To buy or not to buy?

[Eric Johnson]

RW,
We've owned an '84 FC 35 since 2000. I think you've described a coach that
sounds like a
pretty good deal for the money. Look carefully at the floor plan and storage
before you
make the final decision. Getting someone with experience to inspect the Bird
would be a
good idea.

Our personal traveling preferences for our 35 footer are as follows:
1 person - happy to live in the coach for an extended period
2 people - happy to live in the coach for 2-3 weeks
4 adults - happy to live in the coach for 1-2 nights

Bear in mind that you're top speed on the road will be around 60-65 mph on the
flat and
considerably slower on steep grades. This is slow compared to many other
coaches but
your reward is a bit better fuel consumption of around 7-8 mpg.

You should plan on making regular expenditures to maintain the coach. In the
six years
we've owned the FC, our costs for storage, insurance, fuel, maintenance and
upgrades are
just about equal to what we paid for the Bird to begin with. Of course, had we
plunked
down the money for a new coach, the depreciation during this time would have
easily
exceeded our expenditures and we wouldn't have enjoyed the advantages of owning
a
motorhome of this quality.

When we evaluate if this was a good use of the money, we mentally balance what
we've
spent against the trips and experiences we've had. If we use it regularly, say
1-2 trips a
month, it feels like we've made a good decision. If we let it sit in storage
for very long,
then we start to doubt what we're doing. Overall, our experience has been that
there are
surely cheaper ways to travel, but no better ways to travel, than in our FC.

Good luck with your decision.

Eric in San Antonio
84FC35SBWL2

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "littlehouseonprairie1" <murphy4@...>
wrote:
>
> I'm on the verge of purchasing a 1984 FC33 rear bath. The coach is in
> excellent condition with recent interior remodel, new paint job, new
> generator, good mechanical maintenance, etc. The price is below $30k.
> I'm a pretty good mechanic and fair electrician. I have two early
> teen daughters and a loving wife I want to show the country to. My
> question is this... is the cost and maintenance challenge of owning
> one of these older birds worth the effort or do most people who buy on
> eventually get overwhelmed and wish they had just gone fishing? I see
> a lot of 4-figure repairs in the various notes going back and forth.
> I guess I'm just a little paranoid at this point of making my fun too
> much work.
>
> Any thoughts you have to offer will be appreciated.
>
> RW
>

[Gregory OConnor]

At 25K there is no mistake to make if you trade out. 3 years ago they
were 25K and three years from now they will be 25k. The diff between a
30K deal and a 25K deal should be new tires and a full tank of bus
juice. The cost to maintain is realized by every make RV. More money
is spent working on Birds than Travcos because the total value of the
maintained item justify the expense.
One thing for sure is you will get an honest bias answer here. When
you get to the point where you ask BB owners if a BB purchase is a good
Idea, your mind is made up and you are looking for supporting replys.

Murphy, buy it as long as the repaint is classic and not fleetwoodish!!
Be sure to post a pic of the new bus!

GregoryO'Connor
94ptRomolandCa

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "littlehouseonprairie1"
<murphy4@...> wrote:
>
> I'm on the verge of purchasing a 1984 FC33 rear bath. The coach is in
> excellent condition with recent interior remodel, new paint job, new
> generator, good mechanical maintenance, etc. The price is below $30k.
> I'm a pretty good mechanic and fair electrician. I have two early
> teen daughters and a loving wife I want to show the country to. My
> question is this... is the cost and maintenance challenge of owning
> one of these older birds worth the effort or do most people who buy on
> eventually get overwhelmed and wish they had just gone fishing? I see
> a lot of 4-figure repairs in the various notes going back and forth.
> I guess I'm just a little paranoid at this point of making my fun too
> much work.
>
> Any thoughts you have to offer will be appreciated.
>
> RW
>

[Henry Jay Hannigan]

--- RW:
Price seems OK....Make sure you will be happy with the REAR BATH
MODEL as the bedding area is different than most of the FC's. I've
heard the rear baths are more difficult to sell also. If a rear bath
fits your needs..no problem...have you compared it to the SIDE BATH
model BEFORE you buy??
Just my 2 cents worth to you.
Regards & LOL
Hank Hannigan
90SP36





In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Gregory OConnor"
wrote:
>
> At 25K there is no mistake to make if you trade out. 3 years ago
they
> were 25K and three years from now they will be 25k. The diff
between a
> 30K deal and a 25K deal should be new tires and a full tank of bus
> juice. The cost to maintain is realized by every make RV. More
money
> is spent working on Birds than Travcos because the total value of
the
> maintained item justify the expense.
> One thing for sure is you will get an honest bias answer here.
When
> you get to the point where you ask BB owners if a BB purchase is a
good
> Idea, your mind is made up and you are looking for supporting
replys.
>
> Murphy, buy it as long as the repaint is classic and not
fleetwoodish!!
> Be sure to post a pic of the new bus!
>
> GregoryO'Connor
> 94ptRomolandCa
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "littlehouseonprairie1"
> <murphy4@> wrote:
> >
> > I'm on the verge of purchasing a 1984 FC33 rear bath. The coach
is in
> > excellent condition with recent interior remodel, new paint job,
new
> > generator, good mechanical maintenance, etc. The price is below
$30k.
> > I'm a pretty good mechanic and fair electrician. I have two
early
> > teen daughters and a loving wife I want to show the country to.
My
> > question is this... is the cost and maintenance challenge of
owning
> > one of these older birds worth the effort or do most people who
buy on
> > eventually get overwhelmed and wish they had just gone fishing?
I see
> > a lot of 4-figure repairs in the various notes going back and
forth.
> > I guess I'm just a little paranoid at this point of making my
fun too
> > much work.
> >
> > Any thoughts you have to offer will be appreciated.
> >
> > RW
> >
>

[Wilhelmus Schreurs]

RW:
We purchased our coach a year ago, and on our maiden voyage drove it from
Florida to northern B.C. This voyage was without incident, thanks to Randy
Dupree, who did a lot of work to ready the coach.
The learning curve has been steep, and still lots more to learn. Unlike you,
I am okay with the electrical side and weak on the mechanical.
We chose the rear side bed as my wife did not want to sleep alone.
I think the rear bath would be a good choice for you, as your teenagers can
have seperate beds and then there is a double bed up front.
There are pros and cons to both layouts, and it is only you and your family
can decide if it is the right one for you.
I am a bus nut, but for the money, design, installed equipment and layout you
cannot beat the Wanderlodge. Also the biggest, SAFETY, is the best.
Good luck on your choice, hopefully you become a bird member.
Where on the praire are you from??

Bill 84FC35SB
Terrace, B.C.

littlehouseonprairie1 <murphy4@...> wrote:
I'm on the verge of purchasing a 1984 FC33 rear bath. The coach is in
excellent condition with recent interior remodel, new paint job, new
generator, good mechanical maintenance, etc. The price is below $30k.
I'm a pretty good mechanic and fair electrician. I have two early
teen daughters and a loving wife I want to show the country to. My
question is this... is the cost and maintenance challenge of owning
one of these older birds worth the effort or do most people who buy on
eventually get overwhelmed and wish they had just gone fishing? I see
a lot of 4-figure repairs in the various notes going back and forth.
I guess I'm just a little paranoid at this point of making my fun too
much work.

Any thoughts you have to offer will be appreciated.

RW






Bill 84 FC 35 SB "$quanderlodge"
Terrace, B.C. Canada


---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[brad barton]

RW,
Our first coach was a 1984 FC-35 with the side bath, twin sofas up front and
corner bed in the back. I agree 33' seems a little short for four people
but power/weight ratio may give you a little more pull. We used our 84 Bird
with our son and daughter who were both in High School at the time (a number
of shorter trips and a 2-week great circle vacation through KS, SD, ID, OR,
CA, AZ, back to TX). The sofas were wide enough up front that we never had
to pull out the streetside jacknife bed. The curbside sofa had deep back
bolsters that revealed plenty of sleeping width. And the bolsters, when
placed on the dash, blocked the view from outside without having to pull
down the blinds or curtains. We liked the overall size and balance of the
side bath. While the floor space was pretty tight, the shower was more than
adequate. We really liked the layout.
Later we, too had a 1986 Newell, 38'. We liked the big fixed table around
the two forward chairs and the 8V92, overall drive, ride and handling were
great. But parts were getting hard to find and it was becoming a money pit.
Air ride and park leveling tanks, lines and valves were leaky and
complicated and the dash air never worked right. We are glad to be BB
owners again (first month..still in punch list stage). Fit and finish and
overall solid feel of the coach is superior to the Newell.


Brad Barton 00LXiDFW
bbartonwx@...





>From: "Dan"
>Reply-To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
>To:
>Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] To buy or not to buy?
>Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2007 02:18:55 -0500
>
>That is interesting, Newell had a wide body in 1986 and Wanderlodge waited
>until 1988.
>Dan
>81RB33
>Jackson, MS
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Troy Tikalsky
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 11:08 PM
> Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] To buy or not to buy?
>
>
> My first coach was a 1983 FC33SB with a single couch and 2 barrel chairs
>in front and a queen bed in the rear. I have 2 daughters that were not
>happy sleeping in the same bed and were not shy telling us repeatedly. The
>lack of closet space and the side bathroom really makes the coach feel
>cramped inside with 4 people. There is not much outside storage either. I
>was searching for a 35 foot rear bath model with the intention of making
>bunks above the rear beds. I ended buying a Newell 40' wide body with dual
>couches in the front and now the family tells me how much more they like
>this coach on every trip and no more fighting about sharing a bed! I took
>the whole family with when buying the Newell and before buying asked each
>of them if they would be happy with the sleeping arrangements and layout. A
>happy family makes traveling and vacations much more enjoyable.
>
> Troy Tikalsky
> Waconia, MN
> 1986 Newell
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Dan
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 7:07 PM
> Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] To buy or not to buy?
>
> Any thoughts? 1) I think a 33 is too short for four people. It is enough
>for a couple or small kids but you may wish for more room. 2) an oil sample
>is important to rule out hidden engine problems 3) I think you should set
>aside 10-20% of the purchase price for repairs and unexpected expenses 4) a
>good mechanic and fair electrician should have no trouble keeping it
>running.
>
> Dan
> 81RB33
> Jackson, MS
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: littlehouseonprairie1
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 6:07 PM
> Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] To buy or not to buy?
>
> I'm on the verge of purchasing a 1984 FC33 rear bath. The coach is in
> excellent condition with recent interior remodel, new paint job, new
> generator, good mechanical maintenance, etc. The price is below $30k.
> I'm a pretty good mechanic and fair electrician. I have two early
> teen daughters and a loving wife I want to show the country to. My
> question is this... is the cost and maintenance challenge of owning
> one of these older birds worth the effort or do most people who buy on
> eventually get overwhelmed and wish they had just gone fishing? I see
> a lot of 4-figure repairs in the various notes going back and forth.
> I guess I'm just a little paranoid at this point of making my fun too
> much work.
>
> Any thoughts you have to offer will be appreciated.
>
> RW
>
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