Help...Us buy our first motoerhome......

[Clyde & Meleena]

My wife and I would like to buy a dieselpusher this spring. In your opinion, would it be better to buy an older Blue Bird, Prevost, or Newell or....... a newer Newmar, Holiday Rambler, Fleetwood, or Tiffin? Our funds are limited so a new ones are out of the question. Your opinion is welcome and needed!! Thank You, Clyde Byram St. Louis, MO Want-A-Be Motorhomer

[dan]

Hi Clyde, That is really a question of personal preference. Newmar and Tiffin are great fiberglass coaches and have better miles per gallon than the all metal coaches. Blue Bird is a great coach but the factory is out of business and the future is uncertain. Prevost and Newell are great coaches. I don't think Prevost has a steel rail frame so it doesn't have hydraulic levelers. I would suggest trying to get inside of as many of these brands as you can to see the fit and finish of the interior and also drive them to get a feel how they handle. Good luck with your search.

Dan Williams,88pt38,Jackson,MS

----- Original Message -----

From: "cmlintx@sbcglobal.net"

To: "WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com"

Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 9:07 AM

Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Help...Us buy our first motoerhome......

My wife and I would like to buy a dieselpusher this spring. In your opinion, would it be better to buy an older Blue Bird, Prevost, or Newell or....... a newer Newmar, Holiday Rambler, Fleetwood, or Tiffin? Our funds are limited so a new ones are out of the question. Your opinion is welcome and needed!! Thank You, Clyde Byram St. Louis, MO Want-A-Be Motorhomer

[Jana Ewart]

We looked at the same question -- for us we decided on an older (1989)
Bluebird just because of the quality of the build. For the difference
in price, we can fix it up to be really nice again. Right now Ernie
is replacing the nasty 20 year old carpet with hardwood floors. We
did have to replace tires and batteries, too. Do some shopping
around, look at lots of different brands and make a list of what your
requirements are in order of priority. What can you compromise on and
what do you have to have. All this is really personal and what works
for one doesn't work for another. Have fun with the shopping!
Jana
89pt40wb

On 1/11/10, dan wrote:
> Hi Clyde, That is really a question of personal preference. Newmar and
> Tiffin are great fiberglass coaches and have better miles per gallon than
> the all metal coaches. Blue Bird is a great coach but the factory is out of
> business and the future is uncertain. Prevost and Newell are great coaches.
> I don't think Prevost has a steel rail frame so it doesn't have hydraulic
> levelers. I would suggest trying to get inside of as many of these brands
> as you can to see the fit and finish of the interior and also drive them to
> get a feel how they handle. Good luck with your search.
> Dan Williams,88pt38,Jackson,MS
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Clyde & Meleena
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 9:07 AM
> Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Help...Us buy our first motoerhome......
>
>
>
> My wife and I would like to buy a diesel pusher this spring. In
> your opinion, would it be better to buy an older Blue Bird, Prevost, or
> Newell or....... a newer Newmar, Holiday Rambler, Fleetwood, or Tiffin?
> Our funds are limited so a new ones are out of the question.
>
> Your opinion is welcome and needed!!
>
> Thank You,
> Clyde Byram
> St. Louis, MO
> Want-A-Be Motorhomer
>
>
>


--
Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. (Psalm 144:15)

[Eric]

Boy, there's a lot of answers to your simple question. One consideration to
keep in mine an older Bluebird, Newell or Prevost in an affordable range
(whatever that means) will likely have no slides. For the same money you can
buy lots of coaches with slides. If slides are a show stopper for you; stop
here and get a coach with slides. It's unlikely you'll find a Bluebird, Newell
or Prevost with slides in the low cost range.

An older coach will have more things that go wrong with it. Period. If you
don't enjoy working on coaches don't buy an older coach. Also if you buy a
newer coach, remember that too will be old one day. You'll need that bigger
tool box then. A high end coach is built with better materials and may be
better suited for servicing. The higher end coaches have more thing that might
require service. Everything in a high end coach is built with the thought in
mind: "How can this be done the best possible way." I expect mid level coach
add the phrase to the end of that: "...keeping cost reasonable."

That's my perspective and I'm sticking to it.

[brad barton]

Clyde,

I've owned an 84 FC Blue Bird Wanderlodge, an 86 Newell and a 2000 Wanderlodge LXi. For what it's worth, my 84 FC was the most trouble-free coach I had, but underpowered (for my taste).

The 86 Newell was the best handling coach I had, a pleasure to drive, but a few of the parts were getting hard to find in 2004. My LXi was more problematic than I thought it should've been. I think the 43' length, excessive vertical movement and body flex were related to several problems. I'd rather stay at 38-40'.



Since you'rein St. Louis, you'd be fairly close to the Newell factory in Miami, OK. And they are a pleasure to deal with on maintenance and service issues (as I'm sure Blue Bird was when their factory was still in business). A later-model Newell (Series 2000 or newer) in pristine condition would be a good choice, just keep it serviced at the factory.



A late 80's to mid 90'sWanderlodge PT40 or SP36 would be fine if it'sbeen renovated and free of rust.



If I were in the market for a bus-style coach, I'd find out who services Prevost and Marathon coaches inmy area and get their opinion on parts and maintenance.

And, if you buy a metal coach, you'll probably never want to buy a fiberglass coach again, no matter what the price.


No coach, new, used, metal or plastic will be a snap to own and run. You have to be prepared financially and emotionally for wear, tear, breakage, replacement parts and plenty of maintenance. One other thing that's real important is..no leaks. No air leaks at the door, no water leaks anywhere, roof, windows, tanks or valves. They have a way of causing more damage to more things than you can imagine. If it leaks, and they won't guarantee the fix, keep looking. Best of luck.


"bbartonwx@hotmail.com"

---

To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
From: cmlintx@...
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 07:07:50 -0800
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Help...Us buy our first motoerhome......

My wife and I would like to buy a dieselpusher this spring. In your opinion, would it be better to buy an older Blue Bird, Prevost, or Newell or....... a newer Newmar, Holiday Rambler, Fleetwood, or Tiffin? Our funds are limited so a new ones are out of the question. Your opinion is welcome and needed!! Thank You, Clyde Byram St. Louis, MO Want-A-Be Motorhomer

---

Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now.

[bwinter1946]

Clyde my experience is limited as I have only owned two motorhomes. My first
was a Bounder and the current coach is a BlueBird BMC. The BMC is far more
complicated than the gas Bounder was. In my opinion, the BMC is much more
comfortable and road worthy than the Bounder was.

I also looked at other buses and Newells before my purchase of the BMC. I was
not a big fan of bus conversions as each seemed unique and therefore more
difficult to troubleshoot for a shade tree mechanic like me. Also the bus
conversions I could afford had very old drive trains with 6V71s and 8V71s. The
Newells are a fine coach and I like them a lot however, they do not have a Blue
Book value and therefore are difficult to finance. That made a Newell a tough
choice for me.

I like my BMC as it is of reasonable length at 37', reasonable mileage at
7.5-8.5 MPG, good drive train 300 HP Cummins and Allison 6 speed trans, 10KVA
generator, good holding tank size, steel skin and structure, etc. No slides,
but that is fine with me.

just my $0.02.

Good luck

[bwinter1946]

Also another thought. One of the reasons I started checking out Buses was I was
tired of rubber roofs and fiberglas delamination I had seen in newer Motorhomes.
I could never recommend a rubber roof, fiberglas laminated walled Motorhome as I
have seen to many problems. If you want a newer rig with slide outs and
fiberglas walls I would consider checking out Country Coach Motorhomes as I
think they are about the best with their fiberglas roofs and side walls.
However I agree with an earlier statement of: once you own a bus type rig you
won't go back.

I hope nobody gets mad at my opinions but it is just my opinion.......

[Rick Davis]

SWS

(stick with steel)

---

From: Clyde & Meleena
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, January 11, 2010 8:07:50 AM
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Help...Us buy our first motoerhome......

My wife and I would like to buy a dieselpusher this spring. In your opinion, would it be better to buy an older Blue Bird, Prevost, or Newell or....... a newer Newmar, Holiday Rambler, Fleetwood, or Tiffin? Our funds are limited so a new ones are out of the question. Your opinion is welcome and needed!! Thank You, Clyde Byram St. Louis, MO Want-A-Be Motorhomer

[pattypape]

Hang around awhile and get a feel for the heavy bus chassis & steel Wanderlodge
advantage.
There is something in your price range.
It depends on your needs and how you will use the motorhome.

Bill 88 FC Michigan


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Rick Davis wrote:
>
> SWS
> (stick with steel)
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Clyde & Meleena
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Mon, January 11, 2010 8:07:50 AM
> Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Help...Us buy our first motoerhome......
>
> Â
> My wife and I would like to buy a diesel pusher this spring. In your
opinion, would it be better to buy an older Blue Bird, Prevost, or Newell
or....... a newer Newmar, Holiday Rambler, Fleetwood, or Tiffin? Our funds
are limited so a new ones are out of the question.
>
> Your opinion is welcome and needed!!
>
> Thank You,
> Clyde Byram
> St. Louis, MO
> Want-A-Be Motorhomer
>

[Light Ltenergy@...]

Hello Clyde and Clyde's Wife,

We are new Bluebird owners and love our bird. I researched for about three
years before we purchased one. We had also RVed in 5th wheels for many years,
one small 26' and then a 38' with triple slides -- we actually lived in them
while my husband was doing different huge construction projects.

While we loved the 5th wheels (lived in them about 7 years total while we owned
our home, etc) -- the trade off for us was huge. We didn't want a huge tow
vehicle and we didn't want fiberglass. Our brother bought our 26 footer and it
was hit and was so badly trashed ( like a toy) , we decided right then to not
buy fiberglass again. There is always a trade off with RVs... usually MANY
trade offs. BUT once we made up our minds to look a Class A's, we just kept
coming back to Bluebirds. There is LOTS of support within the Bluebird family
of owners. It has been invaluable.

As far as the BUS goes... We wanted a metal body and solid construction and a
million mile engine. For us it was Bluebird or Prevost. We didn't consider
others, because we wanted steel bodies. For the price and the quality the
Bluebird is a steal these days. We absolutely LOVE our Bird! We ended up with
a 1991 40 PT WB... When it was new it was around $450K... so the quality is
there.

We didn't want slides... with a WB you don't need them really. Now we are full
timers and so the WB is nice inside. But many people LOVE their standard size
Bluebirds. Wide Bodies can be a tiny bit more of a challenge during road
construction and narrow streets. Another trade off... but you will wade through
your choices and trade offs. I believe the wide bodies started in 1988 or for
sure 1989. Our brother has a 1989 PT WB... WE LOVE his classic Bird... and so
do they.

So do you homework and see what your needs are. The market is pretty crazy
right now and you can get deals on some very nice Bluebirds. I know that people
on this forum were AWESOME with their support and information as we were
narrowing our Bluebird search. Check out http://www.VintageBirds.com... good ideas on
there and for sale buses... and more leads at the bottom of the For Sale page...

Good luck and enjoy your research...

Let us know what you end up with...
hugs,
Light and Captain D

1991 40' PT (pusher) WB (wide body)

-are presently in Santa Cruz, but
looking to move to Auburn, CA soon.



--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Clyde & Meleena wrote:
>
> My wife and I would like to buy a diesel pusher this spring. In your
opinion, would it be better to buy an older Blue Bird, Prevost, or Newell
or....... a newer Newmar, Holiday Rambler, Fleetwood, or Tiffin? Our funds are
limited so a new ones are out of the question.
>
> Your opinion is welcome and needed!!
>
> Thank You,
> Clyde Byram
> St. Louis, MO
> Want-A-Be Motorhomer
>