Considering buying a 2004, 3104C. No RV experience. Need advise on what to look for.
 

Hello HI-LO fans. Ed here. I'm interested in a 2004, HI-LO 3104C that I found online. It looks good. It is located 1500 miles away from me. We are going to do a live video call soon with the seller and, after watching Sting32 videos which are amazing, I was wondering what suggestions you guys may have for a totally new fellow with no experience owning an RV, nor with a HI-LO one, for may video call with the seller.
I was told that there may be some service records. Thank you all.

Service records is a good thing and sounds like the guy is upfront.
I would ask when he had the fabric on the roof conditioned (depends on where you live and for us about every 3 years but we also keep ours in a garage so may extend that some) , when he sprayed the mechanisum underneath on the shafts and the pulleys to raise and lower ( should be done yearly) look at the sides inside and out for any buldges as that will tell you if it has water damage on the walls inside it. Also any water stains on the inside of the walls Also with this see if the top when up has any gaps that you can see daylight. We had this and all needed was cable readjusted and just as a precausion I had the seal replaced . I do not think I needed that but we was doing a total restore.
look at the seals around the widows also and if and pin holes in the sealant = will also leak and could have water damage.
on the roof be hard to tell without being there but if walk on it to see if any movement of the plwood but with ours I thought we had plywood seperation but found the right RV garage and on a HiLo there is metal underneath the fabrick on the sides that wrap around from the sides and all ours needed was to have the fabrick removed and reattach the metal with staples.
Also look there for pin holes in any sealant but you should do that every year and reseal anyway.
check all appliances for working both on the water heater,and refigerator for propane and electric, funace on propane that the thermostat works proper, but no big deal on that either as can get the thermostat at any RV store.
AC working and cold, check the operation of raising and lowering and the cable to release the lock and with this may only need the sleve it runs though underneath sprayed with WD40 or something . we had to do that.
Of course that all lights work and same as if buying a car = the tires are in good shape.
If has a tip out that it works proper.
Some campers have an automatic propane tank switch over which means when 1 tank goes empty it auto switches to the other one and then you replace the empty tank. They are only around 89.00 and we replaced ours.
In your state if has inspections is a good thing because they will check the brakes and the safety brake control that if for some reson it detaches it auto locks the RV brakes.
What ever the tongue weight and camper weight is you need a proper size hitch. Lets say the tongue weight is 700 pounds and trailer weight is 6000 pounds . you need a minium 800 pound tongue weight and 7000 pound trailer hitch. Remember that weight is more than likely empty trailer so after you load it with everything maybe over 800 so for us I got one that was this at Amazon CURT 17333 Short Trunnion Bar Weight Distribution Hitch, Up to 15K, 2-Inch Shank.
our 2808C empty tongue weight is 1060 pounds and just at the axles is 5100 pounds total weight of the unloaded 28 foot is 6160.
loaded tongue weight 1200 and total trailer is 6940
probably more but this is some you can look at. Just the same as buying any RV or cart or truck check everything .
Have fun.

Thank you Lwwilltravel for investing your time to provide such an exhaustive examination to remember. I'm still looking for the one. I didn't pull the trigger on the 31' yet.
Reason 1, it is 1500 miles away. Reason 2, it is not road ready. It needs some work under knee before to travel.
Thank you.

Here is the buyers checklist.

This was taken from NDgent's post here on the forum. It is a great go-by list. You can do a search of "thinking about buying" and find his post to read it first hand.

Basically, start with the visual items –
1. Exterior
• Look for water stains and discoloration on inside walls and around ceiling anywhere vents, skylights, windows, etc. exist.
• Push and prod with your hand on the inside walls for soft spots (which could indicate a water leak and a damaged or rotten interior wall).
• Check for bubbles in the wallpaper (a sign of delimitation or water intrusion)
2. Interior cleanliness of the unit-
• Look for water stains and discoloration on inside walls and around ceiling anywhere vents, skylights, windows, etc. exist.
• Push and prod with your hand on the inside walls for soft spots (which could indicate a water leak and a damaged or rotten interior wall).
• Check for bubbles in the wallpaper (a sign of delimitation or water intrusion)
3. Test appliance functions –
• lights
• fans
• refrigerator
• air conditioner
• heater
• water pump
• range hood
• stovetop
• oven (if equipped)
• microwave (if equipped)
• stereo (if equipped)
4. Lift System-
• Does the unit raise and lower properly
• Check the lift system for hydraulic leaks (puddle under the trailer)
• Check the lift cables to see if they are in good shape and not frayed
• Check the seal between the upper and lower body halves for tears or damage
5. fill the tanks to the top and check for leaks
6. Battery
7. Solar Panel (if equipped)

Thank you very much RCReyes!

One thing to look at is where the lift cables are located...I had a 2902bx and the lift cable were in the middle of the windows...made the side walls weak and they were collapsing due to the stress...they just cut the windows in after the coach body was made and remove the stiffening supports for the lift system...not sure if the classic is done the same....

Lift cables
 

I have owned two Classic HiLOS. The cables did not interfere with the windows. Went to J&R for seal replacement and some small repairs. They reinforced where the cables cut into the wood. This in a known problem that owners can beef up.