Older Beaver Contessa-- Seeking Wisdom

[jbrunson]

First, thanks for allowing me to post here... My request for membership in the Beaver forums was rejected for whatever reason.

I am looking at a 1990 Beaver Contessa and seeking wisdom...I am not new to purchasing a RV but definitely new to class A.

Looking for people who can provide insight on the "personality" of these coaches. Where are the bones buried?

I suspect it will have a Cat 3208 with something called a"Gillig" chassis....

I fancy myself as a competent mechanic, but very new/green to diesel and air chassis....

What do I need to be sensitive to when I go look?

[wolfe10]

jbrunson,

Welcome to the FMCA Forum.

Gillig made some high-end chassis. They are still in business (CA I believe) making commercial bus chassis.

The Caterpillar 3208 was one of the better engines of that vintage, particularly compared with the Detroit Diesel 4 stroke 8.2 liter.

As with any coach that age, how it has been maintained over the years will be as important as initial build quality.

[five]

As noted, maintenance is key. JMHO, Beaver is a class coach, but you are looking at 25 years old...that's pretty old, especially if it's been kept outside.

[jbrunson]

It has been sheltered, I am looking to discover here, if possible, if there were particular problematic issues with this model.... I understand there will be issues associated with decay due to time.... Cure dates on rubber parts etc.

Can I expect to be able to obtain replacment parts for the drivetrain and chassis?

Does anyone know how exhaustive the documentation was provided with the coach? Will I have problems obtaining service information if only users information was provided with the sale?

[kaypsmith]

The Mayor of our city has a 1990 Beaver Contessa, has been garage kept since day one except when on trips. It looks, rides, and drives like new. Gillig chassis as Brett said still makes busses, and that chassis is like the Rock of Gilbralter, Cat 3208 was a very good engine. If you have any doubts about the engines livelihood, ask for an oil sample to take to Cat dealer, dealer will supply a canister for this purpose. The dealer can almost tell how many hours the engine has been run, and how many more it will last, and in a motorhome, probably the rest of our lives.
Good luck and happy trails.