Hi, has anyone looked at the Barth on ebay. Is it possible to have 230hp turbo diesel and 6 speed allison in this model and year? I'm new and could use advice. What is your opinion on the price and condition? Thanks Tom&Marcia

Hi Tom & Marcia. This coach used to belong to Don and Linda Scalzo, who traded up to a larger coach. Many of us here camped with the Scalzos and I've seen this coach first hand. It's a beauty, and if you don't know much about Barths, it's well worth the time to read as many of the posts here as you can. These coaches are in a class by themselves, and if this one can be had for under 30, it would be a great deal and provide you with a treasured possession for a long long time. It's also talked about here.
http://barthmobile.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6241087061/m/8831073152
For future reference, Ebay listings are discussed in the Barth Sitings Forum.
Good luck and let us know if you get it.

Hi dave,has anyone received any pictures(i.e.)engine,generator,roof of the 32 barth presently on ebay.the sellor seems reluctant to send detailed pictures which could be important in making a purchase decision.they seems to be lots of paint damage and holes drilled through front and rear.the backup lights seem to have been broken and never tended to indicating a lack of maintenance.long way to go to see.

Huh?

I doubt that Don Scalzo let anything go. There are two holes where the Family Motor Coach Assoc. plate was removed; two sheetmetal screws would take care of that if the buyer wasn't also an FMCA member. The "backup" lights mentioned are docking lights (the backup lights are between the taillights). I had to replace mine ($25) also.

I'd have no problem buying that coach sight unseen.

trying to buy a motorhome while not being able to see an important item such as the drive train will be of no benefit to anyone including the sellor.whats to hide ?.for me its a long way to look and then ask for your deposit back because of an engine issue. i believe my dear old dad called it a pig in a poke or place your bet and we will show you the cards later.

Pictures won't tell the story. I have looked at boats and RVs that appeared pristine in photos, but didn't measure up in person. I've experienced the reverse as well.

Your seller's reluctance to go through the hassle of providing detailed professional-quality photos of everything, may reflect concern about your seriousness. We've all experienced "looky-loos" who shop but never buy.

If you're serious, invest the money and time to view the coach in person. Forget about deposits before you visit. Take your checkbook, & make your deal or not. If the coach doesn't measure up, you're only out the cost of your trip.

If you put money down on anything the basis of photos, no matter how complete and detailed, you're buying a pig in a poke no matter what.

quote:

Your seller's reluctance to go through the hassle of providing detailed professional-quality photos of everything, may reflect concern about your seriousness. We've all experienced "looky-loos" who shop but never buy.

I'm sure I was a giant pain to all of the Barth sellers I dealt with but one. I was not a pain to him because I gave him money. The others probably thought I was a looky loo.

I do not understand so many sellers.

It's absolutely true that one should carefully inspect - and test - a coach top-to-bottom, front-to-back, before purchase. The Scalzos are known to several forum members, and this particular coach is unlikely to have been neglected.

Any used coach will require some repairs and maintenance - sometimes right after purchase, sometimes a bit later. Even though my Breakaway had been maintained scrupulously by the prior owners, a few minor things cropped up.

But I'm with the group that suggests going to see any coach in which you have an interest. Another forum member saved me a trip to Michigan to see a coach that was, shall we say, "too enthusiastically" described. I was preparing to fly to Seattle to look at another '94 28' Breakaway when this one came up nearly locally.

The auction on ebay ended with the reserve not being met at $28,401.
The person offering it is a dealer and probably a nice enough person but dealers need to make money on units.
They don't seem to have a current listing on Craigslist or here which would seem like logical places to list this coach so it would appear the dealer is taking the "whatever the market will bear" approach to selling this unit...okay.
I have seen it on ebay three times the first time I don't believe it met the reserve and the next time it had a buy it now price of 39,500 that was lowered to 37,500.
So from the latest results on ebay, it would seem somewhere between 28,401 and 37,500 there's a number that this dealer would accept.
Since a dealer is only interested in money and has no emotional attachment to the "unit" his only concern is having something desirable, something someone else wants. He's got the time and patience to sit on it as he has been and wait for a match between himself and a buyer who wants to pay his price. He's definitely not going to lose money, not likely.
As far as the drivetain, one thing for sure is that there has been some discussion over this coache's true mileage
See here:http://barthmobile.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6241087061/m/5111096142

Obviously if the dealer bought a coach that he believed had only 28000 miles on it that actually has over 100 grand then he might be a little reluctant to go deeper into detail on the "unit" and simply wait for a less informed more emotional buyer since mileage in some states on a "unit" over 10 years of age is exempt from any verification.

Dealers generally like 40% will settle for 30% and during a dry spell, may even let a unit go for 15% over their cost.

So bearing in mind selling on ebay has a pretty hefty price tag, now that it's off, anyone with
any interest in this coach can do better contacting this dealer direct and "save" by making an offer in his ballpark between 28401 and 37500.

If we took 37500, his last lowered buy it now price and call that his "he'll take it" price, 30% over his cost, his cost, or what HE paid for the coach would be 28,846, there abouts. So now that it's off ebay and he doesn't have the coasts associated with selling it through that venue, he might be willing to take something more in the 15% over his cost range. 15% over his cost would be 33,172.00 I'm guessing when this coach sells, it will go for real close to that figure.
If someone were really serious about this coach and wanted to make a real aggressive offer, 31,500 might be real tempting, for a clean deal.
10% over, the dealer made a profit and didn't have to sit on it too long. Be prepared for a counter.
From all the high praise this coach has received, and the dealer's confidence in showing the coach, one thing is for sure, for the right person looking for a Barth, $1000 a foot might be the nice round number that seals the deal.

Personally, I'm interested in a 30 footer and I think I'd move heaven and earth if I could get one for 1000 a foot that came with the high recommendations this coach comes with.

While true that this coach has been up 3 times, I believe the first 2 were posted by Don and Linda while they were looking at a Newell. When that fell through they traded for the big SOB they have now. Don sadi he saw it at a dealership in North Sarasota after that, then it came up on Ebay this time at a dealer in Tennessee. So it's anyones guess what he has in it, but he sure sounded like he wanted to sell it when I talked to him early in the auction. I thought 28 would buy it, and it may yet, but anything over 30 I'm pretty sure will. Then again, he did mention keeping it for himself, and if he's reading this forum we may have convinced him. Hope he lets us know if he did.

The dealer told me he would take $32,500 for it last week. Personally, I'm no longer interested in this coach and will probably make a deal on a Regency. Maybe he will take less now that that the auction ended at $28,401, below the reserve.