Buying an RV

[mistaake]

My mom wants a small-ish RV. We went on Craigslist and she liked this one.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/rvs/5296918794.html

I told her... I'm happy to help you find one but it's got to be a Chevy or Ford. None of the 1970s Dodge RVs that are cheap, because I don't want to have to fix it every day - working on these vans/RVs is a pain...

Hopefully I could bring it to the shop and have an inspection done prior to purchase.

But that might not be practical depending on the situation.

Any advice on buying an RV... I know, it's not really a square body, but there is lots of knowledge on here and many people smarter and more experienced than I.

Is an 88 gonna be TBI? I know in the trucks and SUVs they switched from carb in 87 but did they also switch the vans at the same time? I really don't like carburetors but at that price even a rebuilt carb from quadrajetpower would be within budget.

Most of the RVs we looked at as far as Chevys go were 454. There was one lone 350. All the Fords are 460s. I take it the small block is a dumb idea since it's so underpowered that it'll work really hard and thus get the same mileage as a big block? They don't say in the listing but I'll see what it is before we buy it. I wouldn't mind having an 88 350 in the fleet because it'll have many of the same parts as my 95 Suburban (both 350 TBI at that point)...

As far as mileage I'm assuming these things all get in the single digits in terms of MPG simply due to age, weight, and air resistance. If my Suburban 5.7L gets ~12MPG a 7.4L with much more weight and more anti-aero-dynamic properties will probbly get 6, right?

Thank you for any input or advice at all. Much appreciated

 

[74propu]

My mom wants a small-ish RV. We went on Craigslist and she liked this one.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/rvs/5296918794.html

I told her... I'm happy to help you find one but it's got to be a Chevy or Ford. None of the 1970s Dodge RVs that are cheap, because I don't want to have to fix it every day - working on these vans/RVs is a pain...

Hopefully I could bring it to the shop and have an inspection done prior to purchase.

But that might not be practical depending on the situation.

Any advice on buying an RV... I know, it's not really a square body, but there is lots of knowledge on here and many people smarter and more experienced than I.

Is an 88 gonna be TBI? I know in the trucks and SUVs they switched from carb in 87 but did they also switch the vans at the same time? I really don't like carburetors but at that price even a rebuilt carb from quadrajetpower would be within budget.

Most of the RVs we looked at as far as Chevys go were 454. There was one lone 350. All the Fords are 460s. I take it the small block is a dumb idea since it's so underpowered that it'll work really hard and thus get the same mileage as a big block? They don't say in the listing but I'll see what it is before we buy it. I wouldn't mind having an 88 350 in the fleet because it'll have many of the same parts as my 95 Suburban (both 350 TBI at that point)...

As far as mileage I'm assuming these things all get in the single digits in terms of MPG simply due to age, weight, and air resistance. If my Suburban 5.7L gets ~12MPG a 7.4L with much more weight and more anti-aero-dynamic properties will probbly get 6, right?

Thank you for any input or advice at all. Much appreciated

I live in a r/v and I have had a bunch in the past so I hope this helps . with the g30 and mallard body the best thing to do is go look at it in the rain so you can see if the roof leaks (in the bunk above the cab body week spot) the fridge is very costly to replace ammonia system so it can run as you drive . look on the dash for a button or switch that say hi range some came with gear vender o/d in them to help with MPG and check the roof a/c that it works good and cold they are around $1400 to replace so ask and I will try to help if I can

 

[mistaake]

I live in a r/v and I have had a bunch in the past so I hope this helps . with the g30 and mallard body the best thing to do is go look at it in the rain so you can see if the roof leaks (in the bunk above the cab body week spot) the fridge is very costly to replace ammonia system so it can run as you drive . look on the dash for a button or switch that say hi range some came with gear vender o/d in them to help with MPG and check the roof a/c that it works good and cold they are around $1400 to replace so ask and I will try to help if I can

Thanks for the input! A GV overdrive would be awesome, since I'm assuming these RVs come with a TH400?

Do you by chance know if an 88 G30 would have carburetor or TBI?

The ad for for the one I linked says no refrigerator. Could you please elaborate on the refrigerator thing? I don't understand what ammonia has to do with it. You can tell I know nothing about RVs

Very much appreciate it.
-Michael

 

[74propu]

Thanks for the input! A GV overdrive would be awesome, since I'm assuming these RVs come with a TH400?

Do you by chance know if an 88 G30 would have carburetor or TBI?

The ad for for the one I linked says no refrigerator. Could you please elaborate on the refrigerator thing? I don't understand what ammonia has to do with it. You can tell I know nothing about RVs

Very much appreciate it.
-Michael

ok I will try the refrigerator has ammonia in it there is no compresser or Freon the ammonia as it is heated it flash's off and pick's up the heat from the in side just like a fridge with Freon but the fridge has a heater in it that will run on 12 volt 110 volt or on propane gas that way as you drive down the road it will stay cold and when you are out in the woods it works on the gas

 

[mistaake]

ok I will try the refrigerator has ammonia in it there is no compresser or Freon the ammonia as it is heated it flash's off and pick's up the heat from the in side just like a fridge with Freon but the fridge has a heater in it that will run on 12 volt 110 volt or on propane gas that way as you drive down the road it will stay cold and when you are out in the woods it works on the gas

Ah... that makes sense. Thanks! Can I just put any refrigerator with an inverter? Or even a unit designed to run off DC such as this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Avanti-SHP1712SDC--1-7-cu--ft-Superconductor-Refrigerator/dp/B0028MOZI6/

There's also smaller units out there.

http://www.amazon.com/Koolatron-Voyager-Thermoelectric-12-Volt-Cooler/dp/B000Q73C66/

 

[74propu]

Ah... that makes sense. Thanks! Can I just put any refrigerator with an inverter? Or even a unit designed to run off DC such as this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Avanti-SHP1712SDC--1-7-cu--ft-Superconductor-Refrigerator/dp/B0028MOZI6/

There's also smaller units out there.

http://www.amazon.com/Koolatron-Voyager-Thermoelectric-12-Volt-Cooler/dp/B000Q73C66/

yea you could but they are small if you are just going to use as a weekender they will work

 

[mistaake]

Alright so I found the RV on Google Maps and drove by after work (we have an appointment with the seller and they didn't give us address but we don't live in a big town and I knew there was a tennis court behind the RV based on their pictures on Craigslist) and got the plate so I could run a Carfax. This is the info I got. And I'm HAPPY because it's not carbureted it's TBI On the down side it is a small block so I don't think this thing is exactly going to be super fast... but that's OK, it's not a racecar - it's an RV.

1988 CHEVROLET G30
VIN: XXXX
CUTAWAY
5.7L V8 TBI OHV 16V
REAR WHEEL DRIVE

 

[texnet]

On that old of an RV make sure you fully check it out, but most important is the roof and seams. If it has had any water leakage that was not taken care of then you will have major repairs that would not be worth doing. As 74propu stated you should try to check it in the rain, climb on the roof and check for soft spots and pinholes in the roof. If you find any soft spots or cuts in the roof I would walk away from it!

As for the frig, I would stay away from the normal RV units. There are several small DC units our there that do a decent job and a lot of small AC units can be run on an inverter. However, check the docs on the frig as some will not run on an inverter.

 

[74propu]

you can also look for brownish spots in the ceiling that would be sings of a roof leak or if it has fresh paint on the ceiling trying to hide the leaks . if it only has a 350 in it you may get lucky on the trans . when do you go look at it ?? keep us posted

 

[mistaake]

you can also look for brownish spots in the ceiling that would be sings of a roof leak or if it has fresh paint on the ceiling trying to hide the leaks . if it only has a 350 in it you may get lucky on the trans . when do you go look at it ?? keep us posted

We kinda went and looked at it last night but it was dark. We didn't even start it up or anything. Before the seller showed up I crawled underneath. Frame wasn't raelly rusty but the rear suspension and front suspension pieces are very rusty. According to Carfax it spent a long time in New Jersey so that's probably to be expected. Mom cared more about the interior. It definitely needs an intense cleaning and it's certainly a fixer upper and not a "turnkey" unit.

Mom was really not too happy about it but what is she expecting at that budget?

They said somebody else was going to be come look at it tomorrow (well, today since it's the tomorrow of yesterday - you know what I mean) but maybe we will go back on Friday or Saturday if we are considering it.

I would check some basic stuff myself if everything seems OK and it drives well the seller has no problem with us paying for an inspection at a shop.

To my mom, $2500 is a lot of money. But, it really isn't in the RV world. I discussed another option with her - to buy a travel trailer instead. Her primary concern was that she does not have a truck. I reminded her that I have a Suburban that could tow it and her boyfriend has an F150. She's very independent and wants to be able to drive it herself and not need to rely on somebody else to have a truck... so we threw around the idea of her replacing her 95 Honda Accord with a truck or SUV at some point.

She's thinking about all that.

 

[74propu]

ll she needs a c20 to tow with a good square

 

[mistaake]

ll she needs a c20 to tow with a good square

I know I should have kept it. Don't rub it in. I wish for it back every single day.

She decided not to even bother looking at that RV. We'll see how this develops. Methinks we'll start with a travel trailer and go from there. My friend has a 2002 GMC Envoy that can tow 6K+ and gets decent mileage. Might be able to get that for $3K.

I'd love to get (her) a square but I'm not sure how much she would be into an old truck. Then again she doesn't care about working A/C and she doesn't drive much so MPG is not that important. As long as it looks presentable and can tow it. She unfortunately doesn't want a diesel - she thinks they are awful for the environment. I pointed out even if it emits a little bit more it gets much better MPG. That didn't go anywhere.

Maybe an 87 square would be good. Fuel injected = easy cold starts and good for long trips that involve different altitudes, etc. But it's easier to find an 88-98 GMT400 truck at that point. Doesn't look as good to me but to her it would look "newer".

I wish I could pawn my Colorado off on her but I don't think that has a good tow capacity - what a piece of crap.

 

[74propu]

yea a T/Trailer is beat imo you don't have to take down camp if you want to go see the sights and when you are tired from all the sights camp is set up just come and relax . not paying tax tags and ins on something that sets in the drive 90% of the time most states ins is on the tow rig . a good trailer to look for is called a hi low it is a t/t that the top half slides up and down over the bottom half help with wind drag when pulling it down the road look on line and you will find info on them they are cool little units

 

[mistaake]

yea a T/Trailer is beat imo you don't have to take down camp if you want to go see the sights and when you are tired from all the sights camp is set up just come and relax . not paying tax tags and ins on something that sets in the drive 90% of the time most states ins is on the tow rig . a good trailer to look for is called a hi low it is a t/t that the top half slides up and down over the bottom half help with wind drag when pulling it down the road look on line and you will find info on them they are cool little units

That is pretty cool... it's kinda like a huge pop-up trailer at that point. Unfortunately they don't seem to common.

Now mom wants to buy a cargo trailer and convert it to an RV herself. @.@ I suggested this in a joking manner and she took it seriously.

Here are a couple vids I've found where people have done the same thing, in varying stages of awesome. Some of these are very simple and others are super fancy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTXpCHEgjoQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsjCIgutgq4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k12iJpAv4DE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBnLR7e3UTY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWgzkfZNHmM

But it looks like a lot of work. Hopefully she can just find a small-ish travel trailer. Most of them are like 25ft and she doesn't want something so big. Besides I am doubtful in the long term durability of the Suburban towing something so large.

 

[87scotty]

I want a bed camper for my square think it'd be sweet