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RE: Suggestions for Inexpensive, lightweight dinghy
We have had both a 4wd 2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara and a 4wd 2002 Chevy Tracker. They make great tow vehicles with no modifications and they are fun to drive and will go anywhere. Of course you will need a towing bracket on the car and you should have a brake system. The Ready Brake system is inexpensive and works very well. We had that system with our Suzuki and it worked flawlessly.
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Ro646a
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11/23/09 04:12pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: NADA Values
How accurate have you found the NADA values to be in the sales or purchase of used coaches in the current economy.
From what I can tell, the online NADA RV Price guide is pretty close to what I have seen in my area. You will hear a lot of BS about buying used vehicles at 10% to 20% below Low Retail but I think thats all talk. If you have vehicles that you are interested in, go to your local library and look at the 2009 Recreation Vehicle Appraisal Guide, it will give you the Dealer Wholesale and the Dealer Retail for the vehicle. Dealer Wholesale in the 2009 Recreation Vehicle Appraisal Guide is approximately 77% to 78% of the Average Retail found in the online NADA RV Price Guide. The Dealer Retail found in the 2009 Recreation Vehicle Appraisal Guide is equal to the Average Retail found in the online NADA RV Price Guide.
If a dealer is going to be straight with you they will show the Wholesale value of the vehicle you are interested in. They need to make something on the deal so 10% to 15% over wholesale is reasonable in my opinion.
Buying from a private party is worse in my opinion. Way to many people upside down with their loans. Most are asking much more than the NADA Average and are reluctant to come down in price because they can't. I am sure that there are also some deals to be had from hardship cases but I think they are few and far between.
I agree. Nobody was giving away motorhomes when we bought ours. And we sold our 2004 Class C for several thousand over low retail to the first people who came to see it, one day after putting it on Craigslist.
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Ro646a
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11/22/09 06:39am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: NADA Values
post deleted
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Ro646a
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11/22/09 06:34am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Rank the Class A GAS build quality
This has been very interesting reading. I was the OP on this thread. I had noticed an earlier post asking for rankings of Diesel coaches. I was curious about the relative quality of various brands of gas coaches, and where our gas Dutch Star might rank against the other brands. I didn't want to be discourteous and hijack the diesel thread with a discussion about gas units, so I started this thread to see what more I could learn about gas coaches.
I assume that there are gas units with a reputation for good build quality combined with pride of workmanship, irrespective of what features and/or amenities they may have.
This has absolutely nothing to do with diesels.
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Ro646a
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11/09/09 06:37am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Rank the Class A GAS build quality
randco
That is the type of answer I was looking for, thank you. :)
I never indicated that I was in the market to buy anything. We just bought our class A in June and are very happy with it. I'm not sure how some of the others got the impression that I was looking for advice on buying.
One guy even said something about not falling into this trap again????:h
Thank you all for your input.
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Ro646a
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11/07/09 05:20am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Rank the Class A GAS build quality
We can afford a diesel unit....just don't want to pay that much!
Good point I think that applies to many MH owners. We like being able to buy our parts at 8 PM in most any town in the US and service if needed.
If one can afford drive a new car or truck then then they and afford to purchase a DP in the same price range. Many of just do not want to pay for a chassis that is good for 1,000,000+ miles when we only drive 6K miles per year and 95% of the time we are parked where the "ride" and "quiteness" are just fine.
If we had physical or emotional needs for a DP we would find one like others do.
After a couple years of ownership and reading this forum I am to not think there is a "bad" brand out there. All have come out with models that had technical/structural issues.
If you buying new it is hard to tell what you are getting.
If you are buying used then use and care seems to be the key factors. Gas chassic tends to be a Ford or GM/WH for the past 20+ years.
Buying used has four factors of concern to me. They are roof, engine, transmission conditions and a workable floor plan that is of reasonable quality and condition.
I have seen high end MH's the same age as our entry level MH that I would not trade for. Buying new that uses new technologies/materials can be a real wildcard we all know.
Yes, I agree. I could pay cash for a nice diesel if I wanted to, but there are other things that I value more. I'm just curious about how the various gas brands compare in terms of quality. For example, before we bought our used Dutch Star we looked at a very nice Damon Intruder, I think it was a model 349 with dual slides. When I asked on this forum for advice on that unit I was advised to forget about the Damon and look for a Newmar, which I did. We are extremely happy with the Newmar, but I don't know that it is built any better than the Damon we saw, understanding that we have what is probably the entry level Newmar product.
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Ro646a
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11/06/09 02:47pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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Rank the Class A GAS build quality
I enjoyed reading the comments in another thread regarding the realtive quality of Class A diesel coaches. Now I wonder if anyone would care to comment on the rankings of Class A gas units, for those of us who can't afford diesels.
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Ro646a
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11/06/09 01:52pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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Any changes to F53 and/or the V10 between 2000 and 2004?
I'm just curious as to whether there were any significant changes made to the F53 chassis, supension, or the V10 engine between 2000 and the 2004 model?
Thanks in advance.
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Ro646a
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10/30/09 02:58pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: looking for a tire for Motorhome
Does he want a cheap tire, or the best tire? the G670 is made for RVs and will out last the cheaper ones and be less likely to suffer a blow-out.
I agree with Kirk, but when I replaced my tires a couple months ago I asked for Goodyear G670s, and I would like to have bought them. But the tire store brought me a set from their warehouse and the DOT dates were early 2007 on all of them that they had. So they went back and got me a set of Michelin tires made in July 2009.
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Ro646a
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10/29/09 10:37am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Steering column "clunking" sound. Why???
We had an '02 Tahoe that did the same thing. I would be willing to bet it's the steering shaft that connects the steering wheel to the gear box. This is a common GM problem with trucks of this vintage. The only fix I am aware of is replacement. But it will eventually do the same thing. Though I believe a few had some luck with cleaning and greasing the shaft. If it is the steering shaft then it's nothing to worry about, just a little annoying.
We had the same problem with our 2004 Avalanche. It was a great vehicle otherwise, but we had to replace the steering shaft twice.
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Ro646a
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10/29/09 10:25am |
Tow Vehicles
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Newmar Dutch Star Exterior finish?
Would anyone happen to know if the off white color on the upper body of our 2000 Dutch Star is paint or if it is actually the color of the fiberglass finish? We have covered ours for the winter with a new ACDO Tyvek cover. I have it all tied down and secured nicely, but pulling it over the mirrors created a baggy section at the top front over the windshield and I'm wondering if I have to be concerned about it wearing paint off the area when the wind moves it around. I'm not sure what I can do to tighten up that area of the cover.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Roland
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Ro646a
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10/26/09 12:00pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: What's the diff between Newmar Kountry Aire 3710 & 3756?
I don't know whether or not this will help you, but at least it will give you something to compare to.
In June we paid $36,000 for our 2000 Newmar Dutch Star 35' gasser from a private owner. I'm pretty sure we paid more than it is worth on paper, but this coach was kept indoors all it's life and was meticulously cared for and absolutely looked liked new inside and out. The exterior finish still looks like new and every system works properly.
We are still very pleased with our purchase. And I'm not sure, but I think a Kountry Aire is a much higher end unit than ours is.
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Ro646a
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10/23/09 10:35am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Buying new RV - Trade-in old RV or Sell Seperately?
I sold our 2004 Four Winds 5000 in one day on Craigslist for 50% more than a dealer offered us on a trade.
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Ro646a
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10/22/09 01:17pm |
General RVing Issues
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ADCO Cover installation tips?
I just bought a new ADCO cover for our RV for our Class A. There are no instructions included with it. Can anyone give me any advice on putting it on before I unwrap the bundle inside the box? It is the Designer series.
Thanks,
Roland
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Ro646a
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10/18/09 04:02pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Should I store it on concrete or gravel?
Thanks for all the good information so quickly. I'll get a moisture barrier for the tires when I take it to storage this weekend.
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Ro646a
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10/15/09 05:39pm |
General RVing Issues
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Should I store it on concrete or gravel?
I have heard that it is not good for tires to store them on concrete, and that gravel is better. Can anyone give me any guidance on this?
Thanks,
Roland
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Ro646a
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10/15/09 04:50pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Towing a Chevy Tracker
I think you will enjoy the Tracker. Aside from being a great tow vehicle you can drive it anywhere. It's a pretty versatile little vehicle. My next door neighbor was after me to sell him the Suzuki since the day we bought it three years ago, so I finally sold it to him and bought the newer Tracker.
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Ro646a
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10/12/09 07:11pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Towing a Chevy Tracker
I second that. We had a 2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara, which is the same car as a Tracker and we recently sold it and replaced it with a 2002 Tracker ZR2. Both cars are 4wd V6 automatics. They are perfect for towing.
We towed the old one typically at around 62 MPH for thousands of miles with no problems. We originally used a Ready Brake supplemental brake system which worked very well for us, and I would recommend. Our "new" motor home came with a nice Roadmaster Sterling tow bar and Roadmaster Brakemaster already set up in the motorhome, so we now use the Brakemaster.
Oh and I learned something on the Suzuki after towing it for two years. I realized that after you turn off the ignition the steering wheel will stay unlocked until you actually pull the key out of the ignition. I have not tried it yet on the Tracker, since we just bought it, but the two cars are identical mechanically and 95% of the interior, body and exterior trim are the same, so I expect that the Tracker will work the same way.
To test what I'm saying try this:
After turning off the engine turn the key all the way to off, but leave the key in the ignition and turn the steering wheel from side to side to test it. It should turn free until the resistance of the tires make it too difficult to turn. Then actually remove the key from the ignition and try turning the steering wheel from side to side again. Now when you try to turn the wheel the steering lock should engage. If it works this way, as our Grand Vitara did, it is not necessary to leave the key in the accessory position and there will be no drain on the battery.
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Ro646a
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10/11/09 07:08pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Koni shocks on Ford F53
I guess if I have learned anything from this thread it's that I'm not alone with my hard ride issues. It's interesting that when we had our Four Winds 28A Class C Chevy (very entry level MH) I watched all the Class As go by and assumed that they all rode like Cadillacs, and thought how nice it would be to have one.
Of course there is no comparison between the Class C we had and the coach we have now in terms of amenities and living comfort, but it is interesting to look back and remember how comfortable and quiet it was driving the Class C. We still feel very fortunate to have found such an extremely well cared for MH when we bought this one last spring. I had driven several newer Ford based MHs when we were shopping and this one was the nicest and quietest driving of the bunch. I guess this ride is the best I can expect at this price level.
I'm at the edge of retirement and really don't want to invest any serious money in a fancier MH in order to get a better ride. I think I'll follow the advice given here and redistribute my loads and travel with less water. We don't drink or cook with the water in our fresh tank anyway. We just use it for washing and we seldom do any boondocking.
I did check my Koni shocks and I guess I just don't know where to look for model information, so I'll assume they are not FSDs based on the blue color. Since my handling is actually quite good the shocks must be working reasonably well. What ever model Koni shocks I may have, are they likely to still be good at 20,000 miles?
The traveling season is over for us, since we live in Michigan. I winterized the MH today and I'm going to take it to storage in the next few days. When we get it back out in the spring I'll apply the suggestions made here in terms of weight distribution and water carrying, and over the winter I'm going to research the air bag system that was mentioned. Again, I thank you all for your help here and look forward to further discussions with you all on other topics.
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Ro646a
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10/11/09 04:27pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Koni shocks on Ford F53
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I have been trying to think of ways to get more weight in the front. We always travel with a full water tank, which unfortunately is right at the very rear of the coach.
Perhaps I should travel with a minimum amount of water in the fresh tank and load the front storage bins with large water containers.
I'm still going to get under there today and try to see what model Koni shocks I have.
I must be somewhat lucky with this motor home in that it really handles well on the highway. There are no stability issues at all. It's just the jarring ride over tar strips and small bumps that drives me nuts.
I'll report back later.
Best regards
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Ro646a
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10/11/09 10:16am |
Class A Motorhomes
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