, 2014 I have to agree with Brett and Kay. Good bones are good bones and 50k is low milage. A coach can be upgraded to have most of the bells and whistles that new ones have and you know about your current coach. Just my 2 cents. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
majorberry Report post Posted February 14, 2014 A full body paint job, depending on who does it, cost about $8000.00 to $14,000.00, and look wise will triple a coaches value. Good luck, Kay So you are saying a $30,000 value coach gets a new $8,000 paint job will be worth $90,000? I have a little trouble believing this. Perhaps I'm reading you incorrectly? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted February 14, 2014 I did not say that it would triple the value, I said "LOOK WISE", it will triple the "LOOK", value of the coach. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. No I don't think that it will make a $30,000 coach be worth $90,000, but certainly will increase the value some. I have seen 1999 model coaches when repainted, look as good as many of the 2010 or later coaches. Kay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted February 14, 2014 I have modified a 93 diesel pusher extensively. Some of the major changes include engine, transmission, air suspension. air brakes, independent front suspension, larger rear axle, 22.5 Alcoa wheels, double fuel capacity, bamboo flooring, hd tv's and cabinet changes, full body paint job. I don't know how much its worth but I built it to suit my desires. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted February 14, 2014 I believe that a full body paint job on a 37 foot MH will run in the neighbor hood of $20,000.00 and up. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Traveler2013 Report post Posted February 14, 2014 So you are saying a $30,000 value coach gets a new $8,000 paint job will be worth $90,000? I have a little trouble believing this. Perhaps I'm reading you incorrectly? I think what Kay may have been referring to is, new paint may provide triple the visual appeal. But it would be interesting to know how much a new paint job does to increase the value of an older coach. Thanks all for your input, especially the idea of bring a camera to the RV shows. Excellent idea. Based on your comments, the fact we don't use our RV too often, and also the amount of money we put into our coach over this past year, we're leaning towards updating our coach, and not buying a new or newer one. We still enjoy our current coach very much. Regular visits to the Freightliner Facility in Gaffney, SC, it helped maintain the chassis portion of the coach. It's in excellent mechanical condition. I'm not opposed to doing some of the internal upgrades myself, such as replacing the furniture, curtains, and such. What concerns me is updating or re-working the the woodwork to replace the old CRT TV's, changing out the manual awnings for motorized versions, and replacing the rug around the two push-outs, may be beyond my capabilities. I'm also concerned about the rubber roof. We've kept it clean and well sealed (no leaks), and it is still white (with only a spot or two of black rubber showing), but it's white surface is a bit chaulky. Do the rubber roof resurfacing products work? Or when the time comes should I just have the rubber roof replaced? And one other issue I need to address soon is the side drivers side window. The non-sliding portion of this window has turned permanently foggy. I suspect the safety plastic that is sandwiched in between the glass panes is causing this issue and when sun hits this window just right it becomes tough to see through. Has anyone run into this issue before? Thanks again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted February 14, 2014 Concerning the fogged window, if you get down to the west coast of FL, these guys are very good-- had them fix 4 of our fogged dual pane (or is that pain) windows: http://suncoastdesigners.com/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
majorberry Report post Posted February 14, 2014 I did not say that it would triple the value, I said "LOOK WISE", it will triple the "LOOK", value of the coach. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. No I don't think that it will make a $30,000 coach be worth $90,000, but certainly will increase the value some. I have seen 1999 model coaches when repainted, look as good as many of the 2010 or later coaches. Kay As I expected I was reading you incorrectly. Thanks for clearing this up for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted February 14, 2014 As far as the rubber roof goes I replaced mine just before the paint job and it was 19 years old. With careful treatment it still was in great shape with very little chalking. They say the lifespan is 10 years. Its a relatively non technical job to replace, mostly labor intensive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ElginDeighton Report post Posted March 13, 2014 After selling my business I felt I needed something to keep me physically actively and engaged. I have a long list of completed upgrades and improvements and I don't expect I will ever get my money back. What I got was a sense of achievement and a personalized "classic" RV. Now that everything is finished we enjoy the journey as much as the camping. The RV has over 100k miles. However we are frequently traveling with another couple who have a 26' Rio and we use our "classic" for meals and evening entertainment. Now I am starting to wish we had a slide out. We will see what the future holds.Consider a good compound polish rather than a new paint job if you have a fiberglass unit. Check at boatyards for recommendations. Also take a photo of a unit you like the paint design of and take the photo to a good sign and design shop. I have done RVs for charities and the cost was a lot less than paint. At one time most of the current "paint" designs were done in vinyl. I believe many RV manufacturers still use this method for new design showings.Elgin Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bingo66 Report post Posted March 13, 2014 My advice is upgrade the coach you have. I'm going through a complete restoration of a 1947 Flxible Clipper at the moment so I have a lot of up to date prices on various aspects of the build. My bus is 33ft and the paint job is a bare metal sandblast followed by extensive primer work and a final paint design that requires three separate masking jobs to be done. With taxes, the entire paint job is costing $14,000 and being 68 years old, the work involved in my bus is probably far more than your coach would be. http://www.flickr.com/photos/95137559@N04/sets/72157635089781485/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
racer478r Report post Posted May 31, 2014 Just had my 2000 Diplomat full body paint at Bruce Deaton's shop in Ala. Had some body work done and total cost was $12,500. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
