Hello everyone. The wife & I are newbees and are looking for a motorhome. After doing research for over a year, this is the 1st time I have heard of a Barth coach. Are they a well kept secret or have I been lacking in my research? From what I have seen on the "for sale" forum, they look nice. Can you "Barthies" give us a rundown? Tell me why I would/should want a Barth coach. Any help is much appreciated.

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Rick $ Gail Davidson

In real estate it is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, and in RV-ing its QUALITY ,QUALITY, QUALITY. I am new myself, but since July 9, 2003 when we purchased our Barth I can truthfully say this site has taught us so much, and helped in so many ways. You can expect the same treatment from members that we received, and with that said I yield to the other members who I am sure will speak up shortly, and answer your questions and concerns. You are on the right track in contacting this site. I wish you well. Dale and Sharon Smith

Welcome, Rick.

Virginia Beach, huh? My son (SEAL)lives on the beach there. Jefferson blvd.

What length do you want and how much do you want to spend?

Gas or diesel?

I would suggest you read as much as you can of old posts here to get an idea of things.

Any specific questions will yield quick answers here from somebody.

In general, Barths are all built to the highest quality, being all metal. No cheap lumber stapled together to rot and loosen later. Great cabinets and interiors. They rank at the top part of the quality list with anyone who knows anything.

You might also look at:

www.rvtraderonline.com

Ahhhh, you will be assimilated! Observations from another "newbie": we bought into the Barth experience as complete novices one year ago. Never owned an RV and didn't know diddly. Fortunately for us, after driving a few Others (although there is still a soft place in my heart for the H-R coaches) we found an older Barth (1984 Regal) which allowed us to step in without breaking the bank. Have not seen this kind of condition in anything else approaching 10 years of use, much less 20-years of use. The Barths are well built from good solid components IMHO. You'll pay about 25%-50% more for a comparable year/length in the Barth (from reading the ads) but in the long run, it will be worth it.

Please buy the pusher that is for sale in our forum......everytime I read that ad and look at the pictures, I break out in a cold sweat and start slobbering on the keyboard.

Ron Smith
(Absoultely no relation whatsoever, none, nada to Dale Smith) :-)

ron, I am so glad you set the record straight once and for all. Thanks BROTHER. ron and I are actually the Smith Brothers Cough Drop Twins. I am TRADE, and he is MARK. I hope mom takes you out of her WILL. Why did you have to lie to this nice want-a-be Barthie? Dale, I mean TRADE

OK people. Thanks for the help. We're still in the looking phase, but are trying to narrow things down as much as possible. We have decided on a DP of some kind and the wife is kind of partial to slides for the extra room. I'm kinda negitive on slides due to the possible problems. As for the Barth coach, how large do they come? Are they still in business? We definitely want a queen size walkaround bed. That's non-negoiatable and of course as many bells & whistles as possable. We intend to tow a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Can a Barth handle it?If the Barths are all metal (I assume Alu)do they have any leak problems with the roofs? We're looking to spend in the neighborhood of 50-75K, but we have a boat to sell first. Anyone want to trade? Got a nice Tartan30 (hence the username)with all the goodies, in great shape. Only asking 15K

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Rick $ Gail Davidson

Dave the founder of this site can supply you with drawings of how a Barth is made. Alum.and rivets is how they are made. As I understand most had one pcs. roofs so leaks can happen, but are manageable. 40 ft. No slides that I am aware of. Not in business since 1998, but that in my book is not a concern. Really I would suggest you talk to three members of this site. They will each give you something that the other might not. Now that is not saying one is smarter than the other for sure. They are, DAVE, BILL.H., AND GOODWIN. They will provide to you some real food for thought. I respect them a bunch, and I am sure you will too. There are many members that can help, but from where I sit these are good people. We as a group have a lot to offer, and we do JOKE around a bit. You can see there posts within the site, so I say GIVE THEM A HOLLER. Time is on your side, and from the monies you will have to spend you WILL find a wonderful coach. Good Luck. Don't ask ron or myself unless your scooter won't start. We have oh so much FUN. Right brother ron? Dale

[This message has been edited by DALE SMITH (edited November 17, 2003).]

Hi Rick,

I tried to send you a file with a ton of info but your hotmail email account won't take a file that big.

The original Barth was manufactured using aircraft quality construction techniques. There are over 2100 rivets which required two workers to install each one.

You can see by this picture what the interior wall construction looks like. This is why if you have a rattle in your Barth it is probably your stove top or your wine bottles. It won't be your wall construction. then the roof is finished out the same way.



Barth never made more than 300 coachs a years. This means that the same attention to detail in the construction of a 1973 25 foot went into a 1992 38 foot Regency.

Keep in mind that if you buy a Barth the newest one you can buy is going to be 5 years old and there are a lot of components that Barth didn't make, however, you can buy a 1993 plastic coach and worry about the side walls bubbling or the rubber roof cracking and there you have a really sad story. Non of those malady's will befall the Barth. Plus the fact that they are with out a doubt the coolest looking coach anywhere.

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"Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.
"

1985 28 foot Regal
Dave and Deb Bowers

tartan23455

When you think of purchasing a motorhome, there are a lot of considerations. There is an incredible amount of expensive junk out there covered with glitzy options just waiting to attract your money. As Dale said, even though Barth is no longer in business it doesn't bother me. almost everything on a Barth or most other coaches for that matter is made by someone other than the manufacturer. What the manufacturer is responsible for is putting it all together. This is where Barth reigned supreme. Attention to detail, high quality construction and thoughtful layouts. Barth only made custom coaches ordered up front. As you explore farther you will find more info on this site than you can process in a short time.

I recommend that you visit some of the other forums like IRV2 and Open Roads. Read the posts about some of the unbelievable problems that some of the other high-line manufacturers have with their coaches.

There are three things that I really like about the Barth. 1.fantastic quality and sturdy construction. 2.Best value for the money by far (no one wants a Barth because they have never heard of them). 3.Best of all, when you finally purchase one, you become part of a family. We take care of each other, there isn't another owner group that comes close to supporting it's owners like the Barthmobile.com group. All coaches will have problems, it's nice to have someone to bounce your problem off of.

Good luck in your hunt for a coach. There are other very good coaches out there, but few like a Barth.


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Bill & Georgene Goodwin
92 Regency 36ft
300hp Cummins
Gillig Chassis

We kinda like the way it drives and rides. Our 300 Cummins, Allison 6 spd helps on that score a lot.
I would say it's "secret" only because they were all custom made and not supported by a dealer organization and because they're not made any more any slide outs would have to be installed. I know some who are doing that to older motorhomes, but haven't yet seen a Barth with a slide-out. Cost estimate on ours was about 40K.
Not doing it! Barth's are both quality and at a bargain price. Unbeatable combination! Ours is on a Spartan chassis and so most of the components, engine, chassis refrig, AC, Onan generator etc ARE still in business. Buy a Barth after research. You won't be disappointed.

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Susie and Gary (SUGAR)
'95 Barth Regency 34'
'96 Explorer

There was a great 1998 Barth XL 38' Diesel for sale on ebay - looked really great - didn't get any bids but you could email him and see what he had - the page address on ebay was http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIte...0056&item=2441455114 - that is item number 2441455114 - only has 43 k on it - and he is taking it down to Yuma AZ right around now -
It will give you an idea of what you can get in a newer Barth

Linda, I just received an email day before yesterday that this coach was sold.

There is another '95 Barth 36ft XL for sale on RVtraderonline. I am waiting for pictures of this coach to be sent to me.

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Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.

1985 28 foot Regal
Dave and Deb Bowers

I want to thank everyone for their answers. This site is great! And what makes it so? The people of course! I'm still going through all the different posts and learning some very valuable stuff while getting some laughs and having a good time. I do have another question. Why are some called a Breakaway? And Dave, I would be interested in the pictures if/when you get them of that 95 barth on rvtraderonline. Thanks.

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Rick $ Gail Davidson

Dave, When you receive the pictures of the 95 Barth... If possible could you please send me a copy of same.... I'm thinking about moving up to the 90's area. The wife thinks I'm crazy... after restoring or replacing everything in our 40 footer and now considering another one...

Thanks,
Al