I just noticed this 1994 Unihome for sale a few miles from me. Just posting in case anyone is interested.
Mark
1994 Foretravel Unihome, Green Cove Springs FL - 111860612 - RVTrader.com (http://www.rvtrader.com/listing/1994-Foretravel-Unihome-111860612)
Someone with a book can look up the owner: Motorcade # 11829.
Not much info on the ad or the dealer's website.
I called the dealer (talked with Rick, the owner). They just took it in trade-- will try to get photos out there in the next couple of days.
Said it is a 40' with Detroit Diesel, so a U300
Small world. We are in Melbourne, FL. Monday will be heading through Jacksonville on the way to the Diesel RV Club Rally in Brunswick, GA.
Brett
That member does not show in latest book.
John H
Asking $19,500 in winter. If no corrosion damage and in reasonable condition, could be a real deal. Cash is king and "the morning hour has gold in it's mouth".
2014 performance for pennies on the dollar.
Pierce
Using that number the owner probably bought it new so all records would be available. Which I believe to be invaluable.
Could be a real "deal" for a do it yourselfer. This one warrants close inspection and a thorough check of all the systems. Just remember it's 20 years old and needs to be gone through if it hasn't been already.
Many surprises could be had here both pleasant and unpleasant. When I bought mine I discovered the PO had replaced the hydraulic pump, fan bearings, generator, and recovered the dash and front seats. All good. The tires were six years old and house batteries were shot. I later discovered a foot long crack on the corner of the bathroom skylight which had been caulked but not fixed. No serious leaks and all appliances worked good. The interior was all original and even the carpet was in good shape. I also later discovered the inverter was not working. The exterior needed a lot of attention. At less than 5% of the MSRP I couldn't pass up on the deal and took the chance. After all, this is a Foretravel!
It fired up instantly and drove like a dream. So far, I've had to replace the front slack adjusters, the rear ride height valves, and fix some minor air leaks. In December I had the oil changed and drove 1000 miles round trip to FOT for the chassis inspection. No problems except for the bad dash solenoid which I knew about already.
I feel very fortunate to have found mine and could afford it as I already owned a Minnie Winnie. This one looks like as good a deal but just remember to budget $5-10,000 in your thinking if necessary. I love working on mine and fixing or upgrading components that I can do myself as many of us on the forum do.
Jerry aka Murph
That is less than we paid for our 1993 U300.
Seems to be worth rolling the dice to me. If it starts and runs I would buy it. 350 6v with 1050 torque does extremely well in the hills.
Faded. May buff out?
Bob
If you can't make a spur of the moment trip, a bunch of HIGH resolution photos viewed on a big monitor will bring out the faults. Want to have a check list of things to take photos of and questions to ask about fridges, AC, batteries, maint records, etc. A seller without anything to hide will be glad to oblige.
Could be a steal or could have been overheated and have oil in the coolant or bulkhead that needs work. Don't really know until you are there in person.
This will be the desirable side radiator model.
Bought ours over the phone with a lot of photos. Almost trouble free four years now.
Pierce
This is just filler to keep snoopers from seeing too much info, but with a little hunting I found : That Motorcade number was for Floyd Lamb from Florida, and the coach still has FL tags.
Pamela & Mike
Just remember that the best thing about this coach is that Mark Z lives just a few miles away. I can't think of a more trustworthy person do and initial inspection and give an opinion of a Forertravel.
If the dealer who is selling it hasn't thrown out all the records and paperwork for the coach that would be a good thing. Sometimes they feel that maintenance records can make buyers feel like the coach has had too much work done.
But the price is right for that coach. Heck of a deal!!!
Craig
If you look at it bring a checkbook IMO. Bet they stole it.
This is a Special Edition and has a few different options as well as as the floorplan as seen here: 1993 Foretravel U300 - U280 SE Floorplan (http://www.beamalarm.com/foretravel-links/models/1993_foretravel_u300-u280_special_edition_floorplan.html) Don't know what the options were but it cost more than the regular U300 in 1994.
Pierce
Nice plan.?? Hmmm got me thinking
JohnH
Okay, the floor plan is identical to our 1993 U300. We have solid walnut doors on the china hutch and an icemaker below it. We also have a four-burner stove with oven. Ours doesn't say Special Edition anywhere, but it sure looks like all the SE plans I've seen. Could it be that the original purchaser of our coach got the SE options individually, or maybe got some but not all?
Everyone should have three Foretravels!
Could an IH-45 tow a 1994 Unihome?
best, paul
Saw a long construction flatbed with a Case 580 plus heavy supplies behind a U300 in the Sacramento Valley. Going 55 without a problem. The last owner of our U300 towed a construction trailer from N. Carolina to Oklahoma all the time.
Pierce
Paul,
If you've got the money for the IH-45, I'm sure you can find a way to tow the 300 ;D
Larry
Yes Paul it can-for how long ???
John H
The IH-45 should sleep with a U300 behind it. I remembered an old article about a Detroit 318 2-cycle big rig grossing 80,000 lbs. Payload was 56,600. Not bad for a non-turbo 8V-71 at 9.3 liters.
Big Rigs of the 1970s - Ron Adams - Google Books (http://books.google.com/books?id=jf2bUsK8NZcC&pg=PA37&lpg=PA37&dq=detroit+318+80),000+pounds&source=bl&ots=j4A4bqveLJ&sig=ifYaGz9sqUwEE--wZS_Pc6EtX38&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DIoKU4TkEpWxoQSwrIGwAg&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=detroit%20318%2080%2C000%20pounds&f=false
Pierce
Pierce,
I use to pull Michigan double bottom trains with a Detroit 318 (26' lead trailer and a 20' pup) grossing 135,000 lbs. Grand total of 8 axles under her. Made 3 rounds a week from Bethlehem Steel in Lackawanna, NY across Ontario to the auto plants in Michigan. Averaged 3 to 4 mpg and used a whole gallon of oil each trip. Those 318's were nicknamed "double breasted Yamahas. But I prefered a Cummins 350 for that work.
Ok
Anybody buy this? :thumbsup:
Is this one going to Canada?
Dealer reports sold. They had many calls.
Like I said. Move quick with a checkbook in hand. Someone got a deal
Hi All,
Back in 2006 it was registered to Floyd Lamb, Havana, Florida.
Raymond
You're not the only one wondering that last point ;)
That was me! They agreed to $19.000 subject to satisfactory inspection. Got my cashier's check for $19.000 and my wife and I went down there to bring it home. Met with Brett Wolfe (and his lovely wife Diane) and spent about four hours going over it in full inspection mode.
First the good: Great 40-foot walnut interior with walnut walls, pocket doors, window sills and tambour doors in front and back. I think this was the last model year with that much walnut -- IIRC the 95's had tambour front but lift-up in back, and 96's went all lift-up). This was the Special Edition with eight different corian counter tops with accent trim. Many, many cabinets throughout the coach. nice oak flooring in the kitchen, 2-burner stove, upgraded refrigerator. Could be used as-is if you added a piece of duct tape on the couch (which had a very nice southwestern pattern). The awnings were in pretty good shape with aluminum covers. Big silver detroit diesel looked and sounded good; same with the generator that had almost a thousand hours.
The not so good: The RV was a one-owner, but had sat for at least the last two years. The Korean tires looked good with lots of tread, but had a date code of 3405; a few missing lug nut covers. No manuals or service records. Only had a couple of minor delam areas. Needed all new batteries. The alternator was not working, but dealer was replacing that. One of the bay door handles had broken off and needed some minor fiberglass repair; a second one also needed some minor fiberglass repair. The box-beam frame around the waste door open had pretty much rusted out; the valve did not close all the way and the PO solution was ts stuff a rag in the end of the outlet pipe. The steering gear box probably needed some work. Old, old green carpet throughout.
The bad and ugly: The BULKHEADS. The front bulkhead had 5 or 6 rolocks on the passenger side that had rusted through. The rear bulkhead did not have that many good ones! It was the deal breaker. Will try to post some of my bulkhead photos tomorrow. There were more maintenance items that needed tending too (filters, fluids, etc.), but I left my pages of notes with the dealer when I gave him the bad news. Figured he had more use for them than I did.
Jean and I drove from Oklahoma to Florida and back; two long days each day, with some nighttime driving, which was definitely not fun. But we learned a few things: we definitely want a 40-footer for full timing; I really LOVE all that old walnut, and most importantly, I finally convinced Jean that 102" can be enough without slides! Some times a good deal is just not good enough! If you do not have the experience or expertise to inspect an RV, it pays to have someone who can assist you. All in all, we spent about $1k on the trip, but saved $19k plus a whole lot more! Now I just have to convince my bank to take back my cashier's check. :-)
Trent and Jean Eyler
Sadly, still just wannabees!
Sorry to hear the drive back was empty handed. You will find one sonnet or later.
Trent,
You and Jean made the right decision. There ARE nice ones out there. As I have said for years, I would rather see someone spend quite a lot more for a really nice unit than think they got a "bargain" by purchasing a bad one for a low price.
And, next time I do a mechanical inspection at that dealership, I am bringing my own leaf blower. That hour and a half under it in the leaves was a real choker.
Now just go buy Gary B's coach, the opposite of what you just looked at. Pay a premium for a premium coach and you won't be unhappy.
Ebay has what looks like something checking into.
94 - 40' custom paint detroit engine..
Uhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-FORETRAVEL-GRAND-VILLA-UNIHOME-39-300HP-DIESEL-RV-MOTORHOME-/310880666867?forcerrptr=true&hash=item4861ee84f3&item=310880666867&pt=RVs_Campers
Check the wood everywhere. Major roof leaks and poor owner care to look like that. Indicates few oil changes, other hidden problems. These photos are not showing all the work needed.
Pierce
Tim, I would love to own it if it were 4' longer. Trent
"Greed knows NO bounds"
"deals to good to be true. most likely are"
" I have this lovely ocean front property in AZ that I let you have really cheap"
Barnum said it best
" a new sucker born every minute "
Yeah, there is a difference between a 40 and a 36 (owned two 36' FT before the current coach). I don't full time (yet), but if I did I think I would want a 40. That said, 36 still has a bunch of room inside.
Pierce, are you looking at the u300? 35K?
Didnt see any interior shots.
On the Ebay 1989 listing, you need to scroll down the page to see lots of large photos that do show the interior. What I saw seemed to be window leaks streaking the walnut wall paneling. One shot seemed to show the wood might be mildewed, which I hope is not the case. I have seen boat interiors with all the wooden walls covered in mildew.
I saw that on the 89.
Im talking about the 94. :D Guess we dont have the same access on ebay.. lol
The difference in usable storage space between a 36' and a 40' unit can be quite significant--both in the interior and in the basement. When deciding what to buy we reviewed a variety of posts and carefully studied the floor plans. Even though we have no plans for full-timing, we do plan (after retirement) to make several extended trips. Based on our trips so far, I think we will put all of the space in our 40' rig to good use.
I initially was a little concerned about the maneuverability with the longer rig, but that hasn't been an issue up to this point. I would definitely recommend a 40' rig.
Be careful when looking at streaks ( not real mildew ) on the wood paneling, if below the Windows it can be just streaking from condensation off the windows , not necessarily a LEAK as such. Some Furniture Polish will cure most of the streaking.
Gary B
Gary,
Look at the photos again on a big monitor. The streaks are everywhere and in several cases, start at the ceiling. Check the ceiling next to the wall in the passageway. The wood on the entry is really bad. The instrument panel between the instruments also has a lot of deposits and is not just dust. Looks as if it did a Poseidon to me. The chairs look to have be recovered or have a slip cover on them. Expect they were like the main sofa before. If it could bark, it would.
Pierce
No, I was looking at the 1989 U300 with the Detroit. 1989 Foretravel Grand Villa Unihome 39' Detroit Diesel RV Motorhome | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-FORETRAVEL-GRAND-VILLA-UNIHOME-39-DETROIT-DIESEL-RV-MOTORHOME-/301108872060?forcerrptr=true&hash=item461b7cc37c&item=301108872060&pt=RVs_Campers)
The Detroit was added at the end in a correction. Lists a CAT at the top.
The 1994 claims to have a Cummins in it so thought it was not the one. It looks a lot nicer. It does have interior shots if you scroll down on the photos but pretty low resolution. Could be a mistake on the engine or perhaps it's a U280. 1994 Foretravel Grand Villa Unihome 40 ft U 300 Series Restored and Ready | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1994-Foretravel-Grand-Villa-Unihome-40-ft-U-300-series-Restored-and-Ready-/261408015857?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3cdd21c5f1&item=261408015857&pt=RVs_Campers)
Pierce
On the Ebay 1994 listing, misspelling and some wrong info. Cabinets listed as oak, but look like the normal Walnut. Some suggestion to Peterbuilt running boards. You have to read between the lines and sometime ignore the info written as well.
Buyers be ware, and they really need to study Barry Beam's wealth of info on his site.
Gary,
Sorry if we were looking at a different coach. You probably thought I was crazy or had xray eyes. :)
Pierce
Pierce, I agree with you, I was just pointing out that not all streaks are not fatal flaws.
Gary B