We bought it in August of 2006, a 1987 34S Bounder we found in
Franklin, Tennessee.
The owner told us it had been sitting unused for nearly three
years, so we felt pleasantly surprised and hopeful when it
started right up. The engine sounded rough, the manifolds
leaked, and the brakes were stuck. I couldn't tell amidst all
the squeaking, popping and sputtering sounds made by leaking
exhaust gasses if all the cylinders were firing, but I could
detect no smoke from the engine. We found delamination on the
street side when we began looking it over, learned the generator
won't run, and the chassis battery seemed almost dead when we
first cranked it up. We could smell a strong odor of gasoline
around the back side, which scared us about it, but could see no
leaks when I crawled underneath.
For plusses, we liked the floorplan and the general condition of
its interior. It appeared to have been cared for and kept clean.
The roof seemed solid, and the seller told us everything was in
working order when he had last used it. He thought most of its
problems could be cured with fresh fuel in the tank.
Mindful of the effects that a three-year time-span could have,
and that we would likely need to replace all 6 tires before we
could contemplate serious use (time limit on tire safety is 5
years from the DOT date code), we made our deal. I think he
wanted to cry, but felt glad to finally see it go. We promised
to take good care of it, to love it, and then hurried off to
find the money before he could change his mind.
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