Just joined the Forum - Sorry, No doubt my post is nonconforming but I need some feedback on a coach I want to look at this week in Knoxville. Listed as "2002 Foretravel Unicoach 3620 U295. Listed for $99,980. I ran across somewhere in the Forum "50 things to look for when buying a FT...,etc - I will use that but IN GENERAL, Is this a good model year & is the price at least in the ballpark, etc?
Well.... First, let me say that I love my 2002 U270. Second, I can acknowledge after 8 years of ownership that it was a year where there were a couple of "issues" to be dealt with.
First, examine the endcaps to see if there is any vertical cracking. When these were originally made, there were no seams on the endcap/sidewall connections. They tried using some new adhesive that year that did not turn out well for them and resulted in what Foretravel later called "cosmetic" cracking. Probably any 2002 you look at now will have had this fixed. There were a couple of alternative repairs that have been done over the years. So you may or may not see an inch-wide trim covering the areas. If you don't see cracks that look sort of like zippers, or you see the trim, it has likely been fixed. There should be no re-occurrence. Mine was fixed and the trim added in 2006 and is still fine.
The second issue to be wary of is the front slide mechanism. Don't let it scare you, as it is easy to fix if needed and not even all that expensive when someone knows what they are doing. I let mine scare me for too long, not having taken the time to learn and understand it. This is the *only* year that FT used what is called the "Train" system to move the slide. Several of us have experienced "slide creep", meaning that after the slide has been extended for a few hours, it could creep back in, putting lateral stress on the air bladder. If you are going to go see the coach, ask them to be sure and have the slide extended long before your arrival. Then when you get there, have them turn the key to release the air seal bladder. Listen to see if the slide makes noise like it is moving in. If it does, then you are seeing either a leaking solenoid valve ($182 and an easy DIY replacement) or a leaky hydraulic cylinder (about $150...but a lot of labor to get at. Still can be a DIY repair, I just did mine). Frankly, I don't know whether the Train system was more or less expensive than the other years, or why they used it for only one year. It works fine when it is working properly.
I wouldn't consider that price to be out of the ballpark for a well-appointed U295. If you see slide creep though, I'd mentally call it a $1000 repair and negotiate accordingly. I'll let others tell you of any other issues to look for. Age of tires (6 years old is generally considered time to replace) as well as age and type of batteries.
Welcome, dukejhp. This is the place to ask all of your questions. We love talking about our coaches, so ask away. There is no such thing as a dumb question, other than the one you didn't ask. Don't be afraid to ask a question that was asked and answered several years ago because things do change.
When you go to look at the coach look for some numbers above the windshield and the same numbers on the rear. Those are Motorcade Club numbers and someone here will be able to tell you more about the history of that coach. Also, check out Foretravel Specifications, Floor Plans, Photos & Brochures (https://wiki.foreforums.com/doku.php?id=through_the_years:specs) for more information. You can click on the coach in the left column to get the specs for that year and trim, and on the right to get the floor plans that were available.
If that is the U295 at Tennessee RV it has been on the lot for quite a while, a few years even. Don't know much about it other than that. I did call and spoke with a salesman about it in 2010 or 11. He said it had been used by the owner of the dealership. Tennessee Rv was a Foretravel dealer in the past.
Like others have said, I would have a very thorough inspection done on all components and drivetrain where it has been sitting for a while.
Dean
There is a 2002 at Tennessee RV that has been there for years, took as a trade and were into it for too much $$ and never came off the price to market value. If that is the coach in question, it has sat for long stretches, will probably need batteries and tires all around, and as I recall the end caps had not been repaired from the factory issues of that year. Proceed with due caution on this coach if this is the coach in question.
James in the service department at Tennessee RV seems like a straight shooter, and might be able to give you insight into the overall condition of the coach. Anything can be fixed on these coaches, but sitting is very hard on everything, expect more than the usual amount of first year maintenance on any coach that is little used, no matter what the year.
Do not know anything about that coach but I really like the 295. It has the features which work for me.
My Slide works fine but ck it out. Tires are in the $4000 range and batteries House $2000 (3) and cranking around (3) $600. So get these in the deal. Don't let them tell you they are working so they are fine. DAN
Wow! You guys rock - such great response so quickly - almost make me want a FT if just for the community!!
The community here is great and one of the reasons why we own a Foretravel. An active, involved owners forum was an absolute requirement for us.
Welcome to the forum.
We also have a 2002 although ours is a U320. We have the slide creep phenomenon that is currently is in the process of being repaired - lower left hydraulic cylinder will be replaced. Although Brad S. is the expert on the slide creep issue I would guess the repair might be closer to $2K, maybe more. JMHO. As Brad says - Open the slide and you should hear the slide Creep IN within 10 to 20 minutes after it is fully extended if this coach has this problem. It would not keep me from purchasing but I would discount the price $2K+ anyway.
The PO of our coach passed about 1 1/2 years before we acquired her and the PO's wife invested $8K before we bought her replacing belts hoses and various other repairs to get her in a saleable condition. Many of the repairs that she paid for were NOT done as claimed. The repair work was not done at Foretravel. I would suggest that you request to review all maintenance/repair documents. If not available then..... I would further suggest that if you are serious about this coach have it inspected very thoroughly. We have service repair records dating back to the original owners including end cap repair in 2004. We have smooth seams and have no recurrence. If you were to give the coach number to Foretravel they can tell you if they repaired it and how it was done.
We love our 2002 and the longer we own her the more we like her.
Two of the best pieces of advice that I found on this forum are: 1. Set your budget and buy the best Foretravel that you can. 2. A 10 year old Foretravel is better than any new SOB - Some Other Brand.
As far as the asking price is concerned - she is worth what you pay for her. As other threads on this forum have said, NADA is little to no help in establishing a value for a Foretravel but if you do a web search for all 2002 Foretravels for sale in the US you can see the spread and act accordingly. Our U320 was appraised in April 2013 significantly higher that what the dealer is asking. That does not mean it's a good deal.
Good luck on your search and as others have said - Ask alot of questions.
thanks David, Scott & Carol, my knowledge base is growing
I noticed they indicate two double beds and a queen. Ask them to show you. Not there. Ask them to show you the washer/dryer--does not have one. Ask them to show you the AquaHot-- Does not have one. The 295 could have any of these things on special order but this one does not and mine does not either --that's what I like. Some people use the washer dryer we did not and the 295 I have now does not have it and I like the additional inside storage room. Being in Texas the aquahot is an additional expense to service but a lot of people love it but not a necessary item. Make sure you get the combo to the safe. DAN
I would have someone independent of Tennessee RV look at the coach in question with if for me if at all possible. There are just too many areas that come "bite" you if you do not know where or what to look for. The check list that is on this forum is a great tool but knowledge and experience are hard to beat. If this coach has been "on the market" for over a year I would be especially cautious.
Roland
Is this coach at Tenn RV ? or is this just alot of guessing/assuming, have not seen any indication other than Knoxville, is that Knoxville Tenn or, Iowa or Texas?
A little hint as to what/where with picture ad would be real neat.
But yes I do love guessing/assuming and loose fingers.
Dave M
several years if it is the coach at TN RV…..
Ok so here is the coach and it is the Tenn' one. Painted I think like Dan's.
http://www.tennesseerv.com/inventory/302676/Used-2002-Foretravel-Unicoach-3620-U295.aspx (http://www.tennesseerv.com/inventory/302676/Used-2002-Foretravel-Unicoach-3620-U295.aspx)
JohnH
"I noticed they indicate two double beds and a queen. Ask them to show you. Not there." I saw them in the pictures. The queen bed is in the rear, over the engine, and looks like a bed. The two doubles are the dinette and couch. They don't look like beds in the pictures, but I'll bed they make into beds. That said, I'm not sure that I'd like to sleep on either one, but grandkids don't seem to mind. Maybe that's because they are younger, weigh less, and have a greater sense of adventure. I'm old, fat, and like my comforts.
I didn't see the w/d, but did see where it would go. I wouldn't think that they would remove it, but maybe that is supposed to be a buyer incentive. They will add one if you buy the coach at the asking price. If you don't want one you can knock $2000 off the price.
I do like the looks of that coach. They claim to have cut the price by $40,000, but that doesn't mean anything. Price something at twice what you want, advertise it that way for a few days, then have a half-off sale and you will get the price you wanted.
If you look at this coach, talk to James in service. I think it has been there 3-4 years. Not sure end caps were ever repaired
Thanks all! Yes this is the one in Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee RV & if as some of you have suggested it's been there for an extended period of time, I will proceed very cautiously, talk with James if he's still there, make sure that all is as they have represented or get $ off the price if not, etc. Anyone know anyone/company in Knoxville who for the appropriate $ that would conduct a thorough inspection? If not any suggestions on how to find someone? You have all been very helpful! Thanks!!
James is still there, is the service director. NOt sure who in Nashville can help you. James is on the Forum and owns a vintage FT himself. James is a good guy, but remember he still works for TN RV.
Tires and batteries will need to be replaced, and make sure end cap issue was addressed by factory. Call James Triana at at FT with the build # and he can tell you if it was there for warranty or not on the end cap issues. All 2002's were affected. Also, bulkheads should be checked.
Sounds like they finally are trying to price it to sell. When I was there in August, I said $80K was the right amount "as is" if the bulkheads and slide out checked OK. That would leave you enough for lots of tires, batteries, maintenance, etc. Not sure what the end cap repair would cost if needed still, but should be factored into the equation if not completed.
Tim:
Is the build # on the windshield?
will be on the plate to the left of the drivers seat that has GVW, etc. on it
Tim & others:
Any thoughts on the FT of TX listed 2004 U270($115.3K)?
I like it, but then I am partial to U270s...no Aquahot and less glitziness in the lighting. The 400 ISL is plenty of power for a 36 ft coach. My last trip, towing a 4,000 lb vehicle, completed 3850 miles at 8.9mpg. But then I do drive it like an old man (62-65).
Looks like a nice coach, but they seem to have really altered the storage from the 2002 U270! I cannot really tell what has gone on from the pictures, but the main storage bay seems to only be accessible (mostly) from one side. I can see the Pro-Sine Inverter in the picture along with the compressor. That placement is definitely different from 2002. Also, over the propane tank, I have 2 storage drawers. Clearly, 2 would not fit on top of each other in this 2004. The Pantograph bay doors are nice. Wish I had those on my 2002. The hose and electric reels are a nice upgrade too. I would like to have the full body paint. Someone has already added the "third valve" for the sewer, and it looks like a decent satellite system up top. Nice big refrigerator is different than my 2002, and the kitchen cabinets are laid out differently.
All things considered, decent price, decent mileage, decently equipped. Makes me wish I was in the market.
Be very cautious, James is an employee of Tennessee RV.
Roland
FT of Texas and MOT usually price coaches to move. Sometimes a consignor will start out at the high end of the market, but usually if the seller wants to unreasonable a price, they decline to take the consignment.
Haven't looked in a few years, so can't speak to specifics on pricing. Ask if it is a consignment coach or a FT of Texas owned coach. Price will almost always be close to market if dealer owned - they don't want it sitting around and paying interest. If they own it they took it in trade at the right $$$ so they can price it to sell.
My advice as well. But he has been honest and fair with me, and he is in the service dept. not sales, owns a FT and is on the forum.
Thanks, guys
It will be 4 digits that you are looking for. 2002 models are in the 5900-6000 range, or thereabouts. They started way-back-when and continue to number them as they build them.
Thanks, Tim - Evaluating 1 vs 2 slide coaches, how important is the bedroom slide?
Well, for DW, 1 slide was a requirement. Never had a bedroom slide, so have no good opinion. I suspect "more is better", but not having one, I don't know what I am missing.
As you look at different floor plans in person you will get a feeling for or against. We have 2 slides, one in the BR and we like it.
Look under the flip up cover ( or removeable) over dash and you will see a setting for alignment and the build # should be on that paper.
John H
I like my bedroom slide as the bed is east west. If it is a closet slide then you lose cross breezes.
We purchased our 2004 U270 3610 in July 2013, our first Foretravel. We compared our 2004 to earlier models available at FOT and MOT at the time. And, for some of the reasons Brad provided, we decided the 2004 was worth the extra increase in price. The batteries are easily accessible, the electricals, 12 volt compressor, etc. are in a dedicated bay, the large storage bay is completely void of anything except the Joey Bed and an overhead light fixture, most bay doors are bus style, full body paint, etc. Two things our coach did not have were Aqua Hot and Koni shocks. We have since added the Koni FSD shocks. We only have one slide but like the access in the bedroom without a slide.
Thanks folks - as usual very helpful info
You may want to see if a Forum member Gary Omel will be going through Nashville any time soon. If Gary is willing to make an inspection for you you won't find anyone more knowledgeable about Foretravels than he is. He lives in Florida in the winter and goes to Tenn in the spring. If the price is right he might be willing to detour to Knoxville for you.
Yep, it's the Tennessee RV 295. It has been on RVT for a looonng time, well over a year. As was already said, everything can be fixed, but it could get pretty pricey. I don't have a FT yet, but I would steer clear.
Thanks Kent,Royce/Denise - I emailed TN RV about looking @ the coach this weekend & have not heard back - In my email I asked about all of the potential issues suggested by forum members - I still plan to look @ it but without great expectations - more to increase my knowledge base.
Jim
I have not read all the posts on this coach at Tennessee RV, so this may be redundant. I have seen the coach since we had a windshield replaced last fall at Tenn RV. It has been there for at least a couple years and was priced way too high when I saw it.... don't recall the exact price, but something like $139K. I told the sales guy it would never sell at that price. He was not impressed by my comment. It does need a lot of work. Very weathered as I recall. I didn't see the inside. I keep getting Google advertisements for what I think is the same coach, but the price is $69K and change. If that is the same coach, that might be a decent price. Caveat emptor on this one!
George
Well, it should be fun just checking it out. Have a good time and hide your checkbook (unless they make you one heck of a deal and since it has been there a while, I don't expect that). LOL
I would much rather purchase a vehicle from the owner rather than from a dealer. That's because I perform an inspection on the owner as well as the vehicle. If I am well impressed by the owner, then I feel much better about purchasing the vehicle. If I'm suspicious of the owner, then I'm especially suspicious of the vehicle.
In this case there appear to be a number of questions about the vehicle, and at least some questions about the dealer. Unless it's possible to communicate with whomever last owned the vehicle, then I would be quite wary of purchasing it. If the dealer himself has owned it for a long time, then I would be very suspicious of why he let it just sit there instead of pricing it to move relatively quickly.
With as many questions as there seem to be about this coach, I'm inclined to think I would pass on it.
Good points David. I 'm going to look @ it just to learn what to look for
Thanks George...missed your post earlier - I'm going to take a look @ the TN RV coach tomorrow to enhance my FT education - not looking for a "fixer upper" - don't have the expertise or patience
Wow I just stumbled on this thread. I called tn rv last Thursday often seeing if listed on rvt. I talked to a sales guy there by the name of Lonnie. Wasn't very knowledgeable with this coach said it was at the body shop. I asked why and he told me there was a small crack in the rear bumper getting repaired. He asked if someone more knowledgeable with the coach could call me back. I said sure.
Ten min. Latter my phone rings and it's a fella Rodger and tells me he is the owner of tn. rv. He tells me how great the coach is in and out and that his partner used the coach for some time. Can't remember if he said it was purchased or traded in by a local minister. When I questioned him on why it was at the body shop he told me that the rear caps were cracked and were getting them repaired. Rodger told me he worked at foretravel for years. He was very knowledgeable with how Foretravels were built knew what years they tried different build ideas. Like these over lapping caps in 02.
Hi Mike,
Yes, Roger Sellers is the owner, part owner, of Tenn RV. He knows the Foretravel story well. He is a great guy, and quite the salesman. I'm sure many will chime in on the 2002 era cap issues. They all had the problem. It was a very time consuming, and expensive, repair. The Foretravel company stood behind these coaches, and it cost them quite a large amount. If done properly they have no problems. Most should have had the repairs by now. But you need to make sure. They are Foretravels, hard to find any better.
Raymond
I've not heard it called "overlapping" caps before. The explanation given to me, by a person in Nacogdoches who said that he was working at FT at the time, was that they decided to try some new DOW formula material on the endcaps to make them smooth, without seams. His story went that there were a lot of naysayers at both DOW and Foretravel, telling the folks in charge that this particular stuff would not work...but the decision was made to do it anyway. The rest is history, for all of us with 2002s. Foretravel's responses over the years varied as to what they did as a cure and who paid for it. I was told that in some cases, they dug out the material and put some plates in to brace things, leaving a smooth surface. In my case, I let them put trim strips over the problem areas after they cleaned them up. There has been no further issue or cracking on my coach (about 9 years now), and I am content with the way it looks...even though the sides are not "smooth" between the sides and endcaps.
Foretravel did pay for my conversion to having the strips placed over the area, AFTER a lengthy "negotiation" with some phone and email exchanges. But then I have a friend who was charged 50% of the cost of fixing his 2002. It was all ugly business, especially for the new (at the time) owners who got this issue sprung on them when they purchased Foretravel...with the good (loyal base for a great coach) and the bad (the 2002 endcaps that were just revealing themselves to be problems). I am surprised that any 2002 coach would be still out there in an "unrepaired" state.
Is this the crack in the white? Roger told me he has a 24,000 square foot paint and body shop and the crack goes through all the colors. Told me it was going to be a $6,000.00 repair.
(https://www.foreforums.com/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Ftq5WeMQl.jpg&hash=b420bc9dfa0437d0776b3bc49835fe41" rel="cached" data-hash="b420bc9dfa0437d0776b3bc49835fe41" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://i.imgur.com/tq5WeMQl.jpg)
In person, it is easy to see as a sort of "zipper" effect. The vertical cracks are actually a series of cracks that are more horizontal than vertical. Sort of like ////////// only vertically oriented. The repair by Foretravel was more along the lines of $1500 for mine and my friend's. Like I said, there has been no issue with mine since the repair which was 1/2007. It was labeled as a "cosmetic issue" at the time, and I have no reason to doubt that. It isn't a scary issue...just one that needs to be dealt with.
I would certainly buy my coach again, altho I was quite concerned about the cracking when I first discovered it. I can't seem to find a "before" picture, but this is the "after" picture taken at Foretravel.
Thanks for the pic Brad. I would have no problem with the way yours looks.
Ck to make sure there is not a hydraulic oil leak on the big slide appears to a be an oil stain in the joey bed.
The aqua hot is an extra for the 295. If this coach has good batteries, tires and cap repair and all works and the price is right it may make someone happy. Love my 295 DAN
When ours needed repair, the crack was only in the black stripe, not the light/medium silver of our coach. FT repaired it in 2009 (no added trim molding, a smooth seam) for close to what Brad stated his cost and it hasn't reoccurred.
That said, there appears to be some discoloration visible in the photo you posted around what I'm guessing is the "small crack in the bumper" the salesman told you about. Depending on how long that crack has been there (could be a while if there is now discoloration), you will want to have someone who knows what they are doing (and has no vested interest in selling the coach) check for water penetration/damage and delamination. That could easily run up the cost of repair and you would want it done right, not covered over.