Chinook RV

Hey all,

Long time listener first time caller.

My fiance and I are looking at buying a 2003 chinook but it has some significant damage and was hoping to get some opinions on how bad this could actually be...


Major issues:

Water damage below refrigerator

Looks like the fridge dethawed into the RV. I don't know what is below the floor but I'm worried whatever material it is, it'll need to be replaced. I've attached images. I think I'd have to pull out the structure which houses the fridge. Pull up the flooring. Then I have no idea what's below that flooring but it could be water damaged... Anyone have any idea what's below there and what it could take to repair if it has water damage?

Gouge in fiberglass shell

There's pretty substantial gouge in the shell. He clearly hit something. I'm not sure how wide spread the delamination goes in the composite shell but assuming I'll have to have someone cut that out and patch it up.


The engine and drivetrain are not looking great either. Lots of oil leaks. Starts and idles but wobbles with any increase in throttle.

A lot of the interior is worn down as well. Essentially this guy has owned the vehicle but has do 0 maintenance and ran into stuff.

Any thoughts on how bad that water damage could be or that shell repair would be appreciated. Any opinions at all are welcome! If you have guesstimates for repairs I'd appreciate that. Your guess is better than mine most likely. He wants to sell it as it is and wont let me take it to a shop for review. He is asking $44k, it's the 7.3L PSD so I'm hoping to bring it back to it's glory days.

The water damage does not look that bad, but it is difficult to assess until you start to rip thing out, and open up the can of worm. For some people, diesel is a big plus, but consider the condition the drive train is in, I do not know if it is worth your time unless there is a substantial discount in the asking price. Have you been looking at other RVs and see if you can wait for rig in better condition to show up?

Thank you so much for the response!

We've been primarily perusing RVTrader for the chinooks. We're particular about the diesel engine though. We had an e350 sportsmobile with the 7.3L engine and fell in love with it. This is the first one we've seen pop up so far. It's hard to let go of.

I'll attached pictures of the fiberglass damage here as well as some leaking from the oil pan.

I've called around a bit and got very loose estimates for engine work and fiberglass repairs. I'm thinking this should be selling for closer to $25k... I don't know tho... Any chance you have an opinion on the price reduction? Also noted that the AC unit is cracked, look slike he hit something up top as well. This scares me because I'm hoping he didn't cause delamination up there as well.

roof pic

Water damage under the fridge is common. It usually enters through the lower exterior fridge vent. It's discussed here in other threads if you want more information. Looking at the corrosion on the hinge, I'm guessing this is not recent water intrusion. What's shown is not terrible, but the sub floor might be another story. The haunting question: Is there other damage that you can't see? There are a lot of places to hide in RVs.

Fiberglass can be repaired to look a lot nicer than what is shown. I wouldn't be too concerned as long as it's water tight. That particular spot faces a lot of wind and wind-driven water while driving, so it's important to have it especially robust. At least it's not hiding.

Diesels leak oil, so that's not a huge deal either if it were me, going by your pics. A lot of people love the 7.3, so you'll be competing with them on price. The 7.3 is a fine powerplant, but you really reduce your shopping options if that's the only motor you'll accept. And you'll be paying way more for a Chinook of otherwise equal value.

If you guys are separated by 20k, then I think you might have the wrong RV. But it's ALWAYS worth making an offer, even if it's absurdly low. Just let them counter you.

Happy hunting, and hopefully you get a fair deal.

Thanks for input Scott!

I'll let you know what shakes out!

Hi CB,
For the condition and amount of work it needs the price seems on the steep side in my opinion. At his price I would expect a fairly clean unit with a few minor issues. At the end of the day if you are happy that's what is important.

Good luck whichever way it goes.

I agree with all comments by others. Nothing mentioned seems like a deal breaker in terms of it being able to “fix.”
So, in my mind, it’s just a matter of deciding how much you want a Rig, and how much are you willing to spend (or tackle yourself). These Rigs are about as solid as they come—certainly more solid 20 -25 years later than what is built today. But like anything “of a certain age” they require love and attention.
That said, I think his price is high. If you could get it for $20K or so and you put even another $25K or so into it, you would have a Rig to be proud of!
David