Foretravel Owners' Forum

 ::) Any idea how many Foretravel motorhomes are still road worthy?  or how many are still in Existence ? then compared to the total manufactured to date. A good guess would satisfy my curiosity. (Barry? got any idea?)  ??? 

Been working on it but not enough data to make a guess.

Who has the oldest Foretravel on this forum? Is it still in use today?

             I just got off my horse after counting Foretravel's , and there is a total count of 26 . So the matter is setteled .  Molly said so .    Brad metzger

If the current build numbers are at 6158 and we figure a 10% to 15% attrition (just a wild ass guess) that leaves 5596.4 to 5925.6 coaches on the road.

see ya
ken

When I was looking for my Grand Villa,
There are plenty of Old Grand Villa's out there, Still in Perfect, Loved, Condition,
Still Rego'd and Roadworthy, Low miles, Most kept under cover when not in use,

Its more the owners that get Aged, not the Mobile Home or RV,

Just too old to drive in most cases, Or health problems, It will happen, Later if possible, Much Much Later, ( Fingers Crossed,)

Mines 89, 25 year old Bus and it does show, But the Quality is in there, Nothing is falling to bits or rotted out,

A good steam clean inside, A cut and polish to the outside, This damn thing will look brand new,

And its a head turner, Hahahahahaha,

I know of seven Grand Villa's in Australia, Pre, 1989.

How true.  I sold 84-89's and warned the customers that if you are going to be looking for an excuse to buy a newer one wearing out is not going to be one of them.

I never minding selling these as the customers got more than they paid for. 

Perfect no. 

Bob

I still wanna know who has the oldest Foretravel on this forum, and if it's still in use today... Should we start a new topic to see who replies?

It seems to me that a start at figuring out how many coaches are on the road is to check the Foretravelers club and see how many are active. We dropped out (we are just not big joiners) but there must be a lot of active members.

It would not surprise me at all that there would be quite a few coaches from the 1980s and 1990s still on the road. Every time I go into the coach for a major project (and ours is 1993) I'm amazed at how well they put it together. Pulling the shift control cable through the wiring tray was a frustrating job for us but just *having* a wiring tray was impressive.

Craig

There used to be 1800 members but the dues increase cut that number down a bunch.  In fact this forum has more members than the motorcade club.  I think the club is a great deal.  I have made many friends over the years at the rallies we have attended. 

Wouldn't even try to guess, but here is an oldy for any one looking for one of these.

http://www.holdenfamilyrv.com/inventory.asp?cat=336 (http://www.holdenfamilyrv.com/inventory.asp?cat=336)

Its in Holden Maine, just south of Bangor.

Wow, it appears to be in beautiful condition. I'd probably buy that Travco now that I know about Foretravels... if I were shopping for a coach, which I won't be because I'm keeping this one forever now that I've put a lot of time and money into it... and discovered that I accidentally bought exactly what I want. :)

Radio it's great to hear you say that. I remember you were having doubts

We just had a new member join (dclark) that has a 1979.

Ironically it was the fiberglass radiator fan explosion and resulting radiator replacement that convinced me I bought exactly the best coach by accident. During all that I realized I definitely don't want the side radiator with the failure prone hydraulic fan motors, hoses, and pump, and the side radiator is supposedly much more difficult to remove and replace than the rear radiator, which is difficult enough for me! :P I also don't want the wider or longer body because I already have enough trouble getting in and out of national and state parks where I love to camp. I definitely don't want a flat nosed coach or a front entry coach because of the poor aerodynamics and lower fuel efficiency at highway speed, and I love sitting in the passenger's seat when I'm in the coach in campgrounds cuz it's the best seat in the house with an awesome view. I definitely don't want a dark colored coach because it's hot enough already with a white coach, and I tend to go places that are very tight and get a lot of scratches from tree limbs that would show up on dark paint. I really like the center aisle floorplan and the way one roof air conditioner can cool the whole coach. I definitely don't want a residential refrigerator because I love boondocking now. I didn't know any of these things when I accidentally bought this coach. All I knew at that time was that I wanted a multistage turbo/supercharged two cycle Detroit Diesel if I bought a diesel at all, cuz I really love engines so I gotta have the ultimate engine ever built! ;D I'm really glad I did. I think I'd be disappointed with the performance, fuel efficiency, and durability of a gasoline engine. I've looked at a lot of coaches since I bought this one and every time I come away realizing that I've got exactly the coach I would have chosen intentionally if I had known what I wanted. Now that I've put a new radiator in it and replaced the fiberglass fan with a nylon one I've got too much work and money in it to sell it. One of the scariest things in the coach is new now. It's a way better coach than when I first bought it a little over a year ago. That radiator was over two thousand dollars in repairs. I'm about to change out all the airbags. I blew the most difficult one and changed it the other day. I still managed to drive over 50 miles even with a blown airbag, which was pretty cool. That'll be well over a thousand dollars more in parts and a lot of labor, but all new airbags will make it a much more reliable coach. I may replace one or perhaps both roof air conditioners too, which would be over a thousand dollars more in repairs... so I'll never sell it after all that... I'd just end up buying the exact same year and model again anyway. This is the newest model with a narrow body, a rear radiator and a two cycle Detroit Diesel, and it's a total bargain because nobody wants this particular model. Everyone thinks newer is better when nothing could be further from the truth in my experience. The next year newer would have cost me almost twice as much at the time. Even when I tried to sell it the Foretravel dealer told me nobody wanted this narrow body model and that I might as well junk it if it doesn't run. People always told me that about my 1965 Impala until just a few years ago. Now everybody wants to buy it from me and they chase me around town yelling at me across lanes of traffic while I'm trying to drive!

Here's an '87 local to me, Foretravel Grande Villa Diesel Pusher (http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/rvs/3953419610.html)
and there's an '82 a couple hours south that's at an auction house. Can't find thier ad at the moment.
The more I see of these, the less I'm surprised at how many oldtimers are still on the road. They are built much less like motorhomes and much more like yachts; and there are plenty of really old boats plying the waves still, owned by people who appreciate what they have. Build it properly and treat it well and watch it go, for decades.

My FIRST Foretravel was an 82 TRAVCO just like this one.  I did learn to dislike the Dodge 440-3 and all its quirks and shortcomings but the Foretravel HOUSE part was not a lot different than my later 85 FT and Current 95.
Gary B

Ah an old Foretraveler.  Gold club jackets and coaches.  Brown interiors.  Sold and drove a lot of travco's and a few Avcoes and gtc coaches. All brands purchased by Foretravel long ago. 

No way to kill a travco body.  Fiberglass left and right halves. 

Where did your 83 go?

Love to walk in one again.  lift up front table.  Post tables in closet. 

The newby's here will never know.....

Bob. 

Aw, the old, but goody TRAVCO
My very 1st motorhome, 1979 TRAVCO, 26' (I Think), Onan Generator.

Only used to travel from Dallas Fort Worth area to Harlingen TX in October for the Confederate Air Foce air show.

Would transport six of us, sleep six (in shifts that is ), party dozens.

Bob, My 82 TRAVCO had been painted with IMRON by the former owner, You could wash bugs off with a hose.  He paid 1700 bucks back then to have it painted probably equivalent to 25 grand now.  It was in bad mechanical shape when I bought my 85 ORED, I sold it thru a broker, a banker bought it in Atlanta and I lost track for a while.  It then turned up at a FMCA rally and I spent several rallies helping out a college professor keep it going, It broke down so oftyen that his wife refused to ride in it. He was so dumb he tried to light the reefer with a match instead of the Piezo electric switch, melted the whole front panel of the reefer.
Later I saw it on the street in Stone Mountain, GA and its been years since I have seen it.  I will bet that that fibreglass body is till in existence somewhere.
Gary B

The weirdest TRAVCO I have ever seen was in Avondale Estates , GA.  Someone had taken a 26 foot TRAVCO and set it on an old Freightliner truck chassis ( looks like on old breadbox type ).  I have a photo at home , I will try to post it later.  I don't think you can kill a Travco any easier than you can a Foretravel.
Gary B

Well, Since its the history questions and the old coaches I love...
I probably have the oldest Foretravel here a 1971 24' on an international chassis with a 392 gasoline engine. The coach is not usable but, My plan is to have her restored to her former glory some day. I am still in love with (after 20 yrs) my 1983 FTX diesel with over 370K miles and still cruises the highway with grace and elegance.

Did you restore the '83 or was it like that when you got it? It's in beautiful condition! ^.^d

What is the motor in the '83?

Was the Imron guy from the west coast?  I remember something about that coach. 

Today I found an 85 foretravel in Cook, Ne. It is FTX8524333300RB. Unfortunatly it is no longer road worthy. Someone removed both air conditioners and left the openings open. Also several of the side windows are broken out. It was on the roadmaster chassis and had the 454 chevy engine which was blown up. The transmission had been rebuilt and has probably around 2,500 miles on it so probably good. It does still have the Chrysler electronic dash. It does have 6 Alcoa aluminum rims that are 6 bolt 19.5. If anyone needs parts I have the owners name and phone number. The entry door appears to be in good shape. It was built for a company ,believe ADAP Inc, and was used as a mobile showroom. So I guess that this one can be removed from road ready list.

Bob, The Imron paint on my 82 was done at a laundry in NC.  Laundry owner had a fleet and the owner at that time left it at his place for a long time expecting just a normal paint job. Talk about a friend for life.
Gary B

I am the second owner of the '83. I got the coach in fall of 1993 with 65K miles. I have gone through and personalized and up-graded but still retained much of the original coach. So no, its not been "fully" restored. It is powered by the 8.2l detroit turbo 4stroke that is still original and running strong with all the years and miles. When I first bought the coach I managed an equipment company so many of the miles were covered going to auctions in the southeast and central states. I pulled a custom built 3-axle aluminum flatbed trailer that was 25' long and weighed 4500lbs. I would use this to retrieve whatever I bought at the auction. I once hauled a small crawler loader weighing in at 11000lbs from Little Rock AR. back to Knoxville TN. My "old faithful" has never let me down. I am as proud of that old coach as I would be a new one! Thank you for the questions and comments!

I would like to get some aluminum rims for mine. That would be great.

I sent you a PM Ron.

I sent you a pm back with the information

Here is a member with a 1975 still on the road
Coach Build Numbers (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=11422.msg93529#msg93529)

Oh cool, that '75 model looks similar to the one in Foretravel's showroom. I was checking it out when I was down there last time. It's in beautiful condition. I think they restored it. I was told it's not for sale but they do take it out and drive it every so often... the one in Foretravel's showroom I mean.