PLS opinion on this asap

[luberhill]

This seems like a decent deal,,,,thoughts asap please...going to look again today but there are others looking too...don't want to lose a good deal...
Ill check back here in one hr...thanks so much....
Its just the two of us ...weekend camping etc

https://syracuse.craigslist.org/rvs/d/1998-jayco-rv/6312493439.html

[whizbang]

Here in Seattle, that right would go for much more.... Not quite double, but close.

Could be a great deal. But, as others have suggested, inspect carefully.

Plan to spend money on deferred maintenance --- brakes, shocks, tires, fluids, filters, caulking, waxing, etc.

[jimx200]

We bought a 99 Class C 2 years ago, excellent plus condition, 19,000 miles a new everything works as it should. Generator had 100 hour, V10 engine, and it's been lots of fun! Ours is 23' and it works for us. We put on new tires, flushed brakes, radiator, transmission, engine, and a new recoated roof for prevention. We paid $15,000 and spent another$2500 for things mentioned.

Good luck, but get it inspected before handing over the money. If clean, grab it and enjoy the savings compared to new or newer.

[4x4van]

I wouldn't even consider it till I at least spoke with the seller. They couldn't even be bothered to list the model? The length? Something smells, AFAIC.

[Tal_IL]

Take a quick look at NADA values

[DrewE]

Renting is a great way to try out RVing. It also has the added advantage of giving you some better ideas of what features you might appreciate (or what to avoid) when you're looking for an RV to buy. The only drawback is that rentals can get rather spendy rather quickly, particularly if your thinking in the range of a $10K to $15K budget for an RV....

[luberhill]

Yea I can do all the work myself......but im still thinking of just renting a few times before making the plunge then maybe IF we like it buy one a year or two old

[theoldwizard1]

ksg5000 wrote:
Common to have brake issues with rigs that don't get used - water gets into brake fluid and calipers rust out ...

Start with the brakes. Everything new. Sounds expensive and it will be if you can not do most of the work yourself.

Rotor and drums just need a light pass on a brake lathe, but you will need new pads, calipers, hoses, BRAKE LINES, shoes, wheel cylinders. It will cost less than $300 online. Any shop would charge you more than $500 for the parts.

Second would be belts, hoses and coolant. DIY online parts less than $l00. Shop parts price more than$200.

After that, see how it runs. The other items listed WILL have to get done eventually, but I would not worry about them right away.

[theoldwizard1]

pianotuna wrote:
any sign of water infiltration = run away as fast as you can.

That is the only thing that would scare me !

Aboiut a dozen years ago, a neighbor bought a small Class C that was about 20 years old at the time. He knew it leaked because the interior was rotten. He replaced the entire interior and resealed the roof. He chase water leaks for months and finally sold it ! He got his money back but not his time and labor

[DownTheAvenue]

The picture showing the cab over indicates some possible very serious issues:
1. As already mentioned, the window seal has failed.
2. At the right of the window, it appears that water has run down the wall from that corner.
3. At the right corner, from the top of the middle partition to the bottom, the back wall appears to be a different color indicating possible water intrusion.
4. At the right corner in the very top, the wallpaper appears wrinkled, indicating possible water intrusion.

[j-d]

I'd be VERY surprised if this coach has other than a "rubber" roof. That's what ours has, and I don't think Jayco got very far into f'glass roofs till the last 5-10 years. And then on not all that many models.

On our Jayco of that vintage, the roof starts out flat at the front. Probably because of the way the cabover is formed. The material can be rolled in one direction but not a second direction to form the crown. This is why the little mini-cap I call a "tiara" on some Winnebago's is so important. It allows the roof crown to form at a front cabover whose top surface would otherwise be flat.

Anyway, our roof has a slight crown that develops aft of the cabover and increases toward the back wall of the coach.

[DrewE]

Looks to me like a pretty good deal for this part of the country provided it's in nice condition as the pictures seem to show and that everything works properly. If you need a set of tires, that's around $1000 or so. I would also not be surprised if the brakes are sticky and need new/rebuilt calipers, and maybe a few other age related odds and ends.

For a '98, this would likely have the V10 and you would not have a distributor to replace (coil on plug design). The plugs in this vintage engine are somewhat notorious for getting blown out due to a marginal head thickness where they screw in; it's quite important to make sure they get properly torqued when installed, using an actual torque wrench, and are not cross-threaded. You should not have to worry about spark plugs for a long time.

[pnichols]

Notice in the photos that the roof is a flat one .... that is not the best. You want a roof that is crowned (higher in it's center and lower along it's side edges) and made from a single piece of fiberglass.

Even if the roof is crowned and made from a single piece of fiberglass, it should be rolled over all along it's sides so that the motorhome's sidewall pieces of fiberglass fit up underneath these rolled over roof edges for the ultimate seal along the sides of the roof.

From the Craigslist photos, you can't tell if the roof is fiberglass or some other material - but it is obvious that it's not crowned and does not have rolled over edges.

For example, study the front and sides of the single piece fiberglass roof on the first page of this brochure ... you can also see the crowning and rolled over edges by zooming in on Page 9 of the brochure: http://www.winnebagoind.com/resources/brochure/2005/05-Spirit-bro.pdf

[pianotuna]

any sign of water infiltration = run away as fast as you can.

[j-d]

Our first Class C had the cabover window "gasket" shrink out like that. Turned out, it was trim and the actual seal was inside. It wasn't leaking with the shrink, so I cut it, spread out to fill the corners, and filled the gap with rubber compound.

That area on this Jayco may or may not be a problem.