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Difference in Value of Converters
Scanning coaches for sale in the 1994 to 2001 years seem that the Royale coaches bring lesser asking prices than several other converters.
Marathon seems to be the higher priced on the available coaches.
What is your opinion of te value of one converter to another.
Featherlite has a major price increase on other coaches. Is there a real plus in Featherlite?
Comment perceived or real difference in the converters.
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9 Replies
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That it is all in the eyes of the beholder and pricing differences between one converter to another is mostly meaningless.
Unless, it is a Liberty which dispenses rose petals when you go to dump.
There may be one converter who is more glitzy than others, there may be anothe converter who is more technically advanced than others and, there may be converters who applied the KISS principle.
It all comes down to what you like and what you want AND HOW MUCH MONEY you want to spend.
Cheers,
Ronald -
I believe there is more than a perceived cost difference. The cost/quality of materials used to construct the coach and the dedication to the quality of that construction makes a big difference in the price. Many (most?) of the Prevost’s were built to order so what the owner wanted can vary for fairly basic to way over the top. Marathon and Liberty do (did?) build some spec coaches and show coaches but the majority of coaches were built to order. I am a fan of Royale for the specific reason that they then to be more a common mans Prevost with lower prices and less glitz and glamour. They are all different and they are all unique so you have to go in and do your due diligence on every coach you might consider.
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There are so many factors that influence value, including what a buyer will pay a book could be written.
Royale and Vantare both went through a period when they dumped inventory. When Royale stopped production they were selling brand new coaches at less than they cost. When Featherlite got out of the business they kept inventory and it was also dumped at low prices, and those dragged the value of every one of those conversions that were in the market.
But the market also tends to undervalue orphans. So Royale gets a double whammy even though it is a good coach.
Liberty and Marathon work hard to keep the value of their conversions high and the market clearly values them highly. But the bottom line is there are so many other factors that impact value, such as maintenance records, or poor maintenance, shitty color combinations, etc. the coach is only worth what someone will pay.
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Parliament was another converter who went out of business not long ago and they built a nice coach. I’m sure that didn’t help their resale either. I spoke with the president of Parliament a few times who was a nice guy and knew a lot about the industry. I’ll be darned if I can think of his name?
Harry
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Harry, probably Ken Robertson. Geo.
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Yes Sir George, Ken Robertson… I really enjoyed my conversations with him. He was smart, knew all the converters and had a great sense of humor. Do you know what he’s doing now?
Harry
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Selling boats and fishing gear.
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Going with the theme of the original post, where does the Parliament coach fit into the converters?
Harry
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As coaches age, the care and maintenance they received throughout the years will become more important than who the original manufacturer was. Inside storage and frequent use are key. I like seeing an excel spreadsheet going back 5+ years that details maintenance and repairs but few owners bother to keep such a record.
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