what constitutes "low mileage" on an RV?
RubyDesert
I've been told that the average car driver puts 12,000 miles on their car per
year, so a car with fewer than 12k miles per year in use would be considered
"low mileage." What's the average miles per year for an RV? Does it vary by
type? (in which case, what about 24' Class Cs?) Is there a good "formula" for
determining if an RV has what would be considered "low mileage"? Thanks!
David Merchant
My insurance agent told me that class A's average about 3000 miles per
year.
David M.
George Lowry
The 2-3,000 mile/year figure is about average because most people only
use them for about two weeks out of the year. However, one of the
worst things you can do to a piece of machinery is to let it sit. A
low mileage MH may be a bunch of problems waiting to happen. Plan on
replacing almost anything that has rubber connected with it; Hoses,
belts, ignition wires, and of course tires.
George
wi...@epix.net
In Article<34b5b3cb....@news.ns.net>, <ww...@ns.net>
writes:
> . . one of the worst things you can do to a piece of
>machinery is to let it sit. A low mileage MH may be a bunch of
>problems waiting to happen. Plan on replacing almost anything
>that has rubber connected with it; Hoses, belts, ignition
>wires, and of course tires.
As usual, George is correct. A word to the wise frugal buyer:
complain all you want about the "high mileage" when bargaining
for a used coach, but go for the one that has been used AND (of
course) maintained. (We are not full-time travelers but put
12,000 miles on last year and hope to do the same this year.)
This is one of those times where the "practically new"
10-year-old coach may be far less of a bargain than one of
the same age with 90,000 miles and some visible wear on the
furnishings.
Will KD3XR
RRR918
In believe the 6-7,000 miles per year is more accurate for average motor home
use than 3,000.
The pricing guides are set up on these numbers and my experience has been that
it is accurate on this account.
If 3,000 miles per year was accurate then the dealers lots wouild be full of 7
year old coaches with 21,000 miles. While it is not unheard of to find those
coaches it is unusual.
Regards
Rick
By the way, I agree that sometimes extremely low miles can sometimes be as much
of a problem as too many miles.
Will Rosenberry
Will is correct, but a GOOD machanic should be able to look over the
"low mileage" unit and give you a good assessment of how much $$
rotted rubber there is. The problem is finding a machanic that will
spent the time. I feel that a motor with low miles is not as close to
a $rebuild$ as a high mileage one. If you consider that most motor
homes have a 4:10 ratio in the rear that motor is running 2800 ? rpm
going down the highway which should shorten the life expectancy from
the same motor is a car.
Will Rosenberry
wi...@epix.net
In Article<34b945f7...@news.chesco.com>,
<rosen...@chesco.nospam.com> writes in part:
> I feel that a motor with low miles is not as close to
> a $rebuild$ as a high mileage one. If you consider that most
> motor homes have a 4:10 ratio in the rear that motor is
> running 2800 ? rpm going down the highway which should shorten
> the life expectancy from the same motor is a car.
Yes, that's also correct. Motorhome miles tend to be "hard
miles" compared to cars and that should be taken into account.
Still, if a coach is otherwise decent and there is adequate
evidence of proper maintenance, I've always found the rigs that
have been in regular use to be more troublefree than the "like
new" 15-year-old rig that has been to FL & back three times and
otherwise just sat around getting old! Rebuilt engines and
transmissions can be had at fairly decent prices, and if you buy
right (regardless of mileage) you can afford to fix what breaks.
Will KD3XR
Michael Evenmo
Would seem silly to me to purchase an RV if I were only to use it for two
weeks a year. Economically, if two weeks a year were all that I wanted to
RV, then driving my car to the destination (lower fuel costs) and then
renting an RV would make more sense. A hell of a lot more sense.
I just purchased my RV last April and used it all summer, traveling from
coast to coast, and then another trip down to Florida during the Christmas
and New Years holiday. So, not having had mind for even a full year yet, I
have put 15,000 miles on mine already. And to me that seems rather
conservative, because there are a heck of a lot more places I plan to yet
visit during the next summer.
Anyhow, I can't imagine someone actually going through the work and expense
of purchasing, maintaining, and operating an RV and then not using it for no
more than a couple of weeks a year. Even when I am tethered to my home area
and can't take a few weeks or more to get away, I still make short weekend
camping trips every other weekend or so. That is what I bought it for, and
that is what I use it for. I've always like to "get away" for a while, or
for even a weekend. The logic behind getting an RV, at least to me, was
simple and logical. Since I liked to take frequent trips, yet hated to keep
packing and unpacking, and couldn't always take all of "my stuff" with me,
the RV solution was perfect. I've always got clothing in there, there's
always food and other supplies in the cupboards, the tanks always full of
gas, and it's always ready to hit the road at a moments notice.
Why on earth would someone spend all that money on an RV, and yes - all that
time maintaining it, just for something to keep parked in their driveway
except for two weeks a year is beyond comprehension - unless of course they
rent it during the remaining 50 weeks a year - in which case it makes
perfect economical sense.
George Lowry wrote in message <34b5b3cb....@news.ns.net>...
>The 2-3,000 mile/year figure is about average because most people only
>use them for about two weeks out of the year. However, one of the
>worst things you can do to a piece of machinery is to let it sit. A
>low mileage MH may be a bunch of problems waiting to happen. Plan on
>replacing almost anything that has rubber connected with it; Hoses,
>belts, ignition wires, and of course tires.
>
Dale Blankenship
Roughly, bluebook tables deduct $$$ from retail selling price for
greater than 6000/yr, and add $$$ to selling price for less than
6000/yr.
Dale
Mike N.
Will Rosenberry wrote:
> On Fri, 09 Jan 98 09:29:12 edt, wi...@epix.net wrote:
>
> >
> >In Article<34b5b3cb....@news.ns.net>, <ww...@ns.net>
> >writes:
> >
> >> . . one of the worst things you can do to a piece of
> >>machinery is to let it sit. A low mileage MH may be a bunch of
> >>problems waiting to happen. Plan on replacing almost anything
> >>that has rubber connected with it; Hoses, belts, ignition
> >>wires, and of course tires.
> >
> >As usual, George is correct. A word to the wise frugal buyer:
> >complain all you want about the "high mileage" when bargaining
> >for a used coach, but go for the one that has been used AND (of
> >course) maintained. (We are not full-time travelers but put
> >12,000 miles on last year and hope to do the same this year.)
> >
> >This is one of those times where the "practically new"
> >10-year-old coach may be far less of a bargain than one of
> >the same age with 90,000 miles and some visible wear on the
> >furnishings.
> >
> >Will KD3XR
> Will is correct, but a GOOD machanic should be able to look over the
> "low mileage" unit and give you a good assessment of how much $$
> rotted rubber there is. The problem is finding a machanic that will
> spent the time. I feel that a motor with low miles is not as close to
> a $rebuild$ as a high mileage one. If you consider that most motor
> homes have a 4:10 ratio in the rear that motor is running 2800 ? rpm
> going down the highway which should shorten the life expectancy from
> the same motor is a car.
> Will Rosenberry
You're all correct, and there is more than just the rotted rubber:
Bearings can be deformed if not moved.
Grease, oil, etc can drip off, washed out by water, etc.
Especially corrosion of brake cylinders (pistons can freeze to cylinder,
etc.)
Power brake booster diaphrams harden / break
Condensation can cause rust corrision in lots of places -- especially
electrical connectors.
Water-damage inside panels, etc that hasn't been noticed because it wasn't
driven.
Water pump, alternator, starter bearings fail.
Wheel bearings, Ujoints, Seals on most anything, water faucets, .......
A lot of stuff isn't obvious--the RV will work fine for a couple of weeks
or maybe a month--than many of the above problems may be encountered.
I tend to buy old motorhomes, because they all break and I don't trust
most mechanics--if I have to do my own work I might as well get an older
unit. In general, I would trust a motorhome with 90K miles that has been
used frequently long before I would a 40K or one with a rebuilt engine
that has been sitting for 5 or more years.
Mike N.
Josey Wales
RV mileage doesn't count for anything unless you are an insurance agent
or salesman. How well the vehicle was cared for is what matters. Have an
INDEPENDENT! mechanic look the RV over for any signs of wear and tear.
If possible, I recommend having an oil analysis done on all major
drivetrain components before purchase. This will give an excellent
indication of potential internal problems with them for less than $100.
An investent as large as that for an RV calls for shelling out a few
bucks ahead of time to help ensure no major problems down the road.
4,000 miles per year is about average.
Dan Gall
Bill
It's easy to put on that kind of mileage and still take time to smell the
roses as it were.
For instance, to visit my folks (in Ontario Canada) I generally find that
I put on about 3,000 to 6,000 miles (depending upon where I am at the time) on
the round trip.
And, since I am a fulltimer, if I decide to visit Custers Battlefield
(Batle of the LIttle Big Horn) and I find myself in Florida, that makes
another chunk of hefty mileage.
On most trips I DO try to plan ahead and stop enroute to see some of the
sites inbetween, even then I find that I could retrace the route easily (or
visit some regions) several dozen times before I have seen it all. Sometimes,
depending on your interests, you just HAVE to be in a specific location to
catch that historical reenactment or that special concert or celebration. You
simply cant't give all the intervening miles the attention they so richly deserve.
It would be nice to be able to take it all at your liesure and get there
when you get there, but sometimes you just HAVE to catch the 25th anniversary
of the whatchamacallit festival or find yourself north of the Mason/Dixie line
when the snow begins to fly. Or find yourself with only 3 months visiting the
battlefields of Virginia and you promised to attend the 3rd biannual RVers
Rving Roundup Rodeo in sunshine California in two weeks.
For me, 6000 miles would mean a quiet year with no visits to family or
special events. 12,000 to 20,000 miles would mean I simply took on too much
for the time period (or I went to Alaska and back)
Dan
Bill Snell wrote:
>
> "Michael Evenmo" <mev...@isd.net> wrote:
>
> snip
> >I just purchased my RV last April and used it all summer, traveling from
> >coast to coast, and then another trip down to Florida during the Christmas
> >and New Years holiday. So, not having had mind for even a full year yet, I
> >have put 15,000 miles on mine already. And to me that seems rather
> >conservative, because there are a heck of a lot more places I plan to yet
> >visit during the next summer.
> >
> >
> snip again.
>
> How can you put that many miles on in that length of time and have
> stopped in any one place long enough to see anything?
>
> --
> Bill & Jo Snell
> SKP Lifetime #39003 FMCA F209981
> Boondocking at Hi Jolly, Quartzsite, AZ
> N33 42.39 W114 12.912
> -- Support bacteria -they're the only culture some
> people have --
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Larry
What! 2,000mi. a year, no way! I am a poor working stiff and that
seems very conservative, I must say. I have visited the kids In Denver
once, went to Yellowstone once and just have done around the state of
Washington 6 yrs on a new 92 and have about 29,000 mi. and I feel like
I have been very conservative.>
>--WebTV-Mail-734782352-2076
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>
>in spite of all the full timers, the average mileage for an rv is only
>2,000 miles per year according to my insurance company.
>and the liability insurance is only a third of what it is on my auto.
>
>--WebTV-Mail-734782352-2076
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