YEAR 1998 WATER CAPACITY 82
MAKE BARTH NO. OF AIR CONDITIONERS 2
MODEL Breakaway LEVELING JACKS Yes
PRICE $48,000.00 MILEAGE 60000
LOCATION Vero Beach, FL FUEL TYPE NONE
CONTACT NUMBER (772) 299-7183 CLASS Class A
LENGTH 34


DESCRIPTION
1998 BARTH Breakaway, Cummins 300 hp, Basement storage,1 slide through,2 wardrobe closets,lots of storage, split bath, 6 spd trans.No slide outs.auto levelers.aluminum body.82 gallons fresh water storage $48000, 772-299-7183 772-559-9345

Henry Dodds,





More photos coming

More discussion here.

I Called Henry this afternoon about this caoch.
The Coach has been sold!!!!

Got Henry's email today, sold for $45K

My wife, Robin, and I purchased the coach from Jim and Helen Dodds Tuesday afternoon. The transaction was carried out at a bank in the town of Palm Bay, Fl. just north of Vero Beach, Fl. which is where Jim and Helen live. I agree with bill h, selling prices should be reported, so I would like to confirm that we bought the coach for $45,000.00. I cannot thank Jim and Helen enough for their support so far. They have both made themselves available anytime and have called us as they have thought of 'just one more things' more than we have called them with 'when you...' questions.

Two questions that came up within the forum that related to Jim were
1) how many Barths he has owned?
Answer: Three, he was the origional owner of all three.
2) his name, why do some remember him as Jim, some as James, and others as Henry?
Answer: All are correct. His given name is James, giving him the shortened version Jim. Henry comes from his schoolmates. He told me the story, but I cannot remember the details and, with that, I do not want to relay that story incorrectly, the bottom line is that his affection for cars lead one of his friends to call him Henry Ford; the Henry part stuck for life, a true nickname.


I would like to say thanks to Dave Bowers and everyone that participates in the forum. The community is, as many have pointed out, a valuable resource for Barth owners. If there is anything I can do to help others, as you have helped me, do not hesitate to let me know.

In looking for a coach I have talked with three other people, two of the three from this forum.

Thom Feit in Mesa. I think that his coach is one of the best deals around. I wanted the Spartan/Cummins rather than the Gillig/Cat.

I talked with a representative of the company that Ed Gilmore traded his coach to. I was curious as to what value an RV dealer placed on the coach. The salesman said that they were asking $34,995.00, but it was negotiable. Again, not the right one for me, in addition, the refrigerator faced the front of the coach, other than that, the redo was, as coined, unbelievable. This coach is no longer on the RV dealer's website.

Morgan Staley in the Tampa, Fl. area. I think that this coach is the best example of Barth on the market. I went to meet Morgan and his wife and see the coach. They welcomed me and spent hours showing me the coach and just visiting. It is beautiful. It is still for sale. They have not pushed it or advertised it anywhere other than here. I would have bought this coach had the Dodds coach not come up for sale and I will never be certain. For me they were both perfect. I think that Morgan's 40 footer represents Barth at the top of the game, again, it has everything including the L10 Cummins which seems to be rare and very desirable as is this coach. It was the story of the Dodds coach being the last or one of the last two to be produced (not withstanding the Leatherman prototype a few years later out of the factory, which, I guess was the last Barth, but not the last production Barth) that won me over.

One final thing for now, Dave, Mr. Dodds tells me that you may have a lead on the owner of the other of the last two. I would like have a description and see pictures is possible. Also, I will be glad to send pictures and details if you like.

Regards,

Hi.Chris, and welcome to the forum. And congratulations on your purchase. It's a beauty.

quote:

Originally posted by Chris:
I wanted the Spartan/Cummins rather than the Gillig/Cat.

Would you care to expand on that preference?

A personal note: Barb specified the colors and paint design for our "97" (completed late Oct '96) 38' Spartan/325 Cummins. Chris' coach apparently has the exact same colors (Midnight Sapphire Blue -actually appears black in sunlight-, silver, and blue); and the silver "swoop" on the side is a modification of Barb's design. Check out our picture in "Monarchs"; the picture is poor but the design is clear. So: a beautiful coach, and we take partial credit!!

quote:

Would you care to expand on that preference?

The short version is this. In reading the forum and forming an openion based on the writings of the members, the Cummins sleeved engines (the L10 and the 8.3L) that allow in-chassis rebuilds and the basements of the Spartans were the attributes that outweighed the other variables for me. I think that I prefer the Gillig from a mechanical standpoint, but, I like the lines of the coaches on Spartan chassis. I am also under the impression that the Spartan based coaches have a bit more storage. Keep in mind that these are my impressions.

I looked for a coach based on the feel of the writings of the members trying to pick up the emotions that were conveyed through their prose. I think it is fun to talk about differences, however, it's my feeling that these coaches are all elite pieces. The only mistake for me would have been to buy S.O.B.

Regards,

quote:

Originally posted by Gunner:
Check out our picture in "Monarchs"; the picture is poor but the design is clear. So: a beautiful coach, and we take partial credit!!

Your Monarch is beautiful and Barb did a wonderful job with the colors and design. I believe that I have seen other examples of these colors in the last years of production, all after yours. Artist have vision, technicians can duplicate or modify the origional vision. I think Barb deserves full credit.

Regards,