88' 8v92 NC 50grand

[brad barton]

And you all thought the thread about CDL's would never quit. Start insulting someone's newer high-dollar coaches..and we'll need more band-width.



In defense of Dave and Me with newish LXi's, I saw an '06 BB at the Dallas RV show last February on the very day we went out to Mr. Olivers and laid eyes on our current coach the first time. Blue Bird has fallen on hard times before and been forced to make some compromises. While the '06 Bird had four slides and stunning decor, it had no natural woodwork- just premium laminate on plywood. All seatswere ultraleather. '99-'02 coaches were regularly over $700K. This "new" one was $541K. Loss leader? Not by that much. I asked the rep what the best years were. He said the 80's and early 90's were outstanding but the first slide-coaches and ALL M380s had serious design flaws and quality (esp electric) issues. He said the last (I swear this is true..and he said this before I even saw mine)trulyelegant coachesfrom thepre LBO designers and decision makers whoworked with Henry Luce, were '99 through '02. But we've certainly found some design flaws in our coach. I wish Complete Coachworks nothing but the best re-establishing the superior reputation of Wanderlodge.



Quick update on two maintenance items. I had entry-step trouble..stuttering in and out when the door was opened. Turns out one of three switches was weak in the spring and the leather interior hinge-cover was contacting that plunger switch when the door went past 90 degrees..causing that one switch to pull it in again. Seems to be working now. When in doubt, clean, lube and stretch out the spring. And the microphor toilet problems that plagued us for a year can be traced (I hope) to a failing pressure relief valve under the powder room lavatory. Ryan had a new one that was actually a newer design less prone to failure than the rubber pinhole design Blue Bird put in. Valves and Switches.

BradBarton00LXiDFW bbartonwx@...

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To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
From: dmb993@...
Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 22:58:54 -0500
Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: 88' 8v92 NC 50grand

Bruce,

The only one's obsessed with the value of BB's are the buyers
on this board looking to steal a bird. As far as the newer birds
being of lesser quality, well, that sounds like sour grapes to me.

Best regards,
David
'02 LXi, NC

birdshill123 wrote:

I will be the discenter(sp) in this discussion. Why are so many BB
owners so uptight on the value of their Bird. If you are not going to
sell it does not matter if it is worth a million or one peso! These
are not investment grade works of art. As for those who somehow
think their 8 year old Brd is worth 50% of new. Dream on. To quote
the sales mfgr. of a large rv dealership: Big Iron is not selling.
They are giving very little for trades and some dealers are selling
DP's at a loss. The market value for many MH's has dropped 20 % in
just a few months. These are not BB's but as others have mentioned BB
buyers are few and far between. The factory has a couple of units
that have been there a long time with no takers. Same with Bleakely.
Of course they want way too much. I just gave up looking for another
Bird because the sellers, especially some private sellers are
expecting huge returns. $325 for a one slide 2001 LXI is ridiculous.
$175 for a nice ( not extra nice) 98 LXI is also way too high. The
market has just begun to drop for RV's and will drop even further
this summer. All this being said there are very good reasons for
buying a BB. But they do not appeal to everyone. If one has to be
convinced to buy a Bird they are not true BB people. A real potential
BB owner should see the quality right away. Nothing else deserves a
comparison. Period! I will add this: After looking at 98 and up
units: They pale beside the other 90's units. I think the quality
lessened. I saw design and build flaws on some units that do not
exist on the pre 98's. The newer they are the worse they are. That is
my opinion.

Bruce
1988 FC35

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