Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Topic: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300 (Read 1027 times) previous topic - next topic

Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

December 07, 2013, 08:54:50 pm

Hello
New at forums so please bare with me.
Looking to purchase my 1st Foretravel. Found a unit online, needs abit of TLC. Before I travel to look at it wondering if someone here has done some major repairs to bathroom and plumbing. Would like to have an idea of what I may be getting into.
Cheers

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #1 – December 07, 2013, 10:34:30 pm

Well ---- There are alot of good ones out there and starting out with one that has known problems wouldn't be what I would do. Depends alot on what problems are known and what extra you will uncover when you get into it. Keep on doing your homework, that is alot of the fun in it. Have a great day ---- Fritz

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #2 – December 07, 2013, 10:35:09 pm

Welcome to the Foreforum.

Post any info you have on the coach and needed work and we can better answer your question.

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #3 – December 08, 2013, 12:43:28 am

B-wizard, There really is nothing special with renoing a bathroom in a coach, just smaller than a home one. Plumbing fixtures are the same, justsome imagination to get them all working ie drains and plumbing feeds. No big deal at all.
John H

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #4 – December 08, 2013, 09:43:47 am

Have also been looking at this coach for 4 weeks now.
1989 Foretravel Grand Villa diésel pusher

Noticed someone else looked for advice on this unit. The discoloration on the gen is only over spray from the graphics.
Coach been repainted, will have to check the quality of repaint. Looks like clearcoat is already peeling, rite side of frontend nose just below windshield

But major issues.

Tackling this coach is not a problem form me, Sculptor/Special Effects Fabricator. Time is not too much the issue.
Parts availability and cost major concern.

The bathroom in it's entirety must come out, walls, ceiling, probably flooring, as the skylite has been leaking for so long that the medicine cabinet is disintegrating. Black mold(highly toxic) all over, especially outside wall, so insulation will all have to be removed. Also, when pressurizing the water system all visible fittings are dripping. Owner says one of the previous owners must not have winterized the unit.

And..In my research of this coach it has had 3 owners since 2007 and only 50 miles been put on it. Suspicious.

Unit is in my present budget if parts and materials do not add up to too much.

Anybody tell me what they think this coach is worth?

Cheers

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #5 – December 08, 2013, 10:44:07 am

Any coach with an interior not in Bristol condition is worth less, much less and has an extremely limited market. Major repairs like leaks that have damaged the interior will bring the price under $10K in my opinion. Walnut is pretty easy to find, match color and work with so if labor is yours, you may justify the purchase at a low price. Also, remember that a leak that was not attended to may be a hint of other PM put on the back burner.

Pierce

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #6 – December 08, 2013, 11:00:57 am

Thanks Pierce,
Figured 8-10 if exterior paint is good quality. And as pentioned, if neglected coach, who knows what else. A shame such a nice unit and love the power and sound of the Detroit. Otherwise there's another 8-10,000 for basic painting. Don't think he'll go that low, but, let it sit and go back to him in a month. Most who are looking for this type of unit and can't do the work, or want to spend the time, will not be interested, so his market is very limited. Would really like to view it personally but 7-8 hr drive 1 way.

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #7 – December 08, 2013, 11:06:37 am

As said you can fix anything. Look at some of the threads on recent refer. replacements to see how these coaches are built. Some shots show how the insulation is done. Only thing that I know you will not find is the tambour door materials if needed to redo the bath cabinet doors.

Ad says tires are "almost new", and you really should get someone to read the dates. We all have talked about the 5-10 year rules to replace. But I find sellers don't remember very well the year of the tires. I looked at great tires last week, but the date code was 2003. Stunned them when I pointed that out. A set of 6 tires are expensive.

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #8 – December 08, 2013, 11:38:50 am

I haven't looked at the ad, but if there was enough of a long-term leak to cause mold, I would strongly recommend having someone look very, VERY closely at the bulkheads for separation/rust jacking issues. Something like that going unattended/unaddressed could lead to a project akin (or even more) to what Don (Acousticart) took on.

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #9 – December 08, 2013, 11:57:56 am

I am not too sure that I have not seen that coach. There was one at the junction of US27 and 92 in Haines city last year, did not see the interior.
7.5 Onan Genny, Is this a replacement or did FT use these ? MOLD, Run, if that moldy the walls will be infiltrated along with carpet and woodwork. You are right that bath will require complete rebuild.
Unless they are giving it away I would not think this is a useable coach, Don't let a pretty paint job influence you.
Gary B

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #10 – December 08, 2013, 12:00:18 pm

Quote from: BajaWizard – December 08, 2013, 11:00:57 am

Thanks Pierce,
Figured 8-10 if exterior paint is good quality. And as pentioned, if neglected coach, who knows what else. A shame such a nice unit and love the power and sound of the Detroit. Otherwise there's another 8-10,000 for basic painting. Don't think he'll go that low, but, let it sit and go back to him in a month. Most who are looking for this type of unit and can't do the work, or want to spend the time, will not be interested, so his market is very limited. Would really like to view it personally but 7-8 hr drive 1 way.

Less than a 5 minute exam should tell the tale on bulkhead problems. High res photos of the areas will give a big clue.

The exterior does not look that bad but if you are resourceful, a quick trip down to see Twig in Puerto Penasco can reduce the paint cost to a fraction of $8-10K. Just look at urethane paint on ebay and you can see that most of the cost is labor for prep work on a paint job. Materials including a good urethane plus labor should do a complete on a coach like the '89 for $2500 if you travel south of the border. Here is an example of a single stage (no clear coat) paint for approx. $100/gallon delivered: 1 5 Gallon Super High Gloss 2K Single Stage Urethane Polyurethane Car Paint Kit No need to spend mega bucks for Sikkens or other Akzo Nobel paints.

Thinking $8 or less, depending on problems. Quite correct to give seller more time for a reality check.

Pierce

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #11 – December 08, 2013, 12:23:04 pm

This was just on ebay with an opening bid of $10k....and didn't reach the reserve, whatever that was. Here is that link, if it has any more info for you. 1989 Foretravel Grand Villa U 300 Diesel Pusher | eBay

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #12 – December 08, 2013, 12:26:47 pm

Comparing the two ads, I see he no longer comments on the delamination noted in the ebay ad. This looks like a "run-from" coach to me and I would also think the "new" tires are listed that way due to low mileage, not low age, which is the important issue.

From the ebay ad:

"The inside is in nice condition, needs a little tlc to be perfect.

The coach had the roof vent for the bathroom damaged and water came inside the bathroom and caused some damage to the bathroom, its mainly delamination to bathroom wall and exterior wall.

I can do all the repairs to the coach but my schedule doesnt allow me to work on it so it must go, I dont want it to sit and get worse this coach is too nice to let sit it needs some repairs but these coaches i have seen on e-bay going for 40,-50,000."

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #13 – December 08, 2013, 12:57:17 pm

Don't forget that when buying a coach that's more than 20 years old no bank will finance it, so if you show up with cash you'll probably be their only buyer in this economy. Any buyer with that much cash will use it for a downpayment on a new coach. If I were you I'd use my cash to get a really nice coach. You should be able to get one that needs very little work for under $20,000 if you're patient. Use the internet to search for coaches nationwide, then get a forum member nearby to go look at the coach for you. Don't waste your advantage on a coach that needs a lot of expensive repairs.

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #14 – December 08, 2013, 01:04:15 pm

Water can get to a lot of places, and do a lot of hidden damage.

The ad says he knows what it is worth to part out, since that is probably his best option.

Would not try to value this coach without doing the interior demolition first and then see what it needs. He probably won't agree to that.
You could find out the salvage value from an RV recycler, and offer him that amount. If it was too badly damaged once you took it apart, drive it to the recycler and sell it to him. In that way your cost would be minimized, and you wont have overpaid.

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #15 – December 08, 2013, 01:07:26 pm

It is in Lake city FL according to the ad. Why not buy the 1993 at PPL or Gary B's coach. Sure more money, but not anywhere near the unknown that this coach has.

I agree, run.

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #16 – December 08, 2013, 01:18:30 pm

I would budget $15K for repairs. You won't know how bad it is until you rip it out.

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #17 – December 08, 2013, 02:50:28 pm

The early unihomes had onan dkd diesel generators or lp onan generators

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #18 – December 08, 2013, 05:14:17 pm

Thanks Guys,
If the paint quality is good, and no bulkhead problems (don't as of yet know how to identify that) then figure will cost 5-8000 not including my labour. That would include replacing all upholstered furnature so matching. So at 8-9000 for the unit pretty much in my budget range for this year. I know not much of a budget for a pusher, especially one that does not have a little useless 5.9 Cummins. My concern is getting ALL the black mold out. Still have 3 months down south here to find one. Prefer the U300 'cause of large storage bays, towing cap. and the Detroit. I'll keep looking. Any lead would be greatly appreciated
Cheers
David

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #19 – December 08, 2013, 05:25:46 pm

David, I just sent you a PM. Keep asking the questions. The people on this forum are the greatest. The knowledge which they so willingly share is absolutely priceless.

Thanks everyone,
Larry

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #20 – December 08, 2013, 08:43:28 pm

I will add my voice to the comments on water damage. We just traded our 33' Cobra for a motorcycle, and even then are quite pleased. We bought it with 'a little water damage' described, and seen. In our naïveté, we bought it, and threw away months of our time ripping it apart chasing the mould, and water damage. This was a coach with under 6k on it, had been improperly stored due to elderly owners being placed into a facility. Killer low mileage, etc, was a poor criterion for this purchase. I am more than handy, and even hired a pro for some of the work at a really low rate. Wife and Daughter spend a fair bit of time. I redid the entire EPDM roof with EternaBond and Dicor.

BIG, BIG, BIG MISTAKE THE ENTIRE PROCESS.

Only good thing is that it taught us what to look for, and what to avoid, and this is how we ended up in our GV.

I can not possibly, in this lifetime, understate the importance of being wary of water damage on any coach...

Dave

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #21 – December 08, 2013, 09:00:24 pm

In the search for my unicoach I told a seller of a use country coach intrigue that if it was free I could not afford it.

I always prided myself in the Rv biz on the deals I passed on.

Bob

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #22 – December 09, 2013, 08:48:12 pm

I almost went and looked at that coach, because it is not too far away, but I will keep on looking and purchase a coach before next summer.
The owner on this unit mentioned de- lamination due to a broken sky light.. Even though I know how to do fiberglass repairs, I would not want to deal with an issue like this. I believe it is hard to repair and make it look like new, without waves on the exterior skin
Let us know, how you decide though.

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #23 – December 09, 2013, 09:50:55 pm

Hey Stefan ---- Any experience on Archerfish, Razorback, or Barbell?? Send a PM ---- Have a good hunt ---- Fritz

Re: Advice re purchase of a 89 U300

Reply #24 – December 09, 2013, 09:52:39 pm

Baja Wizard,

I have to take issue in your statement about "the useless 5.9 Cummins." The Cummins "B" engine is a very reliable diesel that can easily be upgraded to produce more power and still remain reliable. In a larger coach like our U300, it would be a little on the small side but installed in a lower, lighter Foretravel, it will provide excellent, economical service without wasting time whether getting from campground to campground or across the country.

And this is from a very happy Detroit 6V-92TA operator.

Pierce

Affiliate Notice