[Corey]

Let me be the first to say welcome to PC! I am in a similar boat to you, albeit I am from the UK and looking at a Prevost to travel the USA for six months of the year. I will let others far more experienced than me start to answer your questions, but what I do know is that you won’t find many people recommending solar. The reason being that you haven’t got the roof space for enough panels to make a difference if you want to use the bus as it was designed.

You will find everyone on here most helpful and generous with their support and help. I will be looking for something in the 8-12 age bracket as well. As many will point out, buses of this age will need work & updating unless you do your homework and take on board the advice you will no doubt be getting.

[Archived]

Jeff and Lynn,

You have come to the wrong place if you are seeking unbiased information about Prevost conversion coaches. Go back through the posts on the forum because we have had multiple discussions over the last few years about Prevost coaches compared to the various alternatives.

But recognize that while we are biased in favor of Prevost coaches, we are not wrong. That is not wishful thinking, but reality. You cannot compare the strength, durability and quality level of a chassis that was designed for many years and miles of commercial service to a typical motor home that was never intended to be subjected to the demands placed upon a commercial coach.

But keep in mind a few things. As our coaches age the impact of poor or deferred maintenance begins to take its toll. Having said that, there is almost nothing that cannot be fixed or restored if you have the money, time, patience or skills. The other side of that coin is there are a lot of older Prevost coaches that have been very well maintained. A buyer just has to decide his or her comfort level and consider all of the complex factors that go into the purchase of a converted Prevost.

But the bottom line is unless you are going to put on the number of miles commercial operators do on their coaches it is improbable you will ever wear out a Prevost conversion.

If you are going to compare comparably sized motor homes against Prevost conversions keep in mind it is going to be tough. Both are going to require the same maintenance on the chassis and running geat. Both will likely have diesel engines, air brakes, and similar transmissions so oil changes, lubes, brake work, fluid changes, etc are going to be the same. The air systems need to be serviced.

But even older motorhomes are going to have slides so you have to measure the availability of slides against an older Prevost without them. That is an entire topic for discussion.

You do have to drive both to get a sense of the difference. A Prevost will track down the highway like it is on rails compared to a motor home. The motor home is going to make the driver work. After 8 hours of driving in a motor home you will be worn out. After 8 hours in a Prevost you will be ready to go for more.

We don’t like to think about accidents, but we have all seen the photos. In a bus accident it gets pretty banged up but a bus stays in one piece and rarely is the passenger compartment compromised. In a motor home accident it always seems as if it has exploded with pieces scattered all over. The interior is almost always unprotected exposing the occupants to great harm.

A Prevost conversion, regardless of who the converter was typically is built to a very high standard. I can say that I rarely have issues with the chassis or house systems due to their reliability and initial quality level. And everything is built for longevity and owner comfort. We usually have ample tank capacities, ample battery power, dual inverters, large generators, and robust plumbing and electrical systems. The more you compare on a dollar for dollar basis the better an older Prevost looks.

Good luck. Welcome to the asylum where all of your questions will be answered, sometimes accurately.

[Archived]

Jeff & Lynn, welcome to PC. You will most likely rely heavily on this site as you search for the right bus and your’re definitely in the right place. That said, a couple of questions. Where are you located ? Have you thought far enough that you know…XL, XLII or H3 ? Slide vs Non-slide ? Model year and price range ? That would be a good start. Geo.

[Andy]

Jon and Di,

That was an awesome response! You touched on every area that concerns me as this is what we like to do and this is how we like to live.

So, maintenance records are going to be important as well a thorough going over, not to mention to willingness and wherewithall to upgrade and improve where necessary!

As with just about anything the foundation is the key and then we build from there so I am completely comfortable with all of things you said and for all of the reasons you said them. Quality and durability is at the core of our search but like anything, the search just goes the way it goes and we need to be flexible enough to consider all the options. This has led us to Prevost. I am glad we finally got here.

Do you reccomend buying from a Private Party or a Dealer? I expect going in to make repairs, modifications and upgrades. We have seen a few floor plans that we like and we know from the entire search what is important to us.

We are at ur house in Mexico and plan to make the purchase in the spring so we have lot’s of time to do the right thing.

As I said before, thank you very much for your thoughts!

Jeff and Lynn

[AL]

Andy and Allsion,

Thank you for your response and your perspective, I hope to see you out on the road and good luck with your search. Are you living in England or the US now?

The solar is a big deal to us so we will see what comes of that

Thank you very much,

Jeff

[Ken]

George,

Thanks and I think you’re right about being in the right place. So we have thought about all of those things, We’re not sure about who does the conversion but friends have reccomended the Marathon? Definitely we require two slides! Not really sure about the the H3, XL, XL2. To early to really know all those specifics. We’re thinkng 2001, maybe Marathon. Price range is most likely somewhere in the $250K region.

Feel Free to say whatever you please, we’re there, it’s now just about finding the right rig, George

We’re from Montana and have some toys that are important to us, we’re flyfisherman and Paddle Boarders, so there’s boards, drift boat and a car, so it also seems a trailer will fit behind this rig.

Jeff

[Archived]

Jeff and Lynn,

Welcome
to the forum. The Prevost chassis is a very solid long lasting
foundation for a motorhome. Most importantly service and parts for the
chassis are available across the US. Mine is 1988 and the chassis is
still sound. I most likely won’t own another motorhome. This one works
for me and when I want to or have to spend money on the conversion side,
inverters, holding tanks, interior updates or whatever. I know the the
foundation is solid and will be for years to come.

Ken

[Corey]

Jeff & Lynn, 2001 would be an XLII. H3 same from late ’99-’03. You may be hard pressed to find a 2 slide coach in that range. If you want to find the right bus for you by spring, you might want to spend some time in Florida this Jan. The reason being that you could attend Parliament’s rally(1/5-1/9) and then go to POG’s used bus show in Tampa 1/10 &11. When you are in that area you have the most access to used Prevosts within a 90 min drive as anywhere else in the country. The advantage to attending a rally is that you will meet and be able to talk to a wide range of owners and it’s held at one of premier facilities in the country along with two of the most knowledgable guys in the industry. At the POG show you will find 40+ used busses in all price ranges. Once in the area you will have easy access to Liberty, Millennium, Florida Luxury Coach, Donny Meyer and Marathon San Antonio. Geo.

[Chas]

Jeff,

unfortunaely, we are still in the UK. A visitor visa will allow us in for six months at a time max. Bedsides, we still both have ageing parents so any move won’t be imminent. What I do know though is that we will be armed with loads of knowledge when the trigger does get pulled.

Like yourself, we were originally looking at a plastic coach (Essex actually) around 4-5 years old when someone said don’t discount an older Prevost. The rest is history as they say. It would sure be nice to bump into any of the guys on PC sometime to shake their hand, say thanks and buy them a beer – or glass of warm milk:)))

[Archived]

Welcome to PC Jeff & Lynn, we’re glad to have you on board and hope you can find the bus that fit’s your needs. You mentioned Marathon, take a look at the 2000 H Steve has at California Coach, it’ on our site here: PC Bus Sales

[Archived]

Jeff

I have been creeping on this site for over a year. I finally signed up when I wanted to ask some questions.I have read many many posts and have learned boatloads of good information. It seems as most people here are extremely helpful and some are extremely knowledgeable about the coaches.Shari and I just purchased our 99 liberty and are looking forward to spending the next few months learning everything there is to know about our coach. And with the help Jon and Tom and all the folks on this site I believe it is something that I will master some day. Good luck with your search! Prevost is the right choice!!!

[Dick]

Welcome Jeff and Lynn…

If you are not in a big hurry you will find a bus you love in your price range.

Four years ago we bought a 1998 Vantare H3-45 with 2 slides, it was built on a 1997 Prevost chassis.

We also owned a 2005 Holliday Rambler with 4 slides at the time, so I am thinking downgrading because I loved the 4 slides, as it turned out, it was a huge upgrade not a downgrade.. the difference in the coaches was night and day and we will NEVER go back and we never missed the other 2 slides because the Prevost feels so big inside with the huge windows and being up higher and the bay storage is unreal… those are just small bonuses… the real bonus is being on the highway in any Prevost after being in a “plastic” coach…. the ride and handling will speak for itself.

After we bought our Prevost we spent the next few years upgrading things and maintaining items in order of importance and safety…. until they were all done… tires, batteries, air systems, a/cs, airbags, brakes and so on… be aware of what you are going to need to put into a coach ten years old for example if it hasn’t already been done… lots to maintain. Even on a plastic coach there is a lot to maintain if you “know” about it… usually they don’t tell you anything and you find out when it breaks !

Just be prepared for the maintenance needing to be done and the folks on here will enjoy helping you spend your money !!

We recently sold our Vantare in the price range you are looking at…so they are out there… ours was a 1998 but it looked much newer and everything was fixed and documented… I would have driven it to Alaska tomorrow without hesitation… that’s the position you need to be in. We upgraded to a 2005 Liberty H3-45 and have already had most of the things we did to the Vantare done on the Liberty… peace of mind for us !!

Good luck in your search it will be a lot of fun… you will know the coach is right for you when it “feels” right and ask lots of questions… NO such thing as a dumb question… we have all been where you are today.

Cheers, Diane

[Archived]

If slides are a must, and the price range as viewed by some is on the low side you will still have options. Diane and Larry’s coach is a good example. The slides were installed by the converterr and I believe they were HWH slides. I don’t believe Larry and Diane had any issues with them.The age may appear beyond your target, but you will find coach condition trumps the model year number unless you are flipping coaches.

Work hard to get educated because when opportunities to get what you want at the price you want to pay do arise you are going to need to jump. The reason I say that is because a 2 slide coach in the age range at the price point you specifiy is going to go fast. Having said that my brain is thinking a nice coach in average or good shape. That can be spun around to say if it is in that price range it may have a bad history or have issues.

But I also know of several coaches owned by PC members that were “stolen” because they recognized exactly the value and did not hesitate to buy them when they appeared on the market. But it is up to the buyer to bear the responsibility for understanding how to evaluate a coach to avoid spending your budget, and having to spend additional large sums of money to make the coach right.

Before you narrow your focus you need to define your wants and needs. If the coach is going to be driven often, and during hot times of the year that tips the scales towards a coach equipped with Prevost built over the road air. No matter what anyone else tells you there is no other AC system to equal that system’s ability. On the other hand if you are OK with warmer temps, or you are going to use the coach more as a second home in an RV resort your choice might be to maximize the available bay space by doing without OTR and rely on 4 roof air units instead. Again we have discussed this issue often and at length so a little searching will bring up those discussions.

One issue also discussed has been slides. They really make a coach more livable, but unless you stay in one spot for a while they are not going to offer a lot of benefit. I know of several members who had slides, and opted for the simplicity of a non’slide coach. I own a 2 slide coach and how we use it makes it ideal for our purposes. But prior to the current coach we used our coaches for a lot of travel and short duration stays. A slide made no sense in those situations. Apart from extra walking space (which really changes the character of the coach and makes it more enjoyable) slides have nothing benficial about them, on any coach or motor home. They add weight. they add complexity. They have the potential to leak. They reduce available storage space. and they are going to add to the expense of maintaining the coach. Just keep in mind however the market is very clear regarding slides. Owners want them.

If you use the coach as a 2 person RV an open bath might be perfect, but if you often travel with a large family or guests you might need a private toilet. Do you want a table and chairs, a dinette booth or a J booth? Should the living room (oops, we are supposed to use upscal words like salon) have two sofas, a sofa and two chairs, or a sofa, a computer desk and a single chair? As you can see there are features you need to consider.

Then you have to decide if the bus is a keeper or if you are going to flip it. Unless you intend to keep the coach long term price is critical. We all face depreciation, but we really take a beating when we trade coaches, so you need to buy below market value to come out of it with your skin when you step up to a newer model. If on the other hand you see the coach as being a long term purchase, then spending several thousand above market, but getting every item on your wish list is worth it. When you flip coaches your buying mistake is gone as soon as you step up to another one. But if you buy for the long term and really wanted a private toilet instead of an open floor plan then you are going to kick yourself in the butt for a long time to come.

Buy from an individual as opposed to a dealer? A very large percentage of owners bought direct from the previous owner. Most of them are happy with the purchase. A lesser percentage bought from dealers, and fewer still bought from the converter. Those buyers also were happy for the most part. I have done it all three ways and every purchase turned out very well. However, I bought my current coach used through the converter. That was the least stressful and most enjoyable because the converter stood behind the coach and made sure everything was right. Keep in mind I am capable of and have been doing virtually 100% of all the work on my coaches for 20 years or so. But it was nice buying one I knew was correct, and if it wasn’t it would be fixed.

But I never bought a coach without extensive inspections. I am not talking about checking dates on the tires and looking at the ol level. I am talking about operating every switch, knob and dial amd verifying everything worked. I knew the ages of the tires, batteries, and how everything worked before money changed hands.

None of my coaches had service logs. The coach was zeroed out by the converter in the last purchase, and I did that myself on the previous two purchases. If you don’t know the status of any service or maintenance you have to assume it wasn’t done and you are going to have to pay to get it done or the seller is going to have to do it.

I have looked at coaches being sold by individuals and I’ll be candid. Every seller will tell you what you want to hear, or worse say “I don’t know”. Playing dumb is the same as lying. I want to deal with a seller that tells it like it is. I would rather have a seller who is selling a coach he has had for 15 years tell me he hasn’t changed air bags since he bought it, rather than saying he doesn’t know when they were changed. At least I know there is no doubt they need changing.

In my opinion buying through a dealer provides you with some benefit, but this depends on the dealer. Some wash the coach, shampoo the carpets and use a bottle of tire dressing to make the coach look good. Kind of like putting nail polish on a pig. But others are top notch dealers, honest, hard working and do a fine job of providing the added value they can bring to the table. As a buyer I think it is less important trying to figure out if you should buy through a dealer or private seller, than it is to find the coach that satisfies your needs. You do have access to a huge member list, all of whom can potentially act as your agents to filter out the dogs, while steering you to the good coaches so at least you don’t have to travel 2000 miles one way only to find out the coach is nasty.

[Jeffrey & Linda]

Jeff and Lynn:

I 2x everything that those who have gone before have said and want to reinforce a few things.

Marathon likely builds a good coach, but you’ll be happier in a Liberty. 😉

We bought our first motorhome/RV in April from a private owner. During our search I checked the new listing on PC, POG, RV Trader, eBay, RacingJunk, and a few others I can’t remember. You might be surprised to learn we found our coach on Craigslist.com. It was the ONLY place it was advertised. I used OneCraigs.com to find it. We also found another one advertised solely on Craiglist.com that was located near Calgary, Alberta. Again, only place advertised was in CL. My message is that you’ll find them for sale in the likely places as well as some unlikely places too.

The coach essentially had no records, hadn’t been driven much in that last three or four years. Using the knowledge we learned on PC and POG as well as talking to GeorgeP, Jon, and one or two others on the Forum we think we have made a successful purchase.

The #1 contribution to our success was the fact that the coach was stored 18 miles from Jeff Rowe’s Eastern Tennessee Luxury Coach shop. Jeff did a prepurchase inspection. He convinced me that given the lack of records there was a list of stuff to do on the coach to “zero it out”. He also identified some “issues” that needed to be dealt with once we got the bus to his shop and up in the air. Without his assistance we’d be struggling.

Feel free to contact me anytime if you have questions about the process we went through and what we experienced. My email is open.

[Jack]

Hey Jon and Di,

That was nothing short of amazing! It will take a bit to digest every tidbitt of your response. In my favor is time to research and learn and so I will.

I like the idea of a private Sale but I also like buying from a reputable dealer where sales and service can be wrapped into one. Those kind of recommendations are extremely valuable.

We have covered much today with respect to h3 vs. So. Both have benefits!

Thanks so much and I will keep the conversation going!

Jeff