Thanks Tom. We had looks of disbelief every day for the three years we were in it. We couldn’t believe fate would throw so many expensive problems at us to fix.
It’s all true and then some. To write about all of it would have taken twice as much space.
Oh my CJ what a nightmare. We also bought a RV from a one owner. It was an older one. Also had low mileage was diesel. Everything my husband wanted. I searched and found 300 and ended up looking at 13. We traveled in it to mainly Mesa, Arizona and Mexico for eight winters. We ended up calling it the money pit we didn't have anywhere near the struggles and hardships you and Robert went through. We did have an awning start to come down while we were traveling on the freeway.
We had leaks in the kitchen. Fortunately, my husband was able to take care of. We ended up taking the carpet up and putting in luxury linoleum ourselves. We put in a speaker system, some new furniture and a few other things . Once when leaving Mexico entering the United States, the steps would not go back up after we put them down for the border patrol that was fun, not. Another time the double front window of the motorhome got a crack in it, which ended up costing a fortune since both windows had to be repaired . Since we did not have a place to keep it, we put in a large cement pad on the side of our house for it. Therefore, every summer, my husband had to wax it, the roof and the entire motorhome. One time a few weeks before we were leaving Mesa to go to Mexico. Our slide out would not go in , another big bill for that.
The last trip we took on our way home from traveling while we were in Las Vegas. The motorhome started to leak pretty bad again. That's when we had to talk about selling it. We were very lucky and were able to sell it for exactly what we paid for it within five minutes of putting it online. That may sound like it was a good deal, but all in all we ended up putting almost that amount of money back into it in the eight years that we had it. But that did include our traveling and where we stayed.
Any repairs that were needed were done when we got back.
I’m sorry you had such an experience, too. I completely understand! We met a lot of people while the motorhome was being repaired and we were in service station waiting rooms. In all those chance meetings with other owners, I can safely say we only met one couple that was happy and enjoying their motorhome. That’s sad. Maybe they had deep deep pockets …?
Several people suggested it may have been a Quality Control issue —the manufacturers don’t have a Quality Control Department. Others suggested the workers just cut corners on assembly lines. Still others said workers in those plants partied a lot and would go into work still plastered.
“Look at this. I have all these parts and screws left over and the motorhome went on down the conveyor belt already. Oh well, I’ll toss them in the trash. No one will know. Hee hee.”
I used to work for an RV manufacturer. The industry is chock full of very nice, conscientious, and talented craftspeople. It is equally full of pirates, thieves, and charlatans. I personally would never own one of these things. I spent enough time in demos to know that something always goes wrong and this always happens at the least convenient time imaginable. I'm truly sorry for your sad experience, and happy to hear that things have returned to sort of normal for you. Hopefully, your cautionary tale will dissuade some other hapless couples from ruining their retirement. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for sharing your inner stories about the RV industry. All I can say in answer to it is, “I’m so glad it’s all behind us!” It was a miserable experience, but it was a valuable learning experience, too.
Thank you for your well wishes for normality … I appreciate that.
This is a real life nightmare which I can fully appreciate, although we are nowhere near as bad off as you were. As seniors life can be so uncertain. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Praise God for friends and Go Fund Me! How were your kids through this? Supportive? Helpful? Understanding? We have considered this recently. We bought a 32' trailer in 2021 to stay in while we built our last home an hour away from where we were living. I should have known. I have an allergy to musty places. The floor in the master bedroom was soft and the owner said it was from the water heater leaking. They are all liars. It ended up sitting in our laneway for months as we had to have the septic bed installed at our new property and the camper blackwater tank tied into it as well as a permit and $2,000 deposit to park it there. We had no hydro service until just before we moved in ,so nowhere to plug it into. Our house was unfinished at move-in time. It was 2021. We were in the middle of a building boom and everything was scarce or booked up. Because we were still under lockdowns, I had to purchase everything online and sight unseen. My bathtub and appliances took nearly 6 months to arrive. We didn't stay in the camper after we moved in, but I used it to cook in. My daughter and grandkids stayed in it while visiting. The musty smell got worse. We decided to sell it. My husband ended up ripping out the entire master bedroom and some flooring in the back bunk area. The floor and walls in the bedroom were completely rotted out. After rebuilding it, installing new wallpaper and flooring and carpet, he had to reseal the roof and repair all the exterior weather stripping. We only spent around $2,000 though. I can't imagine what you spent. I washed everything in that camper with bleach, and vinegar--we used an ozone machine....nothing took away the smell until I bought these gel packs that absorb moisture and it finally smelled okay to sell. We got nearly what we paid for it. My husband was so upset. But he's been looking again. He wants to sell our house and travel. In June of 2024, he was diagnosed unexpectedly with stage 4 prostate cancer that had metastasized to his hip, spine and lungs. While he had surgery on his hip, I injured my knee. We were both unable to get around much for months. Meanwhile our income dropped to nothing. He got his seniors pension this year and last year, disability. It's a pittance! Just our taxes and insurance are over $10,000 a year. I'm not yet 65, but I have to go back to work. We could sell our home and downsize but prices have dropped. We sold the trailer and some other things but we did not expect this. His dad worked until he was nearly 80 doing small jobs and he expected to as well. Besides that, my youngest daughter of seven had been living rough as a fentanyl addict for neatly 3 years. She came home pregnant last January and has since gotten sober and had a healthy baby. I literally do not have time to work. She and the baby have several appointments a week as well as his. My other kids have been no help and some of them are actually not speaking to us. Addiction destroys families. My mother-in-law used to say...golden years! What's golden about them? But she was right. I know many seniors who are struggling to survive. They can't afford to stay in their home and it's very difficult to find affordable rental property. There are 3 retired couples in our small church living in mobile home parks. When I spent time on the street I met seniors nearly every week who were recently homeless and living in their cars or shelters. I pray that you have recovered and are comfortable in your new situation.
Oh Rosemary, your story breaks my heart. In some ways, your story is far worse than ours. There were so many contributing factors you were dealing with besides your trailer with the soft flooring —-all at the very same time. How you kept your checkers on the board took courage and a lot of love.
We had our life turned upside down by the motorhome and its host of problems, yes, but it was a 3-year fiasco and once it was gone, we had the GoFundMe to at least pull us out of the quicksand and keep us from being homeless.
We would have a long way to go to ever be back financially to where we were pre-motorhome, but on fixed incomes there’s no way. We’re just glad it’s behind us and we’re okay. We have each other —that never changed.
Please know I have you in my thoughts and my heart. I hope things all settle down for you. I’m here for you if you need someone to talk to.
Thank you, CJ. God has been good and has answered many prayers! I'm a trained seamstress so for now I'm going to start sewing again. I can work at home around my daughter's appointments and continue to focus on my writing. I was going to apply to university and earn a degree in social work which is now my passion but when I called to ask questions before I applied, all the college and university support staff had gone on strike and just went back to work a few days ago. So I considered that a closed door for now. University would interfere with my writing so likely a God thing as I believe this is what he has for me right now.
It sounds like you’re putting a lot of thought into what you will do. That’s good. It has to come from within where your answers can be found. You know I wish you the best.
damn, C.J. What a living nightmare. That you came out the other side with such a positive and uplifting attitude is commendable. Thank you for sharing.
Heidi, thank you for your kindness and support. Every day we got up in the morning and asked each other, “Well, what’s going to go wrong today?” The truth is, something always did go wrong.
Robert and I had a couple of mottos we hung onto and repeated while we were going through the ordeal:
“That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” (We must look like a couple of iron men then —all muscle, no brains)
“Nothing bad lasts forever.” That one proved to be true.
I am profoundly glad you wrote this. I’ve been thinking of going the motorhome/RV park route for some time. I’ve hesitated due to having a now geriatric-age companion animal. You’ve been given an amazing gift, really, which you didn’t want, but in reality which is really helping others avoid these kinds of situations.
Thank you so much! So sorry this all happened to you! But I am curious if the combo laundry appliance worked?
I am so sorry this happened to you. Thank you for sharing your experience. I have often thought it would be fun to buy an RV and travel in our dotage. My husband is not up for it though, which is maybe a good thing having read your ordeal.
Well, at least my post made you think twice. You may be okay if you take a mechanic with you and have him go over one you’re interested in with a magnifying glass.
I’m so sorry this happened to you !My husband and I vowed never to buy a diesel pusher ! Our son and his family visited us in a borrowed one and my husband and him spend almost the entire vacation fixing it ! They thought they had it fixed to drive the 1,000 miles home only to have it break down again three hours later. They ended up having it towed and spend the weekend at a familiar church family before able to travel home . It was an expensive trip !
Hello Grace. Your comment was cut off so I’m not sure where your answer was headed.
We wanted a diesel pusher because we intended to go out west where there are mountains as part of our motorhome experience. Sadly, we didn’t get to do that, but from what we read, you need the extra help from the diesel pusher to get up some of those mountain roads.
We’ll never know now.
Thank you for reading and for your partial comment.
My wife and I bought a new Class C last December. We've had so much trouble with it that it was in the shop for 7 months (we used it twice and took it back each time after using it as it still had issues). We were desperate and went to the actual Coachmen center twice and had it worked on… still has a few issues. We have it back now, but it'll go back for repairs at least one more time. You are absolutely correct. They knew what they were selling us and just wanted the money. We found out that it was ‘sort of a prototype’ for the new model. By now, probably most of the bugs are out of the newer ones…. of course after ours. 😕
The whole system needs to be regulated and the manufacturers made to comply with regulations. Build them better should be the new motto and across the board complied with. They shouldn’t allow anything off their lot unless it was in good condition.
The legal system, too, should be shaken till their teeth rattle for how they ignore buyers with problems. They should all be forced by law to stand behind buyers who were taken, lied to, and sold lemons.
Okay, I’m done ranting. I’m so sorry you were victims, too, CKaye.
I absolutely agree! And thank you. We're almost there to a fully working RV for our retirement. We're prepared for the regular maintenance, but having everything working properly is important, and, you know, expected when you buy new. 😉
I don't think I could've done it. I had a small RV for a couple of years, but the maintenance worries got to me and I sold it. I'm not cut out for worrying about big pieces of equipment.
My late husband and I lived and traveled for five years in an RV and loved every minute of it so not all experiences are bad. We started out slow (spending weeks or months at a time) and with a smaller RV. I loved it so much that after he died I continued to travel and work living in my RV.
Hello Wheeler. Thank you for your great comments —I’m so thrilled for you that RV-ing worked well for you and your husband. You are definitely in the minority —- it’s a treat hearing you continued after he died.
I wish you the very best and thank you again for your comments.
This was the most hilarious thing I have ever read. If you wrote this as a screenplay or collaborated with screenwriters, this would be the movie of the year.
Interesting. Well said, Miss Heck. Laughter is subconscious. My biggest laugh came at the hurricane. The best part was that you made it through. You're still beautiful, and you have a great site
Ahh yes, Hurricane Michael. That was a huge surprise. We spent an inordinate amount of time (a month) in repairs in Shreveport, but when we went back through Tallahassee, they were still cleaning up after it —trees down everywhere, roofs off of gas stations, signs down, etc., and we laughed about it, too … but from the standpoint of wishing we had gotten a motel and just left the motorhome out in the open somewhere to be destroyed by the hurricane. Then we could have just collected the insurance money for it and run. Now that’s funny!
My wife asked me why I had a look of disbelief on my face while reading this. I am glad your nightmare is over.
Thanks Tom. We had looks of disbelief every day for the three years we were in it. We couldn’t believe fate would throw so many expensive problems at us to fix.
It’s all true and then some. To write about all of it would have taken twice as much space.
Thank you for restacking this post, @Angie and @Kathleen Hobbs
Oh my CJ what a nightmare. We also bought a RV from a one owner. It was an older one. Also had low mileage was diesel. Everything my husband wanted. I searched and found 300 and ended up looking at 13. We traveled in it to mainly Mesa, Arizona and Mexico for eight winters. We ended up calling it the money pit we didn't have anywhere near the struggles and hardships you and Robert went through. We did have an awning start to come down while we were traveling on the freeway.
We had leaks in the kitchen. Fortunately, my husband was able to take care of. We ended up taking the carpet up and putting in luxury linoleum ourselves. We put in a speaker system, some new furniture and a few other things . Once when leaving Mexico entering the United States, the steps would not go back up after we put them down for the border patrol that was fun, not. Another time the double front window of the motorhome got a crack in it, which ended up costing a fortune since both windows had to be repaired . Since we did not have a place to keep it, we put in a large cement pad on the side of our house for it. Therefore, every summer, my husband had to wax it, the roof and the entire motorhome. One time a few weeks before we were leaving Mesa to go to Mexico. Our slide out would not go in , another big bill for that.
The last trip we took on our way home from traveling while we were in Las Vegas. The motorhome started to leak pretty bad again. That's when we had to talk about selling it. We were very lucky and were able to sell it for exactly what we paid for it within five minutes of putting it online. That may sound like it was a good deal, but all in all we ended up putting almost that amount of money back into it in the eight years that we had it. But that did include our traveling and where we stayed.
Any repairs that were needed were done when we got back.
I’m sorry you had such an experience, too. I completely understand! We met a lot of people while the motorhome was being repaired and we were in service station waiting rooms. In all those chance meetings with other owners, I can safely say we only met one couple that was happy and enjoying their motorhome. That’s sad. Maybe they had deep deep pockets …?
Several people suggested it may have been a Quality Control issue —the manufacturers don’t have a Quality Control Department. Others suggested the workers just cut corners on assembly lines. Still others said workers in those plants partied a lot and would go into work still plastered.
“Look at this. I have all these parts and screws left over and the motorhome went on down the conveyor belt already. Oh well, I’ll toss them in the trash. No one will know. Hee hee.”
CJ, your story along with another gentleman's inspired me to create this post... https://rvacrossamerica.net/predators-and-prey-in-the-rv-industry-a-powerful-rv-buyers-guide/
I used to work for an RV manufacturer. The industry is chock full of very nice, conscientious, and talented craftspeople. It is equally full of pirates, thieves, and charlatans. I personally would never own one of these things. I spent enough time in demos to know that something always goes wrong and this always happens at the least convenient time imaginable. I'm truly sorry for your sad experience, and happy to hear that things have returned to sort of normal for you. Hopefully, your cautionary tale will dissuade some other hapless couples from ruining their retirement. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for sharing your inner stories about the RV industry. All I can say in answer to it is, “I’m so glad it’s all behind us!” It was a miserable experience, but it was a valuable learning experience, too.
Thank you for your well wishes for normality … I appreciate that.
Thanks again, Jonah.
This is a real life nightmare which I can fully appreciate, although we are nowhere near as bad off as you were. As seniors life can be so uncertain. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Praise God for friends and Go Fund Me! How were your kids through this? Supportive? Helpful? Understanding? We have considered this recently. We bought a 32' trailer in 2021 to stay in while we built our last home an hour away from where we were living. I should have known. I have an allergy to musty places. The floor in the master bedroom was soft and the owner said it was from the water heater leaking. They are all liars. It ended up sitting in our laneway for months as we had to have the septic bed installed at our new property and the camper blackwater tank tied into it as well as a permit and $2,000 deposit to park it there. We had no hydro service until just before we moved in ,so nowhere to plug it into. Our house was unfinished at move-in time. It was 2021. We were in the middle of a building boom and everything was scarce or booked up. Because we were still under lockdowns, I had to purchase everything online and sight unseen. My bathtub and appliances took nearly 6 months to arrive. We didn't stay in the camper after we moved in, but I used it to cook in. My daughter and grandkids stayed in it while visiting. The musty smell got worse. We decided to sell it. My husband ended up ripping out the entire master bedroom and some flooring in the back bunk area. The floor and walls in the bedroom were completely rotted out. After rebuilding it, installing new wallpaper and flooring and carpet, he had to reseal the roof and repair all the exterior weather stripping. We only spent around $2,000 though. I can't imagine what you spent. I washed everything in that camper with bleach, and vinegar--we used an ozone machine....nothing took away the smell until I bought these gel packs that absorb moisture and it finally smelled okay to sell. We got nearly what we paid for it. My husband was so upset. But he's been looking again. He wants to sell our house and travel. In June of 2024, he was diagnosed unexpectedly with stage 4 prostate cancer that had metastasized to his hip, spine and lungs. While he had surgery on his hip, I injured my knee. We were both unable to get around much for months. Meanwhile our income dropped to nothing. He got his seniors pension this year and last year, disability. It's a pittance! Just our taxes and insurance are over $10,000 a year. I'm not yet 65, but I have to go back to work. We could sell our home and downsize but prices have dropped. We sold the trailer and some other things but we did not expect this. His dad worked until he was nearly 80 doing small jobs and he expected to as well. Besides that, my youngest daughter of seven had been living rough as a fentanyl addict for neatly 3 years. She came home pregnant last January and has since gotten sober and had a healthy baby. I literally do not have time to work. She and the baby have several appointments a week as well as his. My other kids have been no help and some of them are actually not speaking to us. Addiction destroys families. My mother-in-law used to say...golden years! What's golden about them? But she was right. I know many seniors who are struggling to survive. They can't afford to stay in their home and it's very difficult to find affordable rental property. There are 3 retired couples in our small church living in mobile home parks. When I spent time on the street I met seniors nearly every week who were recently homeless and living in their cars or shelters. I pray that you have recovered and are comfortable in your new situation.
Oh Rosemary, your story breaks my heart. In some ways, your story is far worse than ours. There were so many contributing factors you were dealing with besides your trailer with the soft flooring —-all at the very same time. How you kept your checkers on the board took courage and a lot of love.
We had our life turned upside down by the motorhome and its host of problems, yes, but it was a 3-year fiasco and once it was gone, we had the GoFundMe to at least pull us out of the quicksand and keep us from being homeless.
We would have a long way to go to ever be back financially to where we were pre-motorhome, but on fixed incomes there’s no way. We’re just glad it’s behind us and we’re okay. We have each other —that never changed.
Please know I have you in my thoughts and my heart. I hope things all settle down for you. I’m here for you if you need someone to talk to.
I wish you love and peace
Thank you, CJ. God has been good and has answered many prayers! I'm a trained seamstress so for now I'm going to start sewing again. I can work at home around my daughter's appointments and continue to focus on my writing. I was going to apply to university and earn a degree in social work which is now my passion but when I called to ask questions before I applied, all the college and university support staff had gone on strike and just went back to work a few days ago. So I considered that a closed door for now. University would interfere with my writing so likely a God thing as I believe this is what he has for me right now.
It sounds like you’re putting a lot of thought into what you will do. That’s good. It has to come from within where your answers can be found. You know I wish you the best.
Thank you.
damn, C.J. What a living nightmare. That you came out the other side with such a positive and uplifting attitude is commendable. Thank you for sharing.
Heidi, thank you for your kindness and support. Every day we got up in the morning and asked each other, “Well, what’s going to go wrong today?” The truth is, something always did go wrong.
Robert and I had a couple of mottos we hung onto and repeated while we were going through the ordeal:
“That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” (We must look like a couple of iron men then —all muscle, no brains)
“Nothing bad lasts forever.” That one proved to be true.
Thanks again, Heidi!
I am profoundly glad you wrote this. I’ve been thinking of going the motorhome/RV park route for some time. I’ve hesitated due to having a now geriatric-age companion animal. You’ve been given an amazing gift, really, which you didn’t want, but in reality which is really helping others avoid these kinds of situations.
Thank you so much! So sorry this all happened to you! But I am curious if the combo laundry appliance worked?
Hello Sparky. Thank you for your thoughtful comments. Oh, and the washer/dryer combo is about the only thing that we had no trouble with. (Laughing)
That’s a good thing. 😂
😂🤣 Yes, that was a welcomed treat. At least we had clean clothes! 😂🤣
Thank you, Sparky!
I am so sorry this happened to you. Thank you for sharing your experience. I have often thought it would be fun to buy an RV and travel in our dotage. My husband is not up for it though, which is maybe a good thing having read your ordeal.
Well, at least my post made you think twice. You may be okay if you take a mechanic with you and have him go over one you’re interested in with a magnifying glass.
I’m so sorry this happened to you !My husband and I vowed never to buy a diesel pusher ! Our son and his family visited us in a borrowed one and my husband and him spend almost the entire vacation fixing it ! They thought they had it fixed to drive the 1,000 miles home only to have it break down again three hours later. They ended up having it towed and spend the weekend at a familiar church family before able to travel home . It was an expensive trip !
Thank you for your kind comment about our experience.
I’m so sorry, Grace, I put an answer on the other comment you left that was only partially finished. I’ll leave another short one here.
I’m so sorry you had so much trouble with the diesel pusher your son borrowed. We found out first-hand that RV’s need a LOT of maintenance.
We’ll never own one again.
Hello Grace. Your comment was cut off so I’m not sure where your answer was headed.
We wanted a diesel pusher because we intended to go out west where there are mountains as part of our motorhome experience. Sadly, we didn’t get to do that, but from what we read, you need the extra help from the diesel pusher to get up some of those mountain roads.
We’ll never know now.
Thank you for reading and for your partial comment.
Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry!
My wife and I bought a new Class C last December. We've had so much trouble with it that it was in the shop for 7 months (we used it twice and took it back each time after using it as it still had issues). We were desperate and went to the actual Coachmen center twice and had it worked on… still has a few issues. We have it back now, but it'll go back for repairs at least one more time. You are absolutely correct. They knew what they were selling us and just wanted the money. We found out that it was ‘sort of a prototype’ for the new model. By now, probably most of the bugs are out of the newer ones…. of course after ours. 😕
The whole system needs to be regulated and the manufacturers made to comply with regulations. Build them better should be the new motto and across the board complied with. They shouldn’t allow anything off their lot unless it was in good condition.
The legal system, too, should be shaken till their teeth rattle for how they ignore buyers with problems. They should all be forced by law to stand behind buyers who were taken, lied to, and sold lemons.
Okay, I’m done ranting. I’m so sorry you were victims, too, CKaye.
I absolutely agree! And thank you. We're almost there to a fully working RV for our retirement. We're prepared for the regular maintenance, but having everything working properly is important, and, you know, expected when you buy new. 😉
CKaye, please know I wish you much happiness and I wish you no problems!
All the best to you.
Thank you! Love and light to you and yours as well!
Thank you, CKaye
Thank you for restacking this post, @Angie and @Susan Littlejohn
I don't think I could've done it. I had a small RV for a couple of years, but the maintenance worries got to me and I sold it. I'm not cut out for worrying about big pieces of equipment.
Thanks for writing this and best of luck to you.
Hello Jim. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Best wishes to you!
Would suggest a class B or class C, not an A for a 1st time buy.
Probably good advice, JW! Thank you.
My late husband and I lived and traveled for five years in an RV and loved every minute of it so not all experiences are bad. We started out slow (spending weeks or months at a time) and with a smaller RV. I loved it so much that after he died I continued to travel and work living in my RV.
Hello Wheeler. Thank you for your great comments —I’m so thrilled for you that RV-ing worked well for you and your husband. You are definitely in the minority —- it’s a treat hearing you continued after he died.
I wish you the very best and thank you again for your comments.
This was the most hilarious thing I have ever read. If you wrote this as a screenplay or collaborated with screenwriters, this would be the movie of the year.
Well, Gene, It’s interesting you found it hilarious. Chevy Chase or Dennis Quaid would have to star in it …
Interesting. Well said, Miss Heck. Laughter is subconscious. My biggest laugh came at the hurricane. The best part was that you made it through. You're still beautiful, and you have a great site
Ahh yes, Hurricane Michael. That was a huge surprise. We spent an inordinate amount of time (a month) in repairs in Shreveport, but when we went back through Tallahassee, they were still cleaning up after it —trees down everywhere, roofs off of gas stations, signs down, etc., and we laughed about it, too … but from the standpoint of wishing we had gotten a motel and just left the motorhome out in the open somewhere to be destroyed by the hurricane. Then we could have just collected the insurance money for it and run. Now that’s funny!