Hi everyone. My wife and I are considering purchasing a GV. I've only seen the photos from the online ad thus far, but it looks very well kept. The private seller thinks it's a U-280. From emailing him, I don't think he knows a lot about RV's. I'll try to communicate with him tomorrow. I don't have any idea on maintenance, etc, but looking at the overall shape of the rig I'd guess it's good because it looks like someone took good care of the rig. I understand I'll need it checked out.
I am somewhat familiar with RV's. My wife and I lived in an '03 Dutch Star for a few years while we worked as travel nurses. When we settled down, we had an older Bluebird PT-38 for a couple years, then moved to a toy hauler. Currently we are RVless.
What I know: 300hp 8.3l Cummins with 92,000 miles. 2,000 hours on 4 cal diesel genset.
I'll ad some photos. If you could give me your thoughts I would very much appreciate it!
Asking price is $29,000 which seems high according to NADA's $11,700 retail.
Blessings,
Steve
IMO NADA is no indicator concerning used motor homes. It does seem rich for a 93 model but you won't know if the coach is all that until a close and thorough inspection has been completed.
Welcome Steve and Wife (DW) to our Forum,
Always happy to chat with potential future Foretravel owners. We will do all we can to help you evaluate the coach in question. As the owners of a nice 1993 U280, I will say right off the bat that I don't see any screaming RED FLAG signs in the provided photos. It appears to be, as you say, a well kept up coach.
I am sure you understand that photos don't (usually) show the "whole story". You have already said you understand a in-person inspection is important. We totally agree! If we have any members located near the coach, they might be able to help with that. The underside of the coach is just as important as the interior. See if the owner will provide photos of the undercarriage, storage bays and engine compartment.
The interior of the coach looks good. Fairly stock condition. The fridge is not original. Might be a residential unit that operates only on 120V power. If so, ask the owner if the inverter has been upgraded to a modern pure sign wave unit. We have a residential fridge and love it. Other Forum members prefer the flexibility of the OEM gas/electric unit. Depends a lot on how you plan to use the coach.
See if the owners will send you a photo of the metal data plate mounted on the wall next to driver seat. It will confirm the year and model of the coach, plus give you the "build number".
Maintenance record is important on any used coach. You want to know how well the old girl has been treated. If the tires are timed out (more than 6-8 years old) then they will need replacement, regardless of how they look. The coach may also be due for air bag replacement, new shocks, new batteries and a complete fluids and filters service for both engines. If any of these things has been recently done, that is a plus.
Let us know how it goes with the negotiations. NADA and "Blue Book" valuations on old motorhomes are meaningless. A used RV is worth exactly what a buyer will pay for it. The important thing is to learn as much as possible about the coach before you pull the trigger. Only then can you make a informed decision.
Link below to the ForeForum Wiki - part of the extensive collection of Foretravel facts and info provided by the clever people (Steve and Michelle) who run this Forum. Besides the WiKi, if you click the "MEDIA" tab at the top of this page, you will find a link to the Foretravel Library - another priceless reference resource!
start [ForeForums Foretravel Motorcoach Wiki] (https://wiki.foreforums.com/doku.php?id=start)
Link below to our photo hosting page. You can see some photos of our coach when we first acquired it in 2013. Ours is a 40' model U280, so the floor plan is a little different. Otherwise, it was (at that time) very similar to the one you are considering. We have made a few changes since then...
Photo Sharing. Your Photos Look Better Here. (https://cja.smugmug.com)
I find it troubling that the owner does not know the model. Not absolute deal-breaker, but I would be looking for a solid explanation of that.
Current NADA on our coach is about 1/3 what we paid last year, and we got a good deal. Asking price of this coach seems high, but could easily be explained by condition, upgrades, new tires and batteries, etc.
Someone else can verify if a coach of that vintage has a King Controls throttle system. Difficult to get repairs.
I would assume that there is cosmetic ugly under those rugs. Relatively minor issue. Otherwise it looks great in the photos.
Where is the coach? I would bet you could get someone here to look at the coach with you, prior to a proper pre-purchase inspection. If it is in Tucson or Phoenix, I volunteer!
Correct. NADA is meaningless for motorhomes since it is based on reported automobile dealer association sales data. There is little to no data reported for low volume brands so the numbers are "conjured up" based on general market prices for the RV class as a whole.
Banks will use it for financing, but an older rig won't qualify for financing so again, moot.
I've read, Ferrari builds more cars each year, than Foretravel has ever built. There is no way NADA has any idea what Foretravels are worth. Too small a sample ever reported I'd guess.
It's easy to spend as much on upgrades and deferred service items as you spend on a used Foretravel purchase.
The coach you are looking at could be a gem!!!!
Thanks for your advice everyone. I appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge!
I've gained some more info... The owner is a truck driver. His son is a mechanic and it's parked at his shop. The son is handling the sale. He says his dad searched for a while for this rig because he wanted the Allison 6 speed, which this has. I have asked him for a photo of the ID plate, he will try to get it to me today. Once I get the VIN, I'll call FT tomorrow to see what they can tell me.
The location is Northern Utah, I'm 4-5 hrs away, in St George.
Blessings,
Steve
Instead of the VIN, use the model code from the data plate by the driver's left knee:
Foretravel Model Code [ForeForums Foretravel Motorcoach Wiki] (https://wiki.foreforums.com/doku.php?id=through_the_years:model-codes)
A 1993 GV should start with
F93
The next 4 digits will be the build number - this is the identifier of the coach itself. This is the 4 digit number the factory would use to most efficiently look up the coach. Build numbers are sequential.
Floorplan, length, and exact model/chassis will be coded in that model code. You'll be able to tell from that if it's a U280 (and exactly which floorplan)
etc.
Thanks for the info regarding the ID Plate. The seller sent me a photo of It today:
U280, 36', WTBI floorplan, build number 4325