Hello!

My husband and I are on the hunt for a vintage motorhome. I like the retro looks of an older motorhome, in addition to the fact that we can afford an older one...

We found a 1976 Sportcoach for sale and my husband really likes it... this evening I stumbled onto a 25 ft Barth Motorhome priced at 2,000 or best offer. The 76 Sportcoach is priced a couple hundred less. After stumbling across this site I have a newfound appreciation for the Barth, and I think I am liking it better then the Sportcoach.

I have no pictures of the inside, and I have just e-mailed the seller for more information. Are there any other questions I should ask?

This is the information with the ad:

FOR SALE 1973 BARTH MOTORHOME 25 FT. 454 CHEV, TURBO TRANS RUNS GOOD.
ONAN 4KW GENERATOR RUNS GOOD.
ROOF AIR, TUB WITH SHOWER, HOT WATER ETC. REFEGERATOR, HEATER AND STOVE WORKS.
RUNS AND DRIVES BUT NEEDS TLC ON INTERIOR. DATED (70'S) 2,000 or best offer.

Here are the images.

I owned a 1975 25 ft Sportscoach which you already know has a very similar floor plan and interior appointments to the Barth. It has the same 454 engine and TH 400 transmission. The roof was aluminum but the rest is luan wood and bonded plastic. No matter how much we spent, the de-lamination occurred around the wheel wells and spread upwards. The records showed it had been re-skinned after about six years. While it drove well and was comfortable the battle of deterioration of the body was too much. It is still running in western new york and has been completely re-done in the interior and mechanically. We re-skinned what we could (from the windows down) and then bought the Barth(s). At any price close the Barth will be the best option, in my opinion. But if you want the SC we got a whole coach for spares that you can have real cheap.

Welcome to our forums JessiLynn.

quote:

Originally posted by jessilynn:
I have no pictures of the inside, and I have just e-mailed the seller for more information. Are there any other questions I should ask?

When you get the pictures please post them here. In regards to what else to ask for... Have them give you a picture of this tag



It is located inside the coach around the drivers area. For 1973, I believe, it is located below the drivers side window next to the built in ashtray - if not there, it could be above the drivers head but still on the side.

If you can't get a picture, get all of the text that is on the line that says SERIAL NO.

This tag has vital statistics unique to the coach and we can decode most of this for you.

Even if you do decide that you don't want to purchase it, still send the photos our way so we can post them for our members and include a link to the original post.

Send photos and serial number info to
bill_ny@barthmobile.com

Go to the for sale page and look at the buyer's checklist. It is a great help when inspecting, allows a bit of notation to help memory and it reduces the list of items you forgot to check.

When somebody new shows up on the bus boards asking about a bus that they are interested in buying, one of the first things that is suggested to them is to find out if there is a busnut in the area that can look at it for/with them.

Thank you so much everyone for the advice!! I never did hear back from the owner, this morning we decided to make the 3 hour drive to look at the sportcoach, and we ended up purchasing it! It was a one owner 1976 sportcoach with a 454 and 87,000 original miles. It also had just the one owner. They were only asking 1,700 and it seemed like a steal of a deal.

Maybe one day I will own a real barth... I definitely have a newfound appreciation for them after visiting these forums. You guys keep doing what you are doing!!

Here is the link to the Barth listing if anyone is interested: yakima craigslist > for sale / wanted > recreational vehicles

quote:

1973 MOTORHOME 25 FT - $2000 (COWICHE)
Date: 2010-09-23, 3:27PM PDT
Reply to: sale-m2afe-1970092266@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

FOR SALE 1973 BARTH MOTORHOME 25 FT. 454 CHEV, TURBO TRANS RUNS GOOD.
ONAN 4KW GENERATOR RUNS GOOD.
ROOF AIR, TUB WITH SHOWER, HOT WATER ETC. REFEGERATOR, HEATER AND STOVE WORKS.
RUNS AND DRIVES BUT NEEDS TLC ON INTERIOR. DATED (70'S)
GOOD HUNTING RIG, FIX, OR PART OUT. MUST SELL REDUCED PRICE FROM $2000.00 best offer
CALL STEVE AT 509-949-4108. MUST SEE
THANKS FOR LOOKING

Hey everyone!! Wanted to let you know that the owner contacted me, and I sent him to this forum.