I'm am new to rving and have been looking at a few the past weeks. I came across a 1978 Barth and got interested in it. I started to research and found your site. Can you tell me if a 1978 Barth would be a better rig than say a winnebago, etc.? This Barth is a gas one. Would the diesels be better or are the gas ones good also? I know you guys and gals are probably biased towards the Barths, but I would appreciate some facts so I can make an educated buy.
Thanks,
Tony

By the way, this motorhome shows about 85,000 miles. What would you think it is worth? Not too bad of shape.

Bias towards Barths is generally caused by having owned SOBs (Some Other Brand), or having looked at many, many, motorhomes over several years in search for The Last One I'm Gonna Buy.

Only a few motorhomes stand out for durability and longevity: Barth, Safari, Foretravel, Newell, Bluebird, Hawkins, and a very few others.

The main charm of a Barth is that the superstructure is all-aluminum, so there's no threat of dryrot or delamination, of the wood frame or sub-standard fiberglass layup.

Further, while most motorhome are built to a price point, Barths (and the others I mentioned) were built to a quality point. In the case of Barths, the durable main structure was complemented by cut-no-corners interior appointments.

My constant war-cry is that any motorhome will require maintenance and repair, but a Barth won't fall apart faster than you can fix it.

So the main concern for a Barth buyer is the condition of the drivetrain, and depending on what it is, 85,000 miles is not much of a concern; machinery wears out less when run than when it just sits.

With some manufacturers, the gaso motorhomes were the poor cousins of the diesels; with Barth, the same quality and care went into every unit, although the Breakaway diesel pushers were not appointed as nicely as the Regencies, Monarchs, and Sovereigns.

This isn't much of a downgrade; my Breakaway has Corian only in the bath, while Regencies generally also had it in the kitchen. Regencies have solid wood cabinets, but my coach has plywood veneer for the structure with solid for the doors - actually, more practical for an RV.

Finally, there are no two Barths exactly alike.

Since Barth is a marque unfamiliar to the general public, prices don't always equate to the underlying value. What can be stated is that there are very few '78 motorhomes that haven't been made into mulch, and Barth is one brand that can be expected to be worthy.

More info on your find would help determine what you're looking at...there are a few Barths which have been terminally neglected.

Rusty,
Thanks for all the helpful info! You mentioned that the superstructure was all aluminum. Does that include all the wall structures too? What should I look for when it comes to the chassis? Also, is there anyplace that carries Barth parts, say windshield and body parts?
Tony

Even the interior walls on some Barths (I say that because mine has 'em) are aluminum. The coach was built with aluminum "birdcage" construction, based on aircraft design and procedures. There are few pop rivets employed; at least 95% are bucked rivets. Only a few on the basement doors and the nose cap are pop rivets.

The construction is not only all-aluminum, but surpasses any other coach in the design/engineering of the structure.

Windshields for most Barth are the same as the GN Astro Cab tractors, and replacement is generally in the $300 range installed. The house appliances are all stock RV parts, available at most RV dealers. This isn't anytjhing special about the Barths; most RVs have standard, easily replaceable interior fitments.