36' U 270 preferred years (2002

Topic: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007) (Read 805 times) previous topic - next topic

36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

November 06, 2014, 02:44:36 pm

Looking for some advice on model years preferred & those to avoid(if any) for U270 36' - Our budget is $100K to $125K. We have 2 large dogs with whom we travel to dog shows & are tiring of schlepping them in & out of motels, etc! Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #1 – November 06, 2014, 02:56:12 pm

I don't believe any U270's were made after 2005. 2006 saw the old U-series rebadged as the first generation Nimbus. 2007 was a completely new Nimbus.

Late 2004/2005 was a very iffy year with the company experiencing some serious financial "challenges" that may have impacted what they could build.

I'm biased, but to me the sweet spot in those model years is 2003 or an early 2004.

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #2 – November 06, 2014, 03:23:51 pm

I thnk you can find a U320 or 295 or 270 from 99 to 03 depending in your price range. Any of them will be good years and depending on length that you are searching for you can take your pick.

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #3 – November 06, 2014, 03:33:14 pm

Thanks, John & Michelle for your quick response...Do you know anything about the 2005 270 listed @ F.O.T.?

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #4 – November 06, 2014, 04:27:09 pm

Quote from: Michelle – November 06, 2014, 02:56:12 pm

Late 2004/2005 was a very iffy year with the company experiencing some serious financial "challenges" that may have impacted what they could build.

Over the 3+ years that I've been a member and owned a 2005 I've seen this remark from time to time. All I can say is we either got an exceptional second owner 2005 with minimal problems or the company financial issues of that time did not impact the production line as much as some think it may have. All I know is we are pleased with ours.

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #5 – November 06, 2014, 05:06:39 pm

Quote from: Michelle – November 06, 2014, 02:56:12 pm

I'm biased, but to me the sweet spot in those model years is 2003 or an early 2004.

I am not sure if our 2004 U270 36' is an early 2004. The build number is 6273. However, we have had our coach for about 15 months and I have not seen any evidence that the build quality was compromised by the company's financial difficulties.

I know very little about the 2003 U270 36' except what I have seen from comparing the specification sheets on BeamAlarm. The MSRP on the 2004 U270 36' was $355,000 and the 2003 U270 26' was $308,000.
I do not know what caused this difference.

It is hard to tell about the options added to a coach when it was built. But, our coach has Villa furniture, (Captains chairs, sofa and dinette,) and wood flooring in the entry and living room that the 2003 models did not have. Also, the 2004 model had Sony Audio/Video equipment with Bose Speakers and the Tracstar was a SV360 model vs the older SV260.

As far as the 2005 U270 36' at FOT. The only thing I can tell from the pictures is that it does not have electric power and water reels and does not have window awnings.

Larry

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #6 – November 06, 2014, 05:59:53 pm

I didn't mean to imply a build quality issue with 2005 - just that Foretravel did not build many nor have the usual supplier base at the time. I know when we would take our coach in for service in late 2004 and in 2005, there were items on our list that couldn't be done at FT due to "no parts available".

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #7 – November 06, 2014, 06:13:13 pm

Gee... I think I got all the parts on mine... maybe I better check again!

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #8 – November 07, 2014, 07:44:01 am

I know an owner who brought his coach in for service for a leaking water tank. When they pulled the tank they saw the leak had already been circled and it was an older tank that had been pulled from another coach. It was installed as it was the only one they had at the time. 04-05 was a bad time at FT. There is an upside though. The new owners stepped up and paid off the suppliers and fixed the coaches and they are still in business. That more then anything says a lot and carries a lot of weight with me and is why I bought another FT in 07.

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #9 – November 07, 2014, 08:06:58 am

Thanks for the info, John

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #10 – November 07, 2014, 08:41:39 am

So now maybe I should check all the date codes on all my parts to see if my coach is years older then what it is suppose to be?!?!? Maybe that means that I should look for an older coach because it will have newer parts than the one I already have?!?!?!?

Ok, I'll stop. When it comes to a used purchase, a well cared for and well maintained coach should be what is most important to any buyer. I just don't believe it is worth bashing 04-05s because of a 10 year old parts issue. The designs did not significantly change for those years. So, unless one takes my first 2 questions seriously, then I would not rule out these coaches. That's my take and as Dave M says "Do what makes you happy".

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #11 – November 07, 2014, 09:28:08 am

Mark,
My guess is that most are repeating an opinion and not backed up with facts as to quality, Plus there would appear to be the envoy thing, so relax and enjoy your fine coach. Little about these coaches are cheap & simple.

As to MY opinion, the 2001 U320 is still the best of the best year model (By many in the Nac business world) with only the slide being an occasional concern.

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #12 – November 07, 2014, 10:22:59 am

As long as you are soliciting "any" advice, I'll take that as my invitation to chime in. First of all, let me say that being on the dog show circuit seems like a great reason to own a motorcoach. They thought of traveling with dogs and cages and trying to find dog friendly hotels during peak times sounds like a drag. I think you're going to LOVE traveling by motor coach. Take you home with you!

If I were looking for a coach, which I am, the first thing I would determine is my budget. You have done that, which is great. Make sure you have some reserve for the stuff that will come up.

Price
Brand
Length
Slide versus no slide
Tag or no tag
Age

Head down to Texas and see what you like and don't like. Don't plan on buying anything. You'll probably either find the perfect coach for you, or maybe you'll figure out exactly what you're looking for. Touch, feel, stiff, drive. Have fun.

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #13 – November 07, 2014, 10:37:52 am

Dave - I am relaxed in part because I chose Foretravel! And of course I did learn long time ago that you don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #14 – November 07, 2014, 10:47:08 am

The OP asked about the 36' U270. Here are some of the features the bad years 2004/2005 U270 had that some earlier models did not have. Villa furniture and pilot chairs, bus style basement doors, Sony Video/Audio equipment, consolidated equipment/electronics bay, 14 cu ft refrigerator, Newer model HWH control boxes, slide out entry step, Later model HD Tracstar, etc.

Larry

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #15 – November 07, 2014, 10:59:38 am

Quote from: LTG – November 07, 2014, 10:47:08 am

The OP asked about the 36' U270. Here are some of the features the bad years 2004/2005 U270 had that some earlier models did not have. Villa furniture and pilot chairs, bus style basement doors, Sony Video/Audio equipment, consolidated equipment/electronics bay, 14 cu ft refrigerator, Newer model HWH control boxes, slide out entry step, Later model HD Tracstar, etc.

Larry

My x Foretravel salesman buddy and friend mentioned severe issues in the mentioned time frame model years. A good one is good but several long term customers ,at least, returned coaches for refunds according to him.

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #16 – November 07, 2014, 11:02:34 am

Quote from: Caflashbob – November 07, 2014, 10:59:38 am

My x Foretravel salesman buddy and friend mentioned severe issues in the mentioned time frame model years. A good one is good but several long term customers ,at least, returned coaches for refunds according to him.

Please list the coach build numbers of the returned coaches. I may have one.

Larry

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #17 – November 07, 2014, 11:15:15 am

Quote from: LTG – November 07, 2014, 10:47:08 am

The OP asked about the 36' U270. Here are some of the features the bad years 2004/2005 U270 had that some earlier models did not have. Villa furniture and pilot chairs, bus style basement doors, Sony Video/Audio equipment, consolidated equipment/electronics bay, 14 cu ft refrigerator, Newer model HWH control boxes, slide out entry step, Later model HD Tracstar, etc.

Larry

I would't call any year Foretravel a bad year. From what I've read, those years were troubled with more than expected warranty repair items, that should all have been fixed long ago. As for the list of 2004/2005 features, most (not all) of those are also in the 2003 models. If the need ever arises for me to replace my 2003, I would not hesitate to buy a later year, any later year, so long as it is a Foretravel.

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #18 – November 07, 2014, 11:46:57 am

Quote from: Tom Lang – November 07, 2014, 11:15:15 am

As for the list of 2004/2005 features, most (not all) of those are also in the 2003 models.

The operative word here is models. The thread is about the U270. In the years of "reported" financial difficulties and cutting corners, Foretravel was upgrading the U270 to include equipment that only the U295 and U320 had in earlier years including 2003.

I obtained my information from reading the specifications listing for the years talked about. Some coaches could have been ordered with the equipment I listed. However, as standard equipment the U270 did not have this equipment except for in 2003 they had the Consolidated Component Bay.

Larry

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #19 – November 07, 2014, 11:51:54 am

Quote from: LTG – November 07, 2014, 11:02:34 am

Please list the coach build numbers of the returned coaches. I may have one.

Larry

Unknown. My buddy was a Foretravel salesman then and in our conversations mentioned this. No numbers. Would be nearly impossible to dig up such info now I would think.

No caulking in some coaches was a thing he mentioned?

Re: 36' U 270 preferred years (2002 - 2007)

Reply #20 – November 07, 2014, 12:05:28 pm

Thank you all so much for your quick & thoughtful responses to my query. I never cease to be amazed @ this forum, which in addition to the Foretravel's legendary reputation quality construction & service is the main reason for my interest in buying one.

Jim

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