Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Buying our first Foretravel (Read 2105 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #25 –
USRoadDogs -

I offer these thoughts after joining the Forum a year ago and beginning our FT discovery phase.  These are just our thoughts:

First thing we did after joining the forum was look at all the floorplans and brochures for the various FT production years on Beamalarm which has been previously noted here.  Really spend time and start by recognizing the different layouts....in particular the way kitchens and bathrooms are laid out.  There are only a few differences in this regard but study them and think about how they'd affect your own personal use.  Also check out the RV Technical Help on beamalarm to get an idea of the technical resources regarding FT coach systems.

Next, when you find a year/model/length your interested Google is your friend.  Simply google, for example, 1995 U320 36' Google Search and you'll potentially find posts about this year/make/model and most likely, YouTube videos.  May close attention to links posted by Motorhomes of Texas (MOT).  They have lots of high resolution photos and often the custom videos they do for coaches they have sold.  The great thing about MOT is that they keep all/a lot of coaches they've sold still available this way to check out.  We've spent hours looking at MOT videos and pictures...to the point where their background tune haunts us as we lay in bed at night thinking about FT's. :D

Finally, do consider a trip to Nacogdoches (NAC).  Its worth the investment in mileage or airfare to spend 3 or 4 days in the town.  Go to the Foretravel factory...take a tour....look at the used coaches on their lot.  Visit Motorhomes of Texas (we've been working with Mel Cordray) and see what's on their lot.  Go across the street to Old Town Motorcoach and see what's on their lot.  You'll find most of the RV folks in NAC have worked at Foretravel at some point in the past.  Also check out the specialty firms who do paint & body (Xtreme), interiors (Infinity), detailing (Precision), etc.  You'll come home having seen more coaches...even if its not one you want to buy....that will add data points to your search.

Search the Member Map on the Forum and find Owners within a day's drive of your location.  Our experience is that all we've contacted have welcomed us to stop by...see their coach...and learn about their experiences.  Many have owned multiple Foretravels.  Its a truly welcoming community.

Lastly....be patient.  In the year we've been looking we've narrowed our search and think we now have leads that will result in finally buying a coach.  But be prepared to be confused as you look at coaches...they're all beautiful...but that's why the floor plan/length/model search on beamalarm is so important.  Know what you think you want before you start.  And be prepared to change your mind.

And as has been said here, ask for help when you see something you're interested in.  Members here will help you evaluate and offer experts who can do inspections.  Its well worth whatever is charged for a good inspection.

Good luck.

Randy and Karen
Sarasota, Florida
Randy (N4TDT) and Karen Crete
Sarasota, Florida
SOLD:  2000 U270 34' WTFE Build 5756 "Ole Red"

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #26 –
Ahhh yes, MOT videos. We've practically stopped watching conventional TV and spend hours viewing YouTube videos of coaches and RVers and" How To" tutorials. Our friends and family are starting to avoid us for fear we'll start talking RVs, lol!

We've been in contact with both Jeff and Mel from MOT and they know what we are looking for. We are, however, in the unfortunate spot of having to find a coach to live in within the next 60 days (or so) when the escrow closes on the house. We have already been downsizing, selling and donating and will soon find ourselves sitting on the floor with our clothes and kitchen packed in boxes around us. Thus the urgency to find our perfect motorhome!



Barbara, Peggy & the Road Dogs
99 U295 Build #5550
2016 Jeep GC
We're taking it slow, just as fast as we can.

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #27 –
We have been looking for a coach for months.  I totally agree with many of the above comments.  After losing 2 or 3 coaches because you weren't sure, you have to up your game and be ready to pull the trigger. 
We went to FOT and MOT many times looking.  One day I looked at MOT's "Coming Soon" page and found a description that sounded good.  At that time it seemed that all we could find was 40 footers.  They had a U320 36' with no pics.  I called Jeff and he sent me pictures of 3 coaches including the U320.  We took another trip from Dallas to Nac and looked at what he had.
Long story short...right now we are spending the first night in our U320.  It never made it to the website listings.

For all of the time we looked, I kept coming back to this web site and learned so much.  Thanks to all that have posted sharing their knowledge.  It really does help making the decisions easier on some issues.

Glen Clark

Retired Nurse and Bat Chief
2001 U320 36' 450 Cummins
Past 1981 Bluebird 36' 3208 Cat
HD2500 Chevy Toad

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #28 –
Trying to find possibly your last FT first in 60 days could be very costly and/or troublesome. Even a great one may require few things for your wants. Just saying that even if you find one you may not be able to start living in it full time rightaway. Welcome to the forum and good luck.
Former 2003 GV U295 (6230) (2015 - 2025)
Former 94 GV U225 (2013-2016)

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #29 –
Quote from: Kurt –
Couple points to ponder:
.

- When you find one you are interested in and you are very seriously considering buying it, ask is there is someone on the forum that is close to it that would look at it with you.  Will probably only cost you lunch and acquiring a new friend.
We bought ours from a flipper who was less than "stellar"
Had 4 different FT owners look the coach over on our behalf and pointed several things that needed attention.
 We cannot stress enough the importance of having a good pre-purchase inspection....
 And what ever coach you end up with set aside $10 to $20k for the things overlooked..and upgrading systems
  In our case it is nearing $35k to whip into shape...... but we knew this before we bought.

'02 40' U320t  4010WTFS Build 6036 1 slide
Motorcade # 17841
SKP 151920
Retired truck driver
 5 million miler
Still have itchy feet for travel

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #30 –
Quote from: propman –
Trying to find possibly your last FT first in 60 days could be very costly and/or troublesome. Even a great one may require few things for your wants. Just saying that even if you find one you may not be able to start living in it full time rightaway. Welcome to the forum and good luck.
I appreciate your words of caution. But, I always seem to do things the hard way  ;)
Ralph Waldo Emerson said "Life is a journey, not a destination"  I'm trying to embrace that philosophy and going full-time is all just part of our new journey!
Barbara, Peggy & the Road Dogs
99 U295 Build #5550
2016 Jeep GC
We're taking it slow, just as fast as we can.

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #31 –
Agree with above but the key is your economic situation,if you can do that,great.If you can pay someone to do the work that's
great too.My thinking is the things that have to be fixed you have to repair,these are the things that are broken or don't work.
The "upgrades" are a whole different catagory,I can have a great trip with old carpet,I just returned from a trip to Alaska with
the original airbags,if I had extra money maybe I would have changed them.Just my observation but some of the newbies
think for some reason when they get a coach it has to be in perfect shape to go on a trip.
96 U270 BUILD 4810
85 380SL
Drummonds TN.

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #32 –
Quote from: John44 –
Agree with above but the key is your economic situation,if you can do that,great.If you can pay someone to do the work that's
great too.My thinking is the things that have to be fixed you have to repair,these are the things that are broken or don't work.
The "upgrades" are a whole different catagory,I can have a great trip with old carpet,I just returned from a trip to Alaska with
the original airbags,if I had extra money maybe I would have changed them.Just my observation but some of the newbies
think for some reason when they get a coach it has to be in perfect shape to go on a trip.
This will be our only "home", not a rig we take trips in. So my economic plan is to spend what it takes to get a solid coach, fix what is broken and then spend MORE money to make the improvements we want.  One of the reasons I narrowed my choice of MHs down to FT, CC or Beaver was that they seemed to stand the test of time and be suited for full-time living, but I also am approaching it like buying an old house- Good bones, needs work.
Barbara, Peggy & the Road Dogs
99 U295 Build #5550
2016 Jeep GC
We're taking it slow, just as fast as we can.

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #33 –
Hi Dogs
Just wanted to add my 2 cents. I've bought & sold a whole lot of stuff on CL. Like anywhere do your research & inspect. I found our coach on CL, traveled 6 hours, took 2 friends for second opinions. Only spent about an hour test driving & looking it over. It fit what I was after. That said I do have alot of experience working on boats & cars. Replaced old tires, leaking WH, still under $10 CB. We love this coach, if I was going to change anything I'd probably go to a 36, but the extra room is nice when full timing. We've lived aboard for about 1 1/2 years now. Again we Love it. Take your time learning to drive it, consider the driving schools.
This forum & its members are great. Come to Quartsite & meet us.
Cheers Ric  8)
Previously:'66 VW Bus"Turtle 1";'65 VW Riviera Camper "Turtle 2";
';'91 VW Syncro Camper"Syn";'92 Barth 30' -"The Big Easy"
Currently: 2000 FT U270 40', #5634 -
"Le Bons Temps"; 2003 CRV
Ric & Leslie
"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #34 –
I was in your position last year, buying my last coach first, and listened to wolf10 (Brett). Got a 1997 34 foot U270 for $28k with no slides. Brett instructed me on how to check for basement structural steel member corrosion, called "bulkhead corrosion". Bypassed a corrosion-ladened coach a got a dry-country, well-maintained Unicoach. It still has a little basement rust but it is not structurally significant. Invested $7,000 in a 1.9KW solar / lithium battery system to enhance our boondocking capability.

We are going on a 9 month USA tour starting next month.

How's your search going?
1997 U270 34FT Build 5140 Cummins 8.3 Allison 3060R
Solar 1920Watts, 14KWH lithium. Orion BMS.

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #35 –
Quote from: Tim –
I was in your position last year, buying my last coach first, and listened to wolf10 (Brett). Got a 1997 34 foot U270 for $28k with no slides. Brett instructed me on how to check for basement structural steel member corrosion, called "bulkhead corrosion". Bypassed a corrosion-ladened coach a got a dry-country, well-maintained Unicoach. It still has a little basement rust but it is not structurally significant. Invested $7,000 in a high-power solar / lithium battery system to enhance our boondocking capability.

We are going on a 9 month USA tour starting next month.

How's your search going?
Tim- the search has been very productive! I've learned a great deal from the members on this page (and continue to learn more every day!) I have a couple of leads on some coaches that could be just what we're looking for.  It looks as though we will be able to  stay within our time frame and get started with the next chapter of our lives.

I am curious about your 34'- do you find it to be sufficient room or would you have wanted a longer rig? A 9 month tour is not much different than full timing. I hope you document your travels for us all to follow along :)
Barbara, Peggy & the Road Dogs
99 U295 Build #5550
2016 Jeep GC
We're taking it slow, just as fast as we can.

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #36 –
We've been full-timing for many years, came from a 31' to the current 36'. Odd how we gather "stuff". We thought the 36' wouuld give us plenty of room, WRONG! We're back to our usual habit of stripping-out everything every two years and whatever we decide is important, stays. The rest, bye bye. Has caused some strife between me and the DW, but, it works. A good primer is to get the movie "The Long Long Trailer" with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez.  ^.^d
1993 U-240 "La Villa Grande"..CAT 3116 w/ Pacbrake PRXB...Allison 3060 6-speed..
Previous: 1983 Airstream 310 turbo diesel, 1979 Airstream 280 turbo diesel
                                      Build # 4297
                                      PNW natives
                      Home base:  'Cactus Hug' (Ajo, Arizona)
                        DW Judy & Chet the wonder dog
                        Full-Timers 'Sailing the asphalt sea'

Re: Buying our first Foretravel

Reply #37 –
Depends on your philosophy of RVing. Two sides of the lifestyle:

FOCUS ON THE OUTDOORS
- Get a smaller rig (22 to 34ft)
- Get outside
- Enjoy every square foot of a smaller interior space
- More maneuverability
- Less maintenance, both in interior housekeeping and mechanical issues
- Less cost. Better fuel mileage.
- More space when in travel mode, since there are no slides.

FOCUS ON COMFORT
- Get a larger rig with slides (35 to 45ft).
- More personal interior space on those rainy days.
- Get an aquahot heating system.
- Get an auto-tracking satellite TV system.

You can adopt many shades of both lifestyles. We chose to focus on the outdoors and my wife wants a smaller rig. We started RV'ing with a 28 foot Fleetwood Southwind gasser. After discovering that most RV brands are cheaply built, I insisted on a Foretravel Unicoach but did not rule out a Grand Villa, so the minimum size was 34 feet. We did not want slides because we focus on the outdoors, want mechanical simplicity and lower cost. As the driver, I wanted a Cummins deisel with the  transmission retarder, not a jake brake (engine brake), so I got the Allison 3060R transmission. This engine-transmission combination is one of the best in the fleet.
1997 U270 34FT Build 5140 Cummins 8.3 Allison 3060R
Solar 1920Watts, 14KWH lithium. Orion BMS.