I've been reading all the talk about 8.2 DD, overheating, etc. and have come to the conclusion that if I had it to do over again, I would buy a Barth trailer, restore/modernize it, and tow it with a Chev 2500 Duramax. I could still enjoy the company of all the great Barth people, but quite frankly, unless you're a real good mechanic, like many on the site are, or have deep pockets and lots of time to sit around and wait for repairs, I don't think a motor home is very dependable deal. We don't have extra time, don't have deep pockets, and my mechanical skills are not much beyond turning wrenches at the direction of others. Yet here I am, with an 85 Regal. I'm not afraid to drive it, I just can't seem to adapt to the fact that it most likely will break down about 50% of the time. When you have places you have to be at, that's not a good thing. Of course, that's me talking. You'll probably hear something different from the better half.
Jim

You are so right on the money. Trailers, although slightly less convenient, are way more trouble free than any motor-home for casual camping. Owning a motor-home is a high priced privilege.

I would not think twice about buying an Airstream and being a parasite here like me either!!

Jim, I certainly understand how you feel. Belonging to a Barth, or any Motorhome, can be so frustrating and Expen$ive. All the hassles of an old truck PLUS all the hassles of a cottage sitting on top of it. If it weren't for Linda having had three total knee replacements, we'd be better off with a fifth wheel. But a class A enables her to walk back and sit in a seat belt at the dinette for a while or even (unsafely & illegally) lie down for a while.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
I've been reading all the talk about 8.2 DD, overheating, etc.

No one said that they are more prone to overheat - all we've been saying is never overheat it.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
...and have come to the conclusion that if I had it to do over again, I would buy a Barth trailer, restore/modernize it

Still are a few out there and they're not too expensive.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
...unless you're a real good mechanic... I don't think a motor home is very dependable deal.

I have to agree. You need to be mechanically inclined and love working on your Barth to really enjoy your coach.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
We don't have extra time, don't have deep pockets, and my mechanical skills are not much beyond turning wrenches at the direction of others.

And you're doing just fine Jim... Think about it. I've personally seen you in Washington DC, Chattanooga, TN and in Milford, Indiana. Yeah... you broke down with bad gas on the trip back from DC. But you still made it back under your own power.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
Yet here I am, with an 85 Regal. I'm not afraid to drive it, I just can't seem to adapt to the fact that it most likely will break down about 50% of the time.

Really? That high. I hope you're not counting the little stuff?

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
Of course, that's me talking. You'll probably hear something different from the better half.

You know she's a pretty good mechanic herself. Has an ability to draw out a picture of what she has and a desire to follow through to the end.

People tend to panic with what they don't understand... most problems are little anyway. You just need to "not make them bigger" by turning up the radio and driving the coach until it goes boom. Too many people think that they can make it to the next exit, rest area or down the street with a problem... this is where 90% of the little problems become much bigger.

Having had both motorhomes and travel trailers....I think a travel trailer is as much or more overall work than a motorhome. It takes as much to get ready to go. To me it is not restfull at all to tow...actually more work constantly watching the mirrors. Once you park a trailer, you have to hook, unhook, level and do much more than the motorhome. On the otherhand, I find the motorhome restful to drive, and overall easier.....

I think you have a sweet deal with your Barth. It's a nice, easy to drive size.

If you have a large vehicle anyway, you might as well pull a trailer with it. Since my cars are small and I don't want a bigger truck, it makes sense to have a coach. If I had a reason for a monster truck all the time, I'd go with a trailer for sure.

As for as the work goes, since I have been working on vehicles all my life, I consider all my recent work as cheap insurance. In a sense you're right, there's all those things you have worked on already and the others you will work on later! The trick is to anticipate as much as possible and don't scrimp on maintenance. When I work on one thing I am inspecting another, learning the coach all the way.

We could have spent 10 times more for a motor home that is new, etc. but they still break now and then. The new ones are almost impossible to fix yourself without a million dollar factory computer gizmo. The old ones break too but they are so much easier to diagnose, find parts, and fix on the roadside (if we must)

I personally find it rewarding to think I got my 25 yr old Barth and drove it from FLA to MI without trouble. It can be done. I could not afford the high end route and now I know the coach well and I have a remarkable support group here.

With some experience and advice from those with more (i.e. Barthmobile.com) we seem to make it back each time. Besides, what would we do with this site if things didn't break? Politics, recipes, weather, back pain, Viagra? I like tech talk!

I suppose if you look at it very logically (like Spock), the only real differences are that one has everything connected and the other doesn't. They have the same amount of "things" to go wrong (engine, tranny, refer, AC, etc). Perhaps the biggest single difference is that the truck/tow vehicle may get used more often and stay somewhat healthier. On the other hand, you can own the motor-coach for years and never wear it out mechanically if properly maintained. Yes, a big if!

I still love the ability to pull over, walk back, pee, eat, sleep, relax - that's worth a lot.

There was a gent who bought an airplane. He could have looked at the cost to maintain it and remain qualified to be its pilot-in-command. He could have lamented the cost to store it when not in use.

Instead, he thought about the places he'd been, the sights he saw that perhaps no one else in the world had seen, the company he was fortunate enough to keep inside the airplane and the great folks he met at the airports he landed at. He eventually realized the airplane set him apart from a huge portion of the world's population, and he said "it is good."

Lou

quote:

Originally posted by Lou:
Instead, he thought about the places he'd been, the sights he saw... and he said "it is good."

A favorite of mine.

I have come to the conclusion that I cannot afford my Barth..

I agree on the trailer thing, and did it for years. But a motor home allows the towing of a 4WD, boat, toy hauler, dune buggy, etc.

And, we learned that a pickup (dually) big enough to safely tow a medium to large trailer is a pain to drive around in. And park. It can also be a gas hog (if it is not a Duramax).

I admit I have a degree of mechanical ability and inclination, but I went through the gyrations of truck-TT vs. motorhome years ago, as I already have a 1T LWB diesel van.

Actually the differences between the two rigs when examined, tilt the equation to the M/H. The truck drivetrain and motorhome drivetrain cancel each other out. The fact that the motorhome "cottage" sits atop its chassis, drops the TT chassis off the list, so a plus for the M/H. M/Hs commonly have things a TT doesn't have, like a generator, larger water tanks, etc.

A "24'" TT usually has only a 21' "cottage" so there is wasted space.

IMHO, the M/H is more compact and less complex.

Suzie and I were discussing this thread a little bit ago, and when the 50o/o thing came up we agreed that we'd take up another pastime in a heartbeat. NOT BRAGGING!, but, we've had the Euro for 8 years, done Talladega every year, Homestead a few times,a bunch of State Parks, Nicks house a couple times, usually about 6 to 8 trips per year. So give us 50 trips to be conservative. One tow, a water pump, lost about 3 hours and a buck and a half. One service call, he smacked on the starter a couple times to get it going and I had him put in a new one next day.
We've had some maintainence,radiator, hoses, brakes, but nothing that even slowed down our trips, because we took care of these things in the off times.
Our coach is 30 years old and I'd jump in it tomorrow and drive anywhere in the country. It might break down, just as a 1 month old Winnie might break down, but if I'm going to worry about that I'd just stay home.

One's physical limitations also come into play here. And here, I think the scales tip in the favor of the motor home. I have a torn rotator cuff so can't do much wrench turning, but I can still drive almost as well as ever. Hell, if the damn thing breaks, I'll just call somebody to come and get it and hole up for a few days. Getting set up at a camp ground with a trailer requires a little more effort than with a motor home I think.
Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
...I think the scales tip in the favor of the motor home... Getting set up at a camp ground with a trailer requires a little more effort than with a motor home I think.

You do realize that you started this thread... right?

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
...and have come to the conclusion that if I had it to do over again, I would buy a Barth trailer...

Jim and/or Tere's post shows just how hard it is to chose one as primary. It's like the old saying, "Six to one, half dozen to the other".

For Cheri and I, we found the giant Jayco pop-up was perfect when the kids were small. How many motor-homes have 6 seat belts? When it was down to a few kids at home, a fifth wheel was perfect as we generally went on extensive day trips and often in places a RV would not go. The 34' Barth was awesome, but lacked the space we desired now that it's just the two of us. How ironic, we desire more space when down to two So now a 43' coach is perfect.

For us, the perfect rig has been dictated by # of seat belts, # of beds, economics and activity level. In the early days we pretty much just slept in the RV, whereas today we find we just lounge and read a book more often.

I think this debate will rage on forever and will never have a conclusion as it is always a personal thing.

It's like trying to agree on what the best dog breed is

Mini Aussie according to the Moonbeam