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Hello Prevost Community!
It’s been awhile since I’ve joined but starting to shop for a Prevost now. Most of you know how you have to wait until the last kiddo is done with sports and college to justify a purchase and have time to use! In the market for a 96′ to 2000 XL 45 preferably a Marathon or Liberty conversion but not totally if something else shows up.looks like they’ve all gone up quite a bit since last year. Just wanted to say hello and if anyone knows of anything, tips, advice, news, or whatever give me a shout. Would be glad to listen and learn. I know John is full of advice and knowledge. Looks like Panterra coach does a good job of repair and refurbish before they put theirs up for sale? I’ve also been looking at Premium Coach in Gilbert AZ and Olympia in Florida. Any experiences with these folks would be appreciated. Thank you all for letting me part of this forum and hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to come!
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15 Replies
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Keep an eye on inventory at ETLC (East Tennessee Luxury Coach) as well. Jeff really knows his stuff and sells some really nice coaches when they become available.
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Kent, it sounds like the bug has bitten you.
The process of buying a coach is simple. You pay your money and take a chance. What is not so simple is the discipline required to make the purchase a good one.
You have made the first and important step. By defining the specific coach you want you have narrowed the search, and will quickly get to know what is out there in the market, what the price range is, and the pluses and minuses of each conversion.
It suggests you have established your budget but keep in mind when looking at coaches old enough to vote it is almost a given that a fairly serious amount of money will be required to bring all needed maintenance up to date unless you find one with extensive maintenance logs and records that prove continued maintenance.
I bought my three coaches from three different sources. The first from a private individual, the second from a dealer, and the third from Liberty. All were new enough that I did not have to initially be concerned about replacing brake chambers, air bags, valves, tires, batteries, etc. But as a coach ages the list of things that age out grows, especially if they rely on rubber components to work properly.
No matter who is selling the coach you will hear how well maintained the coach has been. Tire dressing and a wax job is a poor substitute for highly detailed records. Do not focus on the seller. They may not all lie, but by omission intentional or accidental you are unlikely to learn what you need to know. Do your homework, demand proof of any claims, and most of all be prepared to be a cynic. In order of risk I would rely on a dealer who is willing to cover repairs for a period of time. No private seller will offer that so while you may get a great deal from a private seller you have the greatest risk.
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One unique feature of a Liberty coach is that is contains only one holding tank which holds both black and grey water (with a grey water bypass option to drain grey to the ground). That setup might not work for everyone unless you always travel from pole to pole with full hookups. The tanks also corrode with time and will need replacement, likely soon in the era coach you are considering unless it has already been done.
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Thank you, will do!
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Thank you Bill and Jon! I need and appreciate all the advice I can get!
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Welcome. Olympia is in Nashville. This site (Prevost Community) has quite a few coaches listed in the for sale area.
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Not all Liberty coaches were built with aluminum holding tanks. My 87 and 97 both had stainless steel tanks. I believe, but do not know for certain that the aluminum tanks were installed on later model coaches.
That said, even if a coach of interest has aluminum tanks stainless replacements can be purchased and installed, such as at ETLC. Just adjust the price you are willing to pay accordingly. Those aluminum tanks were not the best idea.
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Kent, welcome back, good luck on your search.
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Thank you Dan! Hope to see you out there soon. If you get back to Colorado this year, we’d love to see your new coach! Maybe a beer or two?!??????
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Hello Jon, just wondering with your knowledge of conversions and coaches out there if you know of or anything about the 1997 Vantare on RVTrader.com that’s for sale right now? I’ve emailed the owner and got some info on services and updates in the last year or so. I’d prefer a Marathon or Liberty conversion but always looking for options. Thanks
2005 XL Thompson Coach
Rarely tow anything behind us.
Sold: 1993 Liberty that we loved for 12 years. -
Our first Prevost was a 1998 Vantare H3-45 and we loved it..It was the first H3 to have slides.
The coach was well built… just not a “fancy” as the Marathon or Liberty but a good quality straight forward bus.. less complicated than some out there.
We really enjoyed it and were happy to find that nothing on it was just cheap as in quality wise. We now have a Liberty and it’s gorgeous… but I wouldn’t hesitate to own another Vantare.
To each his own no doubt !!
I hope you find a coach you love… our experience was when we got inside a coach we knew immediately if it fit !!
Cheers, Diane
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Thank you Dianne, greatly appreciated! I’m looking but it’s hard! As Jon says, you have to look past the shiny wheels and tires. I’m pretty mechanical and know vehicles and trucks but I also know Prevost are a different beast! I’ll get one soon. Might just pay for an inspection before kinda like you do on an airplane. Thanks for your input and hope to see you out there someday! I know right where Lufkin is too! I was born in Orange and all my family is in the Beaumont area. If y’all ever get to Greeley Colorado and need a place to park and a 50 amp, I have a spot in town right next to my house where I parked my old coach. Reach out anytime!
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Hi Bill – how can you tell if a tank is corroding (other than leaks)? Is that the SS ones also, or just aluminum? Are you familiar with the cost of replacement?
-andy
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I agree. Gloss and flash are everywhere. I have two fire proof file cases that travel with us that document everything that has been done to the coach by not only us, but also the previous original owner since 2004. We even have them scanned and saved. We even inherited records for items that were no longer necessary for the coach or even in it due to upgrades (i.e., technology stuff), but that alone showed us just how anally meticulous the previous owner was and gave some comfort that the rest of the maintenance was also being watched and done. We then checked with Prevost and Marathon to find out how many times the coach had been in and sought the input of each. When we learned that it had been to Marathon at least annually every year and Prevost no less than annually, if not 2x per year, we began to feel better and better about our investment. It is literally everything. Nothing will replace “good bones” and remember, low miles doesn’t necessarily equate to a great coach when it comes to a Prevost. In fact, it could be the opposite to some degree. Not driving it can be worse. It’s like a race horse that never gets to run. A “broken-in” coach is well worth it. Like aircraft & yachts, my opinion is that about 1/3 of the value of the coach (if that value could be assigned empirically) is in the maintenance documentation – whether the owner purchased a “replacement whatever” or it was serviced at Prevost or one of the converters or resellers, always look for the records. Ours will be going back to Marathon soon for an interior update to make it ready for the next 10+ years. Yes, all records after that event will also go in those fire proof boxes and will also be scanned to the cloud. You can always get it shined up (and we did that too (see our other post))!
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Well, we fly out Friday to St. Louis to pick up our 1999 H3-45 Vantare buddy. Feels right so we will keep you posted!
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