Here.

Did anyone ever see this or are you familiar with it? It is on my short list and I'm pre-approved for a MH loan. Any help or advice, such as value or pro's/cons of this type Barth, would be greatly appreciated.

Don't know this coach, although it looks real nice, but I do know the "Don & Lindas Coach on this forum. It's still on E bay and it doesn't belong to anyone I know anymore so I have no interest in selling it other than to say I know it's a great coach. If you really like the 38 I'm sure others out their will help you out.

I was a bidder in that auction and again in the last auction where it ended at $25800 without hitting the reserve. It appears to be a pretty nice coach but, when considering it is 17-18 years old and that Barth is no longer arouond, I get a bit leary about buying. I have also been tracking the 32' Barth that was mentioned. Although it looks like a nice coach, I don't think it is large enough for a family of four. I could be wrong but I've been concentrating more in the 35-38' range. If everything goes according to Hoyle, we might be making a trip down to see it this weekend. So, any ideas or suggestions on what to look for is again, greatly appreciated. Bill

The 1990 38' Barth Regency 3208TA Cat 300HP is all but a done deal. I fly down on Wed. morning the 23rd and if it is as nice as expected, I will be heading back to Colorado with it by Wednesday afternoon.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should buy for it while I'm waiting to depart. The RV service center is putting on six new tires. One of the old tires blew out a side wall while they were adjusting the air pressure for all. At 35 PSI it blew. these tires were about three years old with plenty of tread left.

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One of the old tires blew out a side wall while they were adjusting the air pressure for all. At 35 PSI it blew. these tires were about three years old with plenty of tread left.

Sounds like an example of why a coach should not sit. Especially at low pressure. How did it get below 35 psi?

If I am correct in thinking that it sat, I would give the batteries a good check out.

Ours gets driven 20 miles every week.

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Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should buy for it while I'm waiting to depart.

Tire gauge.
Tire pump.
Thermal mug.
Ice chest.
A small panel of removable stick-on window tint. Or FitOvers.
Maps.
Fluids.
If any mountains of heavy traffic are anticipated, I would have the brakes bled.
A tow and road service agreement.
Multimeter.
A level for the fridge.
If anyone is with you, a pair of FRS radios can save some embarrassment.

Be sure anyone who is guiding you is aware of the sideways movement of the rear when the steering wheel is turned. Don't ask.

A new cap for the dump outlet.

Thanks much! This list is printing as I type and it will come in very handy. One thing, so far, that I will add to the list is bungee cords and velcro after reading about wayward awnings. The place it is being serviced apparently has a large parts department and store meaning I won't have to buy here and worry about TSA saying "not so fast" when I try and take everything down with me.

If the coach has been sitting for a while, it probably has old fuel.

Perhaps some of our diesel guys can contribute advice on the need for or choice of an additive.

I'm not sure how old the fuel is, I can't believe I didn't think of that. When it was serviced a few days ago, they drove it around and let it idle for four hours trying to make it overheat. I believe it had half a tank the other day and the seller is going to fill it up. The new tires arrived this afternoon and they should have been able to at least start on the mounting process so I hope they can have them installed fairly early in the day tomorrow (Wed,23rd). Hopefully I'll have time with the coach before leaving for Colorado. It turns out the service center doesn't have a accessory showroom so I will need to stop along the way somewhere and pick up the items from the list above. Wish me luck, I'm less than 12 hours from leaving on what I hope is the beginning of many great Barth adventures. Bill

It wouldn't hurt to make sure you have an extra fuel filter. The main issue is not the age of the fuel (diesel's actually pretty stable), but the possibility of condensation in the tank, with bacteria growing in the the interface. This is actually pretty rare, and the tank probably has a water detector. Anyway, most NAPA stores (and those at truck stops) have additives to kill/prevent bacteria.

You should get a diesel fuel additive, however, for the tank, to compensate for the ULSD fuel. Again, this is easily found at NAPA and truck stops. Put some in before leaving. FPPF calls theirs "Lubricity", (product part #00105). The CRC product I use is part #05228. The maker of my injector pump (Stanadyne) recommends its use; while ULSD is supposed to have lubricity additives to compensate for the lower sulfur content, my chant (seen several times here, but you're relatively new: "Oil's cheaper than metal" - I'm a recovering fuels and lube engineer.) And I've seen nothing confirming that the lubricity additives are actually present.

I would take an extra hour and drive the coach 40-50 miles locally (near the RV center) to see if anything arises. Idling the engine for four hours is not going to reveal an overheat problem - a long grade will, so find a couple locally, and see what happens.

Hopefully, your reference to new tires is for all six. Arizona sun is hard on tires (as it is too, here in Florida)

It may be too late, but as bill h suggested, membership in a road service club (Good Sam's or FMCA's) is IMHO, essential.

Finally, be prepared to take your time (even a couple of days to CO). The coach is new to you, you're new to an RV of this size, and many things will feel and appear unfamiliar.

Hey Rusty,

I printed this out and will find what you suggest when I get there.

All 6 tires were replaced with Michelin XRV's and they will be installed by noon Wednesday.

Reference the overheat issue, they drove it around the city (Phoenix - temp 102F) for quite awhile and then let it idle. the total time was four hours. I don't think mere idle would cause it to get very hot although city driving in thoses temps might. I agree though, a good hill would be a better test although I might not find a hill good enough until I get closer to home. I think there is a 4-5000' climb not to far out of Phoenix near Payson. I'm not planning on any high passes such as Independence Pass (12K+) or Pikes Peak (14,115), I'll stick with the little hills for awhile. Actually, I don't think this coach is allowed over Independence Pass. I think they have a limit of 32' or close to that.

I'll check into Good Sam and FMCA in a minute. My dad has always been a Good Sam Club member but is FMCA any better?

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but is FMCA any better?

Whoop! Whoop! Thread Drift Alert!

I believe this subject is covered on another thread. Give it a check, and if you want, start a thread on it. I would also be interested in the subject.

Another thing to be very fussy about is lug nut torque. Find out what the torque is supposed to be and be sure the shop installing the tires does it right. Be sure the coach comes with a lug wrench and use it several times after any time the nuts have been loose. Trailers come with stickers to this effect, but never MHs. Wonder why.

I think one of the reasons is that the (basically) truck wheels on motorhomes require torque far greater (250 lb-ft+) than trailers. This is beyond a lug wrench in the hands of anyone except Arnold-the-Governator or Ray Lewis, or for that matter, most 1/2" drive impact wrenches. Tha's why I don't mess with my wheels or tires - despite having pretty good equipment, I'm not able to do 400 lb-ft.

So if a lug wrench is supplied, it was apparently meant as a joke?! I had no idea they required that much torque. I was already preparing to check that since Sears hand tightened the lug nuts on my 1966 Buick Riviera GS resulting in one ruined wheel. It could have been far worse!