I have run across a 1989 Grand Villa U280 with the 250 hp Cat only 84,445. Miles 2045 hours on engine and it has the diesel Onan 7.5 gen with 137 hours on it. Very well taken care of. I am buying it from the second owner who has had it for 8 years and only put 4500 miles on it. What are the concerns I should be looking at? How is the Cat motor? It has all air bag leveling and suspension. Tires are all new 6 years ago. He has always stored it in the shed. Very, very, very clean unit. My wife and I are going to go full timing to the south this winter and I want to have it all gone through before we head out. Any concerns would be grateful....
Thank you,
Very soon Foretravel owners! :)
Do not know about the cat' as mine is Cummins but you may want to change all the fluids and filters unless he has records of it fairly recent. The tires are about due but look at the side walls for any bad "checking". Batteries should be tested and charging system looked over. If all seem ok then I gather the first trip will tell you what you have bought !!!
There are numerous members on this board with a wealth of knowledge on the units so sit back and learn. Enjoy it.
Welcome to the "wonderful world of Foretravel", and remember things are going to happen but not as bad as another make.
Welcome to ForeForums!
I snipped out a couple of things that, while not major, are something to be aware of.
Those are VERY LOW hours for a generator, if it's original to the coach. Motors like to be run to keep lubricated and keep the fuel system "clean and fresh". You might want to have the genset checked out to make sure all is OK.
RV tires usually wear out due to age, not mileage. Depending on storage conditions, 7 years is usual for replacement (sooner for outdoor storage, possibly less if no sidewall cracking but they should be inspected). Figure on replacing the tires in the next year or so, regardless of mileage or tread.
Michelle
Thanks for the input. The guy I'm getting it from had school buses for years and just serviced all the fluids. He put the tires on it new 5 - 6 years ago and has only put 4800 miles on them. He started the jen all the time and let it run for about 20 to 30 min all summer long every year. It starts right up and runs like a champ. It has always been stored inside his bus barn and the guy who had it ordered went back and forth to Texas every year. This thing is just about spotless. The carpeting is great everything works great. The original owner only had 45 hours on the jen before the second owner got it.
Thanks for the Input John,
The batteries are all new just installed this year and the tires have no signs of weather checking. I'm looking forward to the wonderful world of Foretravel. This is the second unit i have looked at and i must say I'm very impressed with the over all construction of this unit. I wanted to get something bigger but the budget right now is tight and we will be looking to upgrade in a year or two.
Thanks again,
Dave
I loved my 1990 U280. That CAT engine worked just fine. There are lots of times when I almost wish I had it back. The only drawback is the single-pane windows and, despite it being a narrow-body (6" narrower than the 92+ coaches), FT has always had great floorplans. Takes a little getting used to that 4 speed tranny and how to most efficiently drive it in the hills, but once you do, it works fine. I put 50,000 miles on mine.
You would need to have the engine checked out very carefully. A coach should be run on the road for at least 20 miles once a month to keep it healthy. If the coach has been stored for extended periods, there may be many internal problems. I know it's exciting to find a coach that so beautiful on the outside, but you need to check the internals. If the owner had not recently changed the fluids, you could have done oil analysis on everything. Did you understand that even thought the tires look great that they only have one to a max of four years life left?
Thanks for the Input.
Yes i do understand the tire issue. I have driven logging trucks with 52 tires on them for years. Oh i do know all about tires. I'm going to get the DOT date from them this weekend and will know how long they have left. I know this guy only drove it 4,500 miles in the last 7 years but the original owner took it to Texas every year. I will be checking it over very closely.
Thank you
Gravy, as a retired tanker yanker, I thought I knew about tires too. Even pulled double trains with 9 axles and 32 tires, grossing 135,000 lbs. Motorhome tires are all together different when compared to truck tires. They can look great, in fact look brand new, and blow out with in 50 miles of when you looked at them. At 7 years old and only 4500 miles, they can be ready for replacement. The truck tire, which gets regular use, keeps the tire compound alive, while with a unused motorhome the tire compound dies from lack of use. Motorhome tires are all about age, and not looks! And the big thing is that when they blow out, they do lots more damage than what they would on a tractor trailer setup. A blowout can do body damage, plumbing damage and structural damage. It can easily get into the thousands of dollars.
It is all about not having a blow out!! That DOT date is critical, and anything over 7 years is pushing the issue. If you are doing a lot of traveling, you might get to 10 years okay. But some even claim the 5 year rule and replace.
I've had my 89 U 280 for 3 years and have been pleased with it. Was told my 3208 with turbo is 275 hp, is it true, I dont know, but it works fine for me. The coach rides and drives very good. As mentioned, the age of the tires will dertermine when you should replace. My old Michlins showed no tread wear but I still replaced them because of weather checking. You do not want to have a blow out, it will tear up far more than the price of a new set of tires. Go into it knowing that and don't put off tires because of deep tread....... very pleased with my 89 U280.
Repeated Pat but we were answering at the same time.
I have the same generator if yours has a Kubota diesel engine........ Mine has 1700 hrs and still works fine.