Experienced Help Please

[mbulriss]

Bob and Sue James and Benny the dog,

Welcome to the WanderlodgeForum! Hopefully you will receive plenty of
opinions here. I am so behind the times.... looks like I need to get
the cat an email address! LOL!

I will vouch for Fred's coach if you are interested. It was great
coach for us before Fred bought it.

In reference to your specific questions and comments, my *opinions*
are listed below behind your questions. I am sure others will respond
also.

> My husband and I have decided that we would like to purchase an old
> Bluebird Wanderlodge (late 70s/80s).
Excellent choice! You did not indicate whether you were leaning
toward a FC or PT model. If you are not familiar with those initials,
you need to visit http://www.vintagebirds.com and peruse the history section.

> How many miles is too many miles? For example we see some at 50,000
> miles and some at 140,000 is the latter too many?
The corollary is how many miles are too few? A 20 year old coach with
10,000 miles could have more problems than one with 150,000. One that
was never used may have dried out seals, belts, hoses, tires, etc.
As long as proper maintenance was kept up is the *key*. 50,000 miles
is nothing on these big diesels, barely broken in. Likewise 140k is
no concern with proper maintenance. With bad maintenance and owner
inattention to water temp and oil pressure, 25,000 could be a fatal
problem.

> Is it unreasonable to think we can purchase one from the late
> 70s/early 80s and expect it to be reliable?
No, it is not unreasonable to expect. However, once again maintenance
and upkeep are keys in that answer. Get a qualified person to inspect
any coach you look at if you are unfamiliar with RVs or diesels in
general. We have members that can do that for you for a fee. Have
the running gear checked over by a diesel mechanic. Have an oil
analysis performed if you can, and check the antifreeze pH. Keep an
emergency fund just in case since you are looking at 25-30 year old
vehicles and things just plain wear out. On the other hand these
Birds should still outlive most of their current owners, with proper
maintenance.

> If you were to break down is it hard to locate people that can work
> on these units? Can any diesel truck mechanic fix these things?
Generally speaking, no, depending on very remote locations. FMCA has
an inexpensive emergency road service to take the worry out of finding
repair help. Most heavy diesel repair shops can work on these things.

> When buying one are there certain things that we should focus the
> most attention on because they are the most expensive to fix?
In my mind running gear maintenance is very important since diesels
and transmissions are very expensive to replace. Most everything else
pales in comparison in terms of cost to repair/replace/upgrade.

> Is there a noticeable power difference in the late 70s non-turbo
> engine vs. the 80s engine with the extra power?.
Oh yes. Remember the FC models had gas engines available until 1978
and the 1977 model year offered 3208 CAT motors, normally aspirated or
turbo depending on year; the early 80 PTs have Detroit Diesel 6V or
8V92 engines, all turbo.

> What is the expected fuel mileage on of these units?.
Oh my, sensitive topic. Remember the sign over Bass Pro Shops?
Welcome fishermen, hunters and other liars? LOL. MPG calculations
can sometimes be a source of great debate. Remember the FC is much
lighter than the PTs. Weight and speed have great impact on MPG. The
FCs will get better mileage (have heard 8-10mpg) than the PT (have
personally experienced 5-7 - 8 on a very good day all downhill at less
than the speed limit). The WB models (1988 on) are even heavier and
get about 5mpg uphill, downhill or on the flats.

OK, that's my time for now. Rebuttals, disagreements and corrections
should begin anytime.

Enjoy the forum.

Mike Bulriss
1991 WB40 "Texas Minivan"
San Antonio, TX



--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, fred brown
wrote:
>
> Dear Mr and Mrs James I have a 1983 pt 40 in excelent condition that
will be available this spring/ summer. For more details email me at my
private address.
> Fred Brown
> .----- Original Message ----
> From: bennyjamesthedog <bennyjamesthedog@...>
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2007 10:07:13 AM
> Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Experienced Help Please
>
> My husband and I have decided that we would like to purchase an old
> Bluebird Wanderlodge (late 70s/80s). They are very unique. We are
> just starting to learn about them and intend to gather info over the
> summer to verify that we haven't lost our minds and then to actually
> make a purchase toward the end of the year.
> As all of you appear to own one and love them, we thought that
> perhaps you could guide us on what to look for based on your
> experiences. We are total novices as it relates to these units so
> any input would help.
>
> Examples of our questions are below:
>
> How many miles is too many miles? For example we see some at 50,000
> miles and some at 140,000 is the latter too many?
>
> Is it unreasonable to think we can purchase one from the late
> 70s/early 80s and expect it to be reliable?
>
> If you were to break down is it hard to locate people that can work
> on these units? Can any diesel truck mechanic fix these things?
>
> When buying one are there certain things that we should focus the
> most attention on because they are the most expensive to fix?
>
> Is there a noticeable power difference in the late 70s non-turbo
> engine vs. the 80s engine with the extra power?.
>
> What is the expected fuel mileage on of these units?.
>
> That's it for now. We greatly appreciate your input on any of these
> items. And we look forward to meeting up with you someday in our
> new 'old' rig.
>
> Bob and Sue James and Benny the dog.
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>