Any Floridians familiar with a 5A???

[lou432]

Hi again ! and my bring her home saga continues! :-)
So I was discouraged a few weeks back when the RV service center gave me sticker shock on items that need/may need fix`n before I bring her up the NH.

So I posted here and had some great responses ! Thanks! Craig/Gumpy being one of them and thru his encouragement and willingness to possibly come all da way down from minnysoda :-) for a small fee and give her a once over and help me get her up here.

I was invited to call him and call I did!! 2 plus hours on the phone and I felt nearly enlightened and less discouraged and whittled  the items on the service list to a minimum . She`s getting two new drivers today ,fixn/checkin things that Craig agreed and  soon she will be closer to making the 1400 mile trip to her new home.
   So......... As Craigs offer still stands his schedule is a bit tight for a sooner than later trip down which later would bring us into late Oct and the weather can be quite unpredictable at that point so my choices minimize .

  So my question/s are ...
Is  there any body in the State of Florida or the southwest area that could meet me , or do on there own and give her a once over to check her out in order for me to be a bit more confident/safe in cruzzn up to New England ??
 

Or .... Any one have a place in Southwest Fla I could drive her over and park her until I can get down there a time or two to check her out and drive her back or possibly park her there for the winter if needed .
And of course am willing to compensate reasonably for all of the above .

PM me if interested or have ideas  and I`ll give contact info to discuss further.
Thanks Folks!! Louis.

[eagle19952]

SW Florida is kind of large....where ?

OK.. I looked it's in Port Charlotte. 

[blue_goose]

I am in Lakeland FL
Jack

[Ace]

I too am in Lakeland Fl and could possibly store it for a short period depending on if my truck deal goes thru! If that happens than no I wouldn't be able to store it!


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[Charles in SC]

I do not remember seeing it in a while but there was a large bus nut gathering down that way in the winter. I want to say it was around Sarasota.

[gumpy]

That would be Arcadia. As far as I know, it's still going on, though the original organizers have turned it over to other hands.

I've suggested he consider leaving the bus in FL for the winter and fly down in Dec to take it to the Arcadia rally and spend a few days
getting to know it and all the wonderful people at the rally. There will certainly be much knowledge and advice available there for him
to glean, and it would give him an opportunity to get more familiar with his bus on level ground before making the trip north with it.

I've offered to help if I can. It's a long ways away for me, but I'm not working a full time job so it might be a fun adventure.
It would be great if there was someone closer who could help him through the first stages. Maybe go with him
to pick up the bus and help him get familiar with driving and shifting it. Then, if there's has a place he could keep it for a few months till
the threat of snow up north is past and he could take it home. He mentioned maybe being able to come down 2 or 3 times to get it ready.

Is there anyone nearby who would be willing to guide him?

I think the first step is getting all the "issues" sorted through and making the needed repairs to make it safe and roadworthy, which is what
is happening now. Much of the list of recommended repairs he received is unnecessary work and can be done after he gets it home. The safety
issues like tires, brakes and wheel bearings are essential and being taken care of.

[Ace]

I'd be willing to help any way possible but nobody has contacted me so until then...


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[gumpy]

You're on the list of prospective helpers, Ace. Thanks.

Louis (and I) is still evaluating everything. I haven't heard where the RV place is with the repairs yet.
We will get hold of you when we got to a point where we know more and it looks like you can be of assistance.

[mung]

Well, let me tell you that my 4104 was sitting for 2 years before the PO attempted to deliver it to me.  I was not aware of it sitting for 2 years until he got it here.  If I had to do it over again, I would have had it shipped down.  By the time I paid for all of the issues on his delivery trip I would have been most of the way to having it shipped and it would have been a lot less stressful.  I would put a bid out on Uship and see how low it gets and who knows you might even end up on Shipping Wars.

That being said, I have family in Charlotte Harbor and do make it that way from time to time.  I am new to busses and don't know much about the MCIs but I can sure spot bad tires, air lines, and other issues that would make driving it unsafe.

Vern

[muldoonman]

I guess it's a bigger issue with the older coaches. Bought my 1991 Prevost a few years back and the thing had been sitting for 7 or 8 years in a bus barn , having never been started or even gone into. . It was plugged into ac but all the batteries were toast. Put batteries in and tires on and drove the 400 miles to house where the fun started. I guess it did help up until the last year of being in the barn it was climate controlled at 78 degrees.

[lou432]

Hi Folks! Sorry for the absents ! Been haven a Family crisis that should be nearly over ( Thank God!)
The update on the 5A is, as of Last Thursday the new tires went on the front and the headlight were diagnosed ,Front bucket was loose/hanging and shorting out?front right bearings,races etc are being replaced and thats all I recall with the other things going on in my head!! Oil change and others have not been done yet ( as I know of any way)
I`ll upddate when I can and want to thanks all of you for your reply`s and thoughtfulness!!!

  I did put a UBid post up, one Bid at $7,500.00, I declined! I  know a guy up here that has a transport biz but no lowboy and would have to rent one but have not talked to him at length yet. but If so we`re looking at 5-7K any how.

Talk soon!! off to races for the day!! Louis.

[mung]

7,500 is insane.  Should be more like 2500.

[Ace]

I'm probably gonna be making a trip to Mn soon to either inspect a truck and possibly bring it home! Thinking I could drive it up to Mn for whatever fuel it takes and maybe Gumpy could deliver from there. If it's got a hitch I could pick up gumpys bike trailer in Al and tote it as well, killing 3 birds with one bus, so to speak!



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[lou432]

Ace, What a gracious offer !!  Thanks! Not sure with the unknown long haul capability's of the bus ,whether it would make a longer trip than planned (1400 miles) with the fact it has not seen highway travel in a few years and unknown maintenance/mechanical of that or longer and possible issues on a longer trip . Plan was to just get her up here or keep her down there till I could get down there to go thru her a bit more than the RV service center is doing now.

And Mung, either way unless I get a truck headin up here with no load i`d be paying miles and fuel both ways at $3-$5 a mile so figured cheapest would be 5K. 

[mung]

You know there is a better option!!

Move to where the bus is!  SW Florida is a nice area