Hello everyone, im not an owner of an RV yet... but ive been watching this rv for a few months... whats it worth?? hes dropped the price to $6k
orginally it was on ebay now its on craigslist...

https://www.barthmobile.com/eve...153991587#1153991587

found this thread and its the same barth...

i know the DD 8.2L is junk.... but im as mechanic and know what to look for to see if the motor is still good... or junk...

Thoughts.. opinions??

Thanks jason

If i did buy the RV id make sure the cooling system is up to snuff and better..... From my experience and from the research ive done it seems that the care of the 8.2 is what makes it last... or die


Im planning a trip to take in 6months tho... and im going to put about 20k miles on whatever RV i buy..... If i look at this RV i plan on checking the motor very closely... Any reason it shouldnt go another 20k??

I realize 133k ona diesel motr is nothing(ive owned 5 cummins trucks) but the DD 8.2L doesnt have a rep to last 200k very often

jason

The later 8.2L engines had some mods, ie larger head bolts, to make them more stable. These are quite desirable.

If they are run carefully and maintained well, they can give reasonably reliable service.

Inspect them well, research the engine mods, good luck.

i spoke with the owner, his dad owned it for the last 15yrs or so and was always on top his maintenance. Never had any major issues but his dad has passed and the son(current owner) doesnt need an RV, he has a 5th wheel for traveling.

Smokes a little at start up but still runs good, claims his dad used to get up to 14mpg on the highway... i know its the fuel pincher motor and have heard they can get decent mileage.

We have an 8.2L Detroit in one of our spray rigs at work for orchard spraying... that thing runs about 2200+rpms for 8-15hrs straight almost and never has an issue...

for $6k it seems like a decent deal??

Hard to lose at that price, not much more than the scrap price.

Be sure to check brakes and running gear. I'm assuming you have the MCC Regency chassis. Known for good handling and ride, it has a torsion bar suspension, but some front end parts are hard to find.

Good luck with your project, keep us posted.

quote:

for $6k it seems like a decent deal??

...If you treat it gently it is a good deal [but I am biased!]

There is a lot of info on here--just do a few searches and, if you like what you find out,
decide for yourself whether it is a good idea or not!!

phone Chris at MCR 1-800-796-1536
leave message--he will return your call

yes its the Regency... im assuming it has the MCC chassis...

I got a call this morning, he wants it gone, the wife is not happy lol So he will take $5500, im going to try to go look at it tomarrow.

Im also going to look at a 1980 foretravel 38ft, cummins VT555, tons of upgrades and new parts, rebuilt trans, 2 stage jakes, tires, brakes gets 10mpg consistant....

I havent heard much on here about what people get mpg wise on the 8.2 detroit...

jason

Jason, getting a very obsolete "VT555" makes no sense to me.
http://www.dieseltruckresource...mins-any-good-36280/
Regardless, I'd advise against a Foretravel that old. Don't get me wrong (thats a U295 in my profile pic) I KNOW Grand Villa's and UniCoaches are EXCELLENT. They are not much like a slab-sided 1980, which is probably on a Dodge chassis.

C 555 has a great following in boats, but on the roads not so much.

THANKS GUYS, i figured if i got it for $5500 it woudlnt be bad, i can do a cummins 5.9 swap for around $2000 since i can do all the work myself
(did a 5.9 cummins swap into a 69' bluebird a few years ago for a customer)

The allison 545 i know nothing about.... 133k miles alot for this transmission? any good upgrades or would swapping for a newer allison be better? just curious.....

Also im not worried about power.. im looking for good mpgs, anyone know if the 8.2 can be intercooled? or any mods to get better mpgs out of this rv? Im planning a trip of 20k miles or more so even .5 or 1mpg better could save me about $1000 in fuel in total

thanks

keep us posted on what you get and what you do with it...

Allison 545 is a 55 hydramatic at heart. I had one and replaced it with an allison 2000. One of my better ideas. Size wise it almost an R&R. Most of the changes were to the wiring harness and adding a TPS to the engine (cummins 5.9). Big difference is you have a lockup TC and an OD to reduce engine rpms.

Enjoy your adventure.

Hey guys thanks for your input, i didnt get the Barth regency tho... WAY to many unknowns with it, couldnt test everything(A/C units, water faucet, toilet, generator wouldnt start ect ect) the exterior was pretty bad, tires had uneven wear and probably had way more than 1800miles on them. Air system wouldnt hold correct PSI, the interior was haggard.. falling apart and dirty, missing pieces, carpet was disgusting... i could go on.... not worth it for me.

I got the 1980 Foretravel 38' cummins pusher, Basically everything was working, upgrade or new on it, 2 brand new AC units, furnace, tires(actually new and no uneven wear) the transmission was fully built(over $3k was spent on just the rebuild) the cummins VT555 had the top end completely overhauled, and he installed heads on it that have jake brakes on them. new 2spd rear end, wiring all over had been redone and upgraded, interior was in excellent shape, 7.5kw propane generator ,aftermarket back up camera... the list goes on. The barth probably would have driven like a mercedes compared to the Foretravel but when im planning a trip around the US i need to know the RV has been used and good to go... not been sitting in a barn for 5yrs with the current owner having never used it.
I guess ill have to go find a forum for the Foretravel now haha

Jason

quote:

I guess ill have to go find a forum for the Foretravel now haha

You'll find 3 former Barth owners there: Nick Cagle, Tom Johns, and Mogen David.