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What if I gave you a coach
I know there has been a lot of discussion over condition of a coach and what to really look for when hunting for the coach for you. I just wanted to discuss a coach I have currently at my shop. It is a 1996 Vogue slide out coach. The current owner got this through a family death….So I looked at the coach where it was parked(for approximatly 12 years) Now all this time it was not being used however it has been several years since anyone has used the coach where it sat. Anyhow the new owner was very excited about this coach and I cautioned them it would be expensive to get this girl on the road again in even fair condition….well they thought I was not being truthful when I offered them very little for this coach. So now they wanted the coach on the road again……So off we go to get this and bring it to the shop as it was only about 6 miles from the shop…..new engine batteries, shuttle fuel to it, pull the windshield to get inside it…now she is here….apply water to the coach and everything is leaking, tire 18 years old, and on the list goes….I only mention this and trust me this is lengthy for me, be careful what you get, even doing things with no labor, I would have more into this to get it back up and going inside and out then what I could ever sell it for….I just hope this owner realizes what they are in for, as I dont think they are hearing me…..Dont get me wrong I am grateful for the work, and would hate to scrap out a coach however you must go into it knowing what is reasonable….
So when looking for a coach especially your first, dont get excited about how it might look..slow down and KNOW what you are getting….
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10 Replies
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I saw that coach at Jeff’s and it should be parted out, it’s that bad. The best part was the huge snake skin in the coach. Unless it would be completely restored, it will be a breakdown in motion. They could probably throw 75K at it and still have all kinds of issues.
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Jeff,as I mentioned when I was there, you should ake sure you had them sign an agreement with a mechanic’s lean as part of it. That is a bottomless pit and I would hate to see you and out in the wrong side if the deal. They really don’t understand what they are getting into.
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Was the snakeskin interior originally put in by Vogue? Or was than an update an owner did?
This story takes me back to my days long ago in the airplane business. Someone would come into the FBO during the mechanics break and ask if the owner of the FBO was interested in buying Dad’s or Grandpa’s Tri-Pacer or Apache or Debonair. “It should be in good shape, is been in the same hangor for 15 years … ever since Dad or Grandpa lost their medical and quit flying. The airplane needs to be sold to settle the estate.” The mechanics would just cringe, try not to make eye contact, and we’d slink back out to the maintenance hangar while the FBO owner would gently explain to the children or grandchildren of the late owner that their plane wasn’t worth much and it would likely cost MORE to get the plane airworthy that it was worth. Often the door to the office would close as we’d hear “Logbooks? What are logbooks? Where should we look for them.”
We found our coach 18 miles from Jeff’s shop and thought that would be a record … but I guess this Vogue beats that.
Fortunately for anyone looking for a really skinny deal on a mid-90’s Vogue, it was brought to Jeff’s attention first. I can just imagine the horror story some poor first time RVer/Prevost buyer would put themself into had they just gone and bought the coach and tried to take it home.
There are a number of guys on the Forum who have bought older Prevost seated coaches and are turning them into motorhomes. I wonder if they’d be better off buying this Vogue and using it as a donor coach, or buying the Vogue for a few thousands of dollars and restoring it.
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If Jeff’s any kind of businessman, he will have the owners bring the bill balance current in draws as he goes.
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I saw the coach. Its horrible appearance is only what is seen on the surface.
It has an after market slide that does not, cannot or will not go in or out. It is an access point for animals, including the snake that left its skin when it molted. As items are opened up I suspect its condition will be much worse than imagined.
A pristine example of a coach of that vintage is going to sell for $125,000 just to grab a number out of the air. It can be assumed anything that is made of or uses rubber to function has to be replaced. Bushings, air bags, brake chambers, Norgrens, air cylinders, belt tensioners, belts, hoses, etc. You can count on it needing tires, batteries, shocks, and every drop of fluids. All filters will need to be replaced and it is probably the entire fuel system has to be “polished” and flushed. The air dryer, relay valves, protection valves and other air system components will need replacing.
I am pretty sure that just the chassis items to make it reliable, not counting what the engine or transmission will need is going to be in the range of $50,000 or more just to be conservative. If the labor was free it might be half that cost, maybe.
Then there is the interior. Some of the hard surfaces need cleaning. Some repairs or replacement. All of the soft surfaces, from the trim, to the ceiling to the furnishings have to be redone. The water that has entered through the slide that was half open may have done more damage than is immediately visible so the repairs may even extend to the floors and underlayment. Ditto for the bays.
An almost complete stripping of the interior might be required with only the walls in place if the cabinet structures are water damaged.
Then there are the house systems. Assume broken pipes in the plumbing and pushing new water lines. Assume the pump HW tank and any heating systems such as Webasto or Aquahot need replacing. With luck the various tenants from the animal kingdom did not eat the wiring. If they did miles of wires need to be pulled. Miles is the correct unit description because not only did the converter lay a lot of wiring in the coach, Prevost also has a lot of wiring, and the DDEC wiring is very sensitive to anything that can cause shorts, failed grounds or communication issues.
The coach has very little good that can be said about it. The worst part of it is the market value of the coach is never going to be as high as the cost just to turn it into an operational coach. If a would be owner thinks a free coach or a cheap coach is the way to go this is a good example of how to make a small pile of money disappear.
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It would be perfect for a home builder…
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Your correct I had thought as soon as I saw it. Have most parts and extra set of tires collecting dust. I have nothing b ut time and would be good therapy for me. The bones are there. Add skills and parts.
your correct add labor and it would be a deal killer. But therapy cost allot also!
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Without a doubt Bob can turn the coach into a jewell. But with the market for used coaches of that vintage where it is, I think the cost to restore it will exceed the market value and therapy might be needed when the homebuilder realizes what he got himself into.
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Where do you guys find pictures of this coach? I did not see a link to any other info?
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Got to believe that when you go in. Wether it be a new 2 mil$$$ coach or a 4 thousand$$$ vintage shell. It is a life style and like all other hobies cost $$$$. I would not be in it for resale–prob give it to kids to use. The one now will prob never be sold. Just passed around or scrapped. It’s all about the build! Learning something new every day..solving problems!
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