As I write this we are finalizing the documents on a 2010 Nimbus with almost no miles. This is also my first post to any type of forum which is scary but have enjoyed reading many many forums over the last year while doing the research, travel, and attending numerous RV shows. We have been having a ball in our travel trailer since 2001 and decided about 4 years ago we wanted to move to a motorhome. Breast cancer put that on hold but after successful recovery we started the research journey again last year. We saw a Foretravel at the Dallas RV show but it was out of our price range at that time. We had it narrowed down to Tiffin and American Coach but kept looking at Foretravel's, hoping something would pop up. Well it finally did and we are so excited. Take delivery in a few weeks and can't wait. Now I need info on the motor club, how to join, etc.
Welcome aboard.
How did you hear of this Foreforum?
Where did you purchase the coach from?
You can call Beverly Koontz at the factory 800.955.6226 and she will set you up with joining the club
Welcome to Foretravel Forums and congrats on the new Foretravel and your many happy miles ahead.
Application for Motorcade club is at http://www.foretravel.com/motorcade/join.php; (http://www.foretravel.com/motorcade/join.php;) email to motercade@foretravel.com and/or call 800-955-6226.
We bought the coach from Paul Tinkle - it was on consignment. I found the forum using google search. I will get in touch with Beverly either by phone or when we pick up the coach at the plant. Thanks for the info.
With your purchase (of the Nimbus) you will automatically receive a year's membership in the Motorcade Club, but as Barry said, it's a good idea to contact Beverly Koontz to ensure that it will start immediately upon receipt of your coach.
automatic membership - now that's pretty neat.
I need to say one more thing here..... we were looking at the Tiffin Zephyr and AC Eagle which are both very nice coaches. The problem was my friend just purchased a new Allegro Bus 2 weeks ago and I went with him for the delivery and the ride back. Major quality issues with his new coach - it should not have left the plant. When he took it to Red Bay it was going to be 4 to 6 weeks to fix, then they called and said he needed to order a new coach. Apts are 3 to 4 months out. The fit and finish on the Zephyr and Eagle as well as quality of workmanship in no way compared to the Foretravel and those are expensive rigs. Consiquently my friend got out of his purchase and bought a Newmar Mountain Aire. I can't wait to park beside him on our next trip and let him "look around" a bit inside our coach.
Congratulations on your new coach and welcome to ForeForums! Lots of great, helpful, friendly folks here and we're glad to have you join us.
Once you're a Motorcade member you might consider bringing your friend to the Buddy Rally at the factory next April. Although after seeing yours, he might swap that Newmar for a Foretravel even before then ;D
Michelle and Steve
Outstanding! Welcome to the group. There are no stupid questions, but we sometimes reserve the right to provide silly answers.
David & Nancy,
Congratulations and welcome aboard. You've just purchased a magnificent handcrafted coach. Guaranteed it will take several years to break-in. Your purchase likely comes with a factory warranty, but should you ever need input or any sort of help, the ForeForum folks are the best and very willing to help.
You will be getting a lot of suggestions, all you need is to ask. I, for one, volunteer information most here on the ForeForums already know. But, I certainly hope to be of help if I know how.
The first unrequested advice I give any new to Foretravel coach owner is don't leave Camp Foretravel until you know how everything works. There are a gazillion gadgets and systems in the newer coaches. Try them all several times.
Get to know James Triana and his boss, Mark Harvey. They will be able to help you on the phone through any questions you may have once you leave Nacogdoches with your new coach. BTW, if you have a cam corder...record everything during the period of time when you're getting the get-to-know-the-coach-features run through from Foretravel.
It will take you a while to run through the manuals that come with the coach. But, make sure you're familiar with where to go for specific appliance manuals, coach chassis manuals and the like. Should you find that there is not a manual for an item, ask Foretravel for it.
Best of luck with your new purchase.
Thanks Peter, absolutely wonderful advice. I have a Flip camcorder and will put it to good use. I can see the forum will be a huge help to me in the future. I do have some factory warranty and am looking to purchase an extended service policy.
David and Nancy -
Welcome aboard the good ship Foretravel!
I would add to Peter's great advice - take a short trip in the area for a few days - then if you have questions or need "adjustments" on the coach, you will be near the factory and will get your questions answered and probably better warranty satisfaction than if you are half way across the country.
Peter's suggestion of recording the delivery and check out is a great one. If you don't have a camcorder, take a look at the "Flip" video camcorder's at Best Buy - cheap, easy to use, and easy to upload to your PC.
(Yes, I do work for Cisco, the company that makes Flip videos, but I doubt your $200 purchase will drive up my stock very much :-))
Good Luck in your new adventure - to steal a line from Indiana Jones (more or less) you "chose wisely".
David & Nancy,
Second piece of unrequested advice...extended warranty policies are tough to evaluate as to whether it's worth having the additional insurance for the expense.
Remember that Cummins, Allison, and most major components are covered under an OEM warranty for at least one year. The coach works is warranted by Foretravel (no appliances...these usually have a one year warranty from the manufacturer).
If you want the extended service warranty insurance, read the fine print before you sign on the dotted line. If something should ever not work, you'll be placing a claim to recover the cost. The problem most people get into is that they did not read the fine print and are unfamiliar with the owner's responsibilities before placing a claim...and trust me, insurance companies are tough when it comes to parting with your money!
David -
Search the back posts on Extended Warranties - lot's of discussion of the pros and cons there. My feeling is that they are basically high priced insurance policies, and avoid them, even on a big ticket item with lots of systems like a Foretravel.
As the saying goes - "you pay your money and make your choice" if you wouldn't mind, let us know what you decide and how you came to the conclusion.
Great advice on the extended warranties. I usually don't buy warranties - they are profit centers for the folks that are selling them. I am trying to analyze this and your ideas and tips are very helpful. Thanks.
David and Nancy, Welcome aboard. Good advice is plentiful here but sometimes you have to remember that its worth exactly the price you paid for it. ;D
Take a look at the member map, you will probably find one of us near you and all of us regardless of having old or new coaches like to show off our coaches and look at others. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
Gary B
Extended Warranties are not insurance. They are just a contract between the company and the vehicle owner that highly favors the company. No state oversight like insurance policies have.
Barry,
In four years of being interested in the RV lifestyle I have read many many stories of the frustration caused by warranty companies. Some of the times, the policy owner comes out ahead and some of the times the company comes out ahead. And there is often a lot of grief for the policy holder.
I saw that unit a couple weeks ago. It was a fine looking motorhome. You have a great Foretravel and it will be a joy to use. I loved the floor and the double bath.
Yep, that is our new coach. The floor plan is what sold it for us and office equipment will allow me to work from the road. We will be staying at NAC a few days learning to use it then leaving it for modifications and additions.
David and Nancy,
Congratulations and good luck with your new coach. If you get your 1 year "free" membership now, it will expire December 31,2010. At least that is how it worked for me maybe different with a 2010 model.
You will live the motorcade. It is a great group of people. I have learned more from other members than anywhere else and have made life long friends.
Suzanne & I want to add our heartfelt WELCOME to the Foretravel family. We also used to have a trailer, in which we began fulltiming in 2006. A year ago this month, we discovered Foretravel coaches. . .and, the rest, as they say, is history. We look forward to meeting up with you on the road. Don't forget to utilize the member map on this forum. . .we like to know where folks are so we can show up at Happy Hour!! ;D :)) :P
Beverly will roll it over. She gave me 19 months with the first coach and 14 months with the second.
Welcome! We are presently moving into our second Foretravel ... leaving our 1993 U225 and "movin' on up" to a 1995 U320. You will love everything about your new rig. This forum, and the access it gives to the vast pool of knowledge available, is a godsend ... and great fun, to boot! We just learned something yesterday about our 1993 coach! Just in time to pass it on to the new owners. The whole first year will be a whirlwind of learning. Congrats! Hope we are still in the Nac area when you come and are able to meet you.
You will be absolutely amazed at the improvement. We moved from a 93 U280 36' to the same coach.
great move --happy happy . ref extended warranty , , i was a boat dealer for 27 years ,i sold many many ,, made a bundle ,, haven't seen a pay back to justify cost . they are designed to make money , and nothing else . if SOB were involved ,i'd say maybe ,but with FT nah..! have a friend that was all hung up on newmar-- he bought the essex model , he has lots of issues --slides --cabinets falling apart etc etc . he is sick ever since his wife visited our 320 at that time . if newmar is the thing --a screw gun and glue gun is a must ,his quote .
Thanks for all the input and help. I have been traveling for business lately and have been "off line" for a while. Looking forward to getting to know our new unit next week in Nac. Nancy has signed up for the driving school and is looking forward to it. I decided against the warranty - FT makes a great product and I don't think I will need it.
I think you made a great call. Stick that money in the bank. Use the factory and component warranties. If it don't fail during the warranty it will likely last a decade or more.
We have a 1993 U300 and a 1993 U225 (which we would like to sell) and both have most of the original systems on board. Foretravel used the very best equipment available when they built even their low end coaches. I think they are still doing the same thing.
Gongrats and welcome aboard.
Hey Dave,
Don't know if that was your unit sitting outside at the factory and fully detailed with a delivery date of Nov. 8 on the window. But if it is a real beauty. Happy travels.
If it's a black Nimbus it's probably ours. We can't wait to get in it. We were to arrive Monday afternoon but a family tragedy Friday now means Monday night, not sure what time. I am trying to get the FT folks to get it set up in the camp ground so we can pull in late and have a place to sleep. I don't have a clue where the camp ground is, what it's like, etc. We are staying the week so Nancy can attend the driving school so this will be an interesting week. We look forward to meeting all the FT owners and hitting the road in our new coach.
David and Nancy,
I'm so sorry to hear about your family tragedy. I'm sure all on the board send their prayers your way.
There are some forum members at Camp FT right now. Perhaps the factory would allow some of them to assist you in some way with the late arrival. Folks - if you can help out, PMs and e-mail are probably best, especially if you're including personal information like cell phone numbers.
The campground is basically the parking lot west and north around the main FOT service and showroom buildings. Water and electric, all paved. There are 2 dump stations and a laundry building. If you know how to get to the sales/service at 1221 NW Stallings Dr., then you know where the campground is.
Take care and safe travels to Nac tomorrow.
Michelle
Hi Dave & Nancy,
Welcome to our group, and congratulations on the new coach!!! Sorry about the problems. I'm sure you will find the factory campground meets your needs. Enjoy your Foretravel adventure. Ask any questions you want. We all learn from our experiences.
Thanks Michelle - great help. Being that we are former travel trailer users it's going to be a whole new experience and "camp ground" takes on a whole new meaning. We know where the sales office is - that's where we left our $. We should be able to get the door code to get in the coach then get keys, etc on Tuesday. I will be talking to Paul or Judy tomorrow to work everything out and if need be get someone in camp to help us out.
David and Nancy,
I am sorry to read that your Foretravel experience is beginning with a note of sadness.
Your coach is basically almost in the campground. Your coach is hooked up to 50 amp service, but you will probably have to move it to another location on the property to connect to water and or a sewer connection. Also, there are two dumping stations in back of the factory that are really easy to access. You may not be aware that the Ladies Driving School starts on Nov. 9 and "Camp Foretravel" will fill up quickly. If you need to stay at the factory for a few days I'd suggest you call your Tyle Fore and ask him to set aside a full hook up site for you. After all, buying a 2010 coach has to come with a few perks.
Welcome to the ForeForum family. We've got your back.
Thanks George, I just fired off an email to Tyle and will call him in the morning. I also emailed Paul Tinkle (our sales rep) - hopefully he can help as well.
Excellent point, George! There are a couple of "Reserved for Sales Department" FHU spots there backed up to the NW corner of the fence that surrounds the service area. That's where we've seen folks spending their first nights in their "new to them" coaches. Tyle, Paul, or Judy should be able to arrange for David and Nancy's coach to be in one of those spots when they arrive tomorrow night.
Michelle
If you talk to your salesman they could leave the keys with security or slip by and meet you. I know Lance only lives about 6 minutes away (he showed me his house when it was being built) and I would bet Paul and the others are just as close!
What makes this Forum so valuable is that many people have different perspectives. We were at the Ladies Driving School last year and I remember that most -- if not all -- empty spots were reserved when we arrived. And since I was at the factory this morning doing some laundry I spotted their new coach (Stunning!).
FWIW -- even though we are at Xtreme Paint & Graphics I dropped over $500 at the parts counter last week so I feel o.k. in using the laundry.
Could be - and since Nancy is attending Ladies Driving School as well as taking delivery of a new-to-her coach, Sales should be able to put she and David in one of those spots. One would think they already had that as a plan - that one of those spots is already reserved for them.
Michelle