Purchasing Our First RV

[Stingingfork]

We've been looking on ebay, craiglists as well as local dealers to purchase our first ever RV. Tomorrow we have an appointment to go look at a 2006 Surveyor SV264 that is advertised as being used only 2 to 3 times a year and being stored under roof when not in use. The pics look very good for a six year old trailer but I'm concerned about what I should be looking for when I do the inspection tomorrow. Also how long is the normal life expectancy going to be on the appliances, i.e. the stove, frig, ac, waterheater, furnace, etc.. He stated that he has always caulked the roof as needed each year and has never had a leak and that the tires are original Goodyear's but they still have plenty of tread left with no apparent cracking of the rubber yet. His asking price is around $10,000 but he says that is negoitable. Any ideas from experienced RV'ers would be helpful. One dealer told me that no matter the looks of the tires they should still be replaced every five years. The current owner also mentioned that his daughters frequently would sleep on the sofa bed with the slide retracted (in the closed position) but from what I've seen on other sites they say never to exert any weight on a slide when it is closed due to something about messing with the tracks. Just for my info does the underbelly come sealed on the Surveyor to allow for winter camping? Please any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Terier]

With any unit, new or used, look for signs of water anywhere and everywhere. There's more to condition of tires than just age. Be sure to take a good look around on the roof to check things out.

The reason I'm not providing much details because I'm not really technical strong. I do recommend doing some reading here as there are lots of great threads on the topics you have asked about.

Good luck!

[Triguy]

Tires: The tires must be replaced. Trailer tires should be replaced before 5 years of years of service regardless of tread depth or tire appearance.

Underbelly - I do not know if his is enclosed or not but the later models are enclosed.

Appliances: This is really hard to tell. I don't think there is a specific range because it has a lot to do with how is was used and maintained. Especially the fridge - for instance, running the fridge is an unlevel position will causes it to fail prematurely.

The most important thing to check on any camper - new or used - will be the seals on the roof and sides. Check everything.

Climb up onto the roof and inspect every inch of seam, gasket, and any other placed that the roof material has been cut or holes drilled. Check closely around A/C, vents, antennas, sewer vent, and side seams. Make sure the caulk looks good and that its not cracked a dried.

Inspect for siding issues such as delamination, color variation, dents or irregularities. Also inspect the inside walls and ceiling for any discoloration or bubbling that could indicate water intrusion. Feel around for soft spots.

With the slide, the best you can do is operate it a few times on both shore power (AC) and battery (DC). Listen for signs of unusual rubbing or if its struggling (It is normal for some slides to more harder for the first few inches from their fully retracted position or fully extended position. That is somewhat normal, but the rest ought to be smooth with no shuddering). Check the floor to make sure it hasn't rubbed a hole into the carpet or linoleum that could indicate it needs to be adjusted. Check the seals and note any gaps on the top, bottom, or sides where water can enter.

I would also ask how old the battery is. That might need to be replaced.

That's just the basics and you would do best to get a PDI checklist. Here are the results from a quick search for those.

Good luck and have fun today. Hope this post isn't too late.

[Stingingfork]

I went ahead and purchased the 2006 Surveyor this morning. I've looked around the past week or so and haven't seen a used one in or around this year model that looked this well kept and shows almost no signs of use except for some dullness on the linoleum. The tires although still with plenty of tread I know have to be replaced. He's had it under roof since he purchased it when not in use and there is no apparent drying or external damage to the rubber that can be seen but I was told by a dealer whether I bought one from him or not that the rubber should be replaced every five to six years. I've been looking online and I found the same brand that's currently on it which were the Goodyear Marathon Radials and also found the Carlisle Radial Trail RH which Treaddepot stated was a new tire for Carlisle which surpassed the previous model. Does anyone have any comments concerning which one would be the best to choose? Also I noticed that when I was looking on the roof I didn't see any cracked sealant around the openings but at the top of the ladder where it rolled into the roof and was bolted on had some very minor fractures in the sealant when I shifted my weight on the ladder treads as I was climbing down. Should I try to scrape off as much of the old sealant as possible and then use some Dicor self leveling caulk to cover it back up or would you use something else since this appears to be due to my weight placed on the ladder? When I do have to remove old sealant what tool is normally used to scrape it off with?

[Triguy]

Congrats!! Sounds like you've got yourself a nice trailer.

I can't help much with the tires, but the caulk can be left on there as long as its not silicone. Assuming its Dicor, than clean it a bit and caulk over it. Dicor LAP Self-leveling for the roof and non-leveling for the sides.

[nvrsaynvr]

My Husband has been selling tires for like 25 years. I call him the Guru of tires... I will ask him about the tires.

[nvrsaynvr]

Response: Goodyear is now made in China. Carlisle - no good. He said go with Maxxis tires. Trust me, he knows his tires and I take his word for gold when it comes to tires. He has been in the industry for 25+ years. He goes to many training seminars all over the USA constantly, for all the different tire manufactures, goes to driving schools/seminars regularly. He is always chosen out of thousands of people to test drive all the new tires every year for the different manufactures. Then they put him through classes that teach him about the different brands, etc. We have Maxxis tires on our older trailer and our brand new one. We have a brand new trailer and he took what came with it off and switched to Maxxis tires. Hope this helps!!