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
>