Coach (Wanderlodge Bluebird) vs fifth wheel

New to forum
Whats everyones opinion on a Coach v/s a fifthwheel? I have a 1994 BMC Wanderlodge  37 ft  diesel pusher loaded with 43,000 miles now. Purchased it 2 years ago from a inheritance situation. Mechanically after a couple of thousand dollers in the last two years its like new condition. Had it at Sparton Chasis and because it spent its life in California and Montana it has never seen a salty road was told like new underneath last week. I have had a fifth wheel. Whats everyones opinon on one v/s the other. I have probably 9 years before retirement and able to full time. Unit used for short trips currently in Michigan summers. Wife wants to sell it and take the money and buy a fifthwheel with a slide. I say I can never replace it for what I have in to it.  let the coach v/s fifth wheel wars begin....... Opinions?

Welcome to the forum!  You have come to the right place for such questions, although you have started off with a question that has no correct answer.  But that is ok, you will never get total agreement on such an issue anyhow.

We provide a great deal of advice and suggestions here, and are anxious to help.  What ever you do you are likely to have more questions and we will have answers.  As to your question.

First, the little lady is correct.

slckpurdy said:

I say I can never replace it for what I have in to it. 

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Blue birds are fine coaches, top of the line. 

On the other hand, you don't have any slides, which are nice and about any 5er or MH that you purchase today will have slides. 

5ers are not quite so easy setup as a MH.
Once you reach your destination in a 5er you have a big truck for your local transportation.
In a MH, you end up with two engine and drive lines to maintain, assuming that you pull a toad.

What ever you do, in nine years when you retire you will likely trade for something newer.

If it were me, I would keep the Bird!

Thanks George for your comments. This is quite a delema for me. I have owned them all and have even sold them back in the 80's bringing Class A's in from Florida to Michigan..I love my Bird and it was always a dream to own one. This one kinda fell into my lap and we had a 5th wheel with a slide previously. I will be anxious to see others comments. Bring them on...

What is the motivation to swap?  You always lose money on a trade, even if you end up with some cash left over (and I doubt you would). You would be selling the Bird at wholesale and buying at retail, so you are bound to lose.  And a 5W of similar amenities and space, plus the truck to haul it, is not going to save money.

So what is her rationale? Does she want to get a truck for other purposes? Maybe wants a different floor plan? Newer?

We all know one thing: If Momma ain't happy, ain't NOBODY gonna be happy!

Ya gotta be outa your mind to swap a Bird for a 5er (In my feeble little military mind)!!!!!  What are the reasons that wifey-poo uses to support her stand????  Even considering 15 years old, which will make some of the accessories outdated and in some cases will need repair/replacment, a newer 5er will look nicer to the consumer eye, but not to the mechanical eye.  The Bird is MUCH better built, and considering that you have performed some maintenance already, what else needs to be done.  OR, is it the "slide" issue?  There is just NO WAY that the Bird's value will come close to a TV/5er, is the DW prepared for the financial load so she can have "her 5er with slide"..........  RV Roamer is correct regarding trying to keep them happy, but in this case, I would leave her at home while I take the Bird for a cruise.  Probably would NOT go over well, BUT................. Anyone swapping a 15 year old DP 37' Bird for a 5er/TV is a "sick puppy" IMO (pun intended)...........

Hi Jack and Liz.. happy anniversary on your # 1111 post. Doesn't happen too often.

  As an amateur psychologist, not really, just a geezer,  I always wondered.

  Why do you post your messages in Blue and Bold?  Are you in the advertising business?

Don't get me wrong, I love your posts, however I had to ask.

carson FL

Liz just likes blue  ;D

Wow, This is a interesting site. A lot of opinions and idea's. Im still monitoring response's. And a few people I know from other sites. Thanks everyone who responded so far.

just likes blue

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Thanks for intervening. Tom.
  I did not intend to be controversial, just a a simple question.

carson FL

Yeah!!! I really like bold blue.    ;D    ;D    ;D    ;D
Caught your attention, didn't it? 

Liz

Personally I'd probably stick with the Bird.  Trailers of any kind just don't appeal to either of us or suit our traveling style.  For one thing, we don't want to drive around in a truck once we get to a destination.  Depending on the size of the 5er, you might need a really BIG truck.  I've seen some that wouldn't fit into a regular parking lot space!  Also, I couldn't handle the hooking and unhooking of a big 5er if my husband for some reason wasn't able to do it.  Could your wife take care of the outside "stuff" in an emergency?  It's a whole lot easier to drive a motorhome than a trailer (IMHO).  I've loved driving every one of our motorhomes, but I wouldn't like driving a trailer.

As to the finanacial aspects, RVs are never an investment and money-wise you'll be spending more on a new whatever.  But, in reading your message it sounds like you don't use the Bird a whole lot.  Yes, it might be nice to have slides (yes, we do really like ours) but if you don't use it a lot, then why the big investment now?  I agree with a previous person - what is your wife's logic?  We bought our first RV (a motorhome) long before we retired, but we used them to travel and see the country whenever we could.  Sometimes it would sit in the driveway for months at a time but then we'd take a six week or three month trip that made up for the times it sat.  We had been in every state long before retirement.  See what I mean about use? 

Now - I've said in previous threads - sometimes men buy RVs their wives don't like to begin with and the wives consequently don't look at the RV as "theirs" so much as "his" and they don't really like RVing or get "into" it very much.  Is this what you're dealing with?  Has your wife EVER liked the Bird?  Or, does she like it okay but is just tired of it and wants something newer and/or nicer?  Motive is a big thing here.  You see, we've always chosen our motorhomes together as a joint decision because it's been a lifestyle we both love.  We've always had a stick house somewhere so we're not at all fulltimers, but we BOTH love to get out and do and see things while using our our bed and food and everything else that goes with RVing.  Where do you and your wife fit into this lifestyle?  Once you answer that question, you might know what you need to do.

ArdraF

I drive my  rig into a campground, hook up the electric and set the jacks. Takes me 5 minutes-tops. All the while, rig is climatized, whereas a trailer or 5th wheel you have to wait for it to climitize- really cold or really hot- takes quite a while for all that to happen. My opinion only, your mileage may vary.

Bluebirds are built like tanks and have an unsurpassed safety record.  All quality construction, top shelf components.  Cool thing is the ?upstairs patio?...  on the coast, great way to get out of mosquito range.  Maybe one of the reasons the DW likes 5th wheels is because of the styling of the interior besides the space?  Maybe all the ?bird needs is just a little updating...?


We went round & round on getting a slideout vs. not and ended up getting one w/o slideout.  For us, we spend most of our time outdoors and when inside, reading, maybe movies on inclement days.  Have essentially the same seating as with a slideout, just sitting a bit close together.  Setup with a MoHo is a whole lot easier - we?ve had a number of Airstreams in the past...  Also love the storage of the MoHo. 


Thing of it is, there are benefits in both style/kinds of camping.  With either one, you?ll be towing something if you spend some time on the road...  either a ?toad? or a trailer.  Being that you already have a classic, top-shelf RV, I?d stick with the Bluebird!  Good luck!

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.  ;D

I know I am new to the forum, but I see a lot of people in both coaches and in fifth wheels here at the park where I am working as the Park attendant, and have heard many horror stories in the last twelve years. I just have seen some of our regulars go from a fifth wheel to a coach, and I have seen a couple go the other way. Those who went from the coach to the fifth wheels ended up going back to a coach, even though the fifth wheel has more storage, they also do not hold their resale value like a coach. after ten years or so, the fifth wheel will end up losing most of it's resale value, while a coach maintains most of it's re sale value. After 12 years I only lost $10,000.00 in value on a "84" Bluebird. 

The nice part about a coach, is if you get to a park and in bad weather, it only takes  less than five minutes to hook up your electric, and and set up and level with your your jacks. (from the nice comfort of your drivers seat.)

Only an old coach would retain most of its value - the depreciation is essentially over. The same applies to an older trailer.

Buy a new coach and keep it 12 years and I can guarantee you will lose a lot more than $10k. Even a Bluebird Wanderlodge.

If I would sell mine- an 83 model, I'd have to give the buyer some cash

Ernie Ekberg said:

If I would sell mine- an 83 model, I'd have to give the buyer some cash

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I'll give you my address, just drop the Blue Bird by with what ever cash you would like to hand over and I'll take them both with a big smile. :B

I had to respond to this one....I being the wifey poo went through this very same thing.  We had a 2004 Class A that we bought brand new and then in 2006 we bought a brand new 3/4 tonne Duromax Diesel because my husband liked it but the mistake he made was bring me to look at the trucks, well the first one we came across had in big coloured letters on the windshied how many lbs it could tow...Well, I said why do we have a motorhome when we can pull a pretty decent 5th wheel and with a fireplace to boot...Well wifey poo convinced him that logically wouldn't it be a good thing to own a 5th wheel instead of a motorhome, so off we went looking at 5th wheels and the one we chose of course had a fireplace and the dealer where we bought the motorhome was actually giving us a big fat cheque on delivery.  We decided we would go to the RV show to check out the 5th wheel that we were about to order just to be sure, the first thing wifey poo sees is a diesel pusher and it was so lovely albeit no fireplace but it was a beauty...husband pipes in and states that if we end up with the 5th wheel we will never have that diesel pusher....Wifey walked out of the beauty and announced to the dealer all deals were off we were sticking with the class A...

We also came on this site and people provided their opinions on going from motorhome to 5th wheel and reminded me of the times I have to go to the bathroom while on route it is so much easier to get up and go then pulling over (if I am lucky, the coach doesn't stop until destination is reached or tank is near empty whichever comes first) soooo that too convinced me.  I have since noticed that when we are travelling in the morning after 2 coffees I have to use the washroom 2 times within 100 miles, now in a truck and trailer I would be holding it in squirming in my seat because the driver would not stop...3 years or more later we are still with the original Class A and still no pusher in site...keep dreaming but it has become a further reach...

Feel free to share my story with your wife