Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 15, 2025 ...

1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

August 03, 2018, 10:31:52 pm

Hello, new member here thank you for allowing me access.
I am thinking of purchasing a 1997 U320 SE with a Cummings M11 and Allison 6 speed with 75,000 miles.
It needs some work such as the front bulkhead bolts, the rear were done already. Tires and coach batteries need replacing and the Aquahot needs repair. Otherwise the coach is in overall very nice condition inside and out. Has a new 10kw genset installed. They are willing to sell it to me for between 26k and 29k depending on my test drive tomorrow. I was looking for some advice as I have not owned a Foretravel before. Seems to be a fair price considering the repairs needed but I am a little hesitant that I me be going down a rabbit hole.
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Blade

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #1 – August 04, 2018, 10:09:45 am

Sounds ok to me,would find out why genset needed replacement,would seriously getting an inspector familiar with Foretravels.
Where is the coach maybe a forum member could help you check it out,don't be leary we won't undercut you.Another idea might
be is to set up a facetime with a member when you get to the coach.

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #2 – August 04, 2018, 10:51:36 am

Tires will be $3800, maybe less for cheaper tires. Coach batteries for top of the line will be $2100.  You might need start batteries as well. If you can find out what needs repair on the AH Rudy on the Forum might be able to est cost.  Annual service is $250.  New controller is $900. New fuel pump is $450. New igniter is $350.  Each of the pumps is maybe $800.  A rebuilt AH is $10K.  Maybe shocks too depending on miles.  A complete service too, engine oil and coolant, transmission, generator, chassis lube, brakes should get done as well.

You don't say miles.  Or where.  If it is a coach down south (TX, AZ, AL, FL ... down there) you are likely due for air bags, $2000 or so and fuel lines, about $1500 as I recall.  If a gulf coast or FL coach look for mold or mildew.  Look closely at the fiberglass exterior surfaces for cracks.  They need to get fixed.  Shine can be restored.  Some coach interiors get beat up pretty badly.  Some owners are very caring and it shows. 

Most of this is normal age and miles related stuff.  One would like to buy a coach where the owner has kept up with all of this and you just drive away.  If not then the price should reflect what it is going to take to bring it up to good to go and some risk on your part.

Lots of folks on the Forum with that coach that can give you ideas what to look for.  It is a solid coach to start with.

At the asking price there will be work to do but there is some room between that and other comparables for sale. The more you can do yourself the better. 

Best of luck.

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #3 – August 04, 2018, 10:58:56 am

Yup, someone here may even know the coach-- it is a pretty small community.

Be aware that just replacing the bulkhead bolts may NOT be enough to fix a bad bulkhead.  And rusting of the box beams is much more common in the back than front (thanks to the wet bay being right above the bulkhead.  Unusual for the front bulkhead to be bad.

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #4 – August 04, 2018, 11:01:09 am

Blade, welcome to our group - you will find willing support here as you work towards the ownership of one of these fine machines.

Unless you can (and are wiling) to do significant maintenance work on a coach - from what you have shared, I would be very wary of this coach.

You can VERY easily have a lot more invested in that coach than it is worth -

Tires - $2-3,000

House Batteries - $1,800

Front Bulkhead - Unknown (You can't tell actual condition of the basement frame members without removing basement covering - Low - $1,500 - Average Repair $3-5,000, and they can be VERY expensive - Front bulkheads are not usually involved as the damage is typically from leaks in the wet bay left unattended over time and the water compromises the steel frame below - front bulkheads are a bigger concern, as they will not normally fail unless the coach has been subjected to significant salt exposure - either road salt or flooding Rear Bulkhead - what is quality of the repair, and who did it? Aquahot - can be as low as a few hundred dollars to fix - can be thousands if fuel pump, burner parts, control module, are needed. If frozen due to poor winterization rebuild installed over $10,000.

Was coach terribly neglected or perhaps partially submerged at some point in a flood? Front and rear bulkheads, Aquahot and a generator that needed

IF you can get a VERY knowledgeable inspector to go over the coach prior to purchase (our Brett Wolfe or Keith Risch at Motorhomes of Texas come to mind) and IF you can do a lot of the repair work yourself and don't mind running around getting the coach back to reliable condition and IF you can tolerate the coach being out of service while you get it sorted out,  you might consider the purchase of this coach.

Not sure exactly what this coach is worth in Very good condition - but say it is $40,000 (assuming it was not previously damaged by road salt, accident or flood).

If you buy it for $25,000 and Tires/Batteries (depending your brand preference)  set you back $5,000, you have $10,000 to spend on fixing the Aquahot, diagnosing the basement condition and repairing that damage, and fixing any other of the myriad details that could need repair or replacement. The air suspension, brake system, fuel lines, refrigerator are all of an age where significant expense could be needed. Depending on what is needed, and without getting the issues resolved prior to you owning it - your POTENTIAL ( not necessarily likely, but potential) repairs could easily surpass $10,000 and approach $20,000 or more if you need or want to have a MOT or RnR RV or similar knowledgeable shop do any required work.

Air bags - $2,000

Refrigerator - $1,500 - $4,000
Fuel Lines - $3,000

Air Leaks, HWH parts - $?? (Especially a problem if air dryer on compressor has not been regularly serviced and has failed releasing desiccant into the air system) De-lamination from unattended leaks (if present) can be in the multiple thousands.

If I was determined to buy this coach I would want to know (To the extent possible):

Where was it used (salt exposure)

How was it maintained and who did that maintenance(maintenance records) Was it in a flood or accident (basement repairs and replaced Genset are potential red flags)

And I would then want a very qualified inspection by a foretravel knowledgeable inspector.

A compromise might be to take it to MOT and have Keith Risch or Brett Wolfe do an inspection with systems check out. Or if MOT is not feasible,  take it to another quality shop for a similar inspection at your expense once you have settled on a price. (I would make an operational and serviced Awuahot a requirement of the deal closing and included in your purchase price negotiation, tires and batteries are know quantities)

The basement would need to be opened up and a fixed price estimate to repair would need to be developed. The air system, airbags, brakes, fuel lines and a myriad of other items would be checked and condition evaluated. At that point you would be armed with the knowledge of many of the likely major expense items.

These coaches are the best on the road. Likely with minimal maintenance in the past the engine and transmission will far outlive you and the coach. Remember, this coach was HUNDREDS of thousands of dollars in 1997 when new, and everything on it is now 20+ years old, so maintenance on a very high end coach of this age is likely and inevitable.

Often it is much better to pay $50,000 for a "$40,000" coach, than to pay $25,000 for a $"40,000" coach.

Good luck with the hunt and welcome again!

Tim Fiedler

Sure Start Soft Start - home of SureStart soft starters TCER Direct - home of Generac Approved Aluminum and Copper TCER Composite cable generator-gas-prod - home of X-Riser Gas Risers for PE installation Call me at 630 240-9139
Gen-Pro

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #5 – August 04, 2018, 11:17:31 am

Excellent coach to drive and use.  Been upgrading our 97 U320 since purchase.

over time you may  basically double your original purchase price.

The bones are good enough to make this a long term use good buy.

The original inverter is low tech and unless the heart freedom is serial number 100000 orvup they do not have a battery temp interface to adjust the charging voltage to compensate for the batteries temperature.

I replaced ours with a full sine wave battery temp unit and changed the isolator to a auto combiner to auto charge both battery banks ifveitger gets power.

Outdoor non powered storage would be helped to have at least a couple of hundred watts of solar to keep the combined battery banks up automatically.

A new set of the original batteries that have never been over discharged and kept fully charged in storage can be easily 10 years worth of use.

I did not mind doing all the above listed work as then I know what condition all the systems are in.

Pleasure to drive and to use. 

You will be into a  $382,000 retail coach less than 20 cents on the dollar.

Everything is fixable and all potential issues info available here and MOT and FOT.

Good luck on your drive. 

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #6 – August 04, 2018, 11:28:23 am

Agree with all above,only exception might be the wear items,(batteries,tires,oil changes),these you will have to change at some point
anyway no matter what coach you get.Some of these items you do not have to get done right away to go on a trip,and you don't
have to replace every item that is not new.You will see different opinions on some of your questions but that's normal,sort thru it
and try and do the work yourself.

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #7 – August 04, 2018, 04:22:33 pm

We bought a 96' U320 4 years ago with 70K miles and have been very pleased with the coach.  We bought it under market price, spent about 10k on a partial roof replacement (done at Foretravel) and other needed stuff.  Coach has been driven about 30k miles since then with no major problems, and no mechanical problems—-same engine transmission that you are looking at.  Just about bullet proof.  Since initial repairs, we have spent very little on repairs.

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #8 – August 04, 2018, 05:02:24 pm

I got mine last January for a low price and have put about $14k into it and the only thing I have left to replace is the air dryer.  If you get it start with safety times first then you can start using it.

I have done the following
rear bulkhead
brake service because the wrong grease was used
fuel lines and filters
tires
all water filters
smoke, CO, and LP detectors
generator voltage regulator
several different solenoids
small water pressure tank
grab handle

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #9 – August 04, 2018, 05:33:31 pm

Sounds like a very low price tag. Might be a good deal. Remember the old saying, "we get what we pay for."

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #10 – August 04, 2018, 08:39:35 pm

Nuklhd (gotta say I like that monaker),
    I recommend that you not be terrified by some of the mentioned potential issues and the prices. Much can be done for less money. Also, you may find that you can delay many issues and fix them over time. Foretravel has some unique features but it is essentially like other motorhomes. If you can get someone that knows Foretravels to look it over with you, you just might luck into a good or maybe even a great deal. Good luck.
jor

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #11 – August 04, 2018, 08:56:35 pm

Agree with Jor, I bought way under market price and it only needed tires, fuel lines and air bags. Everything else I have done has been either maintenance or optional items.

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Re: 1997 U320 thinking about purchasing.

Reply #12 – August 04, 2018, 09:30:09 pm

hi. welcome to the forum.
it is a wealth of information and beware ,like all forums ,a lot of misinformation.
these coaches are incredibly well built,inside and out. i have a 95 320 that needed a lot of work. but it is clean as a whistle underneath and after about 10 or 15 thou in parts.(have a repair shop) so did all the labor myself. i have a coach i love.
my advice for what it's worth.:
1 if brett wolff say something you can take it to the bank.
2. all motorhomes live on money, foretravel is  worth spending it on.
3 I like mine better than almost all new coaches. the wireing alone is practically a work of art.
4 if the chassis is sound, minimal rust and maintenance has been done everything else can be repaired or updated.
good luck ,hope you find the coach you love.
stuart

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