Grand Villa difference

Topic: Grand Villa difference (Read 1380 times) previous topic - next topic

Grand Villa difference

August 21, 2015, 11:08:31 am

Newbie Question! MOT has a 2002 Grand Villa listed and I am wondering what is the difference between a GV and the other models of that year, such as the 270, 295 or 320.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #1 – August 21, 2015, 11:12:15 am

The GV is just that. Has the sloped front end and all are mid entry models. Look at specs on beamalarm.com for details. GV's are the finest coaches ever made by FT ( yes i am opinionated and biased ). The last production GV was in 1996 ( only 6 ) and those after that were one off specialty coaches designed for the buyer. Grab it quick if you can, you wont do better.
Gary B

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #2 – August 21, 2015, 11:12:23 am

Door is in a different place. Slight stylish differnce in front end. Other than that IMHO no difference.
JohnH

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #3 – August 21, 2015, 11:33:39 am

You lose some front overhead storage, maybe gain some elsewhere and the side entry door changes basement storage. Someone who has owned both would have to comment on whether that is good or bad. The look is appealing.

Roger

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #4 – August 21, 2015, 12:01:03 pm

Quote from: RainCatcher – August 21, 2015, 11:08:31 am

Newbie Question! MOT has a 2002 Grand Villa listed and I am wondering what is the difference between a GV and the other models of that year, such as the 270, 295 or 320.

I believe in terms of equipment, the 2002 Grand Villa is called a GV320 and is (other than the shape of the front of the body and the entry door location) the same as a U320.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #5 – August 21, 2015, 12:11:38 pm

Quote from: D.J. Osborn – August 21, 2015, 12:01:03 pm

I believe in terms of equipment, the 2002 Grand Villa is called a GV320 and is (other than the shape of the front of the body and the entry door location) the same as a U320.

Correct.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #6 – August 21, 2015, 05:41:42 pm

Thanks for the clarification.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #7 – August 21, 2015, 08:06:06 pm

some interior space loss from a gv. steering column is closer the rear by 9"? I was a foretravel sales manager when the gv was introduced and drove a lot of them back then.

the unicoach has a much bigger visibility through the front and the drivers and paasengers windows.

that also means more heat input if you drive into the setting sun in the summer.

I like mid door myself and would probably buy the gv just for the mid door.

ah I got lucky or unlucky based on my coach bucks required to be a perfectionist when we found a mid door unicoach.

plusses and minus's for anything.

less view obstructions in the front of a unicoach. narrower structure around the windshields and side windows.

that may not be a accurate as I have not seen a gv320 so look for yourself.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #8 – August 21, 2015, 09:54:21 pm

Found this with Google; 2003 FORETRAVEL GV320 - 5000 (ROCKWALL) : rvs : in Dallas Classifieds |...
Learn something new every day.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #9 – August 21, 2015, 10:55:29 pm

I have had a GV Unihome and a non GV Unicoach. We like the lower dash height of the Unicoach, with the taller windows. But I have been in a couple of different custom GV320 and really like the larger and sloped front windows. The feeling was like sitting in the front seats of a helicopter where the windows go up and behind your head.

The sloped windshields seem to stay cleaner as some bugs glance off the GV front shape. On our present Unicoach, the flat pug nose, gets smacked hard. I have to clean the windshields every day, not so with the old GV. Same with the rocks from traffic, glancing blows vs smacks, and damage. The GV shape seems to go thru the air with less fuss.

Storage comments about the mid door seem unkind. We have as much storage gained under the passenger seat bay, and we might have lost less with the mid door position. We have a lifting step storage area, and then more in the dead space inboard. We like the flat passenger floor, that never goes away, and works as a private space for Dolly, and our past dog. Of course we give up some carpet space at the mid door, as we have never closed the foot well floor slide. In addition the passenger seat is located about a foot further forward, making chatting easier as well.

Styling seems to drive the front door design. But some months back one of the RV magazines reader's poll wanted mid doors, lighter colors, ovens, and other things that have been dropped from production.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #10 – August 21, 2015, 11:00:58 pm

I'd love to have mid entry door, even on my 34'. The layout would actually provide more usable interior space with a mid door.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #11 – August 21, 2015, 11:29:25 pm

Interesting about the poll.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #12 – August 22, 2015, 12:12:04 am

I really like the GV320, but there's no doubt that they lacked demand from actual buyers if only a handful (15 ?) were built over 4 years. I'm puzzled that so few ordered them. For the people who didn't, I wonder what they saw that I don't. Judging by what's produced today, flat front motorhomes seem to be here to stay by popular demand.

I know "Customer Input" can sometimes be deceiving - people can sometimes act differently they what they say. I saw this play out at Country Coach with the Veranda. Everyone who got a sneak peak thought it was great - actual sales when it was introduced were terrible. Part of it was timing - introduced in summer of 2008. Couple years later I was told the R&D manager then compared it to a convertible - turns heads but few want to own one. Could be they were saying "Looks great...but not for me."

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #13 – August 22, 2015, 06:36:56 am

Quote from: JohnFitz – August 22, 2015, 12:12:04 am

I really like the GV320, but there's no doubt that they lacked demand from actual buyers if only a handful (15 ?) were built over 4 years. I'm puzzled that so few ordered them. For the people who didn't, I wonder what they saw that I don't. Judging by what's produced today, flat front motorhomes seem to be here to stay by popular demand.

I agree....I hope that when I can retire in about 6 years I'll be able to find on of these 15 for my next coach!

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #14 – August 22, 2015, 08:36:50 am

The flat front looks like a "bus"

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #15 – August 22, 2015, 09:40:41 am

Quote from: Caflashbob – August 22, 2015, 08:36:50 am

The flat front looks like a "bus"

Yeh Bob, I absolutely LOVE the bus look, but I think (for me) it goes further than that: being super organized & a lover of all things orderly/tidy, that entire squared-off & totally uniform look, + the low-to-the-ground & wide body front is unmistakable.....neat, clean, totally perfectly classic, easily spotted from a mile away.

However I must say the 1st GV's I ever saw in person (in NAC last Nov.) were utterly awesome & beautiful in their own right! I think it was Bill & Jo's and maybe Chuck & Jeannie's, we had happy hour under the front ends of those incredible critters & they much bigger than the pictures showed & something to behold!

All FT's are just so beautiful & distinct, total eye-catchers, & just awesome machines inside & out! (yeh I know I'm preaching to the choir but am still perfectly ga-ga over these fabulous beasts)....can't wait to get to Cummins in the fall, anxious to get a lot more familiar with the guts of 'em too....

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #16 – August 22, 2015, 10:41:20 am

Quote from: Gerry Vicha – August 21, 2015, 09:54:21 pm

Found this with Google; 2003 FORETRAVEL GV320 - 5000 (ROCKWALL) : rvs : in Dallas Classifieds |...
Learn something new every day.

I bought that coach in February 2013. Actually made the deal in October 2012 but the seller was out of the country until February.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #17 – August 22, 2015, 10:55:46 am

Quote from: JohnFitz – August 22, 2015, 12:12:04 am

I really like the GV320, but there's no doubt that they lacked demand from actual buyers if only a handful (15 ?) were built over 4 years. I'm puzzled that so few ordered them. For the people who didn't, I wonder what they saw that I don't. Judging by what's produced today, flat front motorhomes seem to be here to stay by popular demand.

My understanding is that the GV320 was created due to customer demand. Because former Grand Villa owners wanted the modern features of the U320, FT built the molds and designed the GV320. Customers that wanted a GV320 were required to put down a 50% deposit. Supposedly, FT was losing money on the GV320 and raised the price substantially. Seems that FT did what they could to dissuade customers from buying GV320's and pushed them into the more profitable U320.

This is info that I was given by the previous owner of my coach. He had 3 FT's and lived about 2 hours from Nac and seemed to know a lot of FT history.

He had a 40' U320 before the GV320 and said the GV was much quieter at highway speed. He also said that the GV320 got .5 to .75 mpg better fuel economy with the slanted windshield.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #18 – April 07, 2019, 11:12:46 am

What is the difference between the 2002 and the 2003 GV320? NADA show a significant dollar spread difference. I am looking at a 2003 4020, single slide with tag axle. I have owned 1989, 1990 and 1992 Grand Villa unihomes.

Re: Grand Villa difference

Reply #19 – April 07, 2019, 12:10:36 pm

Can't answer your question, but I can tell you the NADA book values on motorhomes are pretty meaningless.

Beamalarm.com is no help, cuz it only lists the specs for the 2001 GV320.

Foretravel brochures, specifications and manuals Information Links

You could try to find "For Sale" examples of both model years at online classified sites, and hope for detailed descriptions of the coaches.

We have a few GV320 owners here...perhaps they will chime in with some comments?

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