| New with many questions [message #88062] |
Fri, 11 June 2010 11:38  |
turboford
Messages: 4
Registered: June 2010
Location: Albuquerque NM
Karma: 0
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Junior Member |
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I am new to this site and am presently
looking to purchase a GMC Motorhome.
What I need to know is, is there any special things that
I should look for when checking out one of these RV's ?
I have had a lot of experience with the drive train due to owning several
Oldsmobile's with the 455 and even two Tornado's that were front wheel drive.
every since I attended an RV show in LA when I was 12 years old I have been in love with the look of these classic Beauty's
Me and my wife are going to live in the RV year round but due to our both being disabled it will only be used for travel twice a year.
it is very important for me to get as much information as possible because the two vehicles I am presently looking at are going to be financed by the present owners which happen to be used car lots,
so I will not only be paying a premium but one of the of the ones I am looking at will be financed at a huge interest rate.
I have very little options as far as financing go so dealing with less than optimum financing options are unavoidable.
it is unfortunate but when I survived cancer my credit rating did not .lol
also I have seen several models with twin beds in the rear and we need a full or preferably a queen size bed is that an option that is model specific?
thanks in advance for your help
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| Re: New with many questions [message #88073 is a reply to message #88072] |
Fri, 11 June 2010 13:55  |
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1977Production#0001
Messages: 197
Registered: January 2010
Location: Vallejo, California
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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| turboford wrote on Fri, 11 June 2010 11:46 |
thanks for the reply.after looking at the floor plans it seems that the double bed will be what we will get.
I am looking into a third option ,a 76 palm beach model with cool green shag carpeting.lol.
how well do these tow? I have a mustang that I like to take to shows that weighs about 3200 lbs ,I know the engine would have no problem pulling it but how well do the front drive GMC's do with a small trailer?
again thanks so much for the help
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To get the biggest bed you can convert the rear twins to a bed the full width of the coach bigger than a queen I think. Regarding the Towing...Use the search function to search the GMCnet. It ha many postings on towing including a guy that tows 2 cars and a golf cart. From what I have come across you need to change the final drive to successfully and reliably tow. I've heard towing with the stock final drive will toast the tranny. Again the search will find postings from the experts...
Giovanni(Carlo) 1977 GMC Kingsley 26ft
"Carbon Footprint"
Rear Twin, Dry Bath, Original Headliner
[Updated on: Fri, 11 June 2010 13:59] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: [GMCnet] New with many questions [message #88092 is a reply to message #88062] |
Fri, 11 June 2010 16:16 |
powerjon
Messages: 2446
Registered: January 2004
Karma: 5
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Senior Member |
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Look at this information.
http://gmcmotorhome.info/buygmc.html
J.R. Wright
On Jun 11, 2010, at 12:38 PM, Robert wrote:
>
>
> I am new to this site and am presently
> looking to purchase a GMC Motorhome.
>
> What I need to know is, is there any special things that
> I should look for when checking out one of these RV's ?
>
> I have had a lot of experience with the drive train due to owning
> several
> Oldsmobile's with the 455 and even two Tornado's that were front
> wheel drive.
>
> every since I attended an RV show in LA when I was 12 years old I
> have been in love with the look of these classic Beauty's
>
> Me and my wife are going to live in the RV year round but due to our
> both being disabled it will only be used for travel twice a year.
>
> it is very important for me to get as much information as possible
> because the two vehicles I am presently looking at are going to be
> financed by the present owners which happen to be used car lots,
> so I will not only be paying a premium but one of the of the ones I
> am looking at will be financed at a huge interest rate.
>
> I have very little options as far as financing go so dealing with
> less than optimum financing options are unavoidable.
> it is unfortunate but when I survived cancer my credit rating did
> not .lol
>
> also I have seen several models with twin beds in the rear and we
> need a full or preferably a queen size bed is that an option that is
> model specific?
>
> thanks in advance for your help
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
J.R. Wright
GMC GreatLaker
GMC Eastern States
GMCMI
78 30' Buskirk Stretch
75 Avion Under Reconstruction
Michigan
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| Re: New with many questions [message #88125 is a reply to message #88062] |
Fri, 11 June 2010 19:46 |
Chr$
Messages: 2690
Registered: January 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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You may want to consider a larger more modern RV if you are both disabled and will full time and only move it a couple of times per year. In fact, a fifth wheel would be a good choice. the slides will give you more room for mobility. Also, it opens up your choices to more dealers, and better financing from the struggling RV industry. You may find a nice rig with less than 4% financing over 15 yrs.
-Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
Scottsdale, AZ
77 Ex-Kingsley 455 SOLD!
2010 Nomad 24 Ft TT 390W PV W/MPPT, EV4010 and custom cargo door.
Photosite: Chrisc GMC:"It has Begun" TT: "The Other Woman"
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| Re: [GMCnet] New with many questions [message #88138 is a reply to message #88062] |
Fri, 11 June 2010 20:40 |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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Robert,
Please consider very carefully whether the GMC is the right option for
you and your wife. Let there be no doubt in your mind: The 32+ year
old GMC is potentially (likely) a high-maintenance vehicle. With all
the features and expenses of a luxury automobile, plus all the
maintenance-prone features of a house, expenses are inevitable.
Don't be lulled into a false sense of security by your plan to only
move a couple of times per year; frequent use is much better for the
mechanical systems than is sitting idle. You'll very likely have
unanticipated and unpleasant surprises beginning at least one-half of
those trips. Unless you're able to do virtually all maintenance
yourself, you're likely to encounter problems getting reasonably
priced and reliable repair on the GMC -- not many mechanics are left
who are willing or capable of working on a vehicle of its age --
especially with it's being a motorhome, which immediately turns off a
lot of mechanics.
By your own admission, you're going to pay a premium interest rate for
the GMC you're considering; I suspect you'll be paying a premium price
also, at least for today's depressed market. The only salvation might
be if you're gettin a rock bottom price in exchange for the high
interest rate for tax purposes. There ARE less expensive options,
such as a 5th wheel trailer, for maintenance, insurance, and original
cost.
You are a remarkable couple if you can endure the tight quarters of
the GMC for full time living; we've spent many months at a time in a
40' motorhome with reasonably congeniality; one 4 month trip in the
GMC convinced us that 30 days is probably the maximum we should
attempt in the future. At the very least, you will probably find it
necessary to make unanticipated design changes to create a more
comfortable living environment -- the sofas and dinettes in GMCs are
not generally very comfortable for extended use.
After 52 years of RVing, including all versions, and 12 years with a
GMC, in your situation the GMC definitely would not be my choice given
your ground rules. And I haven't even started on (lack of) storage
space, the need to carry tools and spares, etc., etc., etc.
I really hate to discourage anyone from joining this august group, but
I can't in good conscience encourage, or fail to discourage, you in
this choice.
Ken H.
Americus, GA
'76 X-Birchaven
www.gmcwipersetc.com
On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 12:38 PM, Robert <turbomustang84@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> I am new to this site and am presently
> looking to purchase a GMC Motorhome.
>
> What I need to know is, is there any special things that
> I should look for when checking out one of these RV's ?
>
> I have had a lot of experience with the drive train due to owning several
> Oldsmobile's with the 455 and even two Tornado's that were front wheel drive.
>
> every since I attended an RV show in LA when I was 12 years old I have been in love with the look of these classic Beauty's
>
> Me and my wife are going to live in the RV year round but due to our both being disabled it will only be used for travel twice a year.
>
> it is very important for me to get as much information as possible because the two vehicles I am presently looking at are going to be financed by the present owners which happen to be used car lots,
> so I will not only be paying a premium but one of the of the ones I am looking at will be financed at a huge interest rate.
>
> I have very little options as far as financing go so dealing with less than optimum financing options are unavoidable.
> it is unfortunate but when I survived cancer my credit rating did not .lol
>
> also I have seen several models with twin beds in the rear and we need a full or preferably a queen size bed is that an option that is model specific?
>
> thanks in advance for your help
>
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] New with many questions [message #88279 is a reply to message #88252] |
Sat, 12 June 2010 18:44 |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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Robert,
Welcome aboard! We'll help all we can. :-)
I wouldn't worry about the transmission. There are a lot of GMC's
towing toads heavier than your Mustang without trouble. If you ever
do have problems, Manny Trovao is Mr. 425 and will build you a
reliable one. You may, however, want to consider a higher ratio final
drive from Jim Kanomata's Applied GMC, or Manny's Powerdrive 3.50
chain drive.
Ken H.
On Sat, Jun 12, 2010 at 2:56 PM, Robert <turbomustang84@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> well when considering a GMC motorhome I had given a lot of thought to size and comfort ,and I feel the size is plenty big enough for me ,my wife and our little dog .
>...
> so conformity has never been my strong suit...
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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| Re: New with many questions [message #88323 is a reply to message #88062] |
Sun, 13 June 2010 00:35 |
Luvn737s
Messages: 1106
Registered: June 2007
Karma: 2
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Senior Member |
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My only advice is to not be fooled by the low buy-in price of these vehicles. They take a bit of care and that costs money. The cheap ones for sale are from owners unwilling to accept this truth. Someone has to spend the money and they decided it wasn't going to be them.
Randy
1973 26' Painted Desert
Ahwatukee (Phoenix) AZ
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