Our US road trip is sadly at an end!
We’ll soon be the previous owners of this wonderful 1998 Fleetwood Pace Arrow motorhome. It has just passed 81,000 miles – a low average of around 5,000 miles per year. We bought this vehicle at PPL in Houston six months ago and have just enjoyed an amazing trip of a lifetime. We’ve driven over 5,000 miles and have lived full time in the RV for the whole six months.
Our journey is just coming to an end, but if you are considering buying an RV, this article contains some information that might help you with your buying decision. Whatever type of RV you decide to buy, we hope you too get to experience life on the road in the same fine style we did.
Original Specification and add-ons
Our vehicle came with all the original paperwork and maintenance records going right back to the day it was bought as a brand new vehicle. The original owners paid for all of the optional extra add ons, which made it a very high specification model.
• Awning made by Coleman Faulkner
• Power roof vents
• Extra TV in the bedroom
• Dual air conditioning system
• Powered hydraulic leveling jacks
• Remote electric mirrors
• Rear vision camera system
• Higher quality interior trim
On comparing this model with some of the other vehicles of a similar age and type, we found everything to be a very high quality and finish. The value of the extras alone totaled $12,000 in 1998. The original price paid for this vehicle with all the add-ons was over $77,000!
Ian’s favorites
“With previous experience of driving big trucks (in the mines in the outback of Australia), I have tended to do most of the driving on any narrower or trickier roads. I am also the one who usually parks the vehicle wherever we stay for the night. However, Vanessa, after very little practice, has learned to drive the RV with ease and confidence.
The back-up camera is a great assistance. You can set it to just come on when you select reverse gear, or you can have it on all the time, so the image doesn’t go off when you come out of reverse gear – this is often a big help when positioning the vehicle at a fuel pump.
But above all, my favorite feature is the leveling jacks system. Once parked in place, from the driver’s seat you can simply set the vehicle level using the power jacks and the spirit level on the engine hood.
Many times at campsites we watched people with blocks of wood or plastic wedges, setting them under the wheels, guessing the level of the vehicle, before driving up onto these precarious platforms. They would often repeat the operation over and over until they got it right. See picture above. No fun in cold or muddy conditions.
The power jacks are quicker, safer, and so convenient. You don’t even need to get out of the RV if it is raining – just level-up from the driver’s seat when you park, then put the kettle on!”
Vanessa’s favorites
“We took a long time to decide on this particular RV. I really liked how well looked after it was. In comparison to many others, there were no smells of stale tobacco, damp or other odors. However, one of the main things that influenced me was the design of the bathroom.
I liked that you could close two doors to create a large bathroom giving complete privacy in that area. Or you could close just one door to make a large en-suite bathroom. With hanging space in two additional wardrobes it is a good practical use of space. But the toilet does have a door and is enclosed for privacy.
The whole bathroom area dries out very quickly because of this open design, so it never has that damp musty smell that many smaller bathrooms acquire.
The bathroom sink is easily accessible too – if the kitchen sink is full or in use, you can still refill the kettle, or rinse something off in this extra sink.
I also like the kitchen area. The fridge is a decent size, and there’s an oven too, not just a microwave, as you’ll see in many older RVs. If you can’t run the generator (campground restrictions), the option is there to use the gas oven. There’s a microwave too, of course. The finish on the table and counter tops is lovely. In fact the whole RV is very well finished and I really like the window blinds with their day and night options.
The vehicle always felt very secure when we locked up at night. The windows are pretty high and we could double-lock the door. We checked and with the night blinds down, no one could see in. This really has been a lovely cozy home for the last six months and I will miss this nomadic lifestyle.”
Maintenance
During our six months of ownership we had only one major problem to deal with, when the radiator sprung a leak. It was the original 1998 radiator, so it had done very well.
This was replaced with a brand new unit at Texas Fleet Maintenance in Austin. They did a great job, and we haven’t had any overheating issues since, even on the steepest grades. We climbed up over 11,000 feet on the I-70 across Colorado from Grand Junction to Denver with no problems at all.
The only other job we had to do is top up the hydraulic fluid for the jacks. It’s an easy job which takes just a few minutes.
We have lived in this RV through extremes of temperatures from 40 degrees to well over 100 degrees. We have experienced torrential rain and storms with not a single leak to be seen. We’ve used the heating system and the air conditioning extensively and found them both to be more than effective in their respective temperature ranges.
Buying an old vehicle is often considered a risk, but we are very happy with the decision we made. It is, however, important to buy a vehicle that has been used regularly. More problems occur with vehicles that have been in storage for long periods of time. Low mileage doesn’t always mean low maintenance. It’s better to find an RV with slightly higher mileage that has had regular use, regular services and regular system checks.
If you are thinking about buying an older RV – in my opinion don’t hesitate. Use common sense, drive the vehicle, check out all the systems and make sure there is a comprehensive history. Ask lots of questions.
Or you could visit PPL in Houston – we would happily recommend them to anyone. All vehicles are sold on consignment, so there is no pressure to buy. No high powered sales people on your case from the moment you enter the door – as was our experience in some other centers!
Our road trip was a great, once in a lifetime experience and if you follow in our footsteps, you too could soon be eating breakfast, as we did, on the edge of The Grand Canyon!
Our journey
Over the past six months we covered over 5,000 miles and saw some amazing and beautiful parts of the US. We spent a couple of months visiting the lovely state parks of Texas and then traveled west toward and along the border with Mexico.
After a brief visit to Guadalupe Peak on the Texas border, we journeyed on to The Grand Canyon where we spent a couple of weeks exploring both the south and north rims.
Then on to Bryce, Zion and Arches National Parks before finally heading to the higher, cooler mountains and ski towns of Beaver Creek and Vail.
We headed back to Houston before flying to the UK. We met some amazing people along the way and experienced unrivaled hospitality from the American people. We certainly hope that we might someday experience our “second” trip of a lifetime and find another wonderful Pace Arrow to experience a different area of the US!
