I've been reading the post about Brady and Hilary and feeling really bad for them. And the idea of this post came to me. Let's face it: Old motor homes aren't for everybody! Even Barths, as good as they are. The house is never the real problem. The real problem is if you can't get from point "A" to point "B". So, I'm wondering, what can we tell folks to prepare them for 'the adventure' of owning a Barth? Not that it's our responsibility. Maybe just out of pure friendship for others. My first suggestion is:
--you need to have a lot of time to get from point A to point B if necessary.
Any other suggestions?
Jim

It's almost essential for an owner of an older M/H to have some mechanical skills and an willingness to wallow around on, in, and under the coach.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
Old motor homes aren't for everybody! Even Barths, as good as they are. The house is never the real problem.
Jim

Jim, you've hit the nail on the head. Barth built the shell. Van's did the cabinetry. Both are superior and durable.

The rest of the coach is like every other coach. Chassis by GM, or whoever. AC by Coleman or Dometic. Fridge, etc. Stove, etc.

And, every old vehicle as only as good as the previous owners and mechanics, as well as the present owner and mechanic.

I can atest to Rusty's post. I do not have the mechanical or electrical knowledge to fix my Breakaway. I rely on this web site for the simplest problems and the children's inheritence fund for the heavy duty things. I'm leaning on 83 and I don't twist and bend now like I did when I was 23......................

I am into antique cars and it is the same with them. Many people buy them because they are fun but never think about the hours we spend keeping them on the road. They just envision the fun it will be going to shows and having people admire their cars. They never think about the driveway rash on the back or the skinned knuckles.

I don't believe it is just Barths, it seems to be anything these days. Nothing is built like it used to be. A couple of years ago, in Abiqui NM, Tom and I were parked next to a brand new SOB, with all the slides and bells and whistles, really flashy. The lady of the sob comes over to our site as she always sees Tom tinkering, or waxing, or something.

She says that the piece of plywood that rests on their under bed storage has split in half. She has called the maker of the coach, and they say, get it fixed and send us a bill. A new piece of plywood, fixed up with a couple of 2x4's fixed it for the time being. The old piece of plywood didn't have any support beams, so if you flopped on the bed, well.....you get the picture.

Same lady, same unit, a few days later, her tv set actually crashed through the upper unit holding it.......again, no support beams or anything, just a cut out piece of plywood stapled together with very elegant covering. Tom to the rescue once more, a very temporary fix till they could drive the unit to a dealer to get things fixed.

I may add, her husband had suffered a stroke and was not able to do too much, other than drive, and enjoy the sights. That's why they bought a NEW RV, so they wouldn't have any problems.....

Tina

Money . Tere and I have put $15000 in our 85 Regal, almost all of it on the chassis and most of it stuff due to wear and tear. And face it, you may have to have it towed home or at least to a qualified repair center.
Jim

quote:

what can we tell folks to prepare them for 'the adventure' of owning a Barth?

I'd tell them that, whether it's traveling & camping one weekend, or fixing/tinkering/improving the next weekend, ya need to get close-to-equal enjoyment from both activities. Owning an old motorhome is no place for a Ludite

Good morning Lee. Always on the lookout for a new word. Ludite did it. My dictionary has it spelled luddite, Betty is e-mailing Bill O'Reilly for the "word of the day" to get her 15 minutes of glory. See ya...............

Luddite--yeah, I'm in that catagory, along with charging windmills. Anything mechanized operated by unskilled labor must be bad . Wait, that describes me driving a Barth.
Jim

In order to enjoy the ownership & use of any older artifact, be it boat, airplane, automobile, recreation vehicle, or house, one must have one of two things: 1) ability to do the work involved, & pleasure in doing it, or 2) pockets deep enough to pay someone else to do it.

The advantage of a Barth has often been stated, i.e., the quality of coach itself is such that it will not fall apart faster than you can fix it. Chassis, engines, mechanical systems, accessories, & appliances, however, are of standard commercial manufacture, and will fail over time as they will on any vehicle. Furthermore, none of that stuff improves with lack of use.

I have seen older wooden boats turn into piles of junk because a buyer entranced with the beautiful varnish & joinery lacked the interest time, ability, or money to maintain them. Likewise collector cars moldering away in garages with rotting leather, & covered in bird droppings. Many of the older Barths that appear in for sale columns are also in this category, or have been kept too long by someone who thought they'd take them out next year, for sure, but never did.

Olroy,I love it . I am indeed an 'older artifact', and Tere is the one who is supposed to enjoy the 'pleasure and use', so I guess she must fit into either category #1 or #2, but wait, maybe there's a category #3 'crazy enough to put up with the cantankerous old thing'.
Jim

Well, there are Barths, and there are Barths. Some are immaculate, well-maintained, and properly cared for, for many years.

Others are like mine. And for Barths like mine, "what can we tell folks to prepare them for 'the adventure' of owning a Barth?"

- you will learn the meaning of the phrase "economic life". Your Coach has an economic life several times greater than that of your chassis.
- you will learn the GM numbering system, such as R44T, 7N4, 17085212
- you will learn to seek the advice of wise men
- you will pack spare parts, wire, hose, tools
- you will bide your time, and find parts on Ebay, and love NOS parts at liquidation prices
- you will scavenge parts from SOB rigs decades younger
- you will identify your options instead of spending money right way, such as 'new rear springs'? nah, Firestone air bags...
- you will be able to enjoy traveling activities as much as the guy that spent $100K on a new SOB
- you will relax with GM wiring diagrams, understand 12V breakers, learn why RV refrigerators need vents above and below
- you will be unrelenting over the course of many months with craigslist, in an attempt to find someone with the AC bracket for a 7N4 option
- you won't have a turn-key solution to your problems
- you will wonder why it is so hard to find parts for Dometic/Daihatsu Kwyatt generator
- it is likely you will have the oldest rig in the campground

Matt

- If you have a Breakaway or a Spartan-chassis Regency, you will be on a first-name basis with Spartan Parts Department.
- You will get a premium-quality creeper, or a stock of fatigue mats (if your coach is on gravel or limerock) so you can wallow around under your coach.
- You will collect never-before-thought-of devices like an IR thermometer, a signal tracer, a power meter, and a complete collection of flare, socket, deep socket, box, crescent, and adjustable wrenches.
- You will buy cable ties in bulk.
- You will learn to deal diplomatically with folks at campgrounds who ask, "What the hell IS that?"
- You will learn more about RVs than you ever expected.
- You will come to understand the value of an older coach that won't fall apart faster than you can maintain it.
- You will realize that a Barth will have an insatiable appetite for "gifts" (a downside of the coach's longevity).
- You will bite your tongue when chatting motorhomes with owners of Plastic Pigs, never offering sympathy for their poor choice of equipment. You will stifle your urge to point out their errors in picking a coach that will be turned into mulch when you're deciding with what reefer you'll replace your 25 year-old unit.
- You will embrace the fact that your Barth will want and need constant attention, but you will also love it for its simplicity and maintainability compared to lesser RVs.

Aaaaaand, don't forget, you will also adopt a new family, lovingly referred to a Barthmobilers, who you will converse with on a regular basis, via www.Barthmobile.com. The fearless leader of these Barthmobilers is BillNY. Unlike your other family, your Barth family will actually HELP you when you need or want advice.

Tina