1996 Foretravel U295 for Sale - D709CL - PPL Motor Homes (http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/diesel/1996-Foretravel-30042.htm)
Looks like the prices for no-slide RVs built in the 1990s are tumbling. Good news for some of us.
Craig
How spendy is it to reupholster a couch these days? Ya know, just in case a feller wasn't terribly impressed with a floral print such as this but could not pass up that drivetrain...
This coach was mentioned in a prior thread:
1996 U295 (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=25320.msg200130#msg200130)
We have a 1997 U295, same floor plan and outside strips. The owner before us in 2000 spent $10,000, changing colors, carpet, fixtures, wood on refrigerator door, and a few other things by FOT
I think your right. The market for a non slide is shrinking I believe to the cost of a single. Soon the single will be were the non slide is at. When I see non slides with a 60-80k asking price I just can't see it.
Certainly looks like a bargain at first glance. If it is a nice coach mechanically it would be worth interior upgrades as required by new owner I would think.
Jerry
Not sure if everyone know how PPL works. They price the RV cheap so they can sell them fast. They also ask you what will be your bottom dollar after they tell you what they think it can go for. They are not interested in you getting top dollar. They just want to move it fast and make what they can.
When we sold an old Foretravel with them back in around 1985 we did not agree with what they wanted to price it at. We made them price it about 5k more. They balked but said they would do it. Within 2 days it was over in the sold section. After it sitting in the sold section for two weeks when the person could not come up with the money they put it back in the for sale section. We also got a call telling us that it had been over two weeks and the unit was not sold yet and we needed to drop the price. The one thing they did not know was I was working near by at the time and I would stop in every other day and saw it was only for sale for two days and sat with a sold sign for two weeks. After being for sale again for 2 days it was sold again and sat in sold section. Again after two weeks the person could not get a loan so went back back up for sale. Again another call for us to lower price. After 3 days being for sale again it was bought by someone that had paid cash for it and gave me the asking price we wanted. The coach had sat on their lot for little over a month but 4 weeks of the time it was there it had a sold sign on it.
We also were getting calls about every few days saying it really needed to be cleaned and they would do it for $200.00
I do not know if their MO has changed much since back then.
Exhaust brake, no trans retarder (made standard in '97).
I hate Mauve...
It's like 'early bordello'.
Did I mention I hate Mauve?
Its all about the condition.
Depends on how you approach it. We were just offered$ 20,000.00 for our 95 280 which has several significant mechanical upgrades.Of course that was trade value but still, even if the late 90's 320 we want is dropping in value we are still looking at at least $10,000.00 loss on ours for little over a year of use! :o Thats assuming we can get close to $30,000.00 Private sale. Can't help but think the 36' Coaches are getting hit hardest from what I've seen the last couple days.
My opinion? Foretravel quality, 8 outboard air springs, transmission retarder, all air disc brakes are worth a lot more to me than any number of slides... and some, for their own reasons (me among them), are actually preferring the simplicity and structural integrity of not having several garage door sized holes in the side of their coach. Okay, maybe that is just me ;D
Don
There are still plenty of us Non-Slide folks out there. We talked to one just last week who knows that they don't want a slide.
We see the value of not having to worry about a slide, the attendant air leaks and never having to drop $3000 on new seals. Simplicity has it value.
Count us in the no-slide camp. If we were to ever decide we wanted something other than a Foretravel, it would be an Airstream. Some models did have a single slide, but those are fairly rare and do not bring a premium over their no-slide brothers.
Metal box in the sun or cold with a wood floor will leave you unimpressed after your Foretravel
Want no slides, but looking for u320 for a cold weather machine.
Had one with slides one time. Think it was called a pop up camper.
Just looked at Beamalarm site for 96 U295 and it said they have the 3060- 6 speed Allison with Retarder, so maybe this one just does not have the joystick but that can be added.
JohnH
Just my thought but if non slides were selling like hot cakes and so many people wanted them one of the big manufactures would be making one.
Not everyone is into simplicity. I used to love the gadgets and bells and whistles. I'm older and wiser now. The majority of people want slides but if you don't need the extra room, a non-slide coach is a much stronger chassis, simpler to use and a much more economical choice long term. Manufacturers have to produce what the majority of the prospective customers think they want.
Well said Kent. They build what people are buying whether or not it is best. IMHO
Larry
The "Big" manufactures are cranking out cardboard and stapled coaches with nice looking cosmetics, a few bells and whistles at a price point that is 1/3 of what a U320 was two decades ago... All with a multitude of slides! A used Foretravel apeals to a different buyer than what is targeted in the above.
Depends on use as well. Slides are great if you park and stay for longer periods of time. If you move every day or two and spend time at truckstops, small sites boondocking, etc...slides aren't as good. Also, if the floorplan is poor, you can't even use the inside with the slide closed!
Yes, there are certainly drawbacks to both. Since we tend to drive long days to get to the destination and spend many a night just pulling over to sleep, I definitely didn't want a slide that prevented easy use of sleeping areas with the slide in.
It is nice to have the one living room slide, especially with a big group of visitors, and for room to spread out for a week in one spot, but the usefulness of the coach with the slide in was a major consideration. And there are some very cool setups with no slides that still allow for elbow room in the front of the coach. Especially when you just have a freestanding kitchen table or buffet type table with no booth, that just really seems to open things up.
After researching on the Foreforum for a year we didn't even consider slideouts. I wanted to keep it simple KISS! That's why we elected to go with a 40ft. Plenty of room for the two of us and when entertaining we are usually outside anyway! 8)
Good news is everyone can get what they want... Bad news is I'm thinking about having one of each.
I guess I should have mentioned that I am not necessarily anti-slide, just not a fan of the way it is commonly done. If we were to get a slide coach, it would have to be a Foretravel and a single slide. The HWH slides that FOT uses are also found on some Prevos, Newells, and I guess that is about it. Since I don't really want a metal exterior, that leaves Foretravels. The radius corners and air seals appeal to me over the the garage door weather stripping used on almost all of the SOB's, in spite of the issues and expense. Still that last bit is what keeps me from being envious of the Foretravels equipped with slides. I do appreciate the feeling of spaciousness that a single living room slide gives, the primary mission profile for our coach is to be a road going machine with the least compromise and the best fuel economy. For us, the 36' U270 strikes the balance we seek. Could we be happy in a single slide U320 in 36' or 40'? No doubt we could, given the right basic floor plan and condition, but not on our bucket list for sure. And after all of the hours I have spent enhancing the bones of our basement and upgrading various systems... why, I might have to be pried out our coach with a crow bar. ;D
Don
Don & Tys just noticed in your signature that you have lost Moonshadow the cat. Sorry about that and we know how it feels losing a pet.
John and Ruth
We are happy with our non-slide U320. If we regularly traveled with several grandchildren then more floor space would be really nice, but overall having no slide is perfect for our use. We know resale value would be affected by lacking a slide, but we have no plans to sell for many years to come!
We are also no slide people--- the 40' footer with no slides is roomy enough for the two of us. We have a saying, " Our coach drinks 6, feeds 4, and sleeps 2!" Just in case the visitors try to stay too long!
Country Coach used HWH also.
A lot of coaches use HWH slide mechanisms... There is a whole range of slide mechanisms (as well as leveling mechanisms) that HWH makes. The ones by HWH that Fortravel, Newell, Bluebird, and Prevo use are completely different. I've seen a lot of Country Coaches, and I've never seen one that had a flush, seamless slide out with radiused corners. Or with an inflatable bladder that seals the slide when either in or out. Maybe there have been some, but not the norm.
Don
two non slides and now a slide - take the slide every time now - 40' single slide seems to be the best compromise. Had it 7 years, bladder replaced when I bought it, has Always gone in and out every time I pushed the button. bladder still good, even after the abuse caused by the lamination that is common in this era coaches. Delam fixed, maybe the slide will cause a bunch of issues, but unless you have had both, it is sort of a FORD/Chevy conversation. I like that the coach has exactly one cupboard that is difficult (not impossible, but mostly impossible) to access with the slide in . Yup, a little less overhead storage space, but WAY bigger on the inside with slide out, and slide allowed us to remove scissor couch and install queen sleeper sofa.
I don't see the bedroom slides as quite as nice, but I am sure I would get used to them.
I have a ton of mods on my U-320, and a lot of upgrades. Having had a OREG, U-270 36' (1999) and a 2000 Single slide U-320, I have sampled about all the pre Phenix/IH versions.
Three things I would not be without in no particular order - Aquahot, residential refrigerator and slide room. Doesn't make me right or wrong, just makes me me, with the benefit of having sampled and owned a wide range of FT.
But I would buy 1 1993, $30 FT before any other class a or c new or used. Then again, I am a value kind of buyer, as I think most FT owners tend to be.
BTW, I should be in NAC next Wednesday to pick up my coach!
Friends 2006 Magna is just like Don said. Large overlapping seals not flush ones as FT, Newell, Prevost.
Every winter in mexico we are playing around with the fit and sealing etc.
JohnH
But, this thread is "Thoughts on this one".
So, it takes a number of key strokes (unfortunately) to figure out that you are correct.