Hello, newbie here! Purchase decision?

[Taz]

Hello Winnie owners. My name is Taz. I've owned several tow behinds and most recently a 2018 35 foot 5th wheel which I just sold. My wife and I are actively looking at the Sightseer 29R as we like the floorplan and the 30 foot length.

We are looking at a 2005 (30,000 miles) workhorse and a 2009 (70,000 miles) Ford V-10. Price difference is $14,000. The 2005 has had shocks, steering stabilizers, rotors, brake lines and rear stabilizer replaced.

Being totally new to the motorhome side of rving would the 2005 be a good purchase? Besides the age of the MH are there issues I should be aware of?

Thanks everyone, looking forward to being a member of this site!

Taz...

[Morich]

The biggest first thing on motorhomes is to learn about the batteries as they are one of the most common problems as many do not understasnd them fully and that mean they often let either the coach or chassis/start battery run down often enough to damage them!
They ay both have batytery disconnects but both the start and coach will STILL have small drains whioch run the batteries dead when stored, if we do not really get into digging the info out on how to keep them up!
When buying, assume you may need batteries soon!

[creativepart]

Hello and welcome!

For me, I would always choose newer when deciding about which motorhome to buy. But you also have a chassis choice to make.

The Workhorse chassis is very popular. The Chevy engine and Alison Transmission are a great pair. Many buyers seek out older motorhomes with this chassis. The main issue is that Workhose stopped selling this RV Chassis a number of years ago and some parts are getting difficult to source. Obviously, this issue will only get more difficult each year.

The Ford F53 V10 chassis is still being produced today and has sold in huge numbers over the years. So finding parts is much easier. The V10 is usually super reliable (though they can break, like any engine) and the transmission is an older Ford truck transmission. Ford built this chassis with heavy duty trucking in mind - hauling gravel, delivering goods, even for ambulance use. As a result it drives and rides like a gravel truck. Even a brand new 2023 gas motorhome would be characterized this way - though the V10 was replaced with a V8 in 2020.

I realize this doesn’t help your decision but I hope it fills in some blanks in your dataset about the two choices. The Workhorse isn’t a totally smooth riding coach, but I think it suffers less from the harshness that the Ford delivers.

PS. My motorhome is a Ford F53 chassis motorhome.

[Taz]

Originally Posted by Morich

The biggest first thing on motorhomes is to learn about the batteries as they are one of the most common problems as many do not understasnd them fully and that mean they often let either the coach or chassis/start battery run down often enough to damage them!
They ay both have batytery disconnects but both the start and coach will STILL have small drains whioch run the batteries dead when stored, if we do not really get into digging the info out on how to keep them up!
When buying, assume you may need batteries soon!

I agree. The first thing I do is check the date on the batteries and replace them if 5 years or older.

[Taz]

Originally Posted by creativepart

Hello and welcome!

For me, I would always choose newer when deciding about which motorhome to buy. But you also have a chassis choice to make.

The Workhorse chassis is very popular. The Chevy engine and Alison Transmission are a great pair. Many buyers seek out older motorhomes with this chassis. The main issue is that Workhose stopped selling this RV Chassis a number of years ago and some parts are getting difficult to source. Obviously, this issue will only get more difficult each year.

The Ford F53 V10 chassis is still being produced today and has sold in huge numbers over the years. So finding parts is much easier. The V10 is usually super reliable (though they can break, like any engine) and the transmission is an older Ford truck transmission. Ford built this chassis with heavy duty trucking in mind - hauling gravel, delivering goods, even for ambulance use. As a result it drives and rides like a gravel truck. Even a brand new 2023 gas motorhome would be characterized this way - though the V10 was replaced with a V8 in 2020.

I realize this doesn’t help your decision but I hope it fills in some blanks in your dataset about the two choices. The Workhorse isn’t a totally smooth riding coach, but I think it suffers less from the harshness that the Ford delivers.

PS. My motorhome is a Ford F53 chassis motorhome.

Thank you.

I typically look at newer as well but being retired the funds I have to spend are limited. That's a very good point to consider as I was unaware of Workhorse not selling this RV chassis. Finding parts will become more difficult to find for sure.

That's why I liked the 2005 as the current owner has done a lot of suspension parts replacement.

[Mtn Charlie]

Another point to consider is the age of the vehicle's tires. A new set of tires can exceed $5k.

[Taz]

That's one area I don't ignore. I always check the tire date stamp and replace them if over 5 years old.