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Time for a newer bus, only live once!
While getting stuff ready for my upcoming trip the crappy Norcold fridge decided to annoy me and not cool stuff. So…
Thinking of this one 2012 Foretravel IH45 at Olympia – good coach? Good people to deal with?
Would consider other options almost anywhere along the Eastern US. Help me spend my money!!
The wish list:
* Bath and half
* 3 – 4 slides
* Washer & Dryer
* All Electric
* Under $375,000
Nice to have:
* Dishwasher (could be added in many cases)
* Dinette over Booth (also easy to change)
Don’t Care:
* Under 10 year BS – older quality is OK with me.
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14 Replies
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Why delay the inevitable? There are a number of nice Prevosts in that price area listed in the PC Classified sections. Move up to a Prevost now!
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I don’t get it. You’re on a Prevost site asking for opinions of going from a Tiffin to a Foretravel. If you have 375K to spend you can find a nice Prevost, although you won’t find any 3 – 4 slides.
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If you want a Prevost, buy one. You won’t be satisfied until you own one. You will always be looking for one.
We traded our Foretravel for a Prevost. Foretravel makes the best quality Class A plastic coach with the best factory support by far. But it’s’ not a Prevost.
We traded our Prevost for a Renegade XL. Then we stopped traveling and sold the Renegade. If we were to buy another RV that’s not a Prevost it would be the high end Renegade for sure. But you need to buy a Prevost.
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Would you do it again? Trading Prevost for the Renegade? What did you miss and what did you gain?
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We sold our 8V92TA Powered 1991 XL a few months back we had owned for 11 years and bought a newer S&S American Coach Revolution to use while we check out and buy our next Prevost. Wifey couldn’t live without a camper while I looked around. Tell you one thing, that old Prevost rode and drove like a Dream compared to this air suspension Revolution. It’s hard to go back to a Class A after having the Prevost Brand even though the cost of keeping a Prevost up is a lot pricier. There is no comparison between the two with these S&S lower line beaters. Hopefully It will make a good trade in when I find the right one.
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Dreaming, I have a 2001 Foretravel U320 with 2 slides on the driver’s side. I do not want slides on the passenger side which is were we sit under the Zip Dee manual awning (motor never fails), not under the edge of a slide. We live in it and enjoy the extra space the 01 offers vs the no slide 1995 U320 we lived in from 06 to 2000.
I would not accept a IH-45 if gifted with one and I had to keep it. My 01 is easier to maintain for one thing. But most important, my 01 is a mono cock construction like a Prevost. That is why one member said the Foretravel of my era, 1995 to 2005 is the best plastic coach out there. I agree, it is not Prevost level construction. But, it is not a Tiffin, Winnie or IH-45.
If I had $375 to purchase a motorhome, I would have a Prevost. I spent $69,000 which fits my money but will not buy a Series 60 equipped Prevost much less one with a slide for more space.
So, I encourage you to forget the IH-45 and cut to the chase and get a Prevost, period.
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Trainer has your foretravel had the bulkhead separation issue checked? Friend of mine several years back had His Older Model actually break in half at the back (front of drive axle) up in Colorado. Had a place there put the back bulkhead back together and He sold it shortly after.
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People buy whatever they think they want for their own reasons. Everyone justifies their decisions. But there is one fact relating to the purchase of a Prevost that to me is the ultimate reason to own one.
Prevost builds to the commercial bus market and applicable DOT standards. That quality of construction is so far from the standards used by RV manufacturers it is not even in the same league. Not only is a Prevost more robust in every respect, its engineering and construction has evolved and been perfected by hundreds of millions of miles if not billions of experience. There is not a weld, a component or assembly that isn’t tested and proven by that extensive history. Compare that with typical RVs whose typical annual mileage is less than 1/10th of the mileage of the typical Prevost.
Then compare the conversion quality to any RV of the same vintage. The Prevost converters do it right. Not only is the decor and cabinetry and materials of high quality, the conversion systems all tend to be overbuilt for longevity.
It is presumed a conventional RV costs less to maintain. I challenge that. A comparable RV of the same size is going to have a similar engine, suspension, braking system, and electrical system. The RV and the Prevost are going to require oil changes, lubrication, brake service, etc, but it is highly likely those systems on a Prevost are going to be larger and more suited for considerably longer miles. By its nature the conversion is going to be more complex and have more of everything so with more inverters, more batteries, more AC units, and more wiring it is going to be more expensive to replace things because there is more of everything.
Finally, almost all conventional RVs are a structure screwed or bolted to a platform. They have a frame similar to a truck with a flat bed body. When they are involved in an accident it is not unlikely the top structure and the chassis structure below go in different directions. A Prevost is literally a cage which is a complete structure wrapped around its occupants and in a serious accident windows may depart, the structure may bend, but the occupants inside are going to remain inside protected by that cage.
Yes I am biased, but it because there is no comparison between a Prevost and an RV.
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My bulkheads are fine. My freshwater tank overflow tube is re-routed through the floor of basement to the ground, not down the rear bulkhead wall. Did the same thing to my 95.
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I can’t really add much, other than I’d rather have a older Prevost with fewer features than a newer non-Prevost. Since you are looking at Olympia, have you considered the 2004 Royale? https://www.olympialuxurycoaches.com/coaches/2004-prevost-xlii-royale-coach Looks incredible.
2000 Featherlite H3-45
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Leesburg, FL -
Jon:
You bring up a valid point. Prevost HAS TO meet both Canadian & American DOT safety standards for a passenger carrying vehicle. I don’t think any other road vehicle is held to the standard a passenger vehicle is held to.
Chuck
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I’ve worked on a few IH-45 Foretravel’s on their Aqua Hot’s. The 1st one I serviced was a few years back and after service they were leaving so he showed me the way the way the large slide with wall to wall granite floor coming in. Pretty cool but a mechanical nightmare, a section of granite 20 foot long by 18 to 20 inches wide drop down and the upper granite floor come together above it, WOW! To Complicated, But all the newer coaches are that way. Scary. My good friend that recently passed,We were at Buttonwillow race track last October watching a track day, We were sitting by my bus having some beer and his 2017 H3-45 Millennium was 30 ft away, He pulled out his I-phone and opened his awning turned on all 4 AC’s and closed all his inside blinds, I said pretty cool till it doesn’t and he laughed. Which means he had to have someone flown out to reprogram or something to fix it.
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Like Jon said, “Ain’t no comparison between a rv and a Prevost” I ,, like lot of others have had both. Before and after the Prevost Brand.
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Tried to contact Olympia for the 2012 Foretravel, 2011 American Heiritage OR 2004 Royale – no reply to email, phone call & contact us links on their web page don’t work.
So found a nice King Aire. Seller replied within hours, allowed me to spend weekend at his home with full hookups while looking over his coach. I pickup June 5th.
Thanks for the helpful and friendly comments
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