Abandoned $154,000 Luxury Motor Home (will it run and drive?) 

I cannot believe your extreme level of optimism! You are driving 360 miles to pick up a 35 year old motor home that you bought sight unseen. You don't know if it runs, if it has working brakes, if the tires are safe, etc. Then you are going to hook a trailer onto it, load up your Yukon (almost certainly well over the tow rating of the motorhome), and drive it 360 miles home. By yourself. In one day! Because you have to go to work the next day!! Wow. Did you really think all of that was going to happen? BTW, I owned a Barth motorhome for almost 10 years, in the 80s and 90s. They were very well built motorhomes. Good luck with your further adventures.

Do not remodel that. That thing is dope! Nostalgia always comes back every 30 years.

Have a 1985 Barth 32' model, shes a beast. It had a roof leak, we had to gut it to fix all the leaks. Looks like a giant bread van. The best part is the all aluminum construction like an airstream.

Looks like it has been pretty well cared for over the years. An absolute steal for $600. Especially with no obvious damage or mechanical issues. Sucks it got towed, truck stops are militant about that kind of stuff. Glad to hear you are finally going to get it home. Eager to see it cleaned up and back on the road. 👍

I can't believe you leave it there for a year. this motorhome has a soul, I even fell in love with it from watching this video.

Drive shaft disconnected, no bolts, batteries dead. That's a fairly effective anti-theft device.

THIS IS WHAT I LOVE ABOUT AMERICAN ENGINEERING. Leave something for decades come back add a bit of fuel liven up the battery, BOOM ! Starts and runs like it were never left standing!

Man, I definitely wouldn't remodel that. It's so retro. I love it. Can't believe you bought it for 600.00. What A steal. Anyone who's handy will save money on repairs. Looks pretty well kept to be that old.

This would be a good candidate to park on a piece of land and frame a deck/ roof around it. As cool as this would be to drive down the road again, the gas would just be absolutely insane and things would start breaking fairly quickly as it's so old.

Just found this, but I agree with the other comments, don't remodel it, that thing is cool, however I would update the electronics and lights, stuff like that than make it either safer or just nicer while maintaining that retro look.

I also made a video of a 37 chrysler barn find..will it run after 45 years?? Check it out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9_OXNclmskk.html

Awe man! SO close! Bummer. Love the interior. Hope you get it on the road soon, you'll love it

Looks like a rolling Nevada brothel. When you get done with it, it should be pretty damn good.

I remember these from back then. I was a teenager, my folks were into RVing. We had a 33ft Winnebago Chieftain that was $54k then. Same 454 engine.

WoW!!! What bunghole at the truck stop had it towed?? ONE NIGHT!?? Jesus... thumbed up, subscribed, hope that helps.

Not even an exhaust leak!!! Nice find!! Awesome vintage coach!!! Leave it as is!! That thing has character!!

Do not remodel that , this is how RVs should look . Big thumbs up on the start , thats cool that it has a wall phone and CB radio (please keep those) and somewhat new electronics but i would suggest 2-3 500 watt solar panels and replace all those batteries with Lithium Ion batteries and a solar charging unit. Replace All your inside and outside bulbs with LED ones (saves on battery power ) plus brighter

just stumbled across this,good luck to ya buddy. I liked and subscribed like you asked,keep us informed on the process,I love the older motor homes.

She fired right up! You’re so lucky!!

You have to love how the front was designed to be so aerodynamic.

Dam what a helluva endeavor my friend I think your hard works gonna pay off thanks sharing it👍👍man how time flies

Awesome, its a beautiful RV. Very classy.

Not to be critical, but I use an approach called "hyper-realism" and it goes like this: Plan for the worst possibility and go from there. In other words, I would have already made arrangements to get it towed and would have saved myself at least the 5-hrs drive time and the fuel used by the Denali. This would especially be the case with the time restraint (having to work the next day, etc.) I know it is easy to say this now, after seeing the clip, but just to make a point, the last car I purchased was 5-hrs away, though in great shape, and I still went there with a flat-bed tow truck and did not risk an expensive breakdown. As for the hyper-realism bit, I suppose it comes from my years in the US Army, so many decades ago... In the military, anything that can go wrong usually does go wrong. :D

What a shame, everything started so well including the engine then things went downhill from there. I wish you all the best and look forward to your next video on this motorhome.

Oh boy. Better you than me brother. Been there, done that. Hope it works out for you. Love to see it brought back to life. Good luck!

"will it start?" *engine starts quicker than my daily*

Sorry for your loss Brother. May the Great Spirit watch over you. 🙏

May The Blessings Be With You And Your Family on getting Your rig out of Nebraska. Good Luck!

She started right up. It's gonna be a nice one when restored. Hello from New Mexico! Those freaking truck stops are brutal!! Subbed your channel brother. God bless you!

Best of luck to you! The harder something is to accomplish, the more you appreciate it! 😉

The windows and the abundant glass areas sets this motor home apart from today's. Love all that sunlight and visibility.

WOW!! So sorry to hear that Can't wait to see it all restored!

Hope you manage to get that beast back!

You deserve all of the luck in the world . Such optimism 🙌🏼🙌🏼

DO NOT REMODEL! I'm not a big RV guy...but I know "classy" when I see it...and this is Classy! It looks so nice! It doesn't have that "Look at me! I'm so pretintious! I have all the fancy wireless high-def jig wigglers!" that the newer RV's have. I see this and I think... "Ahhh.... nice and quiet. Disconnected. Relaxing. Sit down, warm lighting, read a book". I see newer RV's and I think "Oh, great, anther email just dinged. I got 9 notifications on the smart TV too. The cold LED lighting is giving me a head ache. I just want to get out of here to relax a bit!" ;)

I just discovered your channel, and it is great. Keep up the good work.

Nice find Bud.... all the luck in fixin her back

This my first time seeing the motor housing, the battery port, ect. Dummy me just never thought to ask and no one offered. Thanks.

Thanks , love the Barth.

She's looking more like a Barf in this condition, but still a damn fine vehicle. I actually dig the classic interior!

That beauty belongs in a rv museum!!😍

Dude, why couldn't I get that lucky. Congratulations!! I wish I could run into a deal like that! Even in the condition that it's in, you got a good deal. I can't believe the turn that took at the end....

Wow! That very blue ‘Bus”, as I referred to it was parked right behind me this week. Been staring at it from the get-go! I knew he was leaving early, but I just poked my head out of my Winnebago to show him this. But they were already pulling out. I could smell the diesel and hear the rumbling engine. Awesome rig & the gentleman I met was just the nicest. So it’s great to see & learn about it.

What a fantastic looking vintage motor coach.. love it

Big thumbs up on the start .. it’s like Domino’s one thing leads to another 😎

The home Depot soundtrack you've gained my respey

I had a 1987 Country Coach. This is running well. But double check everything. The huge 8 cell batteries are the ones used on firetrucks. Can be bought used from some depts. They replace every couple years. 125lbs so get ready.

Congratulations on your purchase,,that is a really nice motor home ,inside and out,,it's really clean as well and the price WOW,, that's a hell of a deal,,,thanks for shearing,,

Was doing "research" on front drive shaft repair for my Jeep Liberty Renegade....then your video distracted me...in a good way...Subbed for more updates!

Enjoyed the Vid...I was thinking 'what a great deal' when you stated what you purchased the motorhome for...then at the end when you stated that you spent thousands, I was like, 'OUCH'. It will make a great motorhome when you renovate/restore....hope you get it home my friend.

Wow it started and sounds great.

One of my previous RV units was a 37.5 foot Countryaire mh with a 454 engine, it had a gear vendor overdrive added and got between 7-9 mpg depending upon terrain and speed. The wall structure was aluminum as was the roof framing. Exhaust manifold leaks are the norm for these big block engines. Decided to tow a car trailer with the wife’s Supra on it, mileage thru Pa was 5.5 mpg, traded for a country coach asap. The weight of the newmar was apex 17,000 lbs, that steel framed Barth tank is definitely way heavier.

10:32 Nice!!! And didn't need any starting fluid 💪

Love RVs and glad you posted this one. I smiled myself when it started Hope you get it back home. I assume you didn't get permission to leave it at the truck stop, the owner must have been a jerk because it appear to have bee plenty of space for it. Good Luck

Good on ya mate, it's totally worth getting that home and fixing her up. Plus it's got a mighty 454 in it which is very cool. Watching from New Zealand, time to watch the follow-up vid now. God bless.

What a deal. Old school to the max. Can’t wait to see more.

It’s beautiful just the way it is ❤️🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

Aww, it's like a pug, so funky it's cute. Good luck with it.

People will pay big bucks for ORIGINAL vintage RVs. Maybe new flooring, reupholstery the benches and chairs. But leave the rest original after a good cleaning.

So freaking cool! Hope all works out!!

the interior is already perfect I wouldn't change anything

more Linds... love it

So did you get it home. I picked up a 1987 Hawkins motorcoach with 7 new tires All new upholstery done by a shop. Professional layer carpet 2 new ac units. New furnace. New fridge. New water pump. New diesel fired furnace and only has 24k miles on it. Runs great. Built in vacume. Blender. Water filter. Ice maker onan 7kw gen set with 127 hours. 50 amp service.. auto switch over . none of the new items had been used since installed. I have done rv repair for many years and this is amazing. This is one of the best built motorhomes available in the day. I drove it 4 hours home and ran great. I got it for $2000. The new furnace and and fridge cost more than what I paid for it. Everything on the inside is the same as your rv except I have a queen bed. All cabinets are hardwood. Floor is 2 layers of 1 inch ply with 2 inch foam core. Heats and cools easy. Probably sell it this spring and get a 5th wheel.

I like the look inside and outside of this 1986.

What a crazy video! Can't believe the risk U took. As soon as I heard Ur plan, I knew I'd have to watch the whole video to see if it worked. Have U got it home yet?

Love it! Classic BARTH. Them were solid built custom coaches back then! I knew the co-founder. Great product that is def a time capsule! I think I still have the brochures!

Congratulations for won him. good luck with restoring. he or her )) was waiting for you for revival. 🚌

I enjoyed your video and look forward to many more. You have a special talent and knowledge few possess. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and I subscribed as I like how you enjoy what your doing.

Apart from feeling dizzy from your phone camera waving about like hell. You have picked a winner at 600 bucks. Please charge the go pro for the next one, I don't think my stomach will handle this again. stay safe J.

I think I woulda parked at the truck stop, then got the Denali, parked it next to the Barth and spent the night in the RV. Start fresh on a new day.

Great content again! Love this channel!

Man she fired instantly, what a beauty. And listen to it, sounds like a real beast. Good score mate

This channel deserves way more subscribers. Good job my friend.

Hello Mate I saw your channel just started watching this vid only 2mins in and subscribed to help you out, it looks interesting. Thank you Jeremy Downunder

I am in the same boat brother. I bought a 93 Georgie boy 4 hours away, 3 months ago and still haven't got it home. First was the alternator, then the tires, then the fuel pump and filter because the gas tank had not been filled in 3 years and it rusted and ruined the pump so it had to be dropped and cleaned out. The last thing was a hole in the radiator that can't be fixed but can only be replaced. So far I am into over $2k in repairs and I am not done yet, I'm sure, aaaahhhhhh

🥺 so sorry you had such bad luck with the motorhome. Hopefully things will be better. I’m praying for you 🙏❤️🇺🇸

Heck id take that thing. Man thats a reeeeaaallly good price too

Oh man I feel for you hope you get it back soon on looks like a nice piece of kit how nice of the truck stop to get it towed not keep going and get it sorted I’ve just subscribed hope to see some updates Regards from Wales uk

Loving the Gongs etc hanging in the background

This is very interesting. I don't know why I clicked on this video but I thought it might be interesting. Guess what it is interesting. Now I can;t wait to see part two!

Best production engine ever made.

WOW, a 454 Big Block. I've got one in my 88 Winnebago. It sounds like a Corvette. 😺

Bazaar? You found it at a middle eastern market?

Appreciate your video and I really hope you get it home soon enough.

my lady worked at barth in the 90's. they were the most amazing, luxurious motorhomes on they road. rolling mansions is what they were. real marble countertops, solid brass faucets like you would find in your home, basically, the best of everything. if you had a barth motorhome, you were special in the rv park.

Barth!...at least a top 5 motorhome brand. Sweet!

You are a cool guy very patient sure a great dad too.good luck and the family will love the old bus holidays 😀steve in uk.near Chester

My extended family had a Barth - an 88 model I think, took many trips in that thing. It was nice and all but I had no idea that's the kind of money they paid for it!

Sweet machine!

Hopefully there will be a part 3 of the Barth motor-home saga, not for us, for you!

What a score, dude.

Man, as someone who lives in an old junky 1984 motorhome with no generator, I would kill for that thing. Wow, so lucky.

For sitting so long and after a short jump charge and now running, holy moly you’ve doubled your money

How long has this been sitting w/o running? I am truly amazed you got it started without pulling and changing plugs, draining gas tank and no pumps etc. seized up. Happy trails

I hope you get that beautiful moter home .

Man you can do a lot of cool stuff with that thing...very cool find.

Just park that gas guzzling behemoth and use it as a "man cave" when the old lady starts giving you grief!

Loved watching this crazy story & I hope to watch more on this so just subscribed 👍🏻

Amazing. That thing is a monster I love it and only thing I would do with the interior is change out cushions other that leave it be...its a great way to get back to the 80's.

Thanks for the video and best wishes.