BIRD WANTED!

[Pete Masterson]

On Jun 5, 2006, at 2:27 PM, michigangeorge1 wrote:

> Hoping you good folks can help me find a great Bird. We are newbies
> moving from boats to land yachts and are totally frustrated with
> finding a really nice coach. Seems that RV dealers and owners are
> unwilling to provide detailed information via the internet and expect
> buyers to just jump on planes and fly all over the country based on
> little hard maintenance history and documentation, and even fewer
> detailed photos. <snip>

The starting place is http://www.vintagebirds.com and http://
http://www.birdconnection.com

I just bought a 1995 coach through eBay from Mr. Olivers. One factor
was the very thorough photographic documentation. Service records
weren't available (directly) but I subsequently have received most of
what's available from the previous owner (a member of this forum).
Mr. Oliver's has a 97 BB listed, but it might not quite fit your
parameters. You can see it at
http://www.mrolivers.com/Web_03_Diesel.htm Note that it is
particularly well documented photographically --- it would be a good
example for other would-be 'bird sellers to emulate in their
photography.

This 'bird, http://www.vintagebirds.com/random/BBBrochure.pdf is a
particularly clean example of an '88 and might be worth considering.

The "without the walk-through" bath requirement might prove to be a
little hard to come by. During my search, nearly all the units had
walk-through baths. It is an efficient use of the space ... and doors
do close it off for privacy ... I ended up with a "diagonal aisle"
floor plan that has the aisle past the bathroom to one side, making
an enclosed bath. I like many aspects of this arrangement, but the
shower ends up a rather odd, and somewhat inefficient shape (almost
triangular) -- I would have preferred the shape and size of the
showers in the walk through arrangement better... (but, like most
things, there are compromises and trade offs...). However, the
diagonal aisle arrangement makes the kitchen area seem a little more
efficient -- the refrigerator is closer to the counter/work area (and
its weight is on the centerline of the vehicle) -- a plus.

Realize that it can take some time to find an exact fit... and it's
always best, when looking at used Wanderlodges to retain some budget
for repairs and refurbishment, since there will be items that a
previous owner might have been satisfied with -- or allowed to let
slide once the coach was up for sale -- that you will feel will need
to be fixed..

Pete Masterson
aeonix1@...
'95 WBDA 4203
Formerly "George's coach"
El Sobrante CA