I registered on this site while we were in the process of buying our 1985 Grand Villa in Longview, Texas. While I don't recall what I read at that time, for some reason - lots of unsettled things in life and moving around contributed - we never participated.
For the second summer my wife and are hosts in a western Montana rv park. Last year, when we pulled in, a couple of guests greeted us with, "Wow; that's a Foretravel!" One said, "Do you have any idea how much those things cost?!!" I'm a smart aleck, but I didn't express it then. I mean we'd obviously bought one, right?
Anyway, there was never another Foretravel in the park until the other day, when 2 pulled in! Both were beautiful - one a 38' 2002, the other a 40' 2003. The owners were related, relatively new Foretravel owners, but older than us on that account, and loved their rigs. One fellow mentioned this forum, and I thought What the heck. When I tried to register, alas, I already was.
It's interesting how we keep our eyes peeled for Foretravels in the park and on the road, even though we've had ours for less than two years. We live in it full time - we lost everything in a flood a few years back - and like many here, I suspect, love the craftsmanship of our unit. This year, on the way to Montana, we found that the radiator needed replaced: that turned into quite an adventure because this one has a Cat instead of the more common Cummins, and the Cat required a larger radiator than the opening was designed to accommodate. Still, the fellows who did the work got it out, then, after finally finding the right size and having it re-cored or whatever they do to make a radiator fit to cool the engine, they got it back in. The air bags were also starting to check - it is 31 years old, after all, so they were also replaced. The front pair were also very hard to find and put in. It felt great to be back out on the road, cruising down the highway from the height of our Foretravel. My wife loves sitting up so high, watching the landscape slip by.
I hope you're all well, enjoying your older, or more likely newer, Foretravel!
Seeyah.
Dale & Shan
Hello Dale & Shan,
Glad to finally hear from you! Welcome to the group. We are always happy to have more classic GV Owners around here! When you have a chance, post a few photos of your coach. We love photos!
Welcome back to Foreforums.
Welcome back--and participate often!
Welcome! :))
We are also new to this forum and a first time Foretravel owner. We are always searching for other Foretravels when we travel and go to FMCA rallies. We are enjoying our coach and we are exicited about doing some upgrades inside and out. We have been fortunate to have help and support from our good friend Gary Omel while we are in Florida. Enjoy your coach! b^.^d
Hi.
Thanks for the kind welcome, which I appreciate.
I've tried to attach a few photos; no idea if it'll work, if I've done the right thing, so I guess we'll see.
Seeya later.
Dale
Thanks for the photos. I have spent a lot of days in that same floorplan.
I miss the counter to the left of the mid door where you can put stuff from the steps without having to come all the way in.
Another little trick we learned with our '89 was, if we were parked on the driver's side with our towed, we would pass the groceries up thru the window behind the couch. The DW would just reach the bags over to the kitchen counter. Real handy for saving a lot of walking, when your knees are bad.
Welcome guys. Where in Montana are you??
Speedbird 1
If memory serves me the kitchen faucet could swing outside. Maybe that was FTX's?
It worked. That's a sharp looking paint job - really modernizes the exterior appearance. Interior updates look great, also. I hope those photos are from when you
bought it (I see a FOR SALE sign in window).
Pretty coach! One of the few coaches that get me out of my chair and put down my Pacifico to wave is a GV. ^.^d
Dale.
Welcome. The last time we saw that coach was when it was at the Eubank's place just south of town.
Pamela & Mike
Chuck & Jeannie - the coach was remodeled by Foretravel in 2008: including the custom paint job. The painter asked the previous owners what they wanted, they said, Do whatever you want! And that's what we got, too. Haha. inside, the chairs were all recovered in leather, the couch with fabric - Shan made new cushions for it in April, using tougher material: I'm big, you see. They removed carpet from everywhere other than the bedroom, put in a sub floor and tile, a new microwave/convection oven, stove top and oven - propane - and other stuff, including marble counter tops and back splash, deep 2-sided stainless steel sink - Shan loves this. I think they put new guts in the fridge, AC units, and water heater - not sure about that. Later, when the front furnace went out, the owner had one installed in Florida that the guy told him was good, but it's not. I'm not sure what we'll do about that. For now we build a fire in the sink. Just kidding. And yes, we bought it: no one else was going to get this one. God was good to both of us on that deal.
Pamela and Mike. Eubank's place??? I have no idea where this is. Fill me in. If it's in Longview, that was the other owners. We spent that winter - 2014-15 - in Tyler with the express desire to find a new RV. We found an older one - this is an '85, and the one we had was an '89 - but much better one.
Thanks to each of you for the kind comments and pleasant hello! Our best to each of you.
Dale, the old tall fat guy, and the former blond known as Shan
Dale,
We still have our home base in Longview and when Mike worked he was stationed on the south side of town and a lot of his co-workers lived in that area. The Eubank family owned a company that I think was called National Coil. Some of there family own Fernbrook RV park. (pretty nice place to stay if in the area) Fernbrook RV Park Longview, Kilgore and East Texas (http://www.fernbrookpark.com/) We saw that coach in storage behind the RV park several years back but don't know who the owners were at the time.
Pamela
Hi Pamela,
You got it! What a small world event this is. Must be a Foretravel thing. They sure are apparent.
We saw it for the first time in that park. It was winter, and the park was very nice. I met the camp host while we waited for the owners. The coach had been in their family - her father, then them - from 1988 or so until we bought it on January 2, 2015. As I mentioned, they had Foretravel remodel it in 2008. They wanted something larger with slides to accommodate grandchildren, of all things. Grandkids: yay!! The previous owner and I have talked a few times, and I think I heard a tinge of regret in his voice. Seems fair enough to me.
Thanks for the story. Hope you're all doing well.
Dale