Well, it is beginning to look like I won't have a Barth in the driveway as soon as I thought. The Barth I have been interested in apparently needs $2000+ worth of A/C (dash) work without the price being lowered to compensate. It will need the dryer,compressor/linesTo make matters worse, there must have been a overheating issue that the service center was unable to duplicate. The last thing I want is to head for Colorado and break down in the middle of nowhere. My concern is, if we can make a deal, will the roof air keep me cool in 100 degree heat until I make it into Colorado where it is cooler? Or, will I bake with all that glass around me?

Towerguy, i wouldn't let the air be a deal breaker. Our dash air has never worked. our genset provides plenty of power to keep us as cool as we want or need to be.
If memory serves me correctly what you are looking at has a deisel gensset. Even better. ours is propane.
On the overheating? that may or may not be a problem.
First thing i would do is flush the radiator with a couple cans of gunk. Both sides, let it set but not dry. Then flush with a garden hose with a strong stream of water. repeat if necessary. DO NOT USE A POWER WASHER!!! It cost me a new radiator. Pushers tend to pull oil and dirt into the rad and plug them causing overheating.
Maybe this has already been done and that is why the shop can't get it to overheat again or maybe i'm not undersstanding your overheating comment correctly. How do you know it overheated at one time?

Thanks for responding. The only reason I knew was the repair shop told me they couldn't get it to overheat and needed to speak with the owner to see if he was pulling something heavy when it overheated on him. The dash A/C isn't necessarily the deal killer. It just raises a flag and points to other problems that might come up with a coach this old. I know there will be problems but I haven't even gotten into it and they are already rearing their ugly head. Does that mean the fridge is next or worse, the transmission? My wife will have me shot, twice for good measure, if we buy this and it turns into a money pit.

I removed our dash air on purpose. One or both roof air units take care of us fine. Mostly we just run the front one. Sometimes we close off the bedroom to make the front cooler on the front air cond. If the dash air used Freon 12, it is an expensive dinosaur, anyway.

Or maybe the price already reflected the bad air. I had an intermittent problem with mine, and it was a bad connection to the condenser fans - but the system did hold freon. I'd not be concrned about the system using Freon 12 instead of R134a; conversion is simple, but for best results, it should be left to a capable shop.

Fortunately, my Breakaway is small, and a divider curtain I made closes off the rear 2/3, so the dash air can cope - within limits. I also made heavy vinyl blackout curtains for star parties, and leave the ones up on the driver's side, which also helps.

As ironsides mentioned, a DP's radiator is a repository for all kinds of grunge - I wash mine after every trip - same for the external oil cooler.

Most of the larger motorhomes have devices which automatically shut the engine down if it overheats, so I'm not sure that is a real issue.

In any event, no 17 year old motorhome will be completely free of the need for repair and maintenance, so the wifester needs to be made aware of that. But in the end, it's still a Barth...

The seller did tell me early on that the dash A/C did not work, neither one of us expected the cost to be so high. Well, at least I didn't. As far as the overheating, he did not mention that it was doing that but he did say if the coach needed anything, it might be the cooling system since he didn't think it had ever been serviced. So again, he's not exactly hiding anything. He spent quite a bit ($12K) early on after his purchase two years ago and that was a bit of a concern. He said he hasn't had to spend anything since then. today he had the oil and filter changed, generator serviced, transmission checked along with the estimate for the dash A/C.

The price might have reflected the dash A/C but, if you aren't expecting that, it is hard to swallow.

P.S. He has also offered to pay my airfare if I purchase.

My '94 Breakaway required quite a bit of work after I purchased it. Some of it was wear and tear and some was bad repair or workmanship by previous mechanics. Was disappointed the way the deal worked out but this coach is what I wanted I have fixed most issues and have moved on. I am fortunate to have the ability and time to do all of the repair myself, otherwise it would have cost many $$$$$. As it is the parts costs aren't cheap but being a bit anal, I repair to better then new.

My A/C worked but not well, recharging took care of that and yes it still is R12 but uses only 2 lbs. I got off light on that one but the furnace burned thru within weeks after purchase and that took 2-3 solid days of work plus $600 in new furnace and related parts.

A lot of what was either worn out, broken, or broke soon after, or wasn't repaired correctly was not found in the pre-purchase inspection.

I looked for a diesel pusher of 30' length for 5 years and had some very specific requirements as did wifey, this coach met 99% of both of our requirements, I intend to refurbish and restore this one to "like new" condition, and I am almost there!

Barths have a very good foundation that they are built on-----BUT-----there are many areas that manufacturing processes and parts used are no different then any other brands of the same vintage.

I would rather put money into a Barth then any other "SOB".

BTW, My roof air does keep me comfortable in 100 degree heat that I am in right now!(in Las Vegas) But I am a bit different here, the dash air works well enough now (without roof air) and I would not be happy without it!

Towerguy, after reading your last two posts, I will remove the Hmmmmmm from my post and my thinking.

Bill H: Your Hmmmmmm is greatly appreciated, believe me! I need every opportunity to think about things from another perspective, maybe not in this specific case but I hadn't divluged all the info yet. Man, this is a great site!!!!

Hey MWrench,

Thanks, my problem is I used to do most of the necessary work on my 1966 Buick Riviera GS until someone ran a red light and changed certain aspects of my life forever. That is actually kind of a moot point since I woouldn't have a clue how to work on most anything on a Barth.

My fear, after a couple of issues popped up, is that the breaking won't end. The breaking might even accelerate the breakdowns exponentially until they begin breaking only because I thought about a particular system. At that point I will hear the first of two loud noises - my wife shooting me twice for good measure.

This Barth I'm looking at isn't exactly what I'm looking for, not the right color, maybe not the right length but to tell you the truth, I'm trying to get into my first motorhome so I really don't have a clue as to what I really want. I probably won't know for a couple of years. The only thing that really upsets me about Barth is that I've called their used Barth factory twice to special order one to my exact specifications and they have yet to return my call, how rude! So, this coach might not be exactly what I'm looking for but it is a good place to start if I can get past the A/C and overheat issues and move on!

I can't comment on your specifics, but a 38' motorhome is a load for anyone, especially a first-time buyer.

However, please note that if you buy a Barth, and your wife dies shoot you, rest assured there will be buyers for the Barth from your estate.

Seriously, I suggest some introspection here. My 28' Breakaway is ideal for the two dogs and me. Were I still married, it would also do well for my ex- and my two dogs (although her three Goldens might bog things down a bit). Anyway, a 28-30-32' motorhome is far more maneuverable and handy than the 10-8-6' difference might suggest.

Whatever coach you get, rest assured that the "breaking" will, in fact, never end. Even if mechanical issues are solved (as they never are), the coach will demand gifts - some expensive, some more modest, but motorhomes share with boats an insatiable appetite for money.

Now, there's a school of thought (to which I subscribed) that the first motorhome is merely a learning tool; mine was a 24' Class C, POS (an SOB) which had some redeeming virtues, mostly in that it taught me what I wanted and wanted to avoid in my next motorhome. It wans't at all bad, but it hadn't the room I needed, nor the basement storage. OTOH, it was fairly economical and agile, and I put 20K miles on it before replacing it with StaRV II. The lesson learned from StaRV I made the selection of StaRV II more educated, and in fact, I'm absolutely delighted with my Breakaway. Fortunately, the color scheme was perfect for my modest tastes.

However, although it was scrupulously maintained by the prior owner, I did have a couple of kilobuck$ to put into it. A couple more kilobuck$ for "upgrades". And recently, even more investment (gaso genset and a satellite dome) - not because it's necessary, but because the Barth makes long-term mods worth it.

Having been-there, done-that, I'd suggest expecting to spend at least $5K on things that need to be done - Barth or no Barth. Go into that armed with the expectation, and the expenses won't seem (quite) so bad - but they'll be there.

As far as your being able to work on a motorhome, some stuff requires gyration and distortion of the human form, others are quite simple and benign. With a little experience, many mysteries will become second nature. And the more you can learn about any motorhome, the better off you'll be even if you can't do the physical work yourself.

So a motorhome isn't just a vehicle with a toilet - it's an adventure!

Dear Mr.Towerguy

I came across your 38 foot Barth Regency coach for sale. Is your coach for sale sir if so can you please send me an E-mail Address at TNB3714@aol.com or a phone number so i can contact you I thank you for your time and hope to hear from you soon sir thank you and have a nice day.

SDW

My coach is not for sale. There are a number of other very nice coaches for sale though.

Let me re-phrase that, everything I own is for sale for the right price. Before someone chimes in concerning my wife and daughters, I don't "own" them although at times they might think I do. Or is that - at times I think I do. I better drop it while I'm ahead.