At the risk of opening up a can of worms I am looking for opinions ;D ... I retired a little over 4 months ago (Deputy Sheriff K9 Officer), the house is in escrow and after literally 10 years of dreaming/planning, we are looking to buy a coach to go full time. It will be 2 adults and 3 dogs. We are trying to capture that illusive unicorn and buy our 3rd coach 1st. I scour the MOT and Foretravel websites constantly, and believe I have memorized large parts of beamalarm.com, lol!
I am drawn to the Unicoach style and see a lot of 97-99 and also 00-03 w/1 slide that would be within our reach.
There is a post in the classifieds section currently that mentions certain years being better than others. Yes, I know what they say about "opinions", but I would really like to hear some from Foretravel vets!
1. Do you really see a distinction in quality/reliability in various years?
2. Is there a significant difference between a 36' and a 40' in terms of maneuverability, accesses to camping sites, livability etc?
3. Purchasing from MOT or Foretravel in Texas vs a private party- I have NO idea what the markup at the dealer is because they are
nowhere near what NADA lists. I am assuming there is an intrinsic value NADA does not include.
4. ANYTHING you want tell me based on your knowledge and experience that you wish someone had told you!
I thank you in advance for any and all opinions!
The first advice I can give you is don't try to buy a good Foretravel at NADA value. It doesn't exist. Use RV trader, MOT and FT to get prices. Craigslist sometimes yields one.
Be sure to check the classifieds here as well, nice one in MT that I'm aware of.
We have a 40' single slide , goes where ever I want... Liked the 36', but the 38' was really really really nice with more room & storage....... so bought a 40'. single slide, 2 full pass thru bays....happy wife happy life
If you will not be working on the coach yourself buy one with all the fixes and upgrades,if you want to do the work yourself then
you can get one that needs some work,forget the "markup" just go by the price itself.If you don't have one by Jan.I suggest
you go to Quartzsite rv show and get to the Foretravel camping area,you will see every type known to man there.
1. No, they are built like boats and the quality is great. Better on average the older the coach is.
2. Yes, don't go to the coasts, and don't shortcut right turns. 4 extra feet.
3. MOT vs. Private Party..
Resident experts vs. Bad used car salesman.
4. Half your purchase budget. Find a deal.. then take your time to find your forever coach. In the mean time, learn what you like and what you want different.. if anything. And "CB" is short hand for "Coach Bucks".. approximately $1,000 not including local tax rates.
Don't forget to look @ Old Town Motorcoach as well..
Old Town Motorcoach (http://www.oldtownmotorcoach.com/)
Couple points to ponder:
- Longer is more of a pain getting in and out of places. You'll get it done, but it is more of a pain and you have to be very careful or it will cost you money for being stupid.
- I prefer to buy from a private party that is very proud of their rig and can/will show you how well they know it and personally took care of it. Let them show you maintenance records/receipts. A good place to find one like this is on this forum.
- When you find one you are interested in and you are very seriously considering buying it, ask is there is someone on the forum that is close to it that would look at it with you. Will probably only cost you lunch and acquiring a new friend.
We are prolly going to "Q" next year. I know that, also, you will meet "every man known to type". ^.^d
Don't wait when you find it to buy, if it's the one. Most good ones don't come to Market, and go quick. I like the 36', same reason other's do. Easy to maneuver, but wouldn't kick a 40' out of bed for eating chips!.
I can't verify this, may be wrong. I think there may be about 2500-3000 96-01 (bus style non slide) As a retired FT tech, some of the best coaches built. Earlier generation slides are nice, but can be problematic!
When I looked, I learned that 'C' in the stk # means consignment, so you are basically buying private party, through a dealer/salesman's mark up.
Good luck, hope we will be welcoming you to the family. They are fine folks, and the coaches are, bar none.
Chris
Fully agree with Chris on not waiting when you find the right one. A "good one" priced right can easily be gone in a week.
Another point to ponder is on price. There are relatively few Foretravels out there. I would rather overpay for a cherry, than underpay for one that has not been taken care of. You'll be happier in the long run.
Forget NADA book. It's what YOU will pay, within reason. Banks use that to loan little to be safe, dealers use it to low ball on trade in's. Doesn't count for RV's and Boats private party.
Agree with Kurt, I messed around a week and missed a good coach. Second one was out on test drive when I called, and sold. On the other hand I wouldn't be anxious.
Chris
Thank you for your service, Deputy. You will find several people here with similar career backgrounds.
Do your research before getting ready to buy anything. Whenever you read something here talk it over with your human partner. Ask each other how that bit of information applies to how YOU want to live. We checked out the specs on Barry Beam's site and quickly figured out which models would fit us and which ones wouldn't.
NADA, as has been discussed here frequently, is useful for vehicles that have large production numbers. For vehicles with with low production numbers they just use a depreciation scale. Newell and Prevost, two high-end coaches, aren't even listed. Look at the classifieds here to see what are some realistic numbers for Foretravels. You can, of course, always offer what YOU are willing to pay. The seller may or may not accept your offer, but may well counter. You won't know until you ask.
I agree with gracerace about the 06-01 unihomes.
As a old Foretravel manager and rv'er the absolute solidness of the structure is amazing.
The ftx's were very good but the leveling jacks could get noises out of body shell. Little driving.
The grand villas twist a bit more.
The unihomes 2k more weight is mostly in the front structure and overhead.
No squeeks or rattles anywhere.
Big box. Reliable systems. Luxury camping.
Slides add the non long box feeling.
We spent 20 days and everyone was a pleasure.
We ran the rear air to feed the front in our 97 as the ducted air allowed the front air to be moved back 6'?
The rear air is moved to the bath area. Out of the bedroom..
Using the front air and gen if ncessary makes a nice sleep as it's very quiet.
Chris and I are on a roll agreeing with each other. His point about not being anxious should be taken to heart. The last two Foretravels we bought we waited over a year for each of them and passed up many coaches along the way. I look pretty much every day and am always ready to buy when the right one comes along. When looking at a coach or talking to the owner, I look at coach problems like icebergs. You are only going to see a small portion of all the things currently wrong or that will soon go wrong. Its just the nature of the game. Things will always break on these things. Try to find one with the minimal amount of things currently wrong. Have your money ready so you don't get beat on the right one.
You said you were going to full time right away. Unless you have a couple months to renovate, I think you are going to want to buy one that is pretty close to the way you want it how it sits. You are not going to want to mess with changing out floors, furniture etc. if you are trying to live in it.
In the vintage you're looking at, I think a big question you and your spouse need to answer is "open" or "private" toilet? Most people feel strongly one way or the other. Think about how you'll use your coach and what impact it will have. Booth or table chairs? Will it make a difference?
Slides are nice, but they are heavy and will break at some point and need repair. The bladder seal is an expensive repair. If money is tight, you should get a considerably better price on a comparable non-slide. Engine size is a personal matter. They will all get you there and I don't think any of them in the years you are looking at would be considered under powered. The bigger the engine, the heavier the coach will be. I have always wanted the "biggest engine" but many times I'm pleasantly surprised how well others keep up with lighter coaches and smaller engines. You can do a horsepower and/or torque to weight calculation and compare models. Shorter/lighter models with smaller engines usually fare well. Heavier and longer coaches typically ride more smoothly though and don't move around as much when you are parked and walking around in them. I wouldn't worry too much about fuel mileage. Unless you put TONS of miles on a year, others costs like depreciation, insurance, registration, maintenance, etc. will overshadow your fuel bill.
If you get floorplan savvy which is hard for a non owner then IF you found the floorplan you think you like then pay based on the condition. So if you find a 60k correct for you perfect condition coach that's nice. If it needs $10-$20k of work then pay that much less. Duh.
I would not mind paying for a worn systems coach as then I get to put new parts in for sure
There is no perfect coach, even new. Expect to spend a few weeks if not more, to test and repair glitches and to get to become familiar with all of the vital systems idiosyncrasies. Especially electrical diagnosis and treatment. Stranded at the side of the road isn't cheap.
We bought our first coach, a 96 U320, that ran good but had system problems. We had never owned an RV, we used it as a learner coach. It took a lot of work, but we ended up with a very reliable coach. We put over 15,000 miles and learned what we did and didn't like about the coach. When one came up for sale, we negotiated a fair price, installed 8 new tires, and have put 33,000 miles on it in less than 3 years. We sold our first coach for what we spent on it so it was a net win. The Foretravel is a solid coach that will let you get away with doing that.
As another point, there have been a number of coaches sold via this forum which were never listed anywhere - current owners considering selling noticed someone asking about a similar coach for sale and contacted the potential buyer or the buyer sent a polite inquiry to a member "if you ever want to sell", and the deal was struck.
John S' and our former coaches are 2 examples.
Also, if you have a good idea of what you want, let MOT, Old Town, and FOT sales know. A number of coaches that pass through those entities never make the website because each (I believe) keeps a list of buyers and wants.
Find the floor plan that you want and as you are going into full time living I would think you have to find a good one as making large changes while trying to live around the mess can be very trying, and could cool your liking for any motorhome.
We cut our teeth with the original GV and the learning curve was steep. Now here I am many years down the road, and five years into the U320 and still learning!! Learn as much as you can before you buy and then get as much knowledge as you can from the seller. Dealers are like car salesmen and may not know too much other than how to extract your money!! That does not apply to those good folks in NAC.
Speedbird 1.
We bought our coach via referral, it never went to market. I didn't personally get any satisfaction from the factory. I had my name on a list, talked to them weekly for a few months. The exact coach came in, but they sold it before I got a chance to see or hear about it. Their response was "we will find you another one" I was a cash buyer, ready to fly down and pick a coach up "as is" if it was the right one.
We bought our coach a month later. Almost a year later they have never contacted me, yet I have seen a few coaches on their site since then, that would have been players. I am very disappointed with them.
I am not posting this to bad mouth them, just don't want someone to sit on their hands waiting on them like we did.
Chris
So many great suggestions and sage advice. I thank all of you for taking the time to respond!
We were planning on doing a fair amount of "remodeling"- remove all carpet (3 big dogs!), composting toilet, 800-1000 watts of solar and lithium batteries, whatever updating was needed etc. It was suggested that it is hard to live in the unit while doing all that, and that advice is being pondered seriously.
It is rare to find a FT for sale here on the west coast, travelling to TX adds some difficulty to the search as I don't want to make a lot of time consuming and costly trips just to look. It is a big bonus that y'all occasionally post your coaches for sale and seem to know all about each other's rigs.
There will be quite the learning curve for us as we are complete newbies and I'm just glad I can learn from other's mistakes on this forum (all the while making more of my own!) It seems like there is a good group of very helpful people in the Foretravel community ^.^d
Is there a proper way to research a particular coach? I see Motorcade member #s on photos, is it OK to ask the forum for info?
For instance, there is a 99 U295 on Craigslist (CL scares me to be honest) listed for $42K in Riverside County CA. Photos show the # on the coach, I can't read the license plate and can't tell what state it is registered in.
Has the standard, "I'm selling my dad's Foretravel, no room to store it" story. Has anyone had any luck with CL purchases?
Craigslist coaches are no better/no worse than most other sources, like consignment lots.
You will find some dogs and some nice ones.
And, yes some on Craigslist are scams. There has been a U300 for $6000 for sale all over the country with the same single picture. But the scams are not that difficult to flush out.
Find out where the coach is located. Put your eye balls on it or if a Foreforum member is near, have them do that for you. That, along with a copy of the title that the seller writes VOID across should give you enough information to proceed.
And, then get a good PDI so you have a better idea of what you are getting into.
I'm not your normal Foretravel owner, buyer, live aboard. I have owned boats for many years and some of the problems, concepts, etc. transfer. I looked for a Foretravel for years and was beginning to think that I enjoyed the search more than actually getting one. Kinda like the anticipation a kid has prior to Christmas. My budget was/is much less than most, and my interest is for somewhat rough camping not touring the highways and destinations. I manage campgrounds at music festivals and need an upgrade from a tent, but travel from NY to Fla. and generally not at my leisure. So, with boat experience, I wanted a starter Coach. A learner. I found lots, few I could afford, even less that were on the East coast, and even less that were not junk or some kind of scam. I found one on Ebay, looked like a very bad long shot, but with sleigh bells and snow flakes and jolly old fat man visions I persisted and called the owner. She was real....sincere....honest....we communicated. I told her my story, she told me hers. She had posted a price, I countered, she countered, LOWER. I bought it sight unseen, a thousand miles away. I didn't have time to go get it for a few months. When I did, there were a few problem issues, nothing serious, it's just thirty years old. She knew her coach and had described it accurately. A long story, a little shorter, I analyzed the seller and bought her integrity, actually, over the phone. I manage people in the best and worst scenarios at music festivals and have developed that ability a little. It also helps that I enjoy working on the coach, as long as it's not a major event. My next coach will likely be from someone on this forum. Wantabe should be Got-one
USRoadDogs -
I offer these thoughts after joining the Forum a year ago and beginning our FT discovery phase. These are just our thoughts:
First thing we did after joining the forum was look at all the floorplans and brochures for the various FT production years on Beamalarm (http://beamalarm.com/) which has been previously noted here. Really spend time and start by recognizing the different layouts....in particular the way kitchens and bathrooms are laid out. There are only a few differences in this regard but study them and think about how they'd affect your own personal use. Also check out the RV Technical Help on beamalarm to get an idea of the technical resources regarding FT coach systems.
Next, when you find a year/model/length your interested Google is your friend. Simply google, for example, 1995 U320 36' Google Search (https://www.google.com/search?site=&source=hp&q=1995+U320+36%27&oq=1995+U320+36%27&gs_l=psy-ab.3..35i39k1.1676.5942.0.6608.15.14.0.0.0.0.99.1054.13.13.0.foo%2Cewh%3D0%2Cnso-enksa%3D0%2Cnso-mplt%3D2%2Cnso-enfk%3D1%2Cnso-usnt%3D1%2Cnso-qnt-npqp%3D0-1633%2Cnso-qnt-npdq%3D0-5608%2Cnso-qnt-npt%3D0-1229%2Cnso-qnt-ndc%3D2051%2Ccspa-dspm-nm-mnp%3D0-06145%2Ccspa-dspm-nm-mxp%3D0-153625%2Cnso-unt-npqp%3D0-1506%2Cnso-unt-npdq%3D0-4694%2Cnso-unt-npt%3D0-061%2Cnso-unt-ndc%3D300%2Ccspa-uipm-nm-mnp%3D0-007625%2Ccspa-uipm-nm-mxp%3D0-053375...0...1.1.64.psy-ab..2.13.1054.6..0j46j0i131k1j0i67k1j0i20k1j0i46k1j0i22i30k1.uWLTapXaNYc) and you'll potentially find posts about this year/make/model and most likely, YouTube videos. May close attention to links posted by Motorhomes of Texas (MOT). They have lots of high resolution photos and often the custom videos they do for coaches they have sold. The great thing about MOT is that they keep all/a lot of coaches they've sold still available this way to check out. We've spent hours looking at MOT videos and pictures...to the point where their background tune haunts us as we lay in bed at night thinking about FT's. :D
Finally, do consider a trip to Nacogdoches (NAC). Its worth the investment in mileage or airfare to spend 3 or 4 days in the town. Go to the Foretravel factory...take a tour....look at the used coaches on their lot. Visit Motorhomes of Texas (we've been working with Mel Cordray) and see what's on their lot. Go across the street to Old Town Motorcoach and see what's on their lot. You'll find most of the RV folks in NAC have worked at Foretravel at some point in the past. Also check out the specialty firms who do paint & body (Xtreme), interiors (Infinity), detailing (Precision), etc. You'll come home having seen more coaches...even if its not one you want to buy....that will add data points to your search.
Search the Member Map on the Forum and find Owners within a day's drive of your location. Our experience is that all we've contacted have welcomed us to stop by...see their coach...and learn about their experiences. Many have owned multiple Foretravels. Its a truly welcoming community.
Lastly....be patient. In the year we've been looking we've narrowed our search and think we now have leads that will result in finally buying a coach. But be prepared to be confused as you look at coaches...they're all beautiful...but that's why the floor plan/length/model search on beamalarm is so important. Know what you think you want before you start. And be prepared to change your mind.
And as has been said here, ask for help when you see something you're interested in. Members here will help you evaluate and offer experts who can do inspections. Its well worth whatever is charged for a good inspection.
Good luck.
Randy and Karen
Sarasota, Florida
Ahhh yes, MOT videos. We've practically stopped watching conventional TV and spend hours viewing YouTube videos of coaches and RVers and" How To" tutorials. Our friends and family are starting to avoid us for fear we'll start talking RVs, lol!
We've been in contact with both Jeff and Mel from MOT and they know what we are looking for. We are, however, in the unfortunate spot of having to find a coach to live in within the next 60 days (or so) when the escrow closes on the house. We have already been downsizing, selling and donating and will soon find ourselves sitting on the floor with our clothes and kitchen packed in boxes around us. Thus the urgency to find our perfect motorhome!
We have been looking for a coach for months. I totally agree with many of the above comments. After losing 2 or 3 coaches because you weren't sure, you have to up your game and be ready to pull the trigger.
We went to FOT and MOT many times looking. One day I looked at MOT's "Coming Soon" page and found a description that sounded good. At that time it seemed that all we could find was 40 footers. They had a U320 36' with no pics. I called Jeff and he sent me pictures of 3 coaches including the U320. We took another trip from Dallas to Nac and looked at what he had.
Long story short...right now we are spending the first night in our U320. It never made it to the website listings.
For all of the time we looked, I kept coming back to this web site and learned so much. Thanks to all that have posted sharing their knowledge. It really does help making the decisions easier on some issues.
Glen Clark
Trying to find possibly your last FT first in 60 days could be very costly and/or troublesome. Even a great one may require few things for your wants. Just saying that even if you find one you may not be able to start living in it full time rightaway. Welcome to the forum and good luck.
We bought ours from a flipper who was less than "stellar"
Had 4 different FT owners look the coach over on our behalf and pointed several things that needed attention.
We cannot stress enough the importance of having a good pre-purchase inspection....
And what ever coach you end up with set aside $10 to $20k for the things overlooked..and upgrading systems
In our case it is nearing $35k to whip into shape...... but we knew this before we bought.
I appreciate your words of caution. But, I always seem to do things the hard way ;)
Ralph Waldo Emerson said "Life is a journey, not a destination" I'm trying to embrace that philosophy and going full-time is all just part of our new journey!
Agree with above but the key is your economic situation,if you can do that,great.If you can pay someone to do the work that's
great too.My thinking is the things that have to be fixed you have to repair,these are the things that are broken or don't work.
The "upgrades" are a whole different catagory,I can have a great trip with old carpet,I just returned from a trip to Alaska with
the original airbags,if I had extra money maybe I would have changed them.Just my observation but some of the newbies
think for some reason when they get a coach it has to be in perfect shape to go on a trip.
This will be our only "home", not a rig we take trips in. So my economic plan is to spend what it takes to get a solid coach, fix what is broken and then spend MORE money to make the improvements we want. One of the reasons I narrowed my choice of MHs down to FT, CC or Beaver was that they seemed to stand the test of time and be suited for full-time living, but I also am approaching it like buying an old house- Good bones, needs work.
Hi Dogs
Just wanted to add my 2 cents. I've bought & sold a whole lot of stuff on CL. Like anywhere do your research & inspect. I found our coach on CL, traveled 6 hours, took 2 friends for second opinions. Only spent about an hour test driving & looking it over. It fit what I was after. That said I do have alot of experience working on boats & cars. Replaced old tires, leaking WH, still under $10 CB. We love this coach, if I was going to change anything I'd probably go to a 36, but the extra room is nice when full timing. We've lived aboard for about 1 1/2 years now. Again we Love it. Take your time learning to drive it, consider the driving schools.
This forum & its members are great. Come to Quartsite & meet us.
Cheers Ric 8)
I was in your position last year, buying my last coach first, and listened to wolf10 (Brett). Got a 1997 34 foot U270 for $28k with no slides. Brett instructed me on how to check for basement structural steel member corrosion, called "bulkhead corrosion". Bypassed a corrosion-ladened coach a got a dry-country, well-maintained Unicoach. It still has a little basement rust but it is not structurally significant. Invested $7,000 in a 1.9KW solar / lithium battery system to enhance our boondocking capability.
We are going on a 9 month USA tour starting next month.
How's your search going?
Tim- the search has been very productive! I've learned a great deal from the members on this page (and continue to learn more every day!) I have a couple of leads on some coaches that could be just what we're looking for. It looks as though we will be able to stay within our time frame and get started with the next chapter of our lives.
I am curious about your 34'- do you find it to be sufficient room or would you have wanted a longer rig? A 9 month tour is not much different than full timing. I hope you document your travels for us all to follow along :)
We've been full-timing for many years, came from a 31' to the current 36'. Odd how we gather "stuff". We thought the 36' wouuld give us plenty of room, WRONG! We're back to our usual habit of stripping-out everything every two years and whatever we decide is important, stays. The rest, bye bye. Has caused some strife between me and the DW, but, it works. A good primer is to get the movie "The Long Long Trailer" with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. ^.^d
Depends on your philosophy of RVing. Two sides of the lifestyle:
FOCUS ON THE OUTDOORS
- Get a smaller rig (22 to 34ft)
- Get outside
- Enjoy every square foot of a smaller interior space
- More maneuverability
- Less maintenance, both in interior housekeeping and mechanical issues
- Less cost. Better fuel mileage.
- More space when in travel mode, since there are no slides.
FOCUS ON COMFORT
- Get a larger rig with slides (35 to 45ft).
- More personal interior space on those rainy days.
- Get an aquahot heating system.
- Get an auto-tracking satellite TV system.
You can adopt many shades of both lifestyles. We chose to focus on the outdoors and my wife wants a smaller rig. We started RV'ing with a 28 foot Fleetwood Southwind gasser. After discovering that most RV brands are cheaply built, I insisted on a Foretravel Unicoach but did not rule out a Grand Villa, so the minimum size was 34 feet. We did not want slides because we focus on the outdoors, want mechanical simplicity and lower cost. As the driver, I wanted a Cummins deisel with the transmission retarder, not a jake brake (engine brake), so I got the Allison 3060R transmission. This engine-transmission combination is one of the best in the fleet.