Hello Barth camper experts. and campers.
My name is Peter I have a 22 ft old camper Barth that i have neglected from about the lat 9 years.
This Camper is 40 years old I bought this used in 2004 and put about 3000 dollar into it. Tires are worn out now so there no good. The only repair that is still good is the radiator. I have started it last year and it still runs. I am going to try to move it to flat ground maybe today and i will post some Picture of all the Damage.
I am asking for advice on the true cost to restore this to working order.

The Big Picture from my assessment is this.
1.Tires 6 total 600 to 1200
2.All new glass modeling 200 to 400
3.roof repair inside and top coating 400 to 1000
4 inside repair 200 to 1000
5. steam stripping paint of side and painting 200 to 3000
6.engine tune up electrical work 300 to 1000
7. other stuff 500 to 1000

So I am thinking restore cost with me doing most doing Half the work. High end cost. 9000.00 low cost 3000.00

the motor has 33,000 miles on it. I will post Pictures later today.I am interested if I have overlooked some of the cost. And is it worth even restoring this camper? What would be the market resale value after I restore and what is the value of this camper as is ?
I am thinking scrap metal parts price is 600 to 2000 . And after restoring would be 6000 to 10,000 would this be correct ?

Tough questions…

It is nearly impossible to restore an old coach for profit. As the saying goes, "You buy a coach for $10,000 then put $10,000 into it and hope you can still sell it for $10,000."

I guess it depends on the purpose of the coach. I have done a bunch of stuff on my coach mostly to improve reliability. The peace of mind is worth the cost. I know I'll never get what I spent on it but OTOH I can't find another one that is operational, reliable and better for the same price…

Value of these coaches is very difficult to establish. Since they are all so old, their depreciation has driven "average" price to just above scrap levels.

But as we know, "market value" is what one buyer paid for one coach on a given day. Is usually higher and based largely on condition and some on market competition.

Bottom line, you probably won't get your money out of it no matter what you do. But if you do get to use it, you may have the opportunity for many rich memories. These can be, as they say, priceless.

I think your numbers are ballpark, maybe low for a set of tires.

I bought my coach in 2011 for $10,000. Since then I have replaced and rebuilt most of it. New engine, radiator, exhaust, new Honda generator, furnace, AC, water heater, tires, brakes, suspension, panel gauges, driveline, lights. I never had the guts to add it all up but even without my labor there must be about $20,000 more.

I would be lucky to get $15,000 for this coach if I sold it, and that would be top end for this model.

On the other hand, I have put over 35,000 miles on it, been to places I've never been, and met a bunch of great people. I don't think that I could easily find another better coach that would be ready to go for this kind of service at the same cost.

I guess it depends on what you intend to do with the coach. Good luck!

Steve, You do know the answer to the question. It is not that difficult.

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In most cases you only get worth out of a a restoration project in enjoyment of the restoring process and.... Using it after you have made the upgrades you want in YOUR project. No matter what you spend, it is how much YOU will enjoy it. You rarely will make a profit in monetary equivalent for an old camper.

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It is an investment in FUN!

Although it is the length of a CAMPing trailer, having six tires makes me assume it is a motor home. A Barth (pickup) CAMPER would be very rare.
Do you LOVE it?
Are you EAGER to spend hours and hours PLUS planned and unplanned $$ and $$$ and $$$$ on it?
Will you have many weeks and months of time to actually travel in antique RV?

If any of your answers is "NO", don't spend another dollar on it. Get rid of it ASAP.

Steve and Kevin and Ed, along with some other faithful forum followers, have uncommon skills, patience, tools and connections enabling them to restore/reconfigure/maintain these troublesome old vehicles. I am not in the same league -- not even close. Some of us attempt vast projects with half-vast skills and means. If you're blessed with both skill and means, don't concern yourself with what the antique thing is "worth".

This is the outside.

tag

Massive photo alert!!! Can you resize that so it is visible?

As mentioned, fixing up old RV's is rarely worthwhile in the monetary sense. Let's face it, they are money pits! It's got to be a project you will enjoy and want to do... which may not be the case for you if it has already sat unattended for 9 years? (Maybe not if you had a change of heart.)

Also PLEASE do not use the direct photo upload. Send photos to Rusty, or PM me your phone and best time to call for proper inside tricks to the picture posting procedure.