About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

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About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

May 07, 2017, 08:21:48 pm

Hello to All from two Newbies! We are about to decide to purchase a 2003 Foretravel U320 42' from Motorhomes of Texas in Nacogdoches, TX. We drove it last Friday and it seemed to drive just fine. I have limited experience in driving large trucks and can only compare it to a previous drive in a 2008 Beaver Contessa 42 Rome. Both days were windy and the FT seemed to steer easier (perhaps it was just my nerves with the Beaver?) We are going back to make a final inspection and have printed out several lists but comments from experienced FT owners are greatly appreciated. Thanking you in advance for your consideration...hope to be a part of the FT group soon!

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #1 – May 07, 2017, 09:31:23 pm

I know there were slide out issues on 02 or 03 . The best advice I could give you is to have an independent inspection done before purchase it ( especially the front and rear bulkheads) could be the best money you ever spent. As you are in Nac there any number of people that can inspect it for you. You might talk to Extream Graphics, or Old town Motor Coach. There are some members that live close to Nac that might help as well. Good luck.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #2 – May 07, 2017, 10:33:51 pm

Thank you bbeanne, I will endeavor to follow your advice.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #3 – May 07, 2017, 10:38:56 pm

Forgive my misspelling of your name, bbeane. Would it be prudent to ask Foretravel to inspect the coach? I wonder if they do that on a fee basis? I never thought of inspecting the bulkheads...your advice is very much appreciated and I will follow it.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #4 – May 07, 2017, 11:11:09 pm

This is simple. Get Keith Risch at MOT to inspect the bulkheads

If you need my help,or want to join some of us Firum members for lunch Monday, send me a pm

Mike

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #5 – May 07, 2017, 11:28:18 pm

Maybe someone at Xtreme Paint and Graphics in NAC can give you an idea if there are any fiberglass issues.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #6 – May 07, 2017, 11:32:53 pm

Good luck - that's an interesting layout with the cross island bed and the rear closet. The exterior paint caught my eye and the price is right. I expect it's because it could use some updating of the interior which is the easiest and most fun part of making a new coach yours.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #7 – May 07, 2017, 11:33:33 pm

Xtreme Paint and Graphics does free inspections of fiberglass if you own or buying. Contact James Stallings. So Roger suggestion not only very good but is free.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #8 – May 07, 2017, 11:59:25 pm

Quote from: Michael & Jackie – May 07, 2017, 11:11:09 pm

This is simple. Get Keith Risch at MOT to inspect the bulkheads

If you need my help,or want to join some of us Firum members for lunch Monday, send me a pm

Mike

Hey I will be free Monday for lunch (after dropping off the coach @ Xtreme)

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #9 – May 08, 2017, 08:22:22 am

Quote from: Michael & Jackie – May 07, 2017, 11:11:09 pm

This is simple. Get Keith Risch at MOT to inspect the bulkheads

If you need my help,or want to join some of us Firum members for lunch Monday, send me a pm

Mike

Mike, Thank you for that suggestion. I really like the folks at MOT but I just don't know which direction to go. As for lunch, thank you for the kind invitation, but I still work and can't make lunch today. I will contact Keith Risch and ask him to inspect the bulkheads.

Karl

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #10 – May 08, 2017, 08:29:28 am

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – May 07, 2017, 11:28:18 pm

Maybe someone at Xtreme Paint and Graphics in NAC can give you an idea if there are any fiberglass issues.

Roger & Susan, Thank you for your kind suggestions about Xtreme Paint and Graphics! The first day we saw the FT we want to buy a FT owner from Oregon told us about Xtreme Paint. What a small world! I guess it is the world of FT owners. Your reply is greatly appreciated. Hope to meet you both some day. Karl

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #11 – May 08, 2017, 08:31:12 am

Quote from: saddlesore – May 07, 2017, 11:59:25 pm

Hey I will be free Monday for lunch (after dropping off the coach @ Xtreme)

Saddlesore, Looking forward to meeting you on the road. With a moniker like Saddlesore, you must be an interesting person! Karl

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #12 – May 08, 2017, 09:59:25 am

I have had my coach 12 months this week. I am not able to give a lot of advice on this forum because my knowledge base is still in its infancy BUT when it comes to woulda coulda shoulda before I bought that is a different story. I too bought from MOT, great people, I had a PDI done, I learned about Keith and Mike to late in the process to ask them to inspect my soon to be purchase. As of right now I am 11 thousand in repairs (my portion..not to include warranty company portion), about 4 months of the last 12 at MOT for the repairs and arguing with the @#$%^&* warranty company. I had a PDI done, asked about bulkhead issue inspection twice and here I am ($3300.00 bulk head issue) . I would seriously recommend...do not purchase until you have seen and gone over the maint. records of the PO. I my personal opinion...no records no purchase....walk away. PO of my coach had/has a two inch stack of invoices (I thought this was an indication of an owner who was on top of things...this was not the case) which I finally went over line by line...NOT ONE entry anywhere for routine maint. performed in 15 years of ownership. Found PO crushed one of the bay doors on each side of the coach, a/c rep[airs, Bose repairs, tire invoices, TV repairs, curtains restrung, blah blah blah....but as I say no routine maint., invoices. The air dryer was never changed....that cost me dropping the air tanks, cleaning with acetone, taking coach back and forth and back to MOT as all the little gremlins from that @#$%^&* lack of maint. cost me time and money. NOW the coach is over at OTM with a 4 thousand dollar rear brake job that includes one ruined rotor, pads completely gone on both sides, and one destroyed ABS sensor. I have driven the coach 3 thousand miles in 12 months and I use the retarder A LOT...this situation was preexisting before I purchased the coach (67,000 miles at time of purchase). PDI inspections do not inspect the brakes! Also, and this is a minor point...the satellite was out due to manu. going out of business so that has to be replaced (OTM is doing that today...so more $$$$ just to get to square one).
Bottom line...this coach was my first purchase, I had spent a year on this forum reading, I had a bulkhead inspection done by MOT. BUT I did not take advantage of Mike, or Keith being in the area and of their knowledge...time on the deal was to hectic and it just did not happen...I called Keith and I had/have Mikes phone # written down on a piece of scratch paper (still have the scratch paper), but Mike was busy with another inspection and Keith was also booked up. In hind sight I should have waited until either of these gentlemen were free....but I was excited, I had the PDI and I thought I was good....I wasn't. If the coach is a consignment all the more reason to be very careful, take your time, ask questions till you are out of breath, and GET A SECOND OPINION from someone knowledgeable about the coach you are looking at.
Good Luck,
dave

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #13 – May 08, 2017, 10:00:44 am

Quote from: kjnj48 – May 08, 2017, 08:31:12 am

Saddlesore, Looking forward to meeting you on the road. With a moniker like Saddlesore, you must be an interesting person! Karl

Met him last week...he's a hoot!!

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #14 – May 08, 2017, 11:46:52 am

Dave,
Where do I begin to thank you for your comments? Experience is our best mentor...One of my life precepts is: "You only grow through ADVERSITY!" How true. But...we can always grow before adversity jumps on top of us. Your comments are terrific and I plan to print them out and keep go over them with the folks at MOT. Yes, this coach is a consignment coach from Canada. We already know that the paint or sealer has come cracks...that does worry me because a full body paint job is $15-20,000. I asked if it was stored inside (being owned in Canada) and was told "Yes". So, why did the paint do this? I was told it was due to heat. That much heat in Canada does not exist. I know, because I have done business in Canada for years. You see that kind of heat in Arizona, Texas and Florida...but not in Canada. I want this motor coach! But I don't want to pay for the PO's lack of maintenance and things he might have broken and we just can't see them. Just so you know, we walked away from a deal we made at MOT just last week when we discovered a serious issue with the CAT engine. You have to wonder how much of these issues are known to the MOT folks...I like to believe they are honest and reliable. But, as a former referee in professional and college sports...you only lose your integrity once!

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #15 – May 08, 2017, 12:03:19 pm

Kjn, your comment about "not that much heat in Canada" is so far out in left field I laughed. So you can be enlightened a bit I will give you just a quick lesson.
We live in the Okanagan of BC and the summer temps here get over 90f for extended periods reaching into 100f for a few days at a time. We have sun for more days af a year than you would think even in winter (but not the heat as in summer).
I would imagine that the cracking is mainly in the darker colours of the coach and my Brothers GV has them too( dark blue upper part) which I am in the process of removing and painting white) and he lives in Vancouver area which has a lot of rain!
Ontario and Quebec have hot humid summers and again temps reach the same as ours for long periods (we have no humidity though).
We live in a Desert area here that would make you think Arizona, sand, cactus, snakes (ratlers), etc etc.
Geography class 101 over.
JohnH

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #16 – May 08, 2017, 12:41:57 pm

KJN, keep in mind the sales guys want to sell coaches, the dealer wants to sell coaches that's where they make money. Used coaches are eather trades or consignments as such most are sold with a very limited short warranty if any. Don't worry about having an independent inspection done, if they don't allow it run away fast. Put another way if I where buying a house from my brother I will have an inspection. Do what it takes to protect your interest don't worry about the dealer.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #17 – May 08, 2017, 04:36:04 pm

Quote from: dke1955 – May 08, 2017, 09:59:25 am

I have had my coach 12 months this week. I am not able to give a lot of advice on this forum because my knowledge base is still in its infancy BUT when it comes to woulda coulda shoulda before I bought that is a different story. I too bought from MOT, great people, I had a PDI done, I learned about Keith and Mike to late in the process to ask them to inspect my soon to be purchase. As of right now I am 11 thousand in repairs (my portion..not to include warranty company portion), about 4 months of the last 12 at MOT for the repairs and arguing with the @#$%^&* warranty company. I had a PDI done, asked about bulkhead issue inspection twice and here I am ($3300.00 bulk head issue) . I would seriously recommend...do not purchase until you have seen and gone over the maint. records of the PO. I my personal opinion...no records no purchase....walk away. PO of my coach had/has a two inch stack of invoices (I thought this was an indication of an owner who was on top of things...this was not the case) which I finally went over line by line...NOT ONE entry anywhere for routine maint. performed in 15 years of ownership. Found PO crushed one of the bay doors on each side of the coach, a/c rep[airs, Bose repairs, tire invoices, TV repairs, curtains restrung, blah blah blah....but as I say no routine maint., invoices. The air dryer was never changed....that cost me dropping the air tanks, cleaning with acetone, taking coach back and forth and back to MOT as all the little gremlins from that @#$%^&* lack of maint. cost me time and money. NOW the coach is over at OTM with a 4 thousand dollar rear brake job that includes one ruined rotor, pads completely gone on both sides, and one destroyed ABS sensor. I have driven the coach 3 thousand miles in 12 months and I use the retarder A LOT...this situation was preexisting before I purchased the coach (67,000 miles at time of purchase). PDI inspections do not inspect the brakes! Also, and this is a minor point...the satellite was out due to manu. going out of business so that has to be replaced (OTM is doing that today...so more $$$$ just to get to square one).
Bottom line...this coach was my first purchase, I had spent a year on this forum reading, I had a bulkhead inspection done by MOT. BUT I did not take advantage of Mike, or Keith being in the area and of their knowledge...time on the deal was to hectic and it just did not happen...I called Keith and I had/have Mikes phone # written down on a piece of scratch paper (still have the scratch paper), but Mike was busy with another inspection and Keith was also booked up. In hind sight I should have waited until either of these gentlemen were free....but I was excited, I had the PDI and I thought I was good....I wasn't. If the coach is a consignment all the more reason to be very careful, take your time, ask questions till you are out of breath, and GET A SECOND OPINION from someone knowledgeable about the coach you are looking at.
Good Luck,
dave

Having read my post for about the fifth time I thought I would clarify just a bit. I don't think there is one person on this great forum that didn't have to lay out some coach bucks, some expected and maybe more unexpected after they purchased their coach. Yes, I was upset to find the issue with my frame and my brakes BUT was that MOT's fault...no it was not, the PO's fault...well maybe to a degree but that is water under the bridge...so so what. Bottom, bottom line is...do your research, ask questions, get a second opinion if you think that is appropriate, use this forum if you are considering a FT, AND be prepared to dump some more cash into your coach...possibly even up to 10 grand the first year...it's a motorhome...things are going to wear out, break, fail, crap out, give out, blow up, blow out....they just are...these things are not for the weak at heart...heck I woulda died six months ago if that were the case. Do the best you can, make the best deal you can, buy it....and be prepared!
see ya
dave

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #18 – May 08, 2017, 05:55:31 pm

This coach has spent time in Yuma, AZ, that has contributed to the paint cracking. Look very close at the radiator. Good luck.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #19 – May 09, 2017, 12:26:00 am

Not to be a wise guy but after selling countless expensive new and used rv's starting in 1984 the purchase of a complicated expensive new long term used coach is like gambling in Las Vegas.

Some pay less. Some pay more.

Straight dice roll.

We paid 50% of our budget originally. Up to 85% or so. Still more to go.

Entirely expected. Assume every Mechanical part and system is bad until you fix or replace it.

I turned away customers who did not have a smile on their faces when shopping. True story.

I'd ask them to see "it" meaning their smiles. They were previous customers normally.

You had to have a sense of humor to buy an Rv in my long experience.

Paying 10-20% of the new price most would assume that it's heavily worn regardless of the paperwork imo.

Not for the faint of wallet.

Good side: wall failures are rare, engine failures are rare, trans failures are rare, electrical failures are rare, fires are rare,

"Never gave me no trouble" makes my guru buddy and I cringe.

Like I ask my divorced buddies. "Why are divorces so expensive? Because they are worth it."

Same here. Or drive a car and buy room and food.

Naw.

I am sorry to see things not go as planned. Hopefully you will get to drive the money out of it

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #20 – May 09, 2017, 09:56:10 am

Quote from: dke1955 – May 08, 2017, 04:36:04 pm

AND be prepared to dump some more cash into your coach...possibly even up to 10 grand the first year...it's a motorhome...things are going to wear out, break, fail, crap out, give out, blow up, blow out..

Your RV had an MSRP right around $400,000 in 2002. I presume you bought it for a fraction of that. Even though you paid much less than this, the beast still requires parts and maintenance of a $400k machine. Many people can scratch together enough to purchase one of these, but run into fund issues when they realize the purchase price isn't the end of the costs. This is also very common in boats.

Lots of people on these forums have spent untolds amount of money on their RV keeping them running. They also put many miles on their FT....and they just know it costs money. I've never seen one of these people even mention $$ they spend on repair and maintenance, let alone complain about it.

PS: When I bought my RV, I crawled under it and noticed a rear brake pad was gone and metal eating away at the rotor. I made a price adjustment with the seller, and later fixed it myself.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #21 – May 09, 2017, 10:28:57 am

Some of you have guided me to have the bulkheads and wet bay area inspected. I requested that and the response was that the bulkheads and wet bay area are fine. Photos of these area were included in the report. This was a visual inspection which is the best I can ask for because I do not own the coach. Thanks to each of you once again for your comments and explanations.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #22 – May 09, 2017, 10:33:58 am

Krush, Your thoughts coincide with mine. My goal is to simply identify what items I can that may require action. We can certainly afford this coach and the maintenance. Having restored Jaguars in my past I understand what rust is about, how it invades entire areas and can cost more than it is worth. I simply want a reliable coach (and I believe now that we have found one) that will deliver years of pleasure and challenge. Life without a challenge is boring.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #23 – May 09, 2017, 10:55:25 am

Quote from: kjnj48 – May 09, 2017, 10:28:57 am

Some of you have guided me to have the bulkheads and wet bay area inspected. I requested that and the response was that the bulkheads and wet bay area are fine. Photos of these area were included in the report. This was a visual inspection which is the best I can ask for because I do not own the coach. Thanks to each of you once again for your comments and explanations.

Edited, I see you passed on this coach.

On any coach, I would insist on a detailed, paid, third party, unbiased, bulkhead inspection as a condition of the sale. You get one chance to put this to bed before you buy it. :+)

A quick visual bulkhead inspection isn't enough in my opinion.

Regarding MOT, I had a great experience buying my coach there. I do not think you will find another more trustworthy group. That said, they can't catch everything. Hire an expert to do a thorough PPI. It is expected and you will learn a lot about your potential coach.

Re: About to Decide on 2003 Foretravel U320 42'

Reply #24 – May 09, 2017, 11:26:50 am

Jeff and Sandy,

Your comments are well taken. My wife and I have just decided to have the coach looked at by an expert, we understand the costs(s) involved with ownership and our goal is to simply identify what we can expect. Right now, nothing has disqualified the 2003 Foretravel at MOT. We appreciate you comments about the folks at MOT and your experiences coincide with ours. That makes us feel more comfortable. We are moving forward and learning as we progress. Thanks again for your consideration & kind remarks!

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