Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Topic: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice (Read 2470 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #25 – November 10, 2019, 12:13:28 pm

Start the coach, air it up to the proper pressure, front & back. Fiddle around for an hour or so looking at other stuff. Check to see how much pressure has held in that time. There is an allowable leak down chart in this Forum, somewhere ... or hopefully, someone will pipe up. Low mileage is a concern, rather than high mileage. These things like to run! Definitely check the bulkheads for rust jacking. We moved from Elverson, PA to Thorndale, PA before we bought our first Foretravel. We used Cummins in Harrisburg for oil changes, etc. They always did a fine job of looking the rig over! Keith Risch is like Yoda for Foretravel's ... honestly. The man is amazing.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #26 – November 10, 2019, 12:18:49 pm

Quote from: Parker5 – November 10, 2019, 08:44:40 am

Thank you, all, for the quick and thorough responses. We live in Mechanicsburg, PA (outside of Harrisburg). The coach we are interested in is in Elverson, PA (outside of Morgantown). Any forum members close by?

Sadly, we are now in Tucson, AZ. No more wet, dreary winters! The Mid-Atlantic chapter of the Foretravel group had quite a few members from the middle of the state, as I recall.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #27 – November 10, 2019, 12:26:44 pm

Quote from: "Irish" – November 10, 2019, 12:10:00 pm

Yes for Brett, but he does not travel to Pennsylvania , that is unless it's a new service he is offering

Nope. Way to many airline miles in my career.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #28 – November 10, 2019, 12:34:54 pm

Yes, our children are all under the age of five, so we are planning to create 2 or 3 (tiny) bunks in the cabinet space across from the bathroom. So, with all the things to check for that you all mentioned above and the potential costs involved, would you still recommend a Foretravel over other brands? (I feel like the answer to that question is probably yes or you wouldn't be on the forum). I should also mention that our plan is to purchase this vehicle specifically for our adventure (6 months of travel and 15-20K miles) and then sell it when we are finished. We will save the cabinetry that we modify to put back. We are really looking for something that is reliable and will get the job done for the period of time we need. At this point in our lives, we don't feel like the rv lifestyle is one we can sustain.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #29 – November 10, 2019, 12:47:22 pm

Quote from: Parker5 – November 10, 2019, 12:34:54 pm

Yes, our children are all under the age of five, so we are planning to create 2 or 3 (tiny) bunks in the cabinet space across from the bathroom.

Assume you are planning to drive 2 vehicles so that the kiddos can be safely belted in?

The only forward-facing seats in a Foretravel (or really almost all motorhomes) are the driver and passenger seats.

While there are seat belts on the sofas, those are side facing, and lap belts only and are not suitable to prevent severe neck injury in an accident. (ETA, some bench dinettes do have seat belts, but again these are only lap belts and not ideal)

This is why most families with children opt for crew cab truck and trailer.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #30 – November 10, 2019, 01:10:31 pm

Quote from: wolfe10 – November 10, 2019, 12:26:44 pm

Nope. Way to many airline miles in my career.

But, you can get SCRAPPLE!

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #31 – November 10, 2019, 01:28:25 pm

Quote from: "Irish" – November 10, 2019, 12:10:00 pm

Yes for Brett, but he does not travel to Pennsylvania , that is unless it's a new service he is offering

You sure he's not interested in venison burgers and Dutch apple pie?

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #32 – November 10, 2019, 02:51:10 pm

Quote from: Old Toolmaker – November 10, 2019, 01:28:25 pm

You sure he's not interested in venison burgers and Dutch apple pie?

And:
Shoofly Pie?
Homemade Root Beer?
Corn Pie
Hot Bacon Dressing

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #33 – November 10, 2019, 06:47:39 pm

Quote from: Parker5 – November 10, 2019, 12:34:54 pm

I should also mention that our plan is to purchase this vehicle specifically for our adventure (6 months of travel and 15-20K miles) and then sell it when we are finished. We will save the cabinetry that we modify to put back. We are really looking for something that is reliable and will get the job done for the period of time we need. At this point in our lives, we don't feel like the rv lifestyle is one we can sustain.

Be advised though. That when you are done and try to sell it. Anything that you missed or didn't know to fix or just didn't feel like fixing. Will make it hard to sell, And will add to the cost of your adventure.

Our first RV is a 1998 U320 36' The repairs and maint. were coming at us fast and hard. We were nearly overwhelmed. It was a hard edged learning experience. Yet it looks to be much less a risk than even renting a class C camper. I looked that up in your area and for 180 days it was nearly $39K

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #34 – November 10, 2019, 06:52:25 pm

Quote from: bigdog – November 10, 2019, 06:47:39 pm

Be advised though. That when you are done and try to sell it. Anything that you missed or didn't know to fix or just didn't feel like fixing. Will make it hard to sell, And will add to the cost of your adventure.

That is ONLY true if the next buyer knows what they are doing/get a good mechanical inspection!

I do a lot of inspections for those who have already bought, so have reluctantly been the barer of bad news many times.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #35 – November 10, 2019, 07:57:52 pm

Quote from: wolfe10 – November 10, 2019, 06:52:25 pm

That is ONLY true if the next buyer knows what they are doing/get a good mechanical inspection!

I do a lot of inspections for those who have already bought, so have reluctantly been the barer of bad news many times.

True Brett. Although I would think that what the OP is thinking of doing could result in a twilight zone scenario if things aren't done perfectly and nothing bad happens along the way.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #36 – November 10, 2019, 11:22:30 pm

Please don't misunderstand my statement.

I am certainly not suggesting that part of the equation for a fiscally reasonable decision on buying a coach depends on finding an unknowledgeable buyer when it comes time to sell.

I was just trying to make the point that there are a number of "less than knowledgeable" buyers out there.

Suspect that they number well more than knowledgeable buyers.

BTW, there are a lot of "less than knowledgeable" sellers out there as well-- ones who have no idea of the thousands of dollars worth of maintenance their coach needs to truly get them road-ready just from many components reaching the end of their useful life.

Am I still in time out?

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #37 – November 11, 2019, 12:20:54 am

Nothing wrong with your statement Brett. I agree.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #38 – November 11, 2019, 08:13:14 am

My thought is that trying to do this sort of a trip on anything but a cash basis is a recipe for disaster. Such a trip is safer staying at nice hotels and maybe a few roadside motels.

RV travel is expensive if your RV is not also your primary residence.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #39 – November 11, 2019, 11:23:15 am

I have to agree totally with Brett. While sellers post "wishing" prices, 99% of buyers have "wishing" knowledge of RVs. Even Foretravel owners switching to a different year or model would be smart to enlist the help of an owner of that particular model. So many pitfalls and unless you have a big budget, get an owner along side of you when you inspect the coach.

Got to hand it to women. If you ask them directions and they don't know, they will tell you that. Guys just can't stand not knowing so even if they have no idea, they will fake it.

Pierce

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #40 – November 11, 2019, 11:36:31 am

I wouldn't buy a coach (and didn't) until I decided this lifestyle was something I wanted to participate in long term.

I personally would not make financial investment and time commitment these classic coaches require for a planned, short term ownership. Too much downside for me.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #41 – November 11, 2019, 11:46:40 am

Quote from: Jeff & Sandy – November 11, 2019, 11:36:31 am

I wouldn't buy a coach (and didn't) until I decided this lifestyle was something I wanted to participate in long term.

I personally would not make financial investment and time commitment these classic coaches require for a planned, short term ownership. Too much downside for me.

BINGO!!!

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #42 – November 11, 2019, 12:13:30 pm

You can buy a nice Foretravel without much of a financial investment for $10K to $20K. We did 11 years ago and it has long since paid for itself to a point that it could be parked and never used again without looking back. It's been ultra reliable and gets us to our destinations without much fuss year after year. Once there, it's secondary to exploring the town or countryside. We like to use other forms of transportation for destinations the coach can't get us to and if we had invested $50K-$100K or more, we would have to limit our travel to just coach destinations. Can't exactly take the coach down the Nile or the Galapagos.

If you don't have a house to come back to, then it's another story but we are not full timers by any means.

Pierce

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #43 – November 11, 2019, 01:45:36 pm

If a person knows this is the hobby you want long term then at some point you have to pull the trigger to make it happen.. Pointers are provided and after due dillegence get on with it.. Me personally I have never financed a "toy" and paying cash makes one clutch the money bag a bit more snug.. Something different about the amt one will spend when it's $100.00 bills stacked up on the table vs a blank space for your signature.. I'm no Dave Ramsey but do have a clue. Works for this household.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #44 – November 11, 2019, 06:27:03 pm

What they said......

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #45 – November 11, 2019, 07:30:58 pm

If I wanted to do as the OP and try to sell it after 6 months I'd look at other brands. It won't be the same quality but there will be a larger market for a newer motorhome that is more well known. Foretravels among a couple other brands while being much better quality won't appeal to nearly as many people as a newer Winnebago, Monaco, Thor, etc.
Other than that maybe consider a smaller class C or B in combination with monthly rentals in different areas. That way you could experience camping and be much more comfortable.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #46 – November 11, 2019, 07:43:51 pm

When we first wanted to try RVing we bought a 10 year old class C that was in pretty decent shape. Took some trips in it, learned a lot, had lots of fun , and sold it for $1,000 less than I paid for it the next year. We looked into renting but the long term costs were outrageous so we took a chance and it worked.

Our next coach was a Class A Gas coach from Winnebago. I chose gas because it was simpler, I knew more about maintenance on a gas engine and transmission, and it was easily stored for the winter. Used it well for 7 years until we went full time, then bought our Foretravel and have lived and traveled in it for 12 years now.

Lots of good advice here- mine is to really think about how you will use the RV and what you are willing or able to spend on this adventure. Good luck with your decision .

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #47 – November 11, 2019, 09:49:33 pm

What Ted said + how much can you fix yourself?

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #48 – November 11, 2019, 11:39:48 pm

I own a 1998 U270, purchased in 2016 and still a work in progress. You are new to RVs with three young children and plan on going on the road for 6 months. I've been RVing since 1964 starting in childhood. I've logged about 150,000 miles towing or piloting RVs. I recommend a one ton truck with fiberglass topper, a 30 foot trailer with bunk beds and the fewest slides possible. Buy used, get an extended warranty on truck if necessary and pay for a thorough inspection of your used trailer. If camping in cold weather get a trailer made by Northwood in Oregon. They make one of the best at a fair price. After six months the trailer will be easy to sell and so will the truck. The Foretravel learning curve is too steep unless you are incredibly lucky and very good with diesel, air, and electronics with a solid bank account for repairs. I really like my Foretravel and the Forum helps me keep it alive.

Re: Interested in buying a Foretravel- need some advice

Reply #49 – November 11, 2019, 11:50:04 pm

The learning curve is steep but we've able to survive and enjoy the journey.

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