need advice on purchase of jayco motor home

[ted h]

Hello,

I am thinking of purchasing a 2003 Jayco Greyhawk 27 DS motor home. Does anyone have experience with this rig? The overall condition is good and has low miles 41,000, are there any consistent repair issues or problems I should look out for. Thanks, for your tips and knowledge.

[Denise]

Welcome to the JOF Ted! I'm moving this to the MH Forum for more exposure to those owners. Let us know how it goes for you

[LI-Camper]

I recently purchased a 2004 Jayco Greyhawk 27 DS. I am pleased with the quality of this MH. I bought it from a person who took care of it. I think that's very important. A 10 year old MH will need some repairs because things wear out. I'm sure the purchase price is much less than a new one would be. I expect to spend some $ to update and repair the MH. I do not know of any problems to look out for. Good luck.

[ted h]

Thanks, and good luck with yours!

[stans02]

Ted. I was in the same boat about 1 1/2 years ago. I bought a 02
jayco Greyhawk 26 ss, it had 34,000 mi. It has the ford V10. I am happy with it. A couple items that could be improved on. Mine has a fold out bed, when out, there isn't a lot of room between the foot of the bed, and the kitchen sink cabinets.The milage isn't the greatest. I don't know what I get for milage. Don't see what good it would do to know. I had a problem on the operation of the heater. I contacted Jayco they were very helpful. It turned out I didn't have a probelm. I had to replace the air conditioner cover due to the age of the plastic, it was comming apart. Good Sam club had the cover for around 100.00 Some good info here about tire life on another post. Here is the thing I changed on mine. My unit came with one 12 v battery. It was a good aircraft quality battery, but sat discharged for too long, and was no longer useable. I replaced it with two 6 v golf cart batteries. So far so good. If you are dealing with someone make sure the battery is working, and tires are not too old. this may give you a little levreage on pricing. I paid 24,000 for mine. Maybe a little less don't remember. I did have to replace two of the rears. It had new ones on the outside, the inside ones were beyond good service, starting to show cracks. I should have checked the inside tires, I assumed they were also new. Mine also has auto levelers, and a back up camera. Which is a plus. Hope this helps some. Stan

[Doug]

I was looking at older MH's last year.
One thing I remember was that the LP tanks I think have to be re-certified after 12 years or you may not be able to get anyone to fill them?
Just something you may look into. I am not sure what re-certification costs.

http://www.everything-about-rving.co...t-of-time.html

Best regards,
Doug

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by dougtoms01

I was looking at older MH's last year.
One thing I remember was that the LP tanks I think have to be re-certified after 12 years or you may not be able to get anyone to fill them?
Just something you may look into. I am not sure what re-certification costs.

http://www.everything-about-rving.co...t-of-time.html

Best regards,
Doug

That only applies to free standing tanks not frame mounted.

Do you have a*AMSE Tank*or a*DOT Cylinder? There are two types of propane containers, the ASME tank and the DOT cylinder.ASME tanks, found attached to the frame of many motorhomes do not get recertified. They should have the relief valve replaced every 10 years.

Propane tanks are required to be painted a reflective color. Many refillers will not refill a rusty container. You can repaint the tanks yourself. This is often necessary if the bottom is exposed to the atmosphere.

All*DOT cylinders*need to be recertified after 12 years from the manufacturing date and depending on what certifying method is used they are recertified every 5,7,12 years thereafter. Recertification involves a periodical documented inspection and testing of the cylinder to confirm that the cylinder is still safe and legal to remain in service. They have one OPD Valve.AMSE Tanks*are constructed of much heavier gauge material that the*DOT Cylinders*used on many travel trailers and also used for many BBQ grills.*

AMSE Tanks*are usually mounted horizonal and attached to the frame, while the*DOT Cylinders*are normally mounded vertically and are removable, but some companys do manufacturer horizonally mounted cylinders. AMSE or DOT will be stamped right on the propane containers.AMSE Tanks*have the following parts: Fill Valve - Point at which hose from delivery truck is attached to the tank for re-fuelingRelief Valve - Safety relief mechanism designed to vent propane in an over-pressure situationService Valve - Point at which propane is converted to vapor for use with appliance(s)Fixed Liquid Level Gauge - Indicates the level of propane is at or above 80% capacityFloat Gauge- Presents a visible indication of the propane volume in the tank. Also called a dial gaugeVapor Return Valve - Connection used during propane delivery to remove excess tank pressureLiquid Withdrawal Valve - Used to withdraw liquid propane from the tank

[Doug]

Thanks for the education Grumpy. Some of the old frame mounted tank conditions worried me. I learned something about them thanks to you.

Kind regards,
Doug

[Grumpy]

My pleasure. Always glad to share RV/Camping info and even on occasion my "opinion".

[whosis]

I noticed you mentioned your gas mileage was not great. I own a '04 Greyhawk 27DS with Ford V10. I get about 4gpm with it. Any ideas on how to improve the mileage?

[LI-Camper]

I get about 8mpg. Your mileage is very low. I would fill the tank, keep track of the miles driven and recalculate. If you still get 4 mpg, take it to a mechanic! Too much weight, driving fast and incorrectly inflated tires will all decrease your mpg, but 4 mpg is very very low.

[GrayHawk51]

Originally Posted by whosis

I noticed you mentioned your gas mileage was not great. I own a '04 Greyhawk 27DS with Ford V10. I get about 4gpm with it. Any ideas on how to improve the mileage?

Holy Cow @!! You've gotta be kidd'n !?????? Is that with a Toad? If not, something has to be plugged up!

[norty1]

I hope you are saying Miles per gallon not gallons per mile.

[cdrcos@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by whosis

I noticed you mentioned your gas mileage was not great. I own a '04 Greyhawk 27DS with Ford V10. I get about 4gpm with it. Any ideas on how to improve the mileage?

FWIW, just asked that question of my Ford dealer and the only item they could think of was the air filter - keep it clean. They said any other item would trigger a "check engine" light.

Actually I feel pretty good as my 29" Jayco get 6.5-7.5 mpg.

[whosis]

Sorry about that, I calculated wrong. My head was somewhere else. I did get just under 8mpg, not 4gpm. Not great but better than 4.