There a nice looking U320 that has been on Craigslist for a while now. The price just dropped another $5,000. It has new airbags, somewhat new tires and new starting batteries. They want $29,900. That's a bargain. It was a bargain before the price drop. Other than the dog in the picture (possible pet odors), I can't figure out why this thing isn't moving.
I am saving my dollars for my first Foretravel purchase, but don't have enough to pull the trigger on a bargain like this.
Is there anyone who knows this coach? It might be a great buy for someone.
someone should move quickly. screaming deal in my opinion.
Yea that looks like a pretty good deal.
1997 40' Fortetravel Motorhome (http://daytona.craigslist.org/rvs/4864564825.html)
Mark
A '97 U320 for 30K? Caveat Emptor!
yea but bring cash. walk the roof. look for delam and staining.
"I am saving my dollars for my first Foretravel purchase, but don't have enough to pull the trigger on a bargain like this."
? ? ?
If you are hoping to get something like a 1990 for $15K, you need to be prepared to put thousand$ into it soon thereafter. In another thread, we were talking about "NEW OWNER" or How To Value.... or some such thing. The concensus was, in effect, buy what you like -- pay the fiddler. Don't buy the $15K motorhome if your SO doesn't like that one. Heck, don't buy the $750K coach if your SO doesn't like that one :facepalm:
This unit is about as old as I would like to own. The 1997 just transitioned to double pane windows and the AquaHot was standard on the U320. The U320 would be ideal unit for me. 40' would be perfect too. The airbags, tires and batteries would be stuff that I'd be wanting to update on a unit this old...and he already did it.
I just wish that I had the cash.
Since I've seen these same units going for $10K to $30K more. I'm just simply wonder why this unit hasn't sold. It's been available at $35K for almost two months, now it dropped to $30K. I thought some of the more knowledgeable members might have some inside info on this unit.
My feelings exactly Bob, you aint gonna find another even if it needs a bit of work.
If you have to borrow money from Bank on line of credit as the interest will be minor compared to the savings on price.
But check bulkheads too.
The Canadian $ is bad right now so a $25k sale is $31500 then taxes and fuel to get it home, slowly climbing up there.
JohnH
Feel a little queasy. Spent $34,500 for my 280 last year. This is almost to good to be true! New airbags ,tires and solar panel!!!! Oh yeah the battery's aren't even at their half life.
Great bargains do happen every once in awhile. It has happened to me before... it could happen again. If this a legitimate listing, it is hard to see how this wouldn't be a bargain even with the inevitable work. It is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time and having the resources available. If it isn't a legitimate listing, nobody smart enough to know the value of a Foretravel would be dumb enough to be taken in by a scam. I hope someone gets a great deal and becomes a contributing forum community member ^.^d
Don
i do wish that I was sitting on the cash right now, but hopefully I steered a forum member to a deal instead.
Hi, Just looking at specs. should that be the 400HP not 450?
No - the M11 was a 370 hp model for '95 and '96, uprated at the factory to 400 hp. 97 went to 450. I would say that is an early spec sheet.
Thanks for clearing that up I was curious about that. I am not that familiar with diesel engines. Does anybody plan on checking this coach out, sure is tempting.
The spec sheet for the '97 had to be published prior to the big spring RV show. At that time they had not got the new 450's yet. If it is an early '97 it could have a 400 M11 as they did have some in the shop but most likely it is a 450 celect plus.
Pamela & Mike
Can I ask another stupid question. Does this have a side mounted radiator? thanks again
...and there are no stupid questions.
Sometimes we give stupid answers. :)
That is good looking coach.
Says tires have only 4000 miles on them, but how old are they?
How long has the coach been in Florida by the salty sea? Check under after blocking up for signs of rusty bulkheads.
If I was in the market, if a PDI looked good and I could buy it for $25000- even if you put another $10-20K into it, you still have a good deal. Worth looking into if you can get a local PDI before you fly down.
Do what is fun
I'd go buy, but 40ft is too long.
The more thought I give to this the engine, trans, & rear end is worth almost what they are asking could be a good deal for the right person. Wish it was closer I would swing by and give it a look over.
Pamela & Mike
If my house had a contract on it, I would be on a plane this afternoon. Just sayin :'(
Larry
That is what I was thinking. You can have a spare engine and transmission and a whole coach too and then when one dies put the other engine in and you can go for 30 years that way.
Has anyone actually seen this coach? $25-29k is very tempting. Roger
This is the question that needs to be answered, by someone who knows what to look for... Any volunteers, or Forum members nearby?
I have an email dialog with the owner going. Aquahot is down, electric only, currently getting awning fixed. Its in the shop. Expect to see it this coming week.
That's great Dave. It would be interesting to hear about your observations.
I guess it sold. The listing is gone. Hopefully it was a forum member.
On edit: it's back. I wonder what happened.
Just guessing, but I'd expect that living outside in Daytona Beach...how long?....might have something to do with it. Those compartments look kind of crusty. Bulkheads? How's the headliner? Unit shows some pretty good use but for someone doing their own work might be a good canvas.
The little bits of metal I can see in the pictures doesn't really look corroded. I don't think you have to be very far from the beach to stop the salt corrosion.
I have run into good deals before, but as the old saying goes. If it sounds to good to be true, it usually is
Spoke with the owner today, he has someone buying it tomorrow. Last update to the ad showed better quality pics including decal weathering and window snakes. Asked the owner to let the buyer know about the Foretravel Forum.
Owner (Ron) now says buyer is defaulting, coach will probably go back up for sale. The wife and I have discussed this and for various reasons (mainly our commitment to get out of debt) we are passing. I may go have a peek if someone is interested, and I've told the owner I would inform the forum. Without a look I would reserve at least $10K over the $30K price. Known issues from pics/discussion:
1. The aquahot has only worked on electric for years.
2. no mention of date codes on tires.
3. tree limb damage of Zip Dee main awning and perif'arel' damage (his words!). Submitted for insurance.
4. Snakes in windows
5. Graphics in rough shape.
Positives (from ad and speaking with owner) - recent reefer work, recent batteries, 475 Watts solar (with a lame controller - not MPPT. I had same controller go bad and spike my batteries with 16V...).
I was very interested in this coach, and became frustrated with the owner in addition to my own personal reasons for passing. It could very well be a great buy, just not for me. (Or as they say on 'Fast N Loud', "A diamond in a goats a...") The wife has really had a tough time on this trip with her back and I will likely try to adapt a class 8 air ride to her passenger seat to get her some relief for now. I've already told her that for a truly better ride we need to go to a tag 42 (or 40), plus she wants a slide. I really think that with what I want and what I know an 01 42 is in the cards some day.
Dave,
Thanks for the report. Do you know if he is planning on posting a new craigslist w/pictures again since the old post is no longer available? Do you remember which floorplan it had?
Thanks in advance,
Larry
As I recall it was a walk through bath. Same as mine.
Thanks Dave. Still waiting on the house.
Larry
Fan speed controllers on the AH fans are pretty simple and not expensive. I put an on/off switch on the dash blower that comes on with AH. Big noise reduction, LR and Kitchen fans run longer with it off and the temp is more uniform. You can get a rebuilt AH for about $6K from John Carrillo in the Denver area. Not sure if that is with or without a core exchange. It is tempting but time is hard to come by for me these days. Roger
Dave, sent you a PM.
Larry
Everything here is all just $$ you know? $200/window for the snakes, aquahot max $6K but since it works on electric the freshwater loop and boiler chamber have to be intact meaning it's going to be less than $1K.
If I had some property and I was able to get the engine dyno'ed it would be an interesting project. This is a much better investment than some of the half-hearted bus conversions out there.
As pretty as my coach is the lights didn't turn on when we walked through the coach batteries were flat dead. Tires were aged out, etc. But $$ added up in my head.
Main things I would look at is roof integrity/past leaks, frame/bulkhead issues, and engine condition. Everything else is relatively cheap and accessible.
As others have said its only $$$ and time. But when one starts with something nearing 20 years old there comes a point when it just doesn't add up any longer, one must look very carefully before jumping in. Cosmetic stuff is cheep, the bones is what starts costing big dollars cooling system, engine and trans, hyd system, fuel lines and on and on.
AND ON AND ON; That IS, the bottom line!
Which is exactly what is happening for me but the price equation has a lot of variables.
You could buy a brand new one for $800K or whatever. There is an awful lot of maintenance and repair between $30K and $800K. That is one way I could rationalize spending even large amounts of money - even if it isn't recoverable in the sale. Consider it a cost of ownership and still cheaper than a new one.
Presumably there is some sweet spot where you can own the coach mostly depreciated for a few years without constantly repairing it. I don't know when that is. The person who owned my coach before me spent a lot of money on it both in renovations and service. During my ownership I am still spending money.
So every time something stupid (or maybe not so stupid) breaks I just get to work fixing it and so far 99% of the stuff has been pretty cheap. We need a set of batteries though. But my point is if a 97 U320 is worth $50K-$60K it would have to be pretty broken to achieve that in service and repairs. Therefore if you have a house you don't plan to sell, like to putter around and need a project. It doesn't look like the worst thing you could take on and still save maybe $15K.