New Home! 1989 Holiday Rambler Imperial

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Hey guys!  Exciting news!  We just went down yesterday to look at a motorhome from Craigslist and we ended up buying it! 

Its a 1989 Holiday Rambler Imperial Anniversary Edition!  Its 35 feet long with a walk-around queen size bed in the back.  It uses parts from a Chevy P-30 chassis but the main frame is this monstrous aluminum frame that is custom made, I believe by Oshkosh.

It has 90k miles on a 454, carburated, and runs like a dream!  There are no oil leaks at all...the valve covers are dry and even underneith the engine and drivetrain are dry...not washed...dirty and dusty, but no oil or fluids!  We let it run at idle...it was in the 80s today...for over an hour and it never got hotter than 190 degrees.  A little loud with the glasspacks a previous owner installed...lol!...and it has a trailing axle for better handling and load capacity.  All the tires are perfect, only a year old!

The roof is perfect, the walls are perfect, the floor is solid and perfect, and all the holding tanks and whatnot are heated and perfect with no leaks.  The layout is amazing inside with tons of cabinets and drawers, even in the bathroom!  There is a solar panel on the roof and a built in inverter.  It also has new batteries, but I'll probably put in my gels from the Itasca.  There is a living room!  With a couch and recliner and small computer table, plus the dinette in the kitchen.  And it has basement storage!  2 huge bays that span the width of the rig!

And you are not going to believe what we paid for it!  We almost didn't even bother to go look at it since the guy selling it had it listed so cheap...3000 bucks!  I found it on craigslist and wrote the guy asking him what was wrong with it.  He said it had a small crack in the windshield, the genny stopped running for him, and the water heater didn't work...and he said it was filthy and needed a cleaning bad!  Ah what the heck...I talked Patti into taking the 3 hour ride with me up to Massachusetts to look at it.

And this is what we found!



The gentleman who owns it bought it 4 years ago to live in when he got divorced.  He's a retired older man.  He paid 14,000 dollars for it 4 years ago!

He finally got into senior housing so he just wanted it gone...for 3000 bucks!  He said he would have sold it for more but didn't feel like cleaning it...and it IS a mess inside!  He was a very sloppy bachelor for 4 years!  I put up a new album for it, with no interior pictures yet because its still loaded with all his crap...we gave him a deposit and got a bill of sale and will pick it up in 2 weeks along with the title, and by then he'll have all of his stuff out of it...then we'll post before and after interior pics.  He just won't clean it for 3000 bucks...we don't mind!  We'll clean it!

So we drive all the way there and Patti is skeptical...she doesn't want another shabby small RV as she calls it...and she immediately fell in love with it!  So its our new home now!  It has some issues, but minor for the money...it needs a new awning...the old one is missing.  The genny turns over but doesn't run...its an Onan Emerald III, so it won't be hard to get running again.  The water heater doesn't work.  The fridge was replaced by a household electric fridge so we have to replace that.  It is dirty inside!  VERY dirty!  And Patti wants to rip out all the carpets and put Pergo floors down, and eventually reupholster all the cushions and seats with marine vinyl because we have 3 dogs and a cat.  The AC on the dash doesn't work.  The 2 rooftop units work, but one is missing the inside shroud.  The rear ladder is damaged...and it needs a bath!  A couple of marker lights are out or missing the covers.  And there is a small crack in the driver's side windshield.

But its a LOT of RV for the money!  We are so excited! 

And the 77 Itasca is up for sale, first here to the members at a very low price!  I'll list it in Members RVs for sale with details.

Wahooooooooooo!!!

Kev and Patti et al!

[Peter_Crowl]

I was wondering what became of the HR since you mentioned going to look at it. How cool - and good for you!
Sounds like you'll love the space...the refit...well...they all pretty much need that don't they?

Another reason I was thinking of you is because you mentioned Beaver. The next day a Beaver popped up on CL. 1980...I think 33. We looked at it and liked it. You were really right about the woodwork. It even had a vanity / desk in the bedroom! It was a nice coach - well maintained by a retired mechanic. I can see why you think highly of them.

Looking forward to the blow by blow...well know about the cleaning issues - ours is getting an interior bath today.

Peter
Cigar smoke is the worst
in Denver

[tiinytina]

Wow thats a big gal! lets see first you had the Ark, then Excaliber... this one is like the QE2 in comparison! so maybe "Her Majesty"? 

Tina
PS. I know Arberg9 (Bill Thompson) has been looking for a rig and he is up there in NY.....

[4winds]

All things come to he who waits!!!!!!

[Peter_Crowl]

But the Early Bird Gets the Worm - or in this case - the way cool Rambler :~)

[LJ-TJ]

Home on wheels are you kidding me. Maybe palace. Wow great find. Well done. Your going to find a big difference in your living space.

[Froggy1936]

Congratulations on a great find (and stayed within the qualifications of our group)  I think Tinas suggestion HER MAJESTY is very appropriate and fits with your lifestyle Hope you do not have any unwanted surprises  Frank

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks everyone!

For 3000 bucks any surprise won't be all that bad, even engine or tranny problems.  The PO said the brakes felt squishy to him, but they seemed good to me, maybe just need to be bled...I'll be checking all the fluids when we pick it up, just got to find out where they put the brake fluid reservoir on an 89 P-30 chassis/Oshkosh chassis hybrid.  Probably the same place, under the driver's floor, as our 77.

I can't wait to pick it on August 23rd!

Kev

[Peter_Crowl]

Here's some motivation - and it's a smaller model!

http://denver.craigslist.org/rvs/1893556265.html