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Converters
From following this forum a little while, I’ve seen two prominent converters (Liberty & Marathon) throughout and then some converters who are no longer in business (CC, Royal). I’ve then seen Featherlite/Vantare which is still in business, but may be considered a step down from Liberty & Marathon.
Although a step down may not be accurate, am I missing any other converter who is still in business?
Would you agree that while Feathlerlite may be a step down, one could get a little more bang-for-the-buck? For example, a 2001 Liberty w/no slides vs. a 2001 Featherlite with two slides – both of which may be priced the same?
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8 Replies
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Don’t over look Millennium.
There are a lot of factors that influence price. For example every coach is built on the Prevost chassis so they all have a good foundation.
Some converters chose to target their coaches at a niche market such as Royale that made a lot of interiors with wood cabinetry and they had good solid but reasonably simple systems. They typically had roof airs and I have never seen a Royale with OTR. Regardless of price Royale has a strong following because of the wood interiors and their simple but robust systems..
Country Coach at one time had a very nice wood interior but switched primarily to laminates. Like Royale they typically had roof airs, but some had basement mounted package units. They rarely if ever had Prevost OTR, but pushed the fact they had CC OTR. Unlike Royale their systems were more complex and they integrated their systems with the Prevost systems to a limited extent. The proprietary electrical components are now difficult to source and some owners are repairing the systems at the circuit board level. Like Royale CC is an “orphan” but owners apparently are getting support from a number of sources. CC had some very nice floor plans and their paint schemes were among the best. CC offered a lot of neat features.
Vantare is not an orphan but unlike Royale and CC which might have their prices influenced by being “orphans” by the market, Vantare was the victim of its own self created problems. Vantare like all other converters makes a very good coach, but when the economy took a serious hit in the 2008 melt down the company was sold and the old owner ended up with a lot of inventory the new owner did not want. When the previous owner started dumping new coaches at prices far below cost it dragged down the prices of every Vantare in the market. For the buyers it was clearly a great opportunity to get a new coach at dimes on the dollar, but it dragged the resale values way down.
If it appears those converters and some others are available at lower than market prices it is because they are.
But Liberty, Marathon, Millennium went through the same economic disaster everyone else did, but they have come out the other side scarred but strong. Because as companies they are viable the market views their products as well supported and is willing to pay more for them. But it goes beyond perception. Those companies somehow manage to get their own products back on their lot when they are traded or sold. As a result they may resell the same coach sometimes more than once. But when they sell it they go through them and make them right. A buyer may have to pay more, but the buyer is getting a coach that has been well serviced by the company that made it. That adds a lot of peace of mind to a buyer and helps the converters hold the prices of their products up because buyers know those coaches have had good service histories. That is reflected in all sales, private or otherwise.
The prices are also affected by how the coaches are built and equipped. The three survivors keep raising the bar. Each new coach is better than the last. All coaches built have some great features and content. Folks that have had a previous conversion often find coaches built by the three more well known converters have measurable differences that make them a nice coach, easier to live in, and more user friendly.
The bottom line however is a person can generalize about pricing and the pecking order of conversions, but once coaches reach a certain age, maybe 10 or 15 years for example the price variations are more a function of condition and major features (such as OTR) than converter. A poorly maintained top of the line coach is always going to be worth less than a well maintained coach by a converter no longer in business.
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Thanks Jon,
Forgot about Millennium…
I’m going to be going to Cape Charles in August and basically have to pass thru Suffolk, VA where Vantare is located. I thought I may as well stop and look at them since the other converters are in FL or OR.
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T&C, as usual Jon is spot on. Comparing converters year to year, Liberty, Vantare, Marathon and Millenium are probably all on equal footing. They each do some things a little different, but each bring something to the table. At that point it comes down to what someone wants or requires for how they are going to use their bus. After ’09 you can probably leave Vantare out of that discussion as it’s kind of a hybrid between an Entertainer and a MH. Within the budget you have expressed, I wouldn’t think any converter should be overlooked. What some consider “orphans” are really not. The reasons for this have been talked about in other threads in the past. Geo.
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Every converter has a presence in FL, and there are numerous dealers there also.
If you ever get the opportunity to get into The Great Outdoors or Pelican Lake for example as a guest of a Prevost owner you will have an opportunity to meet a lot of Prevost owners and see a lot of coaches all in one spot.
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Again, Jon is right about Florida….ground zero pretty much for used Prevo’s. You are likrly to see more Vantare’s at Donny Meyers than in Virginia. Geo.
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Liberty’s conversion facility is in North Chicago, Ill. Their Stuart, FL location is sales and service.
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Yeah, but you won’t see any in North Chicago. Geo.
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If he wants to see the coaches during conversion, North Chicago is the place to go.
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