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1. Is a 10-15 year old Prevost going to be a money pit to keep running?

It all depends on what had been done before you buy. That age range should be having a good amount of the chassis and house components looked at. If nothing has been done, then yes, you will need to go through a lot of that on your on. This could run up to $25K plus…

2. Is general maintenance on the engine, chassis and such going to be much more expensive than any other high end diesel pusher?

Yes, but it needs to start at the same point or be brought up to the same point to start with.

3. What about the computer controlled equipment and electronics inside? Is 10 years reaching their life expectancy?

Most stuff in that age range was in the crestron systems. Sounds like people are dropping a lot of money to get it up to what you can get today, brand new. Technology, got to love it or hate it 🙂 Or you could buy something that doesnt depend on technology and not worry about it 😉 Liberty Classic back in the day didnt have all that fancy stuff. But you need to actully use man power to open pocket doors and turn on lights.

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Harley

,

1. Is a 10-15 year old Prevost going to be a money pit to keep running?


The coach we purchased is 10 years old and my attitude is to be proactive and not reactive to potential problems. (Probably comes from the job I have. Always got to be prepared.) We have replaced all the brake chambers and replaced two tires that were 6 yrs old. Next we will be replacing the airbags. All of this was expected and this is the way we are zero’ing out our coach. Others have zero’d out a coach as soon as they purchased theirs. We don’t have an open checkbook for repairs either.

2. Is general maintenance on the engine, chassis and such going to be much more expensive than any other high end diesel pusher?


The maintenance doesn’t seem to be any more than other coaches with exception that parts could run a little higher. But you do have a great source to go to to get the parts and most of the time Prevost is very helpful and can get you the parts by the next day.

3. What about the computer controlled equipment and electronics inside? Is 10 years reaching their life expectancy?

Can’t help much on this topic as we purposely bought a coach without the touch screen/creston style controls. we wanted the simplicity,

4. This information can also be learned from some of the best teachers. Check out the “Know your Prevost” seminar in October and you will learn by the examples given. From the towing portion to the inverters Jon, Tom and Jeff show you all of this. The one thing they really preach is to do your homework on the coach and get records and maintenance logs prior to purchasing so you know that the coach was maintained. Shouldn’t be a money pit if you do the due diligence on the previous owners maintenance and have the coach inspected/purchased through a reputable dealer… Jim

[Archived]

Harley,

Accept the fact that any motor home of the size and with comparable equipment to a Prevost is going to cost the same to maintain. They all are going to have a diesel engine, air brake systems, air bag suspensions, complex electrical systems, possibly similar audio visual systems and expensive tires and batteries that typically age out before they wear out.

The cost to buy a coach, and bring it up to a reliable standard is dependent upon you. If your sole focus is on buying the cheapest coach you can buy of a given age it is probable you are going to buy someone’s deferred maintenance. The burden will fall on you to determine a coach’s true condition, and the cost associated with bringing it up to your standards. That includes mechanical, cosmetic, and updates to features.

If I were to look at a Monaco Signature, or a Newell, or a Foretravel or a Prevost conversion I would use the same standards to evaluate them because every one of them and all similar quality coaches are going to have similar engines, systems and chassis features. Every single one of them will have the need for oil changes, chassis lubes, filter and fluid changes, tires of a similar size, batteries, interior wear and tear, air bags, shocks, brake system maintenance, etc. The only thing that will make a Prevost more expensive is a year to year price. There is no way to buy a 10 year old Prevost for example for the same price as a 10 year old Monaco. They are built to different standards and the Prevost at 10 years of service as a motorhome isn’t anywhere near the end of its service life because it is built to run well past a million miles in revenue service before it begins to start to wear out.

I have an agressive preventive maintenance program for my coaches and I likely throw away a lot of parts that still have remaining service life, such as air bags or brake chambers. I change fluids and filters on or before their scheduled service. But over 26 years of ownership of 3 coaches the cost to do that has resulted in very few surprises, a great deal of peace of mind and high reliability. I’m not even sure my costs are more than others who wait for stuff to break because avoiding unplanned repairs puts me in the position of controlling not only when stuff gets serviced, but by who and to an extent at what cost.

[Jerry]

Thanks for all the information.

Just trying to do my home work and learn before I make a purchase. It will most likely be 2 years before I bite the bullet and make another RV purchase so I have plenty of time to read and learn.

Are there any conversion companies I should stay away from, or maybe better put, are there any conversion companies I should look at? I think I prefer the H3-45 platform with at least 2 slides and by the time I’m ready to purchase probably looking at 2005-2008.

[Dan]

Harley,

Everyone
will have a different scenario when proving the cost for various
Prevost expenses, but hopefully you can get a general idea here on
PC.

I
keep a very accurate spreadsheet on all expenses. I’ve had my
Marathon 25 months and my cost for all repairs and maintenance for
that period was 1.20 per mile based on 22,850 miles. That includes
new tires and batteries, so if I took out new tires & batteries,
my general maintenance and repairs would be .83 per mile. Obviously,
more miles would make the expense per mile less or less miles would
make it higher.

My
numbers also include updates I’ve done, so my annual expense going
forward with just normal repairs and maintenance will probably be
about 6 – 8K a year. I doubt you’ll find that higher than the the top
of the line plastic coaches. There is no comparison in getting
repairs done on a Prevost vs the plastic world, we don’t have to wait
for 30 days for an appointment at some RV dealer that will then do
crappy work.

[Jerry]

Harley,

First, while you may read in the history of posted comments we take shots at one another’s conversions The bottom line is there are no conversions (motor home) that I would tell anyone to avoid. Every conversion has strengths and weaknesses. Some I would favor for a lot of dry camping. Some are ideal to use as a second home used a often in RV resorts. Some are excellent for use for travel. The weak points of some conversions is always reflected in the selling price because the market establishes values, and the lower purchase price of some conversions compensates for those issues.

Your desired model and model years in two years is going to be one that may be on the brink of needing some chassis refreshment. But those model years are also going to be relatively trouble free because of age and normal use. They won’t be worn out unless they have been abused or lacked any maintenance. The flip side of that is a coach of the vintage you desire may have had a very good maintenance program and those typical items due to age may have already been done. Good coaches are going to have a documented service history that is focussed on prevention and while they may cost more will not last on the market for very long.

Buying a 10 to 13 year old coach could have you facing slide seal replacement, air bags, Norgren valves, brake chambers, and maybe some refreshing of the interior upholstery or floors. Assuming the coach has been maintained to a schedule you likely will not expect any big ticket surprises such as engine or transmission repairs. The coach is going to have anywhere from 80,000 to 150,000 miles which means it isn’t even close to wearing out. Except for interior refreshing the common theme in items you can expect to deal with is they all have rubber in common and as rubber ages it cracks or hardens or loses its effectiveness. That is why you will buy a coach that is as low as 1/4 or less of its replacement cost. What you save in purc hase price will have a small offset to refresh the entire coach. When you have done that you can enjoy 10 or more years of just routine maintenance until you have to revisit a chassis refreshing. If you are a risk taker, don’t do anything prematurely, just wait for stuff to cease performing before you replace or repair things.

[Peter]

Harley,

we had no RVing background and bought a 14 year old Marathon with 150k miles four years ago. It has been a great experience with no big surprises.

If you are just a little bit hands on, it will be very manageable. The systems are not that different from what you find in a larger diesel boat with the exception of the air system.

We were looking for a ’99/’00 coach because of the lack of engine emission controls, the riveted vs glued shell and the simple Techlink interior control.

Gerald

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Jon your posts are very helpful and explain what I would be getting into. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty and do some work I’m just not familiar with these at all so it’s good to have a place where I can ask questions and learn.

Looking around the net seems to offer a large selection of coaches in all conditions and price ranges. Looks like I have my work cut out for me if the wife and I decide to do this.

Oh, I have noticed that interior decor can be a bit gaudy. Some a little more Vegas than our tastes go but I do understand that it’s just fabric and furniture and that can all be changed if we want.

Maintenance records and condition overall seem to be the main concerns.

[Archived]

Forget the decor and colors. They may at some point tip the scales between two coaches, but decide on a coach that fits your budget, including what you set aside for repairs or needed maintenance. Select a coach with the layout you need. There are differences between floor plans and what might work for some might not work for you.

Pick features that you must have and others that will be nice to have and try to check all the boxes. You will likely never get a coach that is exactly as you want it, but you can come close.

If the decor and color makes you want to vomit walk away, but otherwise place a higher value on price, floor plan, features, service documents, etc, and then think about decor and colors. Remember one thing however, once you own a coach, no matter how much money you put into it you will never increase its value anywhere near what you spend. So think of putting a ton of money into changing colors, and paint and even bringing its maintenance up to a high standard as something you will never recover. That should make you consider only those that are the best of the best, and the closest to your needs. Better coaches, updated coaches, well maintained coaches will bring a few more dollars in the market, but never enough to reflect what you may have to spend to bring a cheap dog up to good condition. If you do most if not all your work however you can save a ton of money.

And you are very correct in recognizing that you are going to get all the answers you need in your search for knowledge and a Prevost. Sometimes the answers may actually be correct.

One thing you will quickly learn, the folks here on this forum love to spend someone else’s money.

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Harley, they are machines,with serious systems that work together..honestly I have never owned anything as wonderful or complicated..being honest it’s gonna cost money. The salesman just want to sell,granted they are not as bad as used car salesmen…but it’s about the sale. The PDI they do at Texas Marathon is a joke and they blame each other( sales vs shop ) love the guys in the shop but most of the work has been half ass.

I’m on my first Prevost and do love it coming from a ’40 Winny 2 slides 03 pusher. Just wish like anything there was more honesty at the shops. Purchase with as much info you can get ..and NO QUESTION IS A DUMB ONE!!!!. Get as much as you can in writing..Also remember converters don’t screw with the engine side,if they do ask what they have done or looked at. This forum is great for info BTW.

I have had my coach for about a month and have over 3k miles drive it and love it!

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Harley…

We have a 2005 H3-45 Liberty Elegant Lady… we love our coach and of-course want everything working as it should.

We purchased it 2 years ago when it had 72K miles on it. We have spent approx $10-12K each year getting everything up to date (which included new TVs and Crestron update to ipads) and fixing to get more service work done before the end of the year. We now have 101K miles on the coach and they have been trouble free miles.

We had a full set of service records when we bought the coach and Liberty had done all the service work.

I am very impressed with the integrity of the Liberty so far… we really do enjoy it.

Cheers, Diane

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Did Tom not set a record with twenty-five months of ownership with the same coach ????

He may never trade again ????

[Corey]

Wishbone you ole Pirate, I told Mstruk you’re keeping track of my “last coach” and I think I heard her say we don’t need not stinking slides.:)

[Richard]

Time to get your hearing checked. Geo.

[Dick]

As soon as he gets that new house built and all the honey-do projects related to a new house done he is going to find himself going crazy because he won’t have anything to do, like mow the lawn, pull leaves from the gutters, etc. Along with the boredom of having nothing to do his mind will wander to the good old days when he had a newer bus to play with for 10 or 11 months. When he had the thrill of talking to potential buyers of his coach, when he had the joy of negotiating the lowest possible price for the next bus, and absolute joy of actually doing some work on it.

It’s coming folks. You heard it here.