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How to Value a Bus – Buyer’s Perspective
I have been lurking and sponging up everyone’s collective wisdom for a few years. I appreciate the amount of knowledge that everyone has and your willingness to share it.
The one concept that I cannot wrap my head around is valuing buses. Is there a publication or some way to get smart on bus value, or is an appraiser always necessary?
This week underscored my lack of knowledge. I returned from an extended overseas assignment to find a Prevost being sold at auction close to my home. I was able to go look at this one 23 hours before the auction closed. My untrained eye found that it needed house batteries, and was a bit worn on the interior. However, it started. The A/C and generator worked, but I did not do a more in depth inspection.
I did notice that steer tires were within six years, and the drive ant tag appeared to be newish retreads.
The previous owner drove it on short trips. While it had paint issues, it seemed to be more streaking from the roof than clear coat delamination.
I bid on this one for a while.
https://bullseyeauctions.bidwrangler.com/bid/28399?section=items&embed=false
Ultimately, I think a good first bus for me would be an XL with Series 60 and bunks. Since this one lacked bunks, I did not bid on it all of the way up.
How do you all assign a value to a bus when analyzing one from a realistic buyer’s perspective?
I would appreciate any tips.
Thanks,
Al
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7 Replies
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AL,
The best thing you can do is to keep an eye on for sale sites, like the one on this site, Prevost-stuff, Phil Cooper, RV Trader, etc. These sites will give you an idea what you can get within your budget. Be aware that while there are some Prevost owners that are meticulous about maintenance, there are many more that balk about spending the kind of money it takes to keep a Prevost in good shape. As a result, you could end up spending anywhere from $40k to $100k getting a coach in good running order, so keep that in mind when looking at a coach. I would recommend reserving $20-30k minimum for after-purchase repairs on a coach you are considering, unless the previous owner has detailed documentation on maintenance and repair. Ideally, you should get an inspection from a Prevost center for chassis items, and preferably from the conversion factory or a qualified house inspection facility for house items.
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Per’s suggestions are right on target.
What you haven’t said was your budget, how you intend to use the coach, and other than bunks what other “must haves” you will be looking for.
Having said that keep in mind you cannot begin to compare a motor home conversion with an entertainer. The motor home is likely a low mileage conversion with a house and systems unlike the entertainer which is likely to have a lot of miles, and some basic systems not usually suitable for family living.
The high bid on the Vogue did not seem unreasonable given what Per has said about the potential costs to restore a coach that likely lacked any data to show maintenance status.
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Al, we recently had a PC member pass unexpectedly, we’re helping his widow sell their coach. Might be something you’re looking for, it’s a 95 Vogue and has bunks installed. If you’re interested email me at dansyl159@gmail.com
We have the records of all the maintenance and pics that we can email to you.
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I appreciate everyone’s input.
Per:
Thank you for the tips. Part of my problem is that I do not know what I do not know. Your point about having a maintenance reserve and the downside of an uninspected coach have not fallen on deaf ears.
Jon:
I have read many of the articles that you have posted and appreciate your chiming in on this question.
My requirement are: bunks, Series 60, functioning galley, paint that would not make anyone that I was parked next to cringe, and a rudimentary galley. All functioning reasonably well without too much critical deferred maintenance. A star style layout with 4-6 bunks would work perfectly.
Crestron, high end appliances, a huge bathroom suite, and a lot of bling are not necessary.
While I am a bottom dweller in price range, I would have been comfortable buying the auctioned Vogue if it had bunks.
Based on my requirements and price range, I am aware that it may be a few more years before I buy something unless lightning strikes.
As for use, my primary motivator is that my mother in law is mobility limited and has effectively stopped traveling. My father in law still wants to travel. I believe that having her own bed, her own bathroom, and her life support supplies may coax her out again if just to humor her husband and grandkids. She is capable of climbing into a bus and can move short distances without problems.
Additionally, my parents still like to travel as do my kids. As an airline employee, we can travel easily and inexpensively to any destination. However, the piece that we are missing is my mother in law. I believe that a bus would get her going again, and that is important to us.
Dan:
I will send you an email.
Thank you all for your time.
Al
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You are describing an entertainer and if that is your focus keep in mind a whole lot of them have been rode hard and put away wet.
What you think you save on purchase price you are likely to spend far, far more bringing it up to snuff.
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True. I bounced around Nashville a few years ago and looked through about 15 of them. Most seemed to need maintenance of some form or another.
The exception was Wade and Libby Staley had some nice ones on their lot that were well maintained.
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Keep in mind an entertainer coach is used a lot and even if one has a very good record of timely maintenance things wear out. We who own motor home conversions will not put anywhere near the miles on our coaches in the entire time we own them compared to what the typical entertainer coach gets in a year.
So to reduce it to saying a coach is well maintained tends to ignore the fact items that will literally wear our during 800,000 to 1,000,000 miles can be small things like hub bearings or A frame bushings, or big things like a differential, transmission or engine.
If a person buys a “high mileage” motor home it might have 250,000 miles on it meaning the engine likely still has 2 or three times as many miles left in it. That might not be the case with a coach used a lot for commercial purposes. When an entertainer coach is sold often the operator has done the math and determined its value is offset by what can be some breathtaking future maintenance costs.
There ain’t no free lunch.
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