If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

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If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

April 26, 2021, 05:25:40 pm

I'm looking for my first coach and am hoping to end up finding the right deal on a Foretravel but there aren't a lot of them to choose from in my price range ($75k max, hopefully a fair bit less). As a 40 something working full time +++, my usage (hopefully) will be mostly a bunch of 2-3 day weekends relatively close to home along with a couple of longer trips each year.

In addition to Foretravel I've been strongly considering Alpine and have started looking at American and Country Coach a little more closely as well. (Haven't ruled out Beaver, Newmar, Tiffin and a couple others either)

So, if you could't be in a Foretravel, what Mfg would you most likely be driving?

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #1 – April 26, 2021, 05:34:14 pm

I would take any Newmar or Country Coach if it had a great pedigree.

If you don't need a slide out, $50k will buy you a lot of Foretravel. $75k will get you something with a slide, that probably needs some work, from MOT.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #2 – April 26, 2021, 06:53:27 pm

Quote from: SWFL – April 26, 2021, 05:25:40 pm

I'm looking for my first coach and am hoping to end up finding the right deal on a Foretravel but there aren't a lot of them to choose from in my price range ($75k max, hopefully a fair bit less). As a 40 something working full time +++, my usage (hopefully) will be mostly a bunch of 2-3 day weekends relatively close to home along with a couple of longer trips each year.

In addition to Foretravel I've been strongly considering Alpine and have started looking at American and Country Coach a little more closely as well. (Haven't ruled out Beaver, Newmar, Tiffin and a couple others either)

So, if you couldn't be in a Foretravel, what Mfg would you most likely be driving?

Stay way away from Alpine. Out of business for one. But we had a few of them at a RV dealer I worked at. I was the inventory manager (took care of all of the coaches, checking them in, photos for online,getting them PDI's etc.) I can't remember how many work orders I wrote up on them, just sitting on the lot unsold.They were brand new coaches.

Then it got so bad, they sent them back to the factory to be fixed. I had to go to the factory and inspect them when they were done, before we would take them back.

Find a nice Foretravel for $50K, hold back $20K for repairs. You'll be money ahead.Yes, it will be hard,, as close as anyone guess, there are maybe 2000 bus style (flat front) FT's, from roughly 1995-2003.

Chris

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #3 – April 26, 2021, 07:21:09 pm

Another GM 41xx series 35 foot conversion, a 35 foot Dina, Eagle or Neoplan bus conversion with no hydraulic fans. Minimum 5 speed manual with CL or Roadranger Super 10.

If Europe and Mexico can build them without hydraulics, so can we. Even the wide Detroit goes in the Dina with a belt only fan drive. See examples below and these are only 96" wide.

I love our interior and would not change much. Front entry would give more room for a sofa bed to watch TV on the rear wall. Trade off though.

Pierce

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #4 – April 26, 2021, 07:29:03 pm

Quote from: gracerace – April 26, 2021, 06:53:27 pm

Stay way away from Alpine. Out of business for one...
Chris

Thanks for your view on Alpine coaches Chris, I'm a little surprised to hear it TBH. It seems like Alpine coaches garner a lot of praise from their owners. (Maybe second only to Foretravel from what I've seen) They've got a really active forum of helpful owners, similar to this one, they're reputed to have a very well designed chassis and are said to be the best driving coaches in the business. So it seems like once the new-coach wrinkles are ironed out, as long as it's a model with a great engine/tranny combo, Alpine would be as good of a choice as any?

The "out of business" part applies to many nice coaches, the last major recession was hard on the business it seems. If I was to rule out all of them, that would narrow down the options quite a bit in my budget range.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #5 – April 26, 2021, 07:33:25 pm

Quote from: Elliott – April 26, 2021, 05:34:14 pm

I would take any Newmar or Country Coach if it had a great pedigree.

If you don't need a slide out, $50k will buy you a lot of Foretravel. $75k will get you something with a slide, that probably needs some work, from MOT.

I don't know that I actually need a slide, I've just been under the impression that non-slide coaches have gone the way of the dodo and that nobody wants them, and the more the merrier. Almost every newer coach out there over 35' seems to have at least 3 now.

I'll search here for pros and cons of a slide model, maybe I can find a few threads on the topic that will help educate me a little more.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #6 – April 26, 2021, 07:44:45 pm

Quote from: gracerace – April 26, 2021, 06:53:27 pm

Find a nice Foretravel for $50K, hold back $20K for repairs. You'll be money ahead...
Chris

I've seen this theme/theory repeated a few times and it's a little disconcerting for a prospective first time coach buyer. A nice $50,000, high quality coach like Foretravel shouldn't need $20,000 in repairs. Maybe over the next decade, but certainly not right out of the gate. Unless it's a $75,000 coach being sold for $50,000 because of all the work it needs.

Are older Foretravel coaches more likely to need such a large reserve for repairs due to all of the sophisticated systems they come equipped with?

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #7 – April 26, 2021, 07:53:20 pm

Quote from: SWFL – April 26, 2021, 07:44:45 pm

Are older [insert any name here] coaches more likely to need such a large reserve for repairs

Yes, the difference is you have this forum to lean on and multiple shops in Nac that are knowledgeable in Foretravels. When I twisted my suspension a few weeks ago "off roading", it was minutes not days before I had responses to my questions.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #8 – April 26, 2021, 08:07:04 pm

Quote from: SWFL – April 26, 2021, 07:44:45 pm

I've seen this theme/theory repeated a few times and it's a little disconcerting for a prospective first time coach buyer. A nice $50,000, high quality coach like Foretravel shouldn't need $20,000 in repairs. Maybe over the next decade, but certainly not right out of the gate. Unless it's a $75,000 coach being sold for $50,000 because of all the work it needs.

Are older Foretravel coaches more likely to need such a large reserve for repairs due to all of the sophisticated systems they come equipped with?

Sounds like you are asking the questions, but don't like the answers you are getting......Interesting

I have been in the RV industry 55 yrs, owned all types of RV's. The saying is..."You have a RV, so you have a problem, you just don't know what it is yet"

If you think your going to buy any used 10-20 yr old diesel pusher, especially one that is out of business for $50K,or even $75K and drive off into the sunset happy, and with no issues, you will be a lucky man.

It's much more then just the engine and transmission that make a coach.

Goodluck on your venture
Cheers
Chris

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #9 – April 26, 2021, 08:26:34 pm

A '97/98 Vogue V 45'

Mike

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #10 – April 26, 2021, 08:40:22 pm

Quote from: gracerace – April 26, 2021, 08:07:04 pm

Sounds like you are asking the questions, but don't like the answers you are getting......Interesting

I have been in the RV industry 55 yrs, owned all types of RV's. The saying is..."You have a RV, so you have a problem, you just don't know what it is yet"

If you think your going to buy any used 10-20 yr old diesel pusher, especially one that is out of business for $50K,or even $75K and drive off into the sunset happy, and with no issues, you will be a lucky man.

It's much more then just the engine and transmission that make a coach.

Goodluck on your venture
Cheers
Chris

I've been in the saltwater boat business for almost 20 years, I suspect it has some similarities. I'm not oblivious to the fact that older machines may require some repair and maintenance.

I don't dislike the answers I'm getting, I really appreciate them. But I'm a little surprised that it seems to be more the exception than the rule that you might buy a used Foretravel and have a relatively trouble free experience. I suspected that they'd be less problematic than some of their less expensive counterparts but I suppose it could be that the more features a coach has, the more there is to go wrong.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #11 – April 26, 2021, 08:54:25 pm

I had never heard of Foretravel a couple of years ago, never had a clue I needed a Motorhome till my wife told me what her retirement plans for me were going to be so I started looking at different brand coaches including Alpine and the more I learned and what I could afford lead me to Foretravel for build quality, affordability, capacity, safety. All wheel disc brakes and a transmission retarder makes good sense to me. 10k tow capacity for my toys. Just keep deleting what I didn't want till I isolated what I did want. I'm sure there are better coaches but they don't hold much interest to my needs. Luckily for me I knew Kim would never let me upgrade down the road so I stayed the course till I found what would work for me. Was starting to think I had worked myself into a unattainable corner till good people on this great forum found my coach for me. As much as I like my coach this forum is what makes it possible and work for me.
Scott

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #12 – April 26, 2021, 09:04:27 pm

I think it is wise to have some cash for whatever may pop up while using a coach. I was told that 10K was a good amount to bankroll.
Being new to the Foretravel, I found that the best way for me to keep the money in the bank was to do the work myself. Over 3 years, we have had a refrigerator rebuild that was done at MOT. I have replaced both air conditioners and the thermostat. I just replaced my inverter due to the power issues or the great Texas freeze and am about to replace the Manabloc. I haven't a clue what that would add up to if a shop billed it but the parts used in the process ate a hole in 10K. If you take the coach to MOT for a chassis service and fluids/filters it is $2.5K. I choose to keep it closer to $200 by doing it myself. I have found that the way the coach is made, it is really easy to maintain and repair with help from those that went before me and posted their experience on the forum.
Just now I looked at the forum classifieds and saw 3 coaches that were in the price range you stated. I don't personally know the owners but 2 of them have posted a lot of the upgrades and repairs that they have done and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase either of their coaches.
We had a Bluebird prior to getting this Foretravel and it was not anywhere as user friendly as our present coach.
Good luck in your quest and I hope you find a coach good enough to be your last one.

Glen

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #13 – April 26, 2021, 09:34:43 pm

Quote from: SWFL – April 26, 2021, 07:44:45 pm

I've seen this theme/theory repeated a few times and it's a little disconcerting for a prospective first time coach buyer. A nice $50,000, high quality coach like Foretravel shouldn't need $20,000 in repairs. Maybe over the next decade, but certainly not right out of the gate. Unless it's a $75,000 coach being sold for $50,000 because of all the work it needs.

It has little to do with the complexity.

$50K, which is not a large budget in the RV world, buys you a 25-30 year old Foretravel. It may or may not have been well-maintained - everyone is different. The well-maintained ones with owner service records and documentation will cost you more. It's the ones that lack that provenance that you need to have a more substantial reserve budget for. A 25-30 year old vehicle is either going to require work OR higher price because someone has already done that work.

$10K per year is not unreasonable if a coach has not been updated. It's high just for maintenance, but if you keep the coach for 10+ years and factor in upgrades there are definitely going to be years you hit (and exceed) that number. Not every year, but in our 13 years of FT ownership I believe we averaged out somewhere around $7-8K per year with all work included. That included repairs, remodeling, etc. That number is not unique in the diesel pusher world.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #14 – April 26, 2021, 09:38:21 pm

Quote from: Pamela & Mike – April 26, 2021, 08:26:34 pm

A '97/98 Vogue V 45'

Mike

Vogue V is class ride, almost bought one in 2006.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #15 – April 26, 2021, 09:42:19 pm

Quote from: bbeane – April 26, 2021, 09:38:21 pm

Vogue V is class ride, almost bought one in 2006.

I don't know what a Vogue is but this listing says Mfg. is Vogue. Is this similar to what you're talking about?

Prima Vista Class A RV for sale in Rogersville, AL for ,500 | 237026

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #16 – April 26, 2021, 09:46:29 pm

Quote from: gracerace – April 26, 2021, 06:53:27 pm

Stay way away from Alpine. Out of business for one. But we had a few of them at a RV dealer I worked at. I was the inventory manager (took care of all of the coaches, checking them in, photos for online,getting them PDI's etc.) I can't remember how many work orders I wrote up on them, just sitting on the lot unsold.They were brand new coaches.

Chris

Chris,

I agree if you are talking about the last years of production where two things (actually, two BAD things) happened: $$ running out AND they thought that complexity= better marketability.

The early 2000's, and particularly the 2003 were actually pretty good coaches. The 2003 a standout because first year of the Cummins ISL with engine compression brake and last year before multiplex wiring.

Good suspensions designed by Gary Jones, one of the stand outs in motorhome chassis design. Only one I know who made 4 wheel position ride height valve suspensions work-- and they do.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #17 – April 26, 2021, 09:59:31 pm

SWFL, Most of the issues that would eat up that $20K set aside, Generally have nothing to do with the actual Foretravel coach.

6 tires $3K
3 start batteries and 3 house batteries. $2k (From O'reilly's)
1 failed Allison shift pad. $1k
1 warped M11 exhaust manifold. $800 plus labor
Failed Aqua Hot, factory rebuild $7-$10K
Change trans to synthetic oil. $1K
stuck slide pin on brakes req two new disc's. $3k
Cracked Manabloc. $1k

That's the story on my 1998 coach.
The thing is. NONE of the above systems failures are because of shoddy build quality by Foretravel.
None of systems that Foretravel built on my coach have failed. The cabinets, Gel coat fiberglass. Etc, Etc are still solid.
The biggest issue with ANY old coach are the shoddy maint practices of prior owners.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #18 – April 26, 2021, 10:04:27 pm

Having a slide is a personal choice. I never wanted one. Having been in the boat business you know what you are getting in for.
As everyone said the Forum is a wealth of information.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #19 – April 26, 2021, 10:09:41 pm

I would be looking at a Prevost/ Liberty or Prevost/ Marathon, I also would not be afraid of a Bluebird Wanderlodge, if it had low mileage and good records. Maintenance records are the one of the best ways to evaluate a coach.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #20 – April 26, 2021, 10:21:13 pm

Quote from: SWFL – April 26, 2021, 09:42:19 pm

I don't know what a Vogue is but this listing says Mfg. is Vogue. Is this similar to what you're talking about?

Prima Vista Class A RV for sale in Rogersville, AL for ,500 | 237026

Mitchell Coach Works was bought out by Featherlight coach conversions about 78-79 very high end coaches Prima Vista, then Vogue where their last models.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #21 – April 26, 2021, 10:33:28 pm

Quote from: SWFL – April 26, 2021, 08:40:22 pm

I've been in the saltwater boat business for almost 20 years, I suspect it has some similarities. I'm not oblivious to the fact that older machines may require some repair and maintenance.

You already have your answers. Same thing only different. Saltwater boats are way more effort. Drives aren't going to corrode and fall off on the coach. But twenty year old anything hi end will have issues. I disqualified the 20 old SOB coaches because they are actually falling apart. The Foretravel interior are definitely Dated but yet still beautiful and going to be in great shape. These are heavy coaches with good design. Out side mounted airbags are outstanding, but their 20 years old now. You will eventually change fuel lines. Same age. All rubber products are same as a boat and at the end of there life. Just like tires. My coach was low mileage and parked for years. Crazy it still needed everything. IMO well worth repairing, restoring, maintaining. Just like your boats, some you save and some you scuttle. Drivability has a huge value to me, the ISM works pretty good. I always chuckle a little passing the SOBs in the wind or uphill. 👍👍
Scott

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #22 – April 27, 2021, 01:55:42 am

For about $50K don't buy anything but a Foretravel. Depending on how handy you are and a bit of luck within a year you may or may not spend $10-20K. I purchased my first FT in about an hour and within first 2 years for want/need projects I put in $20K without any reservations. Done about the same with my second (current one)
I would buy any used Foretravel that is out there for sale now by doing my own inspection (about 45 min), if the asking price is within $3-4K of what I am willing to pay for it. Just as long as I am able and willing to spend 10-20K for it without any pain.
Now there are many ways to spend $10-20K after purchase. Let's say it needs a new fridge, you can do it yourself for under $2K or have it done for you for about $4-5K. At your home when your toilet tank is starting to run none stop, do you call a plumber or do you fix it yourself.
Good luck and hope you will find a good one that will serve you well.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #23 – April 27, 2021, 07:21:57 am

Thanks for the input propman. I can fix almost anything myself, be it structural, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, cosmetic, and I also have a service team (marine) with lots of bright minds and specialized tools at my disposal. And I do have funds in reserve of course, regardless of purchase price. I wouldn't consider buying a used RV with my last dollar and then hoping nothing goes wrong, that would be pretty foolish.

As I read more and more about RV's it's becoming apparent that there is definitely some extra expense and upkeep associated with owning a Foretravel vs a little less optioned diesel pusher. I'm not going to let that scare me away, but I will take it in to consideration as I shop. I've also read many, many stories of happy owners of many different brands who bought an older used coach, similar to what I'm considering, and haven't had a never ending string of failures to deal with. Many who have had nothing but nickel and dime annoyances and maintenance to take care of for years. And many of them were running much less expensive brands with much lower initial quality.

Re: If You Couldn't Have a Foretravel, What Would You Buy? (Budget Under $75k)

Reply #24 – April 27, 2021, 07:40:42 am

We waited until we could find a Foretravel without a slide, less to go wrong, less weight, a floor plan not blocked by the slide when it was in, just did not need the extra space, so no I do not think the non slide has gone the way of the dodo from buyers perspective, manufacturers I don't know or care what they do.
Find what you want and buy it
I agree you will need $20,000 to spend on components you want to upgrade and that probably goes for just about any older coach unless you are paying absolute top dollar, then there is the money for the cosmetics. It's still cheaper than buying a new Tiffin!
Good luck, we love our 22 year old 36' no slide: it's awesome!

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