Ladies and Gentlemen.,
I am still in the dreaming phase of being a Foretravel owner. I have spent many hours over the last week gleaning through this forum and find if a valuable resource. I really appreciate having a resource like this available and I have few questions I trust you can help answer.
1. Any guidance on determining a fair value for a used coach?
While I would love to splurge on a new Foretravel, I think a used one is a more realistic goal. The only used motor home valuation resource I have found on line is NADA which seems to be 20 to 25 percent less than advertised asking prices. I called my current insurance provider and their valuation is about 33% lower than the NADA average retail number.
2. Any recommendations on insurance providers?
3. How much should I budget for insurance?
I realize it depends on the coach's value and level of coverage, but would appreciate ballpark planning numbers.
Dreamer, I just renewed my RV insurance with the Ron Jarvie agency for an Agreed Value Policy whose value was established by a letter from Jason Haskins at Motor Homes of Texas, ie. not NADA but folks that know the market. MOT can help you locate and correctly value a coach.
Call Meghan at 480/994-9584
Thank you Rudy for the info and contact.
Rudy,
Does your coach insurance company write agreed value Texas policies only or would I be able to use them? I have Texas ID and own Texas property but I am a resident of Nebraska where my coach is registered..
Jim
2002 U320
Call Meghan. Where your coach is registered and are you a full timer or not is what determines rates.
Dreamer, full time coverage is higher than folks with a home and RV
And Ron Jarvie will tell you--if you are NOT full timing, to insure your coach and car or truck under the same insurance policy.
Reason: your car or truck will be used much more than your coach so if you do have an accident with the car or truck your rates will climb very quickly and the coach rate will go way up..
Safeco, stated value. Live in Idaho. Reasonable.
+1 on Safeco agreed value.
John
Auto Owners, stated value.
Have been with Ron J for years.
Our first coach value was based on and Independent Appraisal that Overland accepted and insured for that amount. After a few years that policy got quite expensive, We changed over to market value. The market value is about 20K lower than the Appraisal amount.
We have owned 2 FT. One was a 2002 U320 36'. Our current coach is a 2001 FT U320 42'.
Last year Ron's office offered a different policy from a different company, that they represent, but did not move as to timing. Long story.
Good luck with your endevour. :)
You don't need an appraisal. Here's my method. Figure what you think your Foretravel is worth. Divide that number by two. You'll still be a little high but close.
jor
Dreamer, the value of something is what a willing seller and a willing buyer agree it is. Spend some time looking at the Classifieds here, the offerings at MOT and FOT, and compare them to what you find on RV Trader and PPL. PPL prices will be on the low end, as they are a consignment business and want to move inventory quickly. The coaches there are more likely to be a bit rough, as their owners are letting them go for bottom dollar. IF (and that's a really big IF) you know what you are doing AND can do much of it yourself you can find a bargain there. For most of us, what we find is a money pit. RV Trader ads are going to have the prices all over the place, but you will find quite a few coaches for sale, and you can get a decent feel for what a reasonable price is. FOT and MOT prices are going to be toward the high end, as those coaches are going to be the better quality ones.
Spend some time with the beam alarm page, looking at floor plans and specs. Find the ones that will suit your needs and watch for those. When you find one that looks interesting, find someone like Brett Wolfe to inspect it for you. If it still looks good, make an offer based on what YOU are willing to pay. Most sellers price their coaches somewhat above what they expect to get, so there is likely to be some wiggle room in the price. Also, if you have an inspection report in hand that details what the coach needs, that can help.
One tip: when you are really ready to buy, you may need to be VERY quick. More than one person has seen an ad, thought about it overnight, called and been told that the coach is sold.
Look at MOT's coaches for sale, take 10 to 15 grand off and that's the fair retail.
Like other people have suggested, look at classifieds and see what that are asking.
Then there is the difference between the coaches that will never sell at the asking price because they are junk, others are sold fairly quickly.
These coaches are hard to value, they have more value to those of us who know what we have than to those who look at age only.
Good luck with your quest.
Hi Everyone,
Been looking at a 1989 Grand Villa 36' DD 8.3 with 60,000 that is in need of a make over. Both roof ACs, fridge, ice maker are shot and generator is repairable, Need tires. The engine, transmission, body and roof in good shape. Almost everything else is unknown. Interior is somewhat restored. Drives great. $3000 What do you all think? Should I run?
Thx in advance
Gypsy,
Welcome to the ForeForum.
There is no DD 8.3.
So, which engine does it have-- all three can be found in that year Foretravels, yet VERY different engines:
Detroit Diesel 8.2 liter V8 4 stroke
Detroit Diesel 6V92 2 stroke
Cummins 8.3 liter in line 6 cylinder.
Avoid an old V8 DD Fuel pincher . They had design issues and problems from new .
Any of the other options should be fine, 6V92, or Cat 3208 run well with few issues.
Be ready to put in 20K and you will have to drive the value out of it , as most of us try to .
If you wonder how 20K fills up the inside, ; Tires 2500+-
Shocks, batteries, air bags, fridge, gen set ,
Consider it a hobby that moves .. Good luck , Call me if you need any pointers, as I have the same vintage GV and have done all of the above plus a bunch more.
I looked at Country Coach that had the V8 and found it really nice but it also came with a smaller trans and would not take the torque of any swap . You want the 643 trans IMHO.
HEY!! We have that "old DD V8 Fuel Pincher" and it has 85,000 miles on it without a single hiccup from the engine!!
Treat it right, service it on schedule and it will run on a long, long time. Just like any other diesel.
Care and treatment works wonders.
Only drawback is power needed to push a 36' 22,000# coach down the road, towing a toad, above 60 MPH, is nonexistent.
Creeps up on the speed. Gets 8-10 MPG.
Believe it or not, but those "bad" engines are in use up here, for irrigation in the potato fields and run and last a long, long time.
Only one mechanic & his shop still works on them. Located just a bit outside Antigo, WI--Skarlupka Service, Inc.
Great work and decent pricing.
Well drove to Nacogdoches this morning to look at coaches. MOT website shows they are open 9 to 3 on Sat. Arrived but doors are locked and phone goes unanswered. Guess I will keep dreaming.
Saturday is by appointment only
They have always been closed on Saturday but this is now the schedule according to the website. I'd be unhappy too (and I'm a big defender of MOT.)
They should either update their website to show closed or by appointment only. In retrospect, I should have called earlier in the week to confirm, but based on the website it seem pretty clear to me they were open Sat 9 to 3.
I walked the lot, but was definitely disappointed after driving 3 hours to find them closed.
Call there Monday and let Mel or Jason know that you made the drive based on their website.
Welcome to the forum Dreamer. Having recently researched the rigs that are available, you probably have a better idea of the value than most of us here. When you come to an agreed value with the seller, you have the value of your coach. You can insure it for stated value (what you agree it is worth with your insurance company). I've been with USAA for forty years (gasp) and though they do not insure RVs, they have partnered with Progressive to handle their member's coaches. To me that is a high recommendation. I do not know if USAA /Progressive are given special consideration, but you can check it out. I've gone years without having to use my insurance, but have made up for it in the last three years (see my recent comments under Michelin) for a couple of incidences and two windshield repairs. Progressive has been great and has yet to charge my deductible. Good luck.
Greetings
I did buy her for $2500 and installed $2500 tires for trip home to SW Florida from Palm Beach.
It ran nicely, stopped good, steering got better after about 100 but still seems a bit playful. I think it may need springs as well but not sure. The monitor is not functioning. The seller damaged rear camera wiring. Found location under dash where it was attached. Will reconnecting that wire allow monitor to function? I have no idea of air pressure for brakes or tank levels without a monitor.
Also the brake switch is leaking. Not a lot but definitely leaking. I think it's compressor oil but not sure.
Where is the windshield washer motor located?
Are there other 12v fuse locations ((Bed/dash)?
It there a map light on drivers side?
Air horn and spot inop
LP has detector off needs replacement
Levelers control panel appears in rough shape. Levelers inop.
Where to buy florescent bulbs especially 36"?
Recommendations for motor rewind rotor for generator
The engine is a strong DD 8.2 with 160,000 no leaks. I initially hit the wrong numbers accidentally. I'm an ex military ground equipment mechanic so have some knowledge on system functions and can read wiring diagrams. As far a using a multi meter not so much. It's been four decades since my service days.
Im a bit overwhelming and excited at the same time.
Thanks for offering assistance. Hopefully I won't pester you with questions.
Toni
To answer some of your issues, the air pressure is shown on separate gauges not the monitor. You should not get oil out of an air line at the pressure switch. You will need a schematic to solve your electrical problems and I can't help you there as your coach is totally different than mine.
For value I just ran into this issue as after 2009 and so on a 2010 model NADA has not enough sold to determine value. Luckly USAA does the determination if this is the case off the total used selling price number which I did and will finance up to 80% of that number. I did not need to use this much financing though that is the way they did their calculations. For MOT of Texas I have worked with Mike Phillips at this location and his follow up has been outstanding and pretty much any day or anytime I received a response from him. I would just say let them know you are coming and they will have someone there to take care of you. He has even come in on a Sunday to help me out. Finally insurance I use Progressive through USAA with a set value and vanishing deductible. Every year my deductible goes down as long as there is not a claim until after 4 years it is then 0. USAA is excellent and have no complaints.
If you have an honorable discharge from the military or are a family member, you can take advantage of the discount USAA gives through Progressive. We used Foremost but they raised the premium to almost $1000. Progressive with a high but disappearing deductible is $381/yr. Yes, zero deductible after 4 years. This is current as we sent them a check last month. Discount on Progressive rate by using USAA.
Almost everyone around us has had their fire insurance cancelled. We have been lucky so far. Our friends just purchased a new house and the Homeowner's Insurance was going to be $6000/yr. I told them about USAA and they just got a policy for $1300/yr. Our only neighbor owns an insurance company and has had his cancelled twice. Now has the California Fair Plan just for the dwelling. He just wrote a policy for a large house for $13,000 a year!
Electricity is back on now after over two days. U300 has come through powering the house! Lots of grocery stores had to give away all their perishable goods. 2 1/2 hours for gasoline at one station with a generator.
Pierce
U300 has come through powering the house
Tell more about the setup....We are fairly remote and having the coach power our house would be awesome...
Thx
Hans
Hans,
You have probably seen that somewhere between 800,000 and 1.5 million homes have been without electricity for at least 2 days here in California. PG&E is the problem but don't want to go into their history now.
There are several ways of bringing juice to the house, but unless you do it right, you could endanger any repair guys up on the pole as well as yourself. I turn off the main switch to the house and then just run a HD extension cord to the closest outlet. This powers everything except the well as it's 220V. I don't run the washing machine but everything else is propane or LED for the lights and the TVs don't draw much.
I do have 220V at my pit so I can make a dedicated plug next to the generator and with a couple of wiring changes, have 220V for the pump too as well as use the existing larger wires from the pit to the house. To be safe and legal, you should have an electrician put in a switch so you can't start a fire or electrocute yourself or someone on a pole if you forget to shut off the main breaker.
I do it the simple way but not necessarily the smartest way. I think someone on the forum posted a wiring diagram for changes needed at the generator.
I ran it for 2 days with a light load until about 10pm and then turned it off. You only have about 4 safe hours for the food in the fridge and 48 hours for a full freezer but I put ice and cold packs in the fridge and the ice had not melted in the morning. I heard today that if you place a quarter on top of a cup of frozen ice and it's half way down in the morning, you are OK.
Our outage gives an idea of what would happen in case of a major disaster. All the gas stations were closed but one. 2 1/2 hour wait in line for fuel and some people brought big plastic jugs, filled them and went back a few hundred feet and sold the fuel for over twice the station price. Some supermarkets brought in big reefer trucks and used them for all the perishable items. Others just called the radio station and gave everything away. Too bad.
If they can put gas, sewer, water, fiber optics underground, they can put electricity there too. This is going to cost California at least 2 billion dollars. That would have paid to dig a lot of trenches. Climate change is only going to make things worse in the future.
Yes, the good old Foretravel came through for us. Turned on the key this morning and the fuel gauge had not moved. ^.^d ^.^d ^.^d
Pierce
Down here in hurricane country power outages are not uncommon. One thing we've done to the freezer is to fill it with water bottles a few days before an outage (hurricane heading our way). That cold mass helps keep the freezer colder for a longer time.
Glad the FT generator worked out.
We am still looking. Spent the day at MOT yesterday looking at several in an effort to determine what we want and reading lots of older posts on differences between coaches.
David Damer has a 2003 2003 U-320. 38ft tag axle posted in the classifieds. Looks nice, but not sure yet we want a bedroom slide.
DayDreamer,
In 2 years, I may be in the market for a 2003 or 2004 U320 with a Bedroom slide. Just curious why not a bedroom slide. I just haven't heard any issues concerning bedroom slides, other than to be on the lookout for delamination.
Any thoughts?
When they are in, it is more difficult to get to the bed, and non-slide seem pretty spacious. I do not have any personal experience with them, so I cannot really comment on their durability, but just seems like one more thing that can break or need repairs.
The slide does seem to offer a lot of closet space, but we opted for a 97 with no slides. Just got it, so only time will tell if we made the right decision.