New to rv-advice (1 Viewer)

NIC S

Free Member
Mar 19, 2009
34
0
WESTON SUPER MARE
Funster No
5,973
MH
C CLASS
Exp
0
Hi never had one but i'm thinking of buying an rv,probably about 26' the over cab bed style,cant afford a great ammount so it would be an early ie 1985-1990 age.i know the fuel consumption will be bad but have seen a chevy 6200 diesel and would like some opions as to if there was any major problems with this engine unit and some idea of fuel consumption ,would a petrol with gas conversion be cheaper to run?,i know the water incress is probably the main thing to look for but any other points to watch out for.i presume panels are impossible to get but are running gear parts readily available.i originally thought of buying a talbot/fiat type but as i need to tow my boat they aparently are underpowered and you seem to get a better spec with more room and performance,any help greatly appreciated,
 

johng

Free Member
Aug 15, 2007
587
0
Kent/Sussex UK
Funster No
103
MH
1984 C ClassGMC
Exp
4
hi Nic, welcome

A few of us here have C class overcabs, mine is '84

I have a feeling the consumption isnt greatly different with the 6 2 diesel, others will know that answer better
mine is a 5.7 lpg (but the lpg tank is small atabout 100L) to be honest I have yet to find it's economy.. expecting about 10mpg (UK gals) on petrol, average, and maybe the equivalent of 17 on gas...

I have water ingress in places.. defeating it now ....

Mine is fibreglass outer, so no panels to speak of.. aluminium frame so no rust

inside ,all old RV's seem to be made from the same basic bits.. eg water heating, furnaces, taps blahblah, just different layouts

this makes finding parts easier.. there are a couple on this forum who can help with parts, Duncan and Linda.

They are pretty simple vehicles, at that age...

underneath, C classes are just american transits I would say (mine is an A Team van ! :) Chevrolet G30 Vandura

dodge and ford are other options, there may be more..

Chassis and runing gear parts easy to find.. Westmidlands american do most for me
 
Last edited:

dazzer

Free Member
Jul 30, 2007
1,620
102
In my house
Funster No
41
MH
Virtual RV!!
Exp
10 Years
How about this, its cheap LPG converted and has a tow bar. I had a similar model a few years ago and we used it to tow our boat when we went diving and it was great. It also has a shower which is essential with a boat.

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Cheers

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daveyboy

Free Member
Mar 2, 2009
87
1
cambs
Funster No
5,785
MH
rv
Exp
2
hi
my 30 footer is diesel and you should be looking at around 15 mpg min and 20mpg max in a 26 footer.
the 6.2 v8 diesel was a new unit in my rv when it was made but since them days has gone on to power many a vehicle. very reliable and ok, whilst it is low on power any rv is not a race car and the lack of ecu,s and turbos etc mean you get a pretty unburstable engine.
i purchased my rv cheap because it had some damp due to a leaky roof which has now been sorted. at the end of the day you just buy the best you can afford.
that said.
advice i was given when buying my first caravan was to buy a cheap one and see how you get on with it before spending thousands on one.
i done that and wont have another caravan (not for me)
and likewise i would not go out and remortgage my house to spend 50k on an rv if i have never tried it.
the current climate means there are old rv,s knocking about for bargain prices and if you are ok with the spanners or at woodwork etc. then you could make a good one out of a poor one.
i have managed to get an 30 foot diesel rv all sorted, serviced,modernised and on the road ,complete with a fiat towcar for 6 1/2 grand.
we shall see how we get on with it and maybe one day i will buy a newer one.
 
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OP
N

NIC S

Free Member
Mar 19, 2009
34
0
WESTON SUPER MARE
Funster No
5,973
MH
C CLASS
Exp
0
How about this, its cheap LPG converted and has a tow bar. I had a similar model a few years ago and we used it to tow our boat when we went diving and it was great. It also has a shower which is essential with a boat.

Link Removed

Cheers
Cheers great truck but I might struggle to get my other half and four kids to sleep in it
 
OP
OP
N

NIC S

Free Member
Mar 19, 2009
34
0
WESTON SUPER MARE
Funster No
5,973
MH
C CLASS
Exp
0
How about this, its cheap LPG converted and has a tow bar. I had a similar model a few years ago and we used it to tow our boat when we went diving and it was great. It also has a shower which is essential with a boat.

Link Removed

Cheers
Ignore my previous post as I only read yours quickly and thought you were promoting your pick up-not the camper on e bay-PS had a bad day,

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L

Lindy-C

Deleted User
Perhaps if you gave an idea of your budget, people would be better placed to advise you.
 
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OP
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NIC S

Free Member
Mar 19, 2009
34
0
WESTON SUPER MARE
Funster No
5,973
MH
C CLASS
Exp
0
hi
my 30 footer is diesel and you should be looking at around 15 mpg min and 20mpg max in a 26 footer.
the 6.2 v8 diesel was a new unit in my rv when it was made but since them days has gone on to power many a vehicle. very reliable and ok, whilst it is low on power any rv is not a race car and the lack of ecu,s and turbos etc mean you get a pretty unburstable engine.
i purchased my rv cheap because it had some damp due to a leaky roof which has now been sorted. at the end of the day you just buy the best you can afford.
that said.
advice i was given when buying my first caravan was to buy a cheap one and see how you get on with it before spending thousands on one.
i done that and wont have another caravan (not for me)
and likewise i would not go out and remortgage my house to spend 50k on an rv if i have never tried it.
the current climate means there are old rv,s knocking about for bargain prices and if you are ok with the spanners or at woodwork etc. then you could make a good one out of a poor one.
i have managed to get an 30 foot diesel rv all sorted, serviced,modernised and on the road ,complete with a fiat towcar for 6 1/2 grand.
we shall see how we get on with it and maybe one day i will buy a newer one.
Hi thanks for response,when you say low power any idea on BHP compared to v8 petrol?
 
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OP
N

NIC S

Free Member
Mar 19, 2009
34
0
WESTON SUPER MARE
Funster No
5,973
MH
C CLASS
Exp
0
Perhaps if you gave an idea of your budget, people would be better placed to advise you.
Most of the early ones seem to be about £5k ish or projects for less,£5k probably tops unless I can sell some of the kids on E Bay,in which case I could have a smaller camper.Seriously I'm a bit of a project person even if I bought a nice one I'd still go through it anyhow.but I'd hate to buy one and struggle to get bits-don't want it to end up stuck on the drive as a posh dog kennel

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johng

Free Member
Aug 15, 2007
587
0
Kent/Sussex UK
Funster No
103
MH
1984 C ClassGMC
Exp
4
Dave, Nic

i have a table of power here :Eeek:


1983-86 v8 federal petrol

165Hp@3800 and 275 Lb/ft@1600

Deisel 6.2
140Hp@3600 and 240 Lb/ft@2000

the 1982 petrol has 10 more Hp's
 
L

Lindy-C

Deleted User
There are a few on here that are within your price bracket Link Removed
The site isn't particularly easy to navigate, they classify everything as a "caravan" whether it has an engine or not :RollEyes:

One thing I would say, unless your kids are small or get along extremely well, you will struggle to sleep 6 with just the sofa, dinette and overcab beds.

The overcab is adult size, no problem, but the sofa and dinette are a tad cramped for two.
Personally I would suggest opting for something a bit larger, say 27ft with a rear bed.....just my opinion for what its worth.

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NIC S

Free Member
Mar 19, 2009
34
0
WESTON SUPER MARE
Funster No
5,973
MH
C CLASS
Exp
0
There are a few on here that are within your price bracket Link Removed
The site isn't particularly easy to navigate, they classify everything as a "caravan" whether it has an engine or not :RollEyes:

One thing I would say, unless your kids are small or get along extremely well, you will struggle to sleep 6 with just the sofa, dinette and overcab beds.

The overcab is adult size, no problem, but the sofa and dinette are a tad cramped for two.
Personally I would suggest opting for something a bit larger, say 27ft with a rear bed.....just my opinion for what its worth.
My kids are small and the style/layout I would want and the majority I've seen have the double over cab dinnette converts to small double and fixed double in rear,with either one or two arm chairs,perhaps they are 27'.From reading on here some sites refuse the bigger campers is that a problem with this size or just the plus 30'?
 

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