I moved some responses to this forum to allow our members to talk about owning older coaches = this was remove from a listing of what appears to be a decent older coach.

Some might have an artificially high expectations of another coach. Posting or commenting on, a coach you haven't seen or driven, doesn't do me, the seller, or a potential buyer any good.

If you haven't seen it, or driven it. All you're doing is depressing an already depressed market.

I'll tell you - I'm not happy if I have to censor anything on this site but this discussion needs to happen.

Moved Reply:

Was interested in purchasing this motorhome, but backed out on the deal,(not going to go into the particulars), but I did pay for a compression test and I would be happy to share the info with anyone that is interested in purchasing this Regal. PM me for the info.

Moved Reply:

It looks nice enough to warrant having some engine work done.

Moved Reply:

Yes, the pics look very nice. When I bought my 85 Regal, what really sold me was all the work the previous owner had done and documented. His name is Jon Bourke and he is a helicopter pilot and mechanic and he treated his Barth the same way as his aircraft. And he had receipts for everything he had done. His aim was that when I picked it up it would go anywhere with no problems. I drove it from Prescott AZ to Charlotte NC and it ran flawlessly. If Jon had anything for sale that I was interested in, I'd buy it without concern.

Moved Reply:

I am amazed at how someone could have a realistic opinion on the overall,(systems, components, appliances, mechanicals) condition of this Barth just by the "pictures". I too was taken-in by "pictures",(and several phone calls) for a 25 ft. Regal that was advertised on this site until I drove a couple of hundred miles to inspect it in person. The Regal had issues that were known to the owners but had not been disclosed in the advertisement or during our phone conversations. So pictures are a good starting point, but in themselves are not enough information to be forming an overall opinion on the condition of a motorhome that you have not personally inspected.

Moved Reply:

Good point, Michael. In my experiences selling and/or buying cars, trucks, motor homes, etc., the pics have always looked better the real thing. But, they're a good place to start.

Moved Reply:

Michael, sounds as though Jim and Tere dealt with someone who had INTEGRITY. But, you didn't :^(

Moved Reply:

My post was in no way directed at you Jim. You have been very helpful in sharing your knowledge and experiences with me with regards to your Regal. It is always good to read of experiences where people have been honest and forthright when representing what they are selling. Yes,my experience was the opposite.

Moved Reply:

I'm not sure what the issues are with this motor home or what representations the seller may have made but the ad certainly contained enough information for any prospective buyer to be concerned. For starters the coach is 27 years old. One has to expect a reasonable amount of degradation over that span of time. In addition the engine uses/burns oil. Certainly, if significant replacements had been made to the coach they would have been listed in the ad.
Prior to traveling several hundred miles it may be wise to pay for a professional inspection to ascertain the actual condition of the vehicle. In my own case I searched this site and found many posts regarding issues with the vehicle I purchased.

Once again, I'm put in the position of deleting or moving things around.

So, if anyone wants to talk about the merits of owning a nice older coach that needs work, you can have fun in this post.

Based on my my Barth purchase, you would think I purchased junk. With all the things I've done to a 22 yr old coach you would think I'm crazy to fix it. My labor is free, and I enjoy the work, or perhaps I enjoy the challenge - who knows.

Let's face it, we all own older coaches and posting stuff in the "For Sale Forum" does nothing to help sell a coach that is probably in good shape for its age.

So... have fun here - blast me for moving this - comment on the merits of owning an older coach - agree or disagree with what I've done: Have at it, we probably need to have this discussion.

Last I checked, the forum Admin can move posts where he/she pleases.

So true about older coaches, even Barths. My SOB that I owned for 5 years (2007-2012) was a 1994, thus 13-18 years old during my ownership. It was regularly used/maintained so in pretty good shape when I bought it, but I still had to put a couple thousand dollars into it during my ownership.

Insurance paid for some high dollar items, like a ripped awning and cracked windshield replacement. I also saved money by doing a lot of RV maintenance items myself... that's just part of the lifestyle. If you don't like to tinker, you probably won't enjoy RV ownership.

With ANY used RV, you ought to figure in $2000-3000 in upgrade/repair dollars right off the top. RV's like to be DRIVEN, and low mileage units that have been parked for a good portion of their lives can be problematic. Plan to replace all rubber parts (belts, hoses, tires), fluids, and a full tune-up before driving any considerable distance.

Lastly, no amount of photos can substitute for an in-person inspection. If you are not comfortable knowing what problems to look for on a used RV, have a professional check it out. A couple hundred dollars up front could save you several thousand down the road!

It's all about semantics! There is a difference between owning a coach (financially) and OWNING a coach (conceptually)

The first guy makes payments (probably large one$) and may not know squat about it, except that a factory rep should appear to fix it (hopefully) and soon.

The other guy didn't pay much for the older coach, had to work on it for a while to find the bugs and make it right. Invested time, not so much money and KNOWS all the coach, inside and out.

I'm guy #2 and I take great pride in my coach's reliability (so far) and my ability to make it go. I could afford a new coach but I like the projects and the satisfaction of being able to get them done. I also try to share with others.. many of the owners are reasonably mechanically inclined but lack the experience and are hesitant to get in over their heads.

Not everyone wants an older coach project, Heck I paid 10K for mine, got at least 10K more into it and I'd be lucky to sell it for 10K even if I wanted to.

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE MONEY!!! You can pay what you want for an RV, $300 to $300,000 but your satisfaction will be measured in other ways. (People with expensive coaches don't have more fun!)

When I critique a coach, I pay little attention to the dollar price (it's a private dance between buyer and seller) High or low price doesn't change what the coach IS. I look for and list the projects I can see, then decide if I have the time (even with money to pay others, these things take time) We need to focus on the COACH, its strengths and weaknesses, not price.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve VW:
The other guy didn't pay much for the older coach, had to work on it for a while to find the bugs and make it right. Invested time, not so much money and KNOWS all the coach, inside and out.

This is so true! I'm no mechanic and only tinkered around with little stuff (as needed and during vacation breakdowns) and basic maintenance on my rig. But I really KNOW it, as evidenced when I sold it. For a couple weeks, the new owner (an experienced RV'er who "upgraded" when he bought my older rig) called or e-mailed me every day or two to ask some obscure question about how something works, why/when a certain repair was done, where something is located, etc. I instantly knew the answer to every question he asked! My wife even heard me on the phone one day, and said "wow you really know that thing!"

quote:

Originally posted by Bill N.Y.:
Once again, I'm put in the position of deleting or moving things around.


So... have fun here - blast me for moving this - comment on the merits of owning an older coach - agree or disagree with what I've done: Have at it, we probably need to have this discussion.

Keep up the good work, Bill, PLEASE

Posted 02-27-2006 12:00 PM Hide Post
Hi Dave, I have a suggestion for the "Barth Coaches For Sale" section too. It is my opinion that the area designed to advertise these beautiful Barth coaches should be simply that. An area filled with comprehensive, detailed ads with photos, specifications, and contact information. I do not think this area should be a forum for opinions about each posting. I think discussions and opinions should be posted in the "General discussion" arena or some other area of the site. This would give our fellow Barthmobiler's a fair chance at selling their prized possession..

Larry and Heidi from CA





Posts: 182 | Location: Costa Mesa, CA 92

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