...was THE motorhome to lust for?......

For nostalgia, here's a good looking example, complete with a genset that looks like it should power a small town.......

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/69-DODGE-TRAVCO-VINTAGE-...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

"THIS IS ALSO A PRIVATE AUCTION, TO PROTECT YOU THE BIDDER FROM ANY RIFF-RAFF."
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Would someone please explain this?

Gotta love that custom generator exhaust.

And the steps up the pass side instead of a rear ladder. How many other coaches can support steps on the side? I wouldn't even do that on a Barth without intercostals.

The guy is right....it will never rust. It will never rot, either. I bought a Barth because I had it with dry rot.

Bill H....Does the sofa back hanging on the straps hooked to the ceiling remind you of our old four wheel CORTEZ RV's ? Sure brings back some great memories......Carl

There's a Cortez (about 24') in rough shape right here in town. So Brooker, FL sports three motorhomes - my Barth, the Cortez, and a 32' SOB. Actually I live in suburban Brooker, so mine may not count...

Does the bed in the living room hinge upwards and out of the way, is that why it's on the straps?

Talk about vintage. A classic example of Americana in the mid 60's to early 70's... I'll bet there were some groovy parties in that.

I remember my parents custom van from that era. They had a bumper sticker that read...
"@ss, gas or grass, no one rides for free"

On an unrelated topic...
Dave, why doesn't our Avatar show up on this forum?

Bill NY....RE: CORTEZ.. Unhook the hanging straps and the bed becomes the back of the sofa. There was a sofa on both sides of the coach. raising both backs created four beds,like bunk beds,two uppers and two lowers.
Rusty: You should buy that CORTEZ in Brooker,it would be a great project for you while your diesel is getting fixed...........

quote:

The guy is right....it will never rust. It will never rot, either.

Bill h,
In my humble opinion, you are not quite right there. There is a steel skeleton that supports the fiberglass shell and they have plywood floors. I have seen several of these where the interior looked great but pulling down a ceiling panel and peeling back a wall panel revealed the skeleton was substantially compromised due to the rusted steel members. And fiberglass does absorb water and will break down (rot?). I have seen soaked plywood floors where you can poke your finger through ¾” plywood. (okay, so I have strong fingers). Oh yes, even Barths leak!!. I have inspected hundreds of RV’s for myself and others and 90%+ of them have leaked at some point in its life. If caught in a timely manner, repairs can be made to mitigate the damage. If the owner is not around to discover the leak (or is not aware that this is a common problem),in the right conditions it only takes a few weeks to do thousands of dollars in damage. Carpet sucks up water like a sponge and mold and mildew grow in it like weeds. Mold and mildew will attach itself to everything in short order. You will notice many seasoned motorhome owners store their coach under cover or indoors and ventilated. Leaks and accumulated moisture issues are a couple of the main reasons these are kept under cover. With water dripping down (behind walls or otherwise) onto the plywood floors, there will soon be mold and mildew growing on the floor itself eventually rotting the floor away. And, oh the smell!! The water can be from condensation also. Sellers try to mask this issue with shiny paint, corian countertops, tile floors, new carpet, cans of Lysol, Fabreeze and other deodorants. Here in the Florida humidity this is a substantial issue but it is not confined to this area. Owners leave their units here for months at a time all closed up tight. Arizona and the desert southwest may be exceptions.
I noticed a post headlined as a "Killer 32 foot Regency" coach where another poster noted leaks where buckets were catching water. Also noted was “The roof leaks-very moldy smell,…” Apparently this was an eyewitness observation/inspection. The condition of the coach was apparently later verified (by a salesman) as “He also verified that this coach is unfortunately in very rough condition.” In a follow up post I quote the following (from a conversation with the owner??) “The leaks were around a light fixture only and did not leave any stains on the ceiling. The roof either has already or will be calked to take care of this problem. This apparently leaked after a monumental rainstorm in the area and has not leaked following other periods of rain.”
Yeah right, I’ve heard it all before. If an owner implies something like that (he may not know the whole story but I wouldn’t believe it) and one reports seeing buckets catching water and soaked floors/carpets, what else that he says can you trust. When buying any used motorhome you should insist that it be specifically inspected for mold, mildew and any interior water staining, along with all the other systems etc. This stuff can make you physically very sick! Get a written report specifically addressing the water leak/mold issue. Owners are generally unhappy when this kind of damage has been found and are generally in denial about repairs and their associated costs. Some sucker will come along dazzled by the new paint, new countertops, new carpet or whatever and just buy it.
Here’s a suggestion, how about before exclaiming the virtues of a coach and using descriptive adjectives such as “killer” or “unbelievable” one reserve such comments until after a true professional has physically evaluated the coach. LET THE BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!, has never been more true than today.
Kit

quote:

Originally posted by Kit:
...I quote the following (from a conversation with the owner??) “The leaks were around a light fixture only and did not leave any stains on the ceiling. The roof either has already or will be calked to take care of this problem. This apparently leaked after a monumental rainstorm in the area and has not leaked following other periods of rain.”
Yeah right, I’ve heard it all before...
Kit

I have a simple saying for people who make such claims.

"Wishful thinking on your part doesn't make it so." You know how many times I've heard "all it needs is..." Yeah, right.

I'm sure he's hoping "that all it needs is a little caulk" but "Wishful thinking on your part doesn't make it so." The only thing that makes it true is to do it first. Then inspect and verify. Then it's so.

If the other coach only "needs a little caulk" then do it and report back that it's fixed. Have PPL make the repair and stand behind the integrity of the roof repair. Unless he pulls up the diamond plate and inspect the floor/roof/ceiling it's impossible to tell if the roof is whole or if it's cracking under the diamond plating from the weight of all those people he had up there.

Mold causes serious illness. I have asthma and allergies and am affected by mold spores, mildew and second hand smoke. I have a problem with someone who smokes and doesn't list it (or lie about it) in there description when selling. To sellers: "Don't kid yourself, you can smell it".

Kit is right, I have inspected many coaches for out of state buyers. There are a lot of roofs that have leaked in the past.

Yeah, you're right. I forgot about the steel frame under the fiberglass. Apparentely so did the ad writer, and I got pulled into the vortex of his enthusiasm.

And, yes, plywood floors rot. Ask me how I know. Geeze, I have been through it with boats, too. The last time I went through it, only one manufacturer used treated plywood flooring. What on earth are they thinking? I never built anything for a boat that wasn't treated. Anti rot treatment is very cheap and easy. I had to build a whole new interior for one boat. Even in the late forties, my dad knew enough to treat floor wood and bilge framing. Due to rot, my boat now has a full length fiberglas/honeycomb floor.

What is wrong with RV makers? Using treated plywood or slopping some copper napthanate around can't be that expensive. Or even borax. I used Timbor on my Barth floor rot. Caused by a plumbing leak, btw.

And, now you've got me all nervous about my figerglass boat absorbing water and rotting. So far, the fiberglass buoys I keep track of haven't rotted and sunk yet, though, so maybe I have a while.

My first MH was a 1966 Travco, and with 4 kids it served us well. The 316 Dodge was able to cruise at 70+. Our main complaint was braking.
I got rid of it in '72, and the floor was getting soft in spots then. We belonged to the Dodge MH group, which was quite active at the time.