after looking all over we found this 95 U320SE at orangewood rv in az. It didn't even have pics posted when i called them about it. they said they were debating whether to wholesale or retail it. salesman said it had a 5 speed allison and a 8.3 cummins.LOL. i'm flying to az on fri. with the intention of completing the paperwork and driving it back to mn. 1800 miles should be a good shakedown run. thank s to all the members on the forum for the great resource. it was invaluble when i was doing my research.
Please, please, as you would with any 21 year old coach, check it over very carefully before making any final decision.
It could be a cream puff or it could have been totally neglected. Very hard to tell from photos.
X2 what Brett said! Keep us posted as your Adventure unfolds and send pictures, please. Hope you enjoy it!
Our 1995 U320SE is a fine coach and we have been extremely happy with it, but that's mainly because the previous owners maintained it quite well and kept excellent records. Please be very careful when checking this one, especially because the information the salesman gave you was incorrect. A 1995 U320SE would have the M11 engine and the 6-speed Allison. If such basic information is incorrect, what other issues might there be?
Hard to understand how one could even form a opinion on this coach, based on the lack of information at the dealer web page. I'm not saying there is anything wrong...just agreeing with the others that caution is advised. We might have some members in that area who could drop by and take a look...?
1995 Foretravel Unicoach 320 Class A Diesel Surprise, AZ Orangewood RV... (http://www.orangewoodrv.com/rv/surprise+az/foretravel+classadiesel/4031/foretravel+unicoach+320)
This may not hold true in this case but I remember what P.T. Barnum was famous for saying: "There is a sucker born every minute."
Be extremely cautious!! Get someone like Brett Wolfe to check the coach over. You lose any bargaining power you have once you trade your money for the coach.
A breakdown on the road somewhere is not the way to find out the coach was misrepresented as to condition. It can even be downright dangerous! AND, we here on the Foreforum do value ALL our members, both prospective, new, and old.
Many here have been in similar circumstances when it came to purchasing their coach so they know what they are talking about. Please, PLEASE listen to their advice!!
BIG FYI WE just looked at that coach two days ago,and it is really ruff. It need all air bags tires windshields front tv,, bulk heads 1/4 inch gap it has 151,000 miles.call me at 406 852 3776 .
Bulkheads. Please have the RV inspected if you haven't already done so
There are several things to be concerned about on that coach, but the mileage isn't necessarily one of them. A roughly 20-year old coach with 150,000 miles on it has been used, but that's certainly better than just sitting around for its entire life. Vehicles age much better when they are properly used and maintained. I figure our U320 with around 160,000 miles should easily have over 500,000 miles left in it. I wish I had that many left in me!
Boy howdy, I sure agree with Brett! We bought our coach last year sight unseen, but the PO had sent us a load of pics, PLUS a detailed list of all the work/upgrades, etc. Orangewood has worked on our coach, and seems to have a good rep from the PO. Since we don't know the price or shape it's in, I'd be VERY carefull. Let us know what happens. M
That 1/4 inch gap is scarey.
They are asking 29,500 I don't think they know what they have. The coach is a project and until those mechanical items are addressed I would not drive it 1800 miles.the inside is ok but needs work as a coach that vintage would has not been looked after.
I just learned something..
I did not know anything other than an M11 was used in the 95 SE 320. pc
thanks for all your very valid concerns. a friend and i flew into mesa and rented a car on sat, drove to suprise and looked at the coach. a quick look found these cons.
bad rear bulkhead seperation
both windshields cracked.
right rear tires old but not cracked
air bags look to be original
no aquahot
no dash air
stickers and not full body paint.
some rough bay doors and a couple of missing latches
these pros.
m11 ran good
genset ran good
interior is basicly in good shape
told them it needed a lot of major work. offered 19,500
they balked and asked if i could do a little better, i told them i wasn't sure i even wanted them to take my 19,500 offer.
long story short ,they took my offer and 2 hours after we drove on the lot we were driving off with it.
fueled up across the street and hit the road about 6 pm on sat pm.
40 miles up the road we turned on the lights and the voltmeter dropped to 11. we stopped at a home depot and bought 300.00 worth of tools ,including a DVM and checked the voltage at the battery 13 with highbeams on at idle. so great. we had a bit to eat(our first since 11 a.m.) and took a nap in the parking lot. woke up at 3 am and hit the road .1834 miles later and 36 hours later we were home. absolutely trouble free. ran 75 and 80 most of the time. 7.6 MPG one stop in Valentine neb for a couple hours sleep,rest stops and a couple of meals otherwise nonstop. did i mention it went great,drove like a dream and power to spare.
i feel a LOT better about it now then when i drove off the lot.
first item is rebuild the rear bulkhead. let the rebuild,cleanup and farkeling begin!!
Congradulations!
Congrats on the purchase...great deal. Sounds like you drove her home the way you bought it !!
Congratulations! Nothing wrong with getting a coach that needs a little work FOR A STEAL!
Your "First Road Trip" will make a great story for the campfire. Whip it into shape, and go to Q next year - You'll enjoy it.
Well am sure glad you got her home safe and sound. It really is a nice coach we.only got to look at it stuffed back in the corner couldn't even open the bay doors. Good luck on your coach and enjoy.
forget the farkles IMO.
I have a fairly good handle of what these require and your investment will easily double. Or double and a half.
Which it seems you are aware of.
The bones are that good it's worth in IMO.
Congratulations! It sounds as if you entered into this with your eyes wide open, and are fully prepared and equipped to deal with whatever might be ahead. Please stay in touch here to learn from others' experiences and to share your own. While you may have some nasty surprises ahead, we hope you get many years of enjoyment from your new "baby"!
Congratulations. It sounds like you got a good deal. And welcome.
can someone tell me where to find the build number?
some good news since i last posted. the level system works great, the fridge works. and my wife says the ceilings and woodwork will clean up great.
Congratulations on your purchase and your trip home. I'm sure you will makes lots of good memories in your new to you coach.
Keep us posted on your progress.
Jerry
started some of the major work this weekend. went after the rear bulkhead separation. before i start on how it went let me say that i found this forum a wealth of information and WRONG INFORMATION. seriously some people should not be allowed to work on their own stuff!
i started by making some safety props for the suspension. 3 in dia. thickwall pipe. front, 11 inches front and rear set by each airbag, rear 12 inch and 6 1/4. the longer one by the bag in front of the wheel and the short one onboard from the bag.behind the wheel. used 8 total.
we cut a 6 inch strip off the belly pan in the rear and cut out the foam. every bolt was broken.(talk about a stupid way to fasten the bulkhead, some engineer had his HUHA. ) i welded a nut on the broken bolt on the inside and turned them out. a lot of work, had to do some of them 2 or 3 times but got them all out. wire brushed the steel and it is in good shape. i am going to use the existing holes to avoid weakening the steel by drilling new holes. going to put a piece of 3/8 x1 1/2 flat stock between each section of the basement framing. i will drill thru the existing holes from the front side with a 5/16 bit using it to mark the new flat stock. i'll drill the flat stock on a drill press. then install the new grade 8 bolts from the inside and weld the bolt heads to the flat stock to prevent them from turning if they ever need to be tightened .
i am 100% sure that when people talk of spreading the bulkhead 4 inches or more to clean they are misunderstanding . i am sure what is meant is remove 4 or more inches of bellypan to access the steel to clean it.
monday i will order 8 new airbags. also going put on 6 new tires, going to use 295/75/22.5 way less money and within spec for oversize.(1/10 higher and wider) also i can gain a few hundred pounds load capacity.
got a good look under the coach and it looks very good , just an extreme lack of maintenance and some Rube Goldberg fixes that i'm addressing.
The sad thing is that is how FT fixes it. They spread it out and you run the risk of delaminating the side walls.
I don't think anyone ever answered your question about where to find the build number:
build number (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=26953.msg218985#msg218985)
Farmerstu, post pictures if you can.
Good to hear that it was just broken bolts and not bad metal .
just ordered 8 airbags. 137.00ea no shipping . local (but big) truck dealer.
We we bought our 1991 4 years ago, it also needed all 8 air bags. I had no problem replacing them, then you know what you have...
I've been busy the last 3 weeks. we have repaired and reinforced the front and rear bulkheads. it pays to have friends, we did most of the work at a buddy s farm shop with it up on his 4 post semi hoist. made it a lot easier. installed all new airbags this last weekend, did that in my shop. lots of work but went well. fixed the front door hinge and lubed the weather strip, works like new. lots of little things inside and out. adjusted the valve clearance on the kubota and drained the coolant. ordered all new hoses for the gen set. next will be setting valves on the cummins and changing all fluids and filters on engine and trans and rear end. hired a neighbor to close up the cabinet for the front t.v. it's going to look great.
have a couple of questions if someone can help me out.
1. what does the switch in the front overhead( was to the right of the t.v. accessed from the center cabinet with the plexiglass cover) do? it's a rocker switch and the green indicator lights up when it's switched but i have no idea what it does.
2. the light over the door. it is two florescent tubes, they look ok. the switch labeled porch lite turns on the green indicator but the porch light doesn't come on. i have tried the push button switch at the light and am plugged into shore power. am i missing something?
1 Antenna booster for the OTA antenna.
2 The ballast that is hid inside of the fixture is bad, or the pushbutton switch has gotten wet and died. Lots of us have switched to LEDs here.
Pamela & Mike
wow! that was fast. thanks Pamela and Mike. that switch was driving me nuts! as for the porch light, leds are no doubt the answer.
again thanks. i really appreciate the help, this is all new to us after many years of tent camping on motorcycles. we thought that a small compressible pillow on the top of a wadded up leather jacket was a luxury. we have no idea what we are going to do with all the space.
on another thought. we were planning on towing a trailer with the bikes and a jeep in it. now the new idea is to flat tow our 84 f250 flatbed and put two electric motorcycle lift on the deck. open for suggestions. was not liking the idea of towing a 24 foot trailer but figured it was unavoidable. like the idea of towing the pickup a lot better. plus i already own the pickup. the lifts i am looking at are triple d lift and loader. have a friend who is a friend of the guy that builds them. open for suggestions and ideas.
What heating system do you have?
Guys,
Let's bring this discussion back to the OE's. We seem to have taken a sharp left turn into insurance/legality.
not the aguahot.wehave two furnaces. i thought this was unusual as i was under the impression that aquahot was standard equipment on the 95 320 se, also have decals not full body paint.
sorry i don't understand. what is OE. is there a problem?
Farmerstu,
Sorry, that should have been OP (Original Poster). Certainly no problem on your part.
We try to keep posts on the subject set by the OP. That way the search feature is a lot more helpful, as one topic/one subject.
Legality and insurance posts were the "left turn" I was referring to.
A knowlegeable do it yourselfer can buy a rough coach and with a little time, effort, and money turn it into a jewel as long as the drive train is solid. You made a great deal, and if it all went south you could recoup your purchase price by selling the engine and tranny. Congrats! You did well.
By the way, that dash air is a real bummer to work on!
In my opinion ( everybody has one). The 95-96' coaches were some of the best built by Foretravel. I have a 1990 and a 1996.
Several of the employees at the Foretravel factory own 95 and 96' coaches.
I would only add one comment, I'm a GV-Uni guy; I've talked with a lot of owners, and they ALL agree the '93 thru '95 coaches were the best ever made. ^.^d Was the '95 the last GV in the "classic" style built?
The 1990 U280 Unihome is really sweet as well, all mechanical, less stuff to break--- very reliable and inexpensive to maintain.
Yea Mike I think the 92 GV is right up there as well.
Yes, the only thing (not knocking them) when I was doing my research, was some of these old dears had rear-mounted radiators.
We feel extremely blessed to have our 40ft 1995 U320. I honestly believe it was the very best design and year. We haven't yet found any other coach that would make us want to trade ours!
I was curious because early built 95 unicoach's had a option for the Primus heat system. Very few were made. Myself and a few other members have them. The 2 furnace, and later in production aquahot were the norm.
just thought i'd let the forum know how things have been going. i have completed the bulk heads, air bags, all new tires, all fluids changed, new hoses on genny, valves set on both engines, and tons of small repairs and upgrades, as you know i took a chance on this coach as it got almost no inspection before buying.
i now feel confident i did great. i have discovered the roof airs are almost brand new. two solar panels on the roof,two trojan 8d agm coach batterys in great shape. three optima batterys for the engine, it has no rust or corrosion underneath .and with everything i work on i am amazed at how well this is made. it really shows when taking panels off to do repairs and upgrade. all the stuff you don't normally see is as well made and put together as the stuff you do see. we have taken a 450 mile round trip to shake down the systems. and a 1000 mile round trip. i set up a 1984 ford f 250 as a toad, we put two harleys on the flatbed and flat tow it (four wheel drive with lockouts.piece of cake.) don't even know it's there ,even pulling up I35 out of duluth.
thanks to all the contributors on this forum. it ,along with beamalarm has been an invaluable resource.
Congratulations on owning one of the best Motorhomes ever built!