Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide (Read 2209 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #20 –
Good points Roger, with the right seller, a long distance purchase could go smoothly. It would take a lot of trust, and then some serious good faith negotiation if there's a misunderstanding about the condition of the coach when you arrive. A 3rd party inspection with Foretravel experience would help immensely.

Scott

Quote from: Home2fromHastings –
We bought ours from a fellow in CA.  Lots of emails back and forth, lots of pictures.  We hd an independent inspection done by a knowledgable person.  Any sale like this is contingent on your final inspection and acceptance.  We looked for two years for a 34' with a slide.  They are not common.  We're very pleased with our 36'.  Communicate with the seller, get everything you need from them.  If you like it make  an offer.  There re other forum folks up that way that might be able to check it out for you or look for an independent inspector to check everything out.  Any deficiencies should be fixed by the owner or used in adjusting the offer.  If you are comfortable at that point (and comfortable with the seller) it will probably be OK.  We drove ours back to MN, 2500 miles.  Check out Dick Reed's RV driving school.  They has instructors ll over.  We did before returning.  Well worth it.

Roger

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #21 –
I took two flights to Greensboro, NC.  One to check it out and test drive it, the second to complete the purchase...about 2250 miles.  By the third day, it was so comfortable driving the coach that I drove it from Jackson, TN to Amarillo, TX...812 miles.

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #22 –
Our coach was a six-hour drive (by car) from us. We drove down one Saturday to look at it, liked it, and early the next week made an offer. It was accepted and we scheduled a date to complete the transaction. We drove down one day, took care of the paperwork, got a run-through, dinner, and conversation. We spent the night in the coach at the seller's place, and then after breakfast the next morning we took off. It took considerably longer than six hours to drive home, but we made it before dark.

I've driven school buses a fair amount, and one Class C motorhome, but until that test drive I had never driven a DP or anything this big. With all of about 30 minutes of driving on the test drive with the seller telling me what to do, I took off for home with Jo Ann in the car. Oh yes, the speedometer doesn't work on this coach. Take it easy, get comfortable driving the coach, and you will do just fine.

We agreed with the sellers that we would bring a cashier's check with us for the balance (of course once we agreed on the sale we sent them a deposit). We took the coach and a bill of sale, but not the title. Once their bank was satisfied with the cashier's check they mailed the title to us. Yes, we had to trust each other, but it all worked out just fine. Others have had a local bank act as an escrow agent. That may or may not involve any additional cost, but whatever cost there is will be a very small fraction of the purchase price.

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #23 –
When we bought our first coach we emailed and spoke long distance with the seller ... then took a long weekend to fly from Phila to Mesa, AZ to see the coach.  We pulled the trigger and learned how to drive it on the way home to PA!!  We were stupid not to have and an inspection, as we knew NOTHING about any sort of RV (had never even been onside one before!) and were totally clueless.  We drove all the way with no collisions and spent our first $3000 on repairs in Oklahoma City when we were halfway home.  Our first night on the road, we were assigned a back-in site in an RV park ... had to get help because we could't figure out how to back it into the site!!  We were such goofballs!! We have learned and grown with the help of the members of this Forum ... now on our third coach, lived on the road full-time for 3 years and have never looked back. 

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #24 –
Someone looking for a 34 ft Foretravel with slide in Santa Clarita, Ca might be looking for awhile.

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #25 –
Frozenh20, you might/should consider a 36 ft with IFS if what you want is tighter turning in close quarters. I have that (IFS) in my FT and it makes it a lot easier to get into, and out of, tight spaces. Not sure of other newer FT's that offer it in 36 ft.

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #26 –
The sharper wheel cut of IFS would be great. When did FT offer IFS?

Scott

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #27 –
3 in year 2000, and "approx." 20 in 2001 had IFS.  After that I "think" after 2009 on some Phenix and later some Nimbus.

IFS is more complex and requires more costly repairs/maintenance (when required, not an annual cost), great turning radius is the upside.

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #29 –
I never had IFS so I can't give first hand info but I do wonder why FT stopped putting them in, at least that version. 

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #30 –
My 2001 36ft U320 1 slide has IFS it turns really well, Might be for sale  I have been driving prevos for nascar and not using my foretravel , we have 13 in fleet most have IFS it makes a difference when towing I'm 65 ft long.  IFS was a $13000 up charge in 2001 FT IFS was made by ridewell suspension co. Heavy duty when compared to some others.

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #31 –
Interesting.  I wondered who made it and some comparisons.

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #32 –
I bought our coach sight unseen and have never regretted it a minute. Flew from Oklahoma City to Denver money in hand. It doesn't always end up like this but it certainly can.

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #33 –
Found the one! Just bought a 2003 U270 34 footer with a slide, and it was only 100 miles from my home. How perfect is that? This forum was a great education on what to look for prior to buying. This one only needs tires (badly cracked Michelins that are only 4 years old), a windshield, and the foglights are inop, that's about it. Perfect bulkheads, solid body and roof, no leaks, beautiful paint. Service records back to 2008 and a recent service including new batteries to the tune of $5k(!). This coach was the late Dan Spoor's last (of many) Foretravels, that helped me feel good about this one.

Scott

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #34 –
We looked at Dan's coach in NAC, spring 2013.  As I remember, it had all the paperwork, and more.  If memory is correct it was a mid door as well.  Dan said that was his 7th Foretravel as I recall.

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #35 –
Nice, glad you found a nice 34 footer.  That's what I was looking for originally, as well.  (Two more feet of trailer that way!)  Ended up finding a great 36', but had to go about 2600 miles for it.

The window may have closed on the dunes for this season, so where will be the inaugural trip?

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #36 –
Quote from: tothetrail –
Nice, glad you found a nice 34 footer.  That's what I was looking for originally, as well.  (Two more feet of trailer that way!)  Ended up finding a great 36', but had to go about 2600 miles for it.

The window may have closed on the dunes for this season, so where will be the inaugural trip?

New tires tomorrow and then it's off this weekend to Jericho, Utah for an ATV race, with another race on the return trip in Primm, NV. That'll be about a 1200 mile test drive, we'll see what I missed on my inspection. Something is bound to fall-off, blow-up or leak...
 

Re: Looking to buy a 34 foot with slide

Reply #37 –
Congrats!!

Quote from: frozenh2o –
Found the one! Just bought a 2003 U270 34 footer with a slide, and it was only 100 miles from my home. How perfect is that? This forum was a great education on what to look for prior to buying. This one only needs tires (badly cracked Michelins that are only 4 years old), a windshield, and the foglights are inop, that's about it. Perfect bulkheads, solid body and roof, no leaks, beautiful paint. Service records back to 2008 and a recent service including new batteries to the tune of $5k(!). This coach was the late Dan Spoor's last (of many) Foretravels, that helped me feel good about this one.

Scott