450 LXi and A Little History

[Tom Warner]

Finally someone sees what I did over 3 years ago, when I made a very
similar observation on the original Wanderlodge Forum. I toured the
Bluebird factory and at the end of the tour asked if I could arrange to see
some things that the tour did not cover. I was shocked to see some of the
things that were being done, a finished LXI with hundreds of white circles
on it denoting paint defects. We stopped to talk to the fellow taping the
graphics on the side of a new LX. I asked him if he saw any defects in the
paint at this stage. Yes he said I do see many defects. Have you told your
boss about them I asked. No sir I have not he replied. Last time I did I
was told to just do what I was paid to do. Then there was the other coach
in the paint booth being sanded and preped for another coat of paint after
the quality control people did their job on it. I didnt have to go any
further to decide that this company was not long for the motorhome market.

And then when I needed a new body panel for my coach after it being in a
small accident and Bluebird told me the parts were no longer available (I
had them fabricated by a BB school bus dealer 15 miles from me), after BB
telling me before I bought the coach that everything was still available
for it.

When I made these observations all hell broke loose on the forum and I was
told by the moderator that these kind of comments were not welcome. And a
member said I should go buy a Newell if I didnt like the BB.

Its a sad situation when you see a company move so far away from its
heritage. Someone took a wonderful machine and made it just another wannabe.

tom
1982 FC35
Vernon Center,NY


At 12:15 PM 5/10/2005 +0000, you wrote:
>I note the conversations about the Drainmaster vs. Dupree valves, and the
>"cheapening" of
>the 450 LXi, with some interest. Frankly, I was shocked when Blue Bird
>took the M380 and
>then the new LXi "down market," abandoning not only their traditional
>price point, relative
>to the bus conversions and Newell, but also the price point well
>established with their
>customer base. I thought it was a big mistake when I first saw the M380,
>and have only
>grown more sure that BB has walked away from their heritage and their best
>opportunity.
>
>My first of many Wanderlodges was a new 1977 FC 31' gas. (I now have a
>SOB--Some
>Other Brand). As many old timers still remember, these Wanderlodges were
>the Rolls-
>Royces of the marketplace, and built like bank vaults. John Harris and
>Dick Seybolt headed
>up a savy team that aggressively marketed these coaches into what was then
>the very top
>of the motorhome market. In fact, John and Dick virtually created the top
>end of the
>motorhome market during this period. At one point in the late 70s and
>early 80s, Blue Bird
>was building about 300 Wanderlodges a year. I hear that the goal this year
>is about 30
>units.
>
>The short story is that Blue Bird simply lost their way. The first big
>mistake, in my opinion,
>occurred a long time ago in thinking that their success was based on
>building the
>Wanderlodge on their All American school bus chassis/body rather than the
>real reason,
>offering a product aimed squarely and successfully at the top of the
>market. But the top of
>the market is a moving target. BB was late in going to the rear engine,
>stayed too close to
>the All American while they transistioned to rear engine, and did not
>engineer enough
>weight out of the unit. The interiors became dated, and their products had
>difficulty
>competing with the rapidly expanding bus conversion products and Newell's
>consistently
>progressive offerings.
>
>Since then, well, we have seen a succession in ownership and management
>groups, none
>of which seems to have had a clear vision of what a top-of-the-market
>motorhome should
>be. Ultimately, we get the M380 and M450, decidedly not designed to
>compete in the
>same field as the Wanderlodges of the past.
>
>My sense is that the irony of this is that the motorhome market in the
>price range of
>$800,000 to perhaps $1,200,000 is wide open for a strong product. Newell
>is the only
>player (other than some of the cheaper, weaker conversion brands) and they
>appear to be
>prospering. The word on the street is that Newell's production is sold out
>for over a year.
>Where is Blue Bird?
>
>One can argue the merits of Dupree vs. Drainmaster, and for one, I much
>prefer the
>products and especially the service offered by Girard rather than Zip Dee.
>But for the life of
>me, I cannnot figure out why Blue Bird is not aiming their new products at
>the lucrative top
>of the motorhome market, with coaches that are innovative and uncompromised.
>
>
>
>
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