Old or Older?

[richafranco]

Pete,

This is exactly the kind of answer I'm looking for. I've just joined Vintage Birds and that seems like a great site too! Part of my decision to look more towards the vintage birds is of course, money, but I won't let it limit what I think we may need if we can pull this off. Thanks for the great advice and I'll keep checking in to see if you or others can add to this discussion.

What's behind my thought process, what little there is left, is to maybe rent our home in the Orlando area, we could get 3-4 times what ourmonthly mortgage amount is and travel the country, getting time to visit some of the places I've always wanted to photograph. This would accomplish atleast 2 things. 1. In a year or so the real estate market should improve(down atleast 30% here) and if we decided we liked this lifestyle, we could sell our home, hopefully back where it was before the crash. 2. I could be out harvesting new images for my gallery(www.richfrancophotography.com)when the economy does start to kick in, rather than waiting to see it go up and then try and get out and take photos.

I'm really, really just at the beginning of this process and all the info, talk me in, talk me out, will help,

Rich

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Pete Masterson wrote:
>
> Let's see, with about a thousand owners on this list, you'll get, oh,
> perhaps 886 different opinions....
>
> First, for long-term living, you'll probably find that those with the
> most storage options are a plus and longer is probably better. Note,
> we've taken several trips of up to 5 months at a time -- semi-full
> time living.
>
> When I narrowed my choice to a Blue Bird (after first deciding that I
> wanted something a lot safer than a plastic palace -- and after
> looking at a few bus conversions), I went through the specs on the
> Vintage Birds web site
> <http://www.vintagebirds.com> and started to formulate the
> specifications I'd prefer.
>
> For example, I discovered that prior to (about) 1980, air suspension
> wasn't used. Well, I felt that air suspension, while more complex, was
> likely to be more comfortable. (My experience with heavy equipment
> having been in the Army where I sometimes wondered if the trucks I
> drove or rode in even had springs.)
>
> Going through the years, I picked up on "nice to have" issues. (e.g.
> AquaHot heat is nice.) The extra width of the wide body adds nearly 20
> square feet to the interior of a 40' coach -- also nice. And so on.
> You mention that you like the classic look -- that essentially limits
> you to the narrow body models, since the 1989 introduction of the wide
> body also introduced fiberglass end caps and a 'new' look. (I'd have
> to look, but the last of the narrow bodies were sold in 1990 or 1991
> -- I think a 36' may have been available a year or two longer. (Check
> he Vintage Birds web site.)
>
> Another factor is to look at your budget. I decided on "newer is
> better" and my budget was telling me that "older is cheaper."
> Eventually, I selected a 1995 that I got for a decent price. Your
> budget/desire ratio may be different.
>
> Whatever year you decide on, it's wise to leave aside $5,000 or
> $10,000 in funding for repairs/upgrades you want. Hopefully, you won't
> need to spend it, but even a well cared for coach may have surprises.
>
> For example, since purchasing my coach. In the first 6 months I
> installed/repaired:
> Two new rooftop ACs (one was bad when I inspected the coach -- the
> other had an "encounter" with a tree branch on my maiden trip home.)
> New radiator core (I experienced some heating issues enroute home.)
> Refurbish and recharge chassis AC system (in hindsight, probably a
> waste of money.)
> These immediate issues ended up costing about $7,000. The radiator
> core replacement was about $4,500. Roof ACs were about $1600. Chassis
> AC was nearly $1000. (Prices around the country vary, I am located in
> a high-cost area.)
>
> Later on:
> Align wheels, replace drag link (part of steering) and steering damper
> system (that was broken).
> New bamboo wood floor (do it yourself) and some other redecorating.
> new desk, filing cabinets (removed two sofas).
> new muffler
> fix cracked shock absorber mount
>
>
> Recently:
> Replaced filing cabinets with a sofa/bed
> replaced radiator hoses
> replaced brake shoes on drive axle
> fixed water leak in seams around Fantastic Fan in bath. (Discovered
> some bonehead caulking by previous owners.)
>
> In addition, there have been annual services that included oil
> changes, filters, and other maintenance items.
>
> Pete Masterson
> '95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
> El Sobrante CA
> aeonix1@...
> Photos:
> http://picasaweb.google.com/Bluebirdzoom/PeteMasterson#
>
>
>
>
>
> On May 16, 2009, at 7:24 PM, richafranco wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> > I just found this group and I have a newbie kind of question. Is it
> > better to buy a newer Bluebird, mid-to late 80's coach or get an
> > older coach and upgrade it to what we need? I like the vintage look
> > of the older Birds. We may live in it for a year or so.
> > Thanks,
> > Rich
>