OK, I need some help here. I have only given a deposit on my rig, an '85 MCC REGENCY, and need to make a decision. How reliable were the MCC chassis? I spoke with Les at Motorhome Restorations and he implied that, with regular maintenance, they were pretty sturdy and trouble-free. We spoke at length, and I would NOT want to EVER replace a torsion bar! I know about the small disks, and their prices were rather steep, too, though not much more than what construction equipment pieces cost, frankly. DAVE, is YOUR coach and 85, and an MCC? Can anyone enlighten me here? I have read the posts about these, and I see that, yes, parts are VERY expensive and supply is limited to ONE source (!) But I don't see any real "lemon littany" about these rigs. What's the consensus? IF properly maintained can I expect tens of thousands of trouble-free miles? Does "proper maintenance" mean I'm constantly under the thing? I can and will maintain most of these components myself. I used to be a service mechanic at a truck depot in a previous life, and am a believer in PM. BUT, it seems like the more apt analogy here may be that these are 'Jags not MG's! HELP! I'm asking for 'real life experiences" with these rigs, please... THANK YOU in advance, Chris

PS e-mail me on the side if you'd like:

barry-dutros@cox.net

call Jerry Kraiss 708 387 7175 he will know more on that coach than anyone i know it rides better than any thing on the highway

Another former MG owner. Now I know why the British drink warm beer-they have Lucas refrigerators.

HA! LMAO!!! Really, that whole LUCAS thing! I had an 84 XJ6 once... wiring harness was straight out of a '48 Ford! Which one of the APOLLO 13 astronauts said: "I wasn't really worried 'till I looked at the guidance computer and it had a "Made by LUCAS" sticker on it"! Carpenter, I think?

Seriously, I want a good ride, heck, I've been driving a Winnebago BRAVE for ten years now... I want a GREAT ride... just don't want to be fixing it all the time. Thanks for the comments, KEEP 'EM COMING!!! Any war stories? THANKS is advance, Chris

I should add, I don't mind fixing them every now and then, or doing PM semi-annually... heck, since I quit drinking I'm in the Garage a LOT! (At least the wife knows where I am!) I am not afraid to do ANY thing, except automatic tranny re-builds. Or de-bugging LUCAS electrical systems. Or worse, a LUCAS wiring harness with SMITHS gauges! Yikes!

hey duteman,
i think you should be o.k. with the mcc chassis. i've had mine 2 1/2 years and no problems at all with it. been to south texas,all of northwest, arizona, and around the midwest where we are from. we have done extensive remodeling inside and some upgrades, ie... king cruise,fuel preporator,new gauges,new radiator... i change oil and filters every 6,000 miles or twice a year. have 2 two quart filters and run a quart low to keep splashing (foaming) down per les houagland. i use detroit oil and filters. i'm happy with ours and how it drives and handles. been in some stiff winds and little to no sway. pull a 98 cherokee classic behind. as far as trouble free goes,if you want that, don't buy ANY motorhome. things happen and it will need repairs. we have limped home twice from our 3 longest trips. last time, arizona. plastic tie broke and dropped rubber brake line down on transaxel! eeeeeeeeek, no brakes. but as the rv'ing world goes a wonderful man and wife stopped and fixed it for us. thank you to floyd and rita ballinger from illinois. floyd spent all day working on my coach and wouldn't take a dime. how's that for class. by the way floyd is 70. hope this helps some, i am learning as i go also and this site is a great asset to all us BARTH owners.

mike foster

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mike foster
83-35' regency 8.2 detroit towing 98 cherokee classic 4x4

by the way duteman, i've known bill w. and dr. bob for 24 years as of june 1st.

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mike foster
83-35' regency 8.2 detroit towing 98 cherokee classic 4x4

Hello, Ironsides... thanks for the kind words, and those on encouragement! I've only met Mr. W about a year ago, so it always helps to get some kind words of encouragement...

Mike, is the engine compartment of yours all filthy? Do you have any pictures you can send me of these areas so I can have some comparison shots to go by? My coach's engine compartment is filthy, and the steel parts seem rather surface-rusty... is this typical?

Of all the ironic things, I WOULD have to mention "tranny rebuilds"... as it turns out, the coach, on which I have only put a deposit, blew the tranny in the dealer's lot as he was moving it around. Not a good way to start up a relationship! They've offered to pay in full to have it cobbled up at a non-factory truck transmission shop, but I've offered to split the cost of a new reman one at Penn Detroit Diesel... about a thousand bucks each, installed. Cheap insurance, in my book, I figure... that would bring the cost up to 24,000 bucks. I think that's still a pretty reasonable price, especially for one with a new reman'd tranny. Am I correct in that? It seems like nice mid 80's ones are going for around 35k? Am I waiting for the other shoe to drop?

I am happy with my '84 Regency on the MCC chassis. The ride is very nice, the power of the 8.2 on climbs is lightly troubling. See my question to other owners in the General Discussion category posted a couple weeks ago. I paid $28,000 for mine just weeks after 9/1/01 making a pact with my wife to live more fully, balancing work with more play. The coach was 3,000 miles away, found in one of the RV Online type websites. I reluctantly flew across the country, closed the deal, received as much info from the prior owner re: systems as possible in 6 hours, then began my trek from Virginia to CA. lacking any tools, just loaded with enthusiasm and ignorance. The trip was great! I made one or two calls to the seller to solve minor problems. The coach having less than 50,000 miles was in pretty good shape. It had been stripped of paint recently however as the prior owner was preparing for a newer look. The one thing that bothered me some was the decrease in road speed on many very modest grades. This is due to the low horsepower to weight ratio, a tradeoff the manufacturer made to get the 10 mpg that exceeds most motor homes of that era. I likely will spend some time addressing this condition with experts to see if I can tweek some additional horsepower from the motor, including looking at synthetic lubricants, turbo boost, and other things suggested to me by others. The person I bought from had researched coaches extensively and felt the only competition in the price range he could afford would have been a late 70's, or early 80's Newell. My experience buying parts to this point has been limited, the people controlling parts manufacturing helpful and available, but having a monopoly bothers me, with pricing at their discretion. Good luck to you! I hope some of this was helpful.
D.W.Price

Thank you, D.W. I have decided to go for it, having rec'd MANY helpful comments from the Barth community. My unit has a transmission problem right now, but it broke before I bought it, so the seller (a dealer) is working on it...

Thanks to everyone who has helped me, and the phone calls were particularly helpful.

Chris Dutro

Thank you, D.W. I have decided to go for it, having rec'd MANY helpful comments from the Barth community. My unit has a transmission problem right now, but it broke before I bought it, so the seller (a dealer) is working on it...

Thanks to everyone who has helped me, and the phone calls were particularly helpful.

Chris Dutro