[David]

Jeff, we went through what we are sure most Prevo owners have gone through. We feel that we wasted 100’s of thousands of dollars before realizing that almost any used Prevo is better than any new “plastic” coach.Period.

[Glenn]

I have no real basis for comparison, but I have been hands on regarding servicing and maintaining my coaches. I do know the underside of the typical high end motor home has what is described as comparable systems and components, meaning air brake systems, diesel engines, heavy duty transmissions, etc. So from a maintenance point of view there is no difference. You still have oil changes, lubrication, air system maintenance, tire and battery service and replacement. You still have age related service that should be done.

Where I see the difference is in the actual construction, starting with the chassis. You do not need to see and feel and hear much of the chassis to know you are in a different world. Start by slamming the door. Open a bay door. Look at the finish and rub your fingers across the various colors. Each of those speaks volumes about how much effort and expense goes into the coaches.

Then if the coach has slides look at the structure supporting the slide and the mechanism associated with it. Notice how the slides move in and out, not from inside pushing a button, but from the outside watching to see what flexes, see what bows, see how smooth everything runs. Again, a simple comparison but generally quite revealing. If you get a chance look under each chassis and compare the structure, how secure everything is, and look especially at the massive suspension components used on the Prevost.

Then start looking at systems. Look at the chassis and house wiring. Compare the quality level of how they are done. Look at how the plumbing systems are set up and compare. Look at the water pumps, the hot water heaters, and the size and quality of the plumbing.

Then look at the bays themselves and notice how heavily they are constructed. If you sense a recurring theme relating to heavy construction and durability it is because the chassis on a Prevost is intended for mileage in the seven figures. It is not uncommon to see entertainer coaches of 6 to 10 years old with 600 to 800 thousand miles.

A motorhome with only 200,000 miles is still a baby with years of reliable service ahead of it. Think about the last time you saw a conventional motor home with 200,000 miles. How did it look? How was it holding up? If you can find one of them do yourself a favor and take it for a drive. Then find a similar age and miloeage Prevost and take it for a ride. Notice especially how each one tracks going down the highway, how each feels when you hit bumps or expansion joints, and notice how much noise is going on with shakes and rattles of each.

Then start looking at interiors. The typical conventional motor home I have seen is great looking. They are nicely done in terms of colors, and decor. But look close. How sturdy are the cabinet doors? How well are the drawers constructed? Look at the fabrics and seating areas. Compare how that older coach looks compared to a relatively new motor home. The ones I have seen have loose leather coverings, fabrics that look worn and flooring surfaces that show their age. The Prevost converters all do an excellent job of selecting materials that are durable over the long run. Can that be said of a motor home built in high volume and sold far less expensively?

Once you decide on a Prevost however you likely will bump into age related end of life service requirements. If you read the posts on the forum you may notice coaches in the 8 to 15 year range are getting air bags, brake chambers, suspension valves, tires, batteries, etc. These items, like on a motor home are affected by age and the work you read about is typically done by owners to refresh their coach and generally speaking bring it back into mechanically new condition. No different than the typical motorhome, except it makes sense on a Prevost because the coach is still so valuable and has so much of a future. You don’t see that much on a motor home because by those ages they have lost so much value it hardly makes sense to do that work.

Am I sold on a Prevost? Yes.

[Dick]

Jeff,

We are in Lufkin, Texas not far from you and we went from plastic coaches to Prevost and it was an upgrade for us to go down in years, we went from a 2005 4 slide 45′ Navigator to a 1998 Prevost H3-45 with 2 slides which we currently have for sale.

If you would like to see it we would be happy to show you so you can see why it’s an “upgrade” to go with a Prevost.

Also doing the upkeep yourself as long as you know what you’re doing is not too difficult especially if you get a good bus. There are lots of things to learn but lots of good help available too.

I have no clue what your desires are, but we can sure help you a little with basic some basic knowledge.

You can click on my name and email me if you have any questions.

There is “nothing like a Prevost” !!

Cheers, Diane

[jack]

Jeff,

Ditto what G & C said, spent tons of money over the years on plastic including CC and Fortravel. Once I switched to Prevosts, never going back and regardless what you might hear from the plastic crowd, there is NO comparison. I don’t think the cost for upkeep for a 10 year old Prevost is any more than the high end plastic and maybe less. What you get is a commercial vehicle designed to run a million miles that hold there value much better than anything out there.

Step up, you’ll be glad you did…

[Jim]

Jeff,

Go drive a Prevost on a rough road and then drive any other coach on the same road and you will buy the Prevost. That is how how got my wife to agree to a 6 year old Prevost no slide over the 2 year old Dynasty 3 slide that we had bought new. Over long distance and long days you will learn to appreciate the Prevost ride.

We wasted a lot of money on new plastic coaches before we learned our lesson.

[Ronald]

I was introduced to (Liberty) Prevosts by a friend 25 years ago. He had had a GMC Jimmy motorhome and a Bluebird. I asked why a Prevost. He said because he could and because there was nothing better. Said both the Jimmy and Bluebird were fine for what they were intended for, but didn’t hold a candle to a Prevost.

As I got closer to being in a position to buy a motorhome I figured that a Prevost would be beyond what I wanted to spend for what I wanted in a motorhome. I started to consider a truck conversion (Peterbilt 379 is the most vehicle on the road) or a plastic coach. Then I stumbled onto a 1982 XL Prevost County Country Coach or Marathon that had been completely updated inside and drive train in 1997. Seller wanted $75,000. It wasn’t something we would have bought for a variety of “we don’t like that bus reasons”, but that coach put me on the Prevost path.

We went to the 2013 POG All Prevost Show in Tampa where we could see 42 Prevost coaches from almost all the converters, talk to the dealers and brokers, and the FSBOs. Then we went to the Florida RV show the same week and met up with George and Corey. We met George through racing a few years before and I didn’t realize he had a Prevost until we met up on POG. They showed us their coach, told us what to look for, what to stay away from, pleaded with us not to make the same mistake they made by starting out in something other than a Prevost.

So our first motorhome is a Prevost. We’re very happy to have made that decision.

I echo what Jon says about the build quality of the Prevost chassis as well as the build quality of the converters. We have a 15 year old coach we bought from an owner. Had Jeff Rowe zero out all the stuff that Jon mentioned. There are a few things that we need to do ourselves consequently have spent time digging around in areas of the coach most people don’t get. I am really impressed with the attention to detail that Liberty has building the coach. Lots of little things that to add up creating a finished product that will last many decades.

Don’t get WOWed over by the new or nearly new plastic (or fiberglass or stick n’ staples or whatever they are called) motorhomes. The decor, the finishes, the upholstery, etc. will all be “current” and start to work on. What is MORE important is for you to look beneath that.

Do that, and I’m sure you’ll make the right decision. And as a result continue to have a very good reason to continue to be on the Forum!

[Davy]

Now that’s a great offer from Diane they have coach that is for sale that’s in great shape go and look at it , look at the post on this forum and u will see who takes good care of there coaches buy one from someone on here that takes care of there coach not somebody that just wants to sell one!!!!!!!

[Jim]

Well, I’m sold! The more I lurk around here, the more convinced I become that. Prevost is the way to go in hopefully not the too distant future.

Have to relay a story about a similar thread on another forum I came across recently. Essentially the OP was asking the same question, but being as it was a predominantly non-Provost site, all the replies were along the lines of ‘we like/wanted a used Prevost but couldn’t justify buying a ten year old bus vs a sparkly new plastic MH. As you can see from those that have had both, a ten year old bus wins hands down. One reply did make me laugh though. A chap who was clearly a Forest River fan was trying to make a case for buying that brand on what seemed to be the basis of getting a free annual service if you go to the FR rally every year! Not my idea of a holiday I have to say. Also, unless they hold it at a service centre, how do you properly service a coach in a field? The kicker though? He suggested that the Forest River ‘Charleston’ model (@$200k) was their equivalent of a Prevost, so way pay over the odds! Ignorance is bliss as they say.

[Paul]

I’m on my 7th coach and first prevost…..bought all my “plastic” coaches new…..2 of them where 40 ft. diesel’s with 4 slides. My last coach was a Dynamax Grand Sport Ultra 45′ 4 slides with a freightliner columbia front end. My prevost was purchased last year @8 years old and is HANDS DOWN the best driving and best built coach I’ve ever had. I just wish I didn’t waste so much money over the years buying, selling and trading in coaches.

From the moment we closed the door, solid, to watching the slides operate I was hooked. And if you do decide to take one for a ride…..well that’s it, you will be sold. The thing with Prevost’s are no matter what age, 10 years old or 20 years old the design is simply classic and they all turn heads when you pull into your site. As I said to my wife….this will be my last coach……she laughed but now that I zero’d it out I can’t imagine trading or selling it for another…..of course if I hit the lotto I may look at building one like Mark did…that would be fun!

[Archived]

Jim, your input makes me think of a question as to what you experienced / did to the 05 coach to zero it out. What was required. How long have you had it and what timeframe did you use to accomplish zeroing it out. Did you purchase from a dealer or private sale.

[Archived]

I purchased from Legacy Coach in Texas (Brandon Blythe) great guy, very honest, good reputation in the industry as well as great feedback from a list of folks that bought from him…..and he delivered the coach to me in Nashville and spent 3 days orientating me to the systems. I zero’d out the coach (mechanically) before it was delivered to me. Brandon has a shop in Texas (Luxury coach service) that did the work and sent me pictures during the various processes. I chose the Royale because they have a reputation of simplicity and ease of use. I started looking at a Marathon, Country Coach, Liberty and Royale. I talked with owners of each brand to get direct feedback. I set a budget, looked for a floor plan we liked and fit our type of travel and living (we are in the coach 5 months a year) All in all we spent about 7 months looking for a coach.

Based on the feedback here on the forum I made a list of items that Jon and others said I should look at. Basically, I put on new tires, new batteries (chassis, house and generator), new belts, new air bags, replaced all norgren valves, complete chassis service (lube, filters, fluids), tranny service, air system service and filters, replaced suspect push/pull valves with compression valves, shocks, inspected / serviced brake system, flushed, cleaned and inspected radiator, aqua hot service, generator service, air conditioner service, calibrated and inspected the HWH system, Sent the crestron back to the manufacturer for updating and put on new round headlights to replace the square one’s and then we took the coach to prevost and had them do a complete inspection to see if we missed anything.

All in all, I spent just under $30K to have this done because I did none of the zero out process myself.

After taking the coach on the road for 4 months after purchase we decided to do some interior modifications….new booth, new tile (shower and kithcen), new lights, added a pantry when we removed the washer / dryer, new leather on the dash and drivers/passenger seats, some new wall coverings (took out cloth and added wood), replaced a cabinet to add storage, all new TV’s and blue ray players (3), remove the diamond shield on the front and repainted the graphics on the front of the coach (diamond shield took off some paint) and a few other small items. That was another $22K.

I felt I bought the coach right so the added investment was still within my budget. I opted to go for a 2005 instead of an ’06 or ’07 because I thought it was important (and for peace of mind) to bring the coach to like new condition and invest in items that where reaching the end of their normal life span. The coach had fairly good maintenance records but not complete. Hope that helps.

[Bob]

It is hard to justify buying a Prevost to most folks, and even harder to suggest that after buying one that has some age on it that it makes sense to spend thousands more until you look at the big picture.

For all practical purposes if you put rwo Prevost coaches side by side, with the only difference being 10 years of age you will find apart from the new unused appearance of one, compared to the 10 years of use of the other they are nearly identical. The old chassis has all the integrity of the new one. The appearance is so much alike the average person cannot tell them apart. So the big difference is on the old chassis there is some wear and tear from use, and age has likely begun to affect components that depend on rubber to seal or function.

The unspoken difference however is the new one may have a price tag 3, 4 or 5 times that of the older one. In terms of dollars that means the buyer of an older coach has saved more than a million dollars by buying a used coach, and by spending less than 10% of that savings the entire coach can be restored to new condition as far as mechanical condition, and it can have a new interior that matches the buyer’s preferences.

We have seen new owners do what Jim has done time and time again. Some do it all at once. Some do a project a year, One owner who bought his coach new decided to redo the whole coach after having it a number of years instead of buying a new one with outstanding results. The reality is more and more buyers are going to be doing upgrades because it not only makes economic sense, but the number of coaches being converted each year is not sufficient to fill the used coach market with like new coaches to meet demand for a nearly new coach. The buyers will have to create their nearly new coach on their own.

If an owner, new or long term, intends to keep a coach for years to come it is really nice to know the small annoying problems that crop up as a coach ages can be prevented or eliminated by attacking the problems proactively. If we own a coach long enough we will start to be plagued with air loss from the systems, especially the suspension systems with their multiple air bags, valves and connections. If we intend to keep the coach there is little that can refresh a coach as completely as an interior redo. Replacing the carpet with a new floor, changing the fabrics, and maybe even replacing countertops can change the whole character of a coach.

Because few of us will ever outlive our coach it all begins to make sense. Not from an economic perspective, but in terms of how to get a virtually new coach for far less than a new one. That is something that cannot be said of a conventional motorhome because generally speaking the motorhome chassis is not going to have the longevity the Prevost chassis has.

[Corey]

Rule of thumb if there is a wreck at interstate speeds=send one wrecker for a bus. Sticks and staples= 1 wrecker plus at least one flatbed for scattered pieces… I have salvaged a 98 high end motor home. the welds that held the coach house to the chassi were like pigeon shit= non holding. you hear alot of sticks and staples mfg stating( bus like) or trying to tie their motorhome to a bus by calling it —–bus. Why have buslike when you can have the real thing? I’m rebuilding a prevost salvage shell..This #4 for me. So been there done that. The foundation and Prevost support has no equal! Other than that I have no opinion. Bob

[joel]

Well, we went from a 2007 Essex to a 2005 Liberty, No comparison! The fit and finish is like you will never see on a plastic coach, and they turn heads, Sort of like when the USS North Carolina a new class Battle ship sporting 16″ guns, came in to Pearl Harbor on her shake down cruise, every body stopped to admire her because she was something special, like a Prevost

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1999 XLV X-6872,  liberty #440

[Kevin]

We jumped from a 43 ft Toy Hauler 5th wheel all the way to a Prevost. Grew up camping in the “canned ham” campers of old so we’ve experienced the spectrum.

Can’t say enough about it that hasn’t been said here but definitely owners for life no question. My brother owns a Newell and to me even at that level–no comparison.

Safe Travels and Prevost all the way.