Buying an old Class C as a Spare Room: What am I Missing? (trailer, motor)

[wac_432]

After a year or so of planning, reading, inspecting, and considering, I'm on the cusp (1 to 4 months) of buying an old class-C. This evolved from a plan to buy a trailer, when I determined that class-C's cost pretty much the same, and will be easier to move and park, with the drawback that it will need to be smogged while maintenence and registration will cost more.

What:

A Dolphin, 22' Mallard, 20'-something Winnebago or similar. 1970's-1990's era. Around $4K price point.

Why:

I'm intending to use it as:
- A spare room / temporary short-term living space in my RV parking while my house is renovated. Meaning, I'll occupy it off-and-on during the dustiest and most disruptive months of the construction project.
- A place for me to live during the high season when my house is being AirBnB'd for several hundred per night (vacation spot).
- An occasional crash pad for visitors and AirBnB'ers during the low season. I will rent it out on-site and--if it is mechanically sound enough--limp down to free beach parking or nearby RV parks--upon request (for an extra fee). This would be on the order of 5 days per month.
I do not intend to do any "real RV'ing" myself. Maybe a night at the beach every few months. Won't be driving it more than 20 miles. No mountains. Very little freeway. Won't be boondocking for more than 2 nights at a time.

Where:

- It will be parked behind an 8' privacy fence in a space on the side of my house. I'll hook it up to shore water, power, and sewage cleanout in the rear of the house.
- Parked on dry, well-drained brick/concrete with stabilizers down. Chemical barrier for bugs (mostly black ants and earwigs) around the wheels and stabilizers.
- Desert environment for 9 months of the year. No freezing. 3 months of rainy season. I am going to put a portable garage (tent) over it. I will do what I can to re-seal the roof and windows upon purchase, but probably never again as I intend that rain never touch it.
- City/county codes allows for the level of occupancy I intend, as well as home hook-ups.

How:

- Buying local from private owners.
- Mechanicals inspection by a mechanic I know and trust.
- Everything else inspected and test-driven by yours truly, an RVing noob.

So, who's got an old Class-C? Better yet, who's bought an old Class-C from craigslist/for-sale sign, or similar? What major issue am I missing that's going to bite me in the ass? Thanks in advance and reps to all who chime in.

[sam812]

I am no help, just want to say good luck and it sounds like you have done some great research on what you want.

[heySkippy]

Sounds like it'll work for you. Having an RV hooked to sewer isn't as simple as the bathroom in your house. You'll still need to flush the black tank periodically. As for a Class C versus a trailer, you'll have more room in a trailer of the same length. If it was me and I didn't plan to move it, I'd go for a trailer or 5th wheel.

We've got our 5th wheel hooked up to electric/water/sewer beside our house. We aren't renting the house or the RV (although we've talked about it) but we do use the RV as a guest apartment when we have enough company.

[StealthRabbit]

Zoning / neighbors / HOA / Code enforcement are the worst problem, but sounds like you have covered that.

Rubber, sitting in heat / cold cycles.

1. Tires... 6 of them @ $150 each every 7 yrs even if they have GREAT tread!, they will crack / split and blow-out when you are the furthest from home and on a hot busy highway.
2. Hoses... Especially engine / vacuum (one of many reason I prefer Diesels) Ethanol does not like to sit either. (use non-ethanol fuel)
3. Wipers
4. Seals and bearings... (Engine and Chassis) Needs to MOVE occasionally, / consider jacking up to remove weight
5. Skirting... (keep weather and varmints away from Plumbing and wiring)
6. Registration... (We have a healthy GVW tax that includes scale weight of any vehicle.) We no longer need emission test, when we did... my eligible vehicles all lived at 'boarding-school' (nearby rental in different emission zone / no test) Maybe you should have your MT LLC ($80) own and register and insure the RV (No sales tax + Permanent plates available if over 10 yrs, no emission or safety checks required). Rules apply, heed the rules to stay legal.
7. Maintenance... ugh, one more engine to keep running and serviced

Do see if you can get a kit / modification for direct toilet flush, rather than black water tank while rig is parked. Tanks need certain volume of water to flush well, would be a hassle if parked FT (tho many do it). (You can get a spray kit for that as well).

Big plus for your plan... extra space with NO additional property tax on your home! Keep it 'mobile'.

Enjoy the journey and all the adventure it brings.

[Hemlock140]

My parents did this with a 5th wheel after they got too old to use it for camping. They also built a "carport" over it so as to not worry about roof maintenance, which is a big issue with older RVs of all type. With all family being in other cities/states it was a great guest house, used several times a year. One tip is to not leave the waste tanks open to the sewer, wait until at least 2/3 full, or at least after being used a few days, then drain and flush. Otherwise the hose will build up hard deposits inside. Check the tires for age before moving it, they can blow out if too old and brittle.

[ClubMike]

Originally Posted by wac_432

After a year or so of planning, reading, inspecting, and considering, I'm on the cusp (1 to 4 months) of buying an old class-C. This evolved from a plan to buy a trailer, when I determined that class-C's cost pretty much the same, and will be easier to move and park, with the drawback that it will need to be smogged while maintenence and registration will cost more.

What:

A Dolphin, 22' Mallard, 20'-something Winnebago or similar. 1970's-1990's era. Around $4K price point.

Why:

I'm intending to use it as:
- A spare room / temporary short-term living space in my RV parking while my house is renovated. Meaning, I'll occupy it off-and-on during the dustiest and most disruptive months of the construction project.
- A place for me to live during the high season when my house is being AirBnB'd for several hundred per night (vacation spot).
- An occasional crash pad for visitors and AirBnB'ers during the low season. I will rent it out on-site and--if it is mechanically sound enough--limp down to free beach parking or nearby RV parks--upon request (for an extra fee). This would be on the order of 5 days per month.
I do not intend to do any "real RV'ing" myself. Maybe a night at the beach every few months. Won't be driving it more than 20 miles. No mountains. Very little freeway. Won't be boondocking for more than 2 nights at a time.

Where:

- It will be parked behind an 8' privacy fence in a space on the side of my house. I'll hook it up to shore water, power, and sewage cleanout in the rear of the house.
- Parked on dry, well-drained brick/concrete with stabilizers down. Chemical barrier for bugs (mostly black ants and earwigs) around the wheels and stabilizers.
- Desert environment for 9 months of the year. No freezing. 3 months of rainy season. I am going to put a portable garage (tent) over it. I will do what I can to re-seal the roof and windows upon purchase, but probably never again as I intend that rain never touch it.
- City/county codes allows for the level of occupancy I intend, as well as home hook-ups.

How:

- Buying local from private owners.
- Mechanicals inspection by a mechanic I know and trust.
- Everything else inspected and test-driven by yours truly, an RVing noob.

So, who's got an old Class-C? Better yet, who's bought an old Class-C from craigslist/for-sale sign, or similar? What major issue am I missing that's going to bite me in the ass? Thanks in advance and reps to all who chime in.

I bet you are an INTJ. Good job planning I think you covered most if not all the bases.

[wac_432]

Thanks for the advice!
I didn't really consider the tires. Good to get a timeline of when I can expect them to fail. Of course they'll have great tread, since I'll rarely drive it. Can I make them last longer with tire covers or skirting?

The Ethanol tip is great. Since I'll rarely fill the tank, I'll have to find some non-ethanol fuel. I'm pretty sure it's going to be gas, and I may have to really search to find a place that has no ethanol added.

I am planning to jack it up for comfort and to take off Weight On Wheels, after realizing that very few old class-C's have stabilizers. I'll look into skirting.

I didn't even think of looking into registering it under my LLC to see if I can get a advantageous tax and registration situation. Thanks a bunch!!

Maintaining the engine is going to be an extra expense, but I think (hope) that it's worth it for the ease of parking and not having to spend an extra few thousand on a tow vehicle. I am planning on replacing my ancient hatchback with a 7-seater, but I want to get a smaller one with a more efficient engine, but no towing capability.

And, finally, thanks for the reminder about filling the blackwater tank before flushing (and then rinsing with grey). I do plan on getting a dedicated spray wand to clean the black tank. I might do a conversion, but then I wouldn't be able to boondock, so I'll probably stick with the RV/marine toilet.

[engineman]

Cars, trucks, and other motor vehicles will deteriorate just sitting around. A trailer has fewer things to go wrong, no engine, transmission, etc.

[Hawk J]

We bought our 1978 American Clipper C Motor Home in 1989. We have since done a lot of fishing/camping/exploring with her. She has always been very dependable. We lived in AC for 2 years, fishing having a great time, then moving on to another beautiful spot in the PNW. We have many wonderful memories...




Classified SOLD Page


She has dash & roof top A/C. Has a Generac 4k generator.
When your motor home is parked, start her up at least once a month. Run the motor home up to operating temperature & run the generator about 20 minutes or so.(while motor home engine is shut off, run generator... Put a load on gen by running rooftop A/C about 10 minutes. Turn off A/C, Let generator cool down about 10 minutes. Shutdown gen). Take motor home for a drive once in a while.
Best of Luck & Wonderful Times, to you...

[RMD3819]

I am not sure how attractive a class C from that era would be as a rental.