Thor Forums

[TurnerFam]

with only those miles it was very 'lightly' used and hardly 'broken in' well, at least I would think, as most of us have put many, many more miles and time with our coach's before we found 'everything' about them! These machines are sometimes complicated to us average folks who have not 'RVd' much of our life... I had never really 'camped' any before we purchased ours.
Things like slide systems, Inverters, generators, RV electrical, and water and sewer connections are some of the 'systems' that take some experience and time getting 'accustomed' to how they work. And, sometimes it's not how we 'expect' them to work, either. Experience is the best education.

Without knowing a lot about the RV, you are susceptible to not being able to really check out all the systems before purchase, which is why some will hire an experience 'RV inspector', similar to a house inspector when you purchase a home. They go thru all the systems and determine the working order and whether any issues might need attention. Without an inspector, at least someone else who has experience with larger RVs might be a good person to at least give you a general idea.

If the coach has water in the water tank, try using the water pump and see if all the faucets and showers work properly. If the coach has access to a water spigot, also try it, including how to 'fill' the water tank.
If the coach has access to electricity nearby, try turning on everything possible, especially air conditioners. If the electrical is less than '50amp RV service'(which is really up to 100amps to the coach), such as typical 30amp service found in many campgrounds, try running everything at the same time until you trip a breaker, then you'll know that there is a limitation to what you can do at parks with less than 'full' 50amp service. Also, plug into a regular household outlet, which is only 15amps, and see how much 'else' you'll have to limit yourself to if on little outside power.
Unplug from electricity and run the generator, and do the same tests again. The generator should provide as much power as you'll need to run everything at the same time, even all three air conditioners, AND the microwave, etc. Also, check on how to setup and use the AGS(automatic generator starter) as it will come in HANDY!

Unplug and allow the INVERTER to provide 'off grid' power and see what all works while you have no other power source. The inverter is a mystery to many, but it simply takes power from your batteries to provide 120v power to your fridge, microwave, coffeemaker, and all your outlets in the coach. Plug stuff in, use them, and see what the Magnum Inverter panel reads while you are doing these things. You'll start to see what effect it creates with the Inverter 'Volts' and the status of your house Batteries. If you use them enough, and your batteries fall to a set 'Volts', then the AGS will automatically crank the Genrerator in order to recharge your house Batteries. This is how you 'dry camp'. If you need the air conditioners, crank the generator yourself and it will provide the additional power for them.

While the current owner or dealer might not want a potential buyer to 'use' the bathroom facilities, you can create some tests that will show you how they work. Use several gallons of water down the toilet, and then go out and see how to connect your sewer slinky to the main drain and use the black tank sewer drain sliders to dump the liquids. This is not just a test for yourself, but a test that things are working as they should.

Also, look at the leveling system for the coach, which is probably hydraulic 'legs' that come down and level the coach once you are parked and ready to 'camp'. You can try it on 'automatic' and you can try it with 'manual' leveling, which you may wind up preferring to use.
Experience also the air bags, as they will provide great comfort when driving such a large motorhome, but are also very useful when parked, as in 'lowering' them in order to provide the best firm 'foundation' before you even deploy the leveling system when you've arrived at your rv park or campsite.

Everyone thinks about 'test driving' a vehicle, and you certainly should, but few RV buyers think about 'test driving' all the systems within this machine before they jump in!


enjoy!