Purchase opinions needed please.

[Narnia]

Hi everyone, we are newbies. We have a choice of 2 DRV MS units with the same floorplan. I wonder which you would choose?

1. 2008 with 12 cu' fridge, has cracks in the rear cap in 4 places. $22,259 out the door at a dealership.

2. 2010 "like new" as described by private seller, 8 cu' fridge, for $29,999.

Thank you in advance for your experienced help!

[OCB]

Based on what you stated.

If the prices are firm I would take #2.
What else is bad on #1. Is the rear cap something can you can repair including fixing the source of failure or get estimates to repair . Cracks let moisture in to rot the wood.



Get an Experienced person to look them over.


Clay

[Narnia]

Based on what you stated.

If the prices are firm I would take #2.
What else is bad on #1. Is the rear cap something can you can repair including fixing the source of failure or get estimates to repair . Cracks let moisture in to rot the wood.

Get an Experienced person to look them over.
Clay

The left side of the cap also has a long vertical crack. If we don't fix the cap, it will be harder to resell, as it's been sitting at the lot for over 6 months and they are planning to take it to auction, if it doesn't sell in the next few days.

[wingnut60]

That is a tough call--to me, a large fridge is a very important part of comfortable RVing and a happy wife. Is there a competent fiberglass repair shop nearby to take pics of the cap on the to them for a ballpark estimate? Good shops hardly ever replace a cap unless destroyed, easier for them to fix the fiberglass and repaint. Had that done on my '05 and that is the story I was told--very hard to get a correct cap shipped, and most times it gets damaged in the shipping, so they fix them.
Our '05 had the 12' fridge w/icemaker and it was a great addition to comfort on long vacations.

[Narnia]

That is a tough call--to me, a large fridge is a very important part of comfortable RVing and a happy wife. Is there a competent fiberglass repair shop nearby to take pics of the cap on the to them for a ballpark estimate? Good shops hardly ever replace a cap unless destroyed, easier for them to fix the fiberglass and repaint. Had that done on my '05 and that is the story I was told--very hard to get a correct cap shipped, and most times it gets damaged in the shipping, so they fix them.
Our '05 had the 12' fridge w/icemaker and it was a great addition to comfort on long vacations.

I know!! The fridge size was the struggle, otherwise, it would have been a no-brainer to go with the 2010. If we get it, I was planning on replacing the fridge with a residential model. I have seen some with as much as 11 cu', so I thought maybe that would come close enough to the 12? It also has 4 solar panels and an inverter, with 6 batteries and auto-leveling, which the 2008 has none of those. I guess I should add that to the list above.

I have also thought of resale. Would be it difficult to sell with an 8 cu'? I am thinking possibly, since the seller has had it listed for over a month that I know of.

How much did it cost to have the cap fixed and repainted?

[porthole]

Just my opinion, but if you’re thinking about resale before you buy you are looking in the wrong direction.

If nothing else, hydraulic leveling, even with a smaller fridge. We RV’d for 13 years with an 8.cuft fridge.

[Cummins12V98]

We owned a 2007.5 basically an early 08. I would take the leveling system on the 08 any day over the 10 with auto level.

[porthole]

We owned a 2007.5 basically an early 08. I would take the leveling system on the 08 any day over the 10 with auto level.

OP didn’t say if the 08 had leveling.

But, either way anything with cracked caps that old would be off my list.

And the “like new” 2010 could be anything but like new.

[Narnia]

Just my opinion, but if you’re thinking about resale before you buy you are looking in the wrong direction.

If nothing else, hydraulic leveling, even with a smaller fridge. We RV’d for 13 years with an 8.cuft fridge.

What do yo mean by I am looking in the wrong direction in terms of resale? Would you please explain?

[Narnia]

We owned a 2007.5 basically an early 08. I would take the leveling system on the 08 any day over the 10 with auto level.

Really? You would take the manual leveling system over the auto-leveling on the 10?

[Cummins12V98]

YUP! VERY simple to level side to side with a couple boards. Raise to slightly above level with front jacks than use rears to bring to level so there is a bit of tension for stability.

Take that system any day for it's simplicity and dependability.

Get the RV so it's level and stick these on and use later for adjustment.

https://i.imgur.com/Q04VZNJl.jpg

[MTK46]

Cummins
If the 2010 he's looking at is like my 2011 the auto-leveling isn't like the new ones.
Mine has a hand held monitor that shows how much off level it is. You then hit the front jacks or door side or off door side lever to level.

By the way I also installed bubble levels on mine. ;)

[Narnia]

We have seen both of them now. The 2008 was a shambles! It had been damaged pretty badly on the back bottom.

Interior: the side panel on the rear of the coach was rotten.

2010: Beautiful, but had a musty odor which led to the floor having been wet in the same area as the 2008, so when we lifted up a computer hutch, it was moldy on the bottom. Seller said he would do mold remediation and find the source of water intrusion.

[MTK46]

I would pass on both!

[Notanlines]

I also would pass on both. We want nothing with water leak problems and certainly no mold problems.

[Narnia]

We have definitely walked away from the 2008!! That was a no-brainer!!

This problem seems to be common with the MS. I has posed this question and one person replied with how they fixed theirs.

[Notanlines]

Narnia, think about what you just wrote, that you found a twelve year old and ten year old RV, same brand that water damage under a window. And you suspect it was a design flaw....
I'm not sure that you will find an RV that you would be satisfied with. Honestly, these things (all brands) take ALOT of maintenance. Water leaks abound on RV's that are towed thousands of miles over less than stellar highways. All brands are going to have a leak now and then.

[stanleyz]

Cummins
If the 2010 he's looking at is like my 2011 the auto-leveling isn't like the new ones.
Mine has a hand held monitor that shows how much off level it is. You then hit the front jacks or door side or off door side lever to level.

By the way I also installed bubble levels on mine. ;)

Narnia, think about what you just wrote, that you found a twelve year old and ten year old RV, same brand that water damage under a window. And you suspect it was a design flaw....
I'm not sure that you will find an RV that you would be satisfied with. Honestly, these things (all brands) take ALOT of maintenance. Water leaks abound on RV's that are towed thousands of miles over less than stellar highways. All brands are going to have a leak now and then.

I want to second that. To have a 5th wheel you must either be a handy man that understands them or have a big fat wallet. As to the OP. you are looking at the wrong stuff. Never mind the fridge, how are the axles, brakes springs alignment? Thats the stuff that counts. If you want a good used 5er find one from a private owner who can show you a big fat folder of receipts for the stuff he has repaired or had repaired. I wouldn't touch the one sitting on the lot for six months with a cracked rear cap. And I know where to look for the leaks and repair the damage but unless its sitting in a desert somewhere there is likely a lot of water damage. As to resale you must buy wholesale (what do you think the one with the craxcked cap will bring at auction) and sell retail. Good luck with that. Hope this helps.

[elliott-maine]

If you have mold, you probably have rot somewhere in there which is keeping wood wet. Mold remediation, done properly, is quite expensive. Just wiping it down with bleach doesn't do it. You need to remove the source of it. Ask to see a copy of the plan and estimate for the mold remediation. You need to be sure that it will be done by a remediation specialist to be sure it is done properly. I'd be interested to hear how the seller responds to this. If there is mold on the bottom of the computer hutch, the plywood under the carpet is most likely wet.



Personally, I would pass on both of them.

[Hanr3]

I'm not familiar with the models you listed, however for $25,000 to $30,000 you can buy brand new. And if you buy in the off season you can knock 25-30% of the list price.

[stanleyz]

I'm not familiar with the models you listed, however for $25,000 to $30,000 you can buy brand new. And if you buy in the off season you can knock 25-30% of the list price.

Hanr3 buy a new what? This is a Mobile Suites forum. In the off season you can get a new one for 90.000 dollars, maybe

[Notanlines]

Tim, a 231RK can be had like that, but these are heavy, full-timer serious weight RV's. Most of these are in the 90K to 125K new (yes, that IS with the 25% off).

On edit: Sorry Stan, I didn't see your post when I put this up.

[JonnyRidinDirty]

I would focus more on quality not quantity (price). So if you need to do a lot of repairs that means (bad quality) whatever you will spend less on in the future would be the better option

[Narnia]

We decided to put it on hold for now. We came up with a way to build a temporary kitchen in our house so that we are no longer pressed to find something to live in while remodeling. It's been too much pressure to try to find something quickly. We will resume our search when we have finished our house, in a more leisurely manner.

Thanks, everyone, for your help!!

[wingnut60]

Be much simpler that way, but don't forget to look into the RV lifestyle after the new home is complete. You might want to opt for elec/sewer/water to be stubbed out in case you want to build an RV pad later. Much cheaper when building then after the fact...

[Narnia]

Be much simpler that way, but don't forget to look into the RV lifestyle after the new home is complete. You might want to opt for elec/sewer/water to be stubbed out in case you want to build an RV pad later. Much cheaper when building then after the fact...

Yes, thank you!