Hello to all.

This may quickly become painfully obvious to the veterans here, but, I'm new to your forum.

Just after our last vacation, having spent waaay too much cash for a cabin with a board for a bed and no stove in the kitchen, the wife and I have decided to look into RV ownership.

Looking around the "neighborhood", we have come across a '83 Regency. Some of the particulars are:
135,000 miles
8.2 liter Detroit diesel
Allison transmission
MCC chassis

My questions are:
1. Never having had RV experience, what are the obvious and subtle things I should be on the lookout for? I drive a mixer for a living, so I'm familiar with the basics of the engine, and 135,000 miles doesn't sound out of hand. I'm wondering more about things like structural integrity of the coach, water leakage/damage... thing like that.

2. What is the MCC chassis? ie, what kind of brake parts, suspension, etc would I be looking for at service time?

3. Is this Detroit the 2-cycle version of the diesel? What are the benefits/trade-offs with diesel vs gas? We live in Colorado and have some pretty impressive hills just outside our back door and are also planning on towing a light trailer with our Ural sidecar on it.

4. Viewing some of the coaches for sale in the forum, the inside of this one appears to need some help with cabinet finishes and such...everything's there, the shellac or whatever just seems to be peeling. Is "restoring" the inside of an RV pretty much like refinishing an old sewing machine cabinet?

I have yet to see the coach in person, as it's about 150 miles away. So I'm looking for some advice on what to do to make my journey as efficient as possible.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Craig

Welcome to the forums!

Q1. There are a couple of checklists that can be had by asking. Before you even break one of those out, though, figure spending a large chunk of money (typically $5K) on things that will need to be done. Barths' superstructures are (usually) all aluminum, but you may be looking at what we call an MCC/Barth, a relic from when Barth bought MCC, so it could have an aluminum skin or fiberglass...and the frame may not be aluminum but steel. Water leakage isn't much of an issue in many Barths, but is in some. We would need to know more about the coach, since no two Barths are alike (literally).

You would want to crawl under the entire coach and look for obvious signs of leaks, deteriorating hoses, serious rust, etc. Make sure all the interior appliances work, as well as the drivetrain and generator.

Q2. The MCC chassis is a true orphan, and there is only one source for some parts. The coach is at the weight limits of the chassis, and the front end my be in need of overhaul and beefing up. The brakes are reported to be marginal. However, the MCC chassis is considered among the very best when it comes to ride and handling.

Q3. The 8.2L is 4-stroke (lke the Toro-Flow and the 6.2L and 6.5L). It bears no relation to the -53,-71, or -92 2-strokers. Diesels tend to be more fuel efficient than gaso engines.

Q4. Barths' cabinetry is first-class, and refinishing is like any other piece of solid furniture. Removing it to a shop may be a major endeavor, however.

We do have some owners of Barths on MCC chasses, so maybe they'll see your post, and there are many other Barthmobilers with great experience and ideas.

Just one comment on the 8.2L Detroit. It may not have a turbo. To a flat lander this may not be an issue, but you live where the hills get pretty tall and a turbo is worth a lot.

I have been doing some internet investigating into the pieces and parts of this Barth... seem's this one isn't the one for me, I've read HORRIBLE things about the Detroit 8.2, something about the headbolts being undersized and allowing a head gasket leak.

One of the first things the current owner mentioned was the engine probably could benefit from a "tune up".

However, I have received emails from Barth owners interested in selling their rigs.

Looks like the search for the right unit is on...

Thanks for your help guys.