Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

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Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

August 16, 2014, 11:19:59 pm

Well it's actually a year older than our current one. We picked up our 36' U295 today and drove it home almost 300 miles. Now I truly know what everyone here has been preaching. I am simply ecstatic. I wish I had bought one years ago. Not that we didn't love our truck camper or current Lazy Daze and the advantages that those types of campers have. I just can't get over the quiet smooth comfortable ride. Shortly after I entered I-85 my wife, following me, called on the CB and said "Whoa! where are you going?". I looked in the mirror, could barely see her and backed off the pedal. I couldn't help but smile.

Gone are the days of parking in a single stall with the truck camper and taking up just two stalls with the C. Now I will have to pick my fuel stops with a little more care and maybe even fuel at the truck lanes. I can't park it in the driveway. At least not in the driveway of our current S&B. Maintenance will be more complex and more expensive. I might have to pay someone else to perform it. I think it's a small price to pay in order to own a Foretravel

Thank you guys for answering all the questions that you never even knew I asked. I searched and read and trusted the accumulated knowledge and then made my own decision to buy the coach I wanted.

Regards
Ed

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #1 – August 16, 2014, 11:56:55 pm

Congratulations on your new to you coach. Love the headlight and taillight mods to make them look so much newer. Happy camping!!

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #2 – August 17, 2014, 12:24:57 am

well done and congratulations....

:-)

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #3 – August 17, 2014, 06:53:53 am

Congratulations! We are also former Lazy Daze owners - it was our first RV, bought a 1999 in 2000 and then our FT in 2004.

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #4 – August 17, 2014, 07:35:18 am

Quote from: Michelle – August 17, 2014, 06:53:53 am

Congratulations! We are also former Lazy Daze owners - it was our first RV, bought a 1999 in 2000 and then our FT in 2004.

Thanks everyone,

The PO just told us yesterday that they purchased a 2005 RB three weeks ago. Now we start the process of becoming former LD owners. It would make a very interesting toad though.

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #5 – August 17, 2014, 08:03:37 am

Ed and Michele,

Welcome to the Forum, and congratulations on your new coach. You are going to enjoy both! Don't worry too much about the maintenance - since you already owned a camper and a Class C, you have a valuable knowledge base to work from. Some of the stuff on your new coach is bigger, and weighs more, but it all works pretty much the same. You would take pity on people like us, who had ZERO RV knowledge before jumping into a 40' Foretravel. Talk about a steep learning curve!

Take your time, enjoy getting acquainted with your new coach, and ask (here) when you can't figure it out. This group LOVES to help new owners (spend their money)!

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #6 – August 17, 2014, 10:20:03 am

Congratulations on your new Coach.
It looks very nice and especially like the headlight upgrade.
Safe Travels

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #7 – August 17, 2014, 12:15:40 pm

Hi Ed,
Lucky you! Nice looking coach. Enjoy, and stay safe.
Raymond

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #8 – August 17, 2014, 01:23:47 pm

Hi Ed, and welcome to the group.
Was that coach on RV Trader where the owner was from Concord NC by chance?
Had a friend looking at it , if it was the same one. Great looking coach!

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #9 – August 17, 2014, 05:30:49 pm

Ed, I would try to use the truck lanes to fuel. May seem a bit daunting with those truly big rigs there, but you may find in a car lane that you are the truly big rig and with toad a little hard to get out. Plus the fueling pumps are fast in the truck lanes. Have used both, but in the car lanes be careful to scope it out before pull in, may be hard to leave?

Mike

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #10 – August 17, 2014, 08:47:09 pm

You shoukd use truck stops and the truck lanes. Get an RV card form flying j and the lives fuel card fro the Prevost group and you will be set.

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #11 – August 17, 2014, 11:23:30 pm

Quote from: rbark – August 17, 2014, 01:23:47 pm

Hi Ed, and welcome to the group.
Was that coach on RV Trader where the owner was from Concord NC by chance?
Had a friend looking at it , if it was the same one. Great looking coach!

Yepper. We purchased it from Josh (Pedalman) a forum member. He told me he has met a few of you in some town called Nac..... something or other. Has anyone here ever heard of it?

Also told me he had about thirty calls after I had already given him a deposit.

He gave me a great PDI. Walked through the entire coach, opened every compartment. Took several hours.

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #12 – August 18, 2014, 01:00:40 am

Ed,

Welcome you and Michele. Got to know Josh(pedalman)last year in NAC and also toured your coach. Spent a few days at Camp Foretravel before we came back to Gulfport and he was headed I believe to Quarzite to work. Great guy and a great coach.
You're in good hands here.

Enjoy!

Jerry aka Murph

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #13 – August 18, 2014, 01:12:37 am

Nice FT, enjoy.

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #14 – August 18, 2014, 09:49:39 am

Very nice coach. Congrats

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #15 – August 18, 2014, 12:42:14 pm

Congratulations and Welcome Aboard!

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #16 – August 18, 2014, 12:48:30 pm

Congratulations! We purchased ours in Jan this year and truly love it! Welcome

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #17 – August 18, 2014, 02:26:18 pm

Wise choice//

You will love the travel in the new coach. This forum can answer any question about your coach and help with the details of being on the road. I learn where to stop and things to do and what to see. Then, there are the maintenance questions which You can learn about all the things to fix or where to fix or how to fix or just how to prevent the fix. DAN

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #18 – August 19, 2014, 08:44:46 am

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome

Quote from: John S – August 17, 2014, 08:47:09 pm

You shoukd use truck stops and the truck lanes. Get an RV card form flying j and the lives fuel card fro the Prevost group and you will be set.

Quote from: Michael & Jackie – August 17, 2014, 05:30:49 pm

Ed, I would try to use the truck lanes to fuel. May seem a bit daunting with those truly big rigs there, but you may find in a car lane that you are the truly big rig and with toad a little hard to get out. Plus the fueling pumps are fast in the truck lanes. Have used both, but in the car lanes be careful to scope it out before pull in, may be hard to leave?

Mike

My first fill was at a Pilot truck lane. As I approached the station I couldn't see a RV pump and getting to the car lanes would not be easy. So I took a deep breath, passed the entrance and entered the truck lanes. I'm in luck. 7 or 8 pumps and all empty except one. I choose a lane, line up the fuel tank. This is easy, I can do this.

I swipe my credit card then Flying J Rewards and....... HUH!! Truck or Refer Diesel? DEF? Ship Number? Is this stuff Bio? What did I get myself into? What if I put in the wrong fuel and get stuck on I-85 with clogged filters. Where is a Flying J RV lane now.

I press cancel and start over. (R.I.F). Ok, I know what a tractor is. I don't need DEF. Skip over Ship Number. Put the nozzle in and pull the trigger. By now Michele is heading inside and asks if I want anything. No thank you I say and... CLICK the pump says $150.00 (my card limit). This can't be right. It's only been thirty seconds. Plus I've never had the pump shut off when fueling my 55 gallon gas tank. I repeat the process. Man, these pumps are fast.

I press Yes for a receipt, no paper. Head inside, ask the smiling young lady for the last two receipts on pump 21. She asks me for my Ship Number. Ship number?? I'm getting confused again (saying pump 21 has always worked in the past) She asks "did I pay inside or outside"? What? She asks for my credit card. I hesitantly hand her the card, she swipes the card. (inside my head I'm yelling 'Don't charge me twice!!) She hands me two receipts for $150.00 smiles and says 'Next"

How'd I do?

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #19 – August 19, 2014, 09:05:27 am

Careful//some states have additional truck fuel tax and is collected at the truck lanes only, so use the car lanes for fuel. At "Loves" truck stops I have seen a higher price on the truck lanes than car lanes. Asked the clerk why and got no answer. Try Walmart for better pricing if you can. You will figure out how to get in and out and the driving technique to do so. Learn as you go-- that's the way the rest of us did it.

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #20 – August 19, 2014, 09:22:38 am

Quote from: Dan J. Stansel – August 19, 2014, 09:05:27 am

Careful//some states have additional truck fuel tax and is collected at the truck lanes only, so use the car lanes for fuel. At "Loves" truck stops I have seen a higher price on the truck lanes than car lanes. Asked the clerk why and got no answer. Try Walmart for better pricing if you can. You will figure out how to get in and out and the driving technique to do so. Learn as you go-- that's the way the rest of us did it.

Good tips Dan, thank you.

I'm still trying to determine if my Chase Freedom Visa will give me the same 5% off for diesel as it does for gas. I was reading the fine print and it states the discount is not available at "Truck Stops" yet I have always received it for gas at Flying J's. I may just have to fuel at the FJ's RV lanes. Huge savings with both Rewards and the 5% discount at the end of the month.

Regards
Ed

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #21 – August 19, 2014, 08:10:54 pm

I only put the rewards card into the pump at FlyinJ and Pilot for pump start, then the pump will go until your tank is full, then pull forward , go inside and pay for your fuel.

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #22 – August 19, 2014, 10:19:29 pm

So far so good ... never purchased diesel at a Truck stop / gas stations ... I can not stand them.
Anyway all our 3 vehicles are diesel so we are use to purchasing diesel from any small station that have diesel and 90% of the time they are cheaper, also wall-mart is good too. I need to start making my own diesel ... ... maybe we can from a bio diesel Foretravel owners co-op

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #23 – August 19, 2014, 10:43:28 pm

I avoid truck stops as much as possible as I find their prices tend to be higher than other stations in the area.

I have used one Loves with RV lanes, where you get the cash price with a credit card as opposed to their truck lanes that charge the higher credit card price no matter what.

I tried another Loves that had no RV lanes, and found I could not pay at the pump. I had to go inside and guess how much to put on the card. The good news is that if you guess too high, the overage gets put back someday.

A few Costco stores in San Bernardino County are now carrying diesel at excellent prices, but they tend to be great fun to get into and out of with a 38' coach and towed. I haven't tried yet, but may soon.

I always use Google Maps satellite view to try and gauge how easy or hard an unfamiliar station might be to get into and out of, and plan ahead my approach and departure.

When in Arizona, I found the best prices at super market stations, where it is illegal to fuel vehicles weighing as much as mine.

Re: Out with the Old and in with our new 2000 U295

Reply #24 – August 20, 2014, 07:41:10 am

I use Walmart or Valero stations here in Texas--- I try to avoid truck stops, they are always a hassle, and the fuel prices are always high. Filled up yesterday at Valero for $3.27 a gallon.

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