[Paul]

Brian, Welcome!

IMO, it is personal preference on choosing between an XLII and an H3. Both are great, and both have pros and cons.

The XL’s have a nostalgic look to me, some like the driver on the same level as the passenger.

I personally do like the bays better on an H, and I prefer the Style of the H, but I certainly like all of them. Height has not been a problem for me, which is 13’2″ to the top of the sat dome.

Either one is a great choice, you will love how they drive and handle, and the quality of the chassis is amazing compared to other coaches.

There have been many discussions on the forums, do a search, and you can see plenty……

Good luck!

[Archived]

Brian,

When we bought our first coach we knew nothing. There was no internet as we know it. We had never heard of Prevost. But we liked the coach we bought even though neither of us had ever set foot in an RV or any type.

We were lucky and as we saw other coaches we begain to realize just how lucky we were.

The moral of our story is if you don’t know what you are doing, you need to have a lot of luck.

In your case you don’t have to rely on luck, and you can start making decisions based on information you can get from owners. The problem with taking advice from owners is all will base advice on their type of conversion. They can provide you with great insight if you learn to interpret what is being said and if you put the information in the context of how you intend to use the coach. You have set a budget so you are already on your way to narrowing your options.

Start by deciding how you intend to use a coach. Will you dry camp a lot or will you go from shore power to shore power? Are you using it as a second home at a few resort type RV parks, or are you driving it a lot miles per year with short campground stays? How many will be in the coach most of the time? Where will you use the coach and what time of the year? There are many other questions and considerations but you get the idea. Defining your use of the coach starts to narrow the variety of coaches to consider.

You were emphatic about roof airs. Does that mean you are leaning towards coaches thast do not have over the road air, and if so will your use of the coach be why you decided that, or did a salesman who has a roof air coach try to influence your buying decision? (OK, I am cynical).

I can argue for or against just about any coach or coach system. I can take either side because all Prevost conversions are well conceived and the converters almost always did far more things right than they did wrong. The critical part of selecting a coach is to make sure you pick the conversion or systems that best suit your use of the coach. Then when you have picked the coach to buy, you take the necessary time to make certain it is in great condition.

[Clifford]

I would hope that you viewed the coaches here on this site as well in your quest to determine the year model to fit your budget. There are 110 coaches for sale here.

Welcome to Prevost Community, you found the right place for help in your coach search. As you narrow down your choice, there will be lots of folks here to help. If I were going to be full time, I would be in an “H” for the bay space. As for the height, most H models are going to be right at 13’6″, not a big deal as that is the height of big trucks and most of our roads will not be a problem. You do have to plan ahead, just like those of us with XLII’s. Campgrounds will be the biggest problem because of low hanging tree’s.

Keep us posted, we’ll be glad to help you spend your money.:)

[Archived]

Brian and his lady,

Actually it was the co-owner who choose the XL-II over the HS-45. We used the Marathon purchase program buying a consignment. After owning this bus for almost 3 years i would choose the converter to buy from. Marathon has been outstanding to work with. Tech support is always available.

Mary Ellen was in Dallas several times a month. With the help of salesmen she was taken on a test ride in each and choose the XL-II. I was fine either way and wanted “her” to be part of the buying process. My comfort with Prevost, IFS, 2 slides, 365 front tires. Actually that put us in the 2005 plus model.

We had our dollar range and looked at what we could buy.

I will say that if you see something that looks interesting, go see it, quickly. On one bus by the time we got our travel put together it was sold. On another Mary Ellen passed on one that was just OK in the pictures. By that reasoning she even passed on going to look. As that ….”passed on” just happen to getting service work at Marathon, Dallas . She called me saying in person she loved it.

There is no perfect bus as everything is a trade off. We both like our purchase and with both putting input in the selection has made it “our bus”.

FWIW…she will not wash her bus.

I agree with Truk, hope you find something advertised here on PC. There are lots of PC members here to help you after the happy day.

[Peter]

Jon,

Thank you for the reply. As far as I can think ahead, my current plan is to pick up the coach and then make my way down to Daytona to pick up my stacker trailer and then off to my buddies Acura dealership to pick up a new SUV and then down to the Florida Keys for a couple of months. Then my Lady and I are headed up the east coast to Maine then across the country to Washington State and then drive all the way down the Pacific Coast Hwy to San Diego, then across the bottom of the Country…and back down to the Keys where I plan to stay most of the time tied up to shore power. On the cross country trip, maybe 15% of the trip will be dry camping.

You also mentioned that roof air precludes having OTR air? I’d like to have both if possible. And no…I haven’t spoken with a salesman…I don’t have the knowledge yet to know if I’m being B.S’d or not…again one of the reason’s why I’m here. And no this coach will not be a second home…it will be my primary home…which with everyone’s help here will arm me with enough information to get “lucky” on my first purchase.

[Michael]

In the price range you discussed I would be very surprised to find many if any choices of bus air and roof air equipped coaches. That is why I start by defining how you use the coach, and thus begin to settle on a specific way the systems are going to be set up that you narrow your search.

For example there are roof air equipped coaches that have OTR, but you will be hard pressed to find them. If OTR is one of the features you want, you are almost certainly narrowing the search to a Liberty and that almost eliminates roof airs. Your description of your planned use tells me that OTR needs to be on your list of features. That observation on my part is sure to bring a lot of comments from folks supporting their roof air non OTR equipped coaches, but before you decide which way to go, go see two coaches, one with OTR and one without. Take them both for a long drive. Just so it is clear I believe OTR is a must if the coach is driven a lot. If the coach is primarliy used as a second home at a RV resort with minimal travel OTR would be less important than the added bay space.

Do the same testing or evaluation with coaches with features you are not sure you want or don’t want. Evaluate them. Question them based on how you will use your coach. Back in an earlier time if you wanted a Prevost conversion it was an XL, 40 feet long and slides were not available. The real choice was a OTR coach or one without. Roof airs were not an option. Life was simple.

Now you have XLII, H3 coaches. no slides or one slide or two slides. OTR, no OTR, cruiseairs, roof airs, etc. All are good, some better. Some not supported, some supported. Adding to the confusion is going to be the task of sorting out pricing. The asking prices are all over the map and prices do not necessarily reflect the coach value. You have a tough task ahead, but it sure is fun deciding on the coach for you.

[Gerald]

Brian

I’m new to this adventure myself and envy that trip you are about to embark on. The guys and gals on this site will give you the best info anywhere and the price is outstanding. Everyone is great to help with the issues which come up for all of us owning these wonderful machines. You have obviously read enough already to realize what an asset Jon is to us owners and there are many more folks involved here with the expertise newbies like you and I need. Don Wolf is also a great asset to know. He and his crew did a major interior remodel on the coach we purchased. He has been involved in every part of converting coaches for many years and I regard his work highly. Jon’s advice is great ( always is) to define what your use will be. Now something I actually know. You can have OTR and roof air. My CC has both and although Liberty OTR is the undisputed champion my CC version which is much smaller has been freezing the spouse out all summer here in Texas. Enjoy the process. For me it looks like a never ending learning curve and completely fun and rewarding, the disasters are even adventures. Welcome aboard!

[Archived]

Brian, here’s a thought and the timing is pretty good. Come to the PC rally in Branson and you can see touch and feel plus talk to a whole range of owners with a ton of knowledge. Everybody has been in your shoes at one point and it can seem somewhat daunting, but you would have a lot of us in one place.

[David]

Brian,

You could learn a lot and make a more informed decsion if you could do the following:

1. Travel to Florida and spend a week going to all the major convertors and dealers.

Sanford, http://www.millenniumluxurycoaches.com/

Stuart, http://www.libertycoach.com/sales-service

Clearwater, http://www.parliamentmotorcoach.com/

San Antonio, near Tampa, http://www.parliamentmotorcoach.com/

There are others if you have time.

2. Come to the Rally in Branson and meet everyone and you will get the most information in the shortest period of time and get to see a wide range of coaches. http://prevostcommunity.com/rally.asp

3. You asked about maintenance costs, there are some things you can plan for, others problems just have to be dealt with as they happen. There is a certain amount that depends if you can do some of your own work, or will you have to pay someone to do all the required maintenance. Standerd things like yearly oil and filter changes, grease job, etc can cost $400-$500 if you do it yourself, $800 or more if you pay someone to do it. Just depends on how much work you ask them to do.

Make sure whatever you buy has fresh tires and batteries, that can be a 8 to 10 K expense if you need new tires and batteries after you leave the dealer / seller. Tires are a big safety issue and good batteries are needed for dry camping and prevent a lot of nasty electrical trouble shooting. Audio visual equipment that has already been updated to current versions will also save you time and money.

Hope this helps at least a little.

[Archived]

Hi Brian,

First of all….welcome. I’ve just completed the “research and buying” phase of my journey and should be picking up my new to me ’05 Royale XLII in the end of September. I was going crazy looking for information and people that would honestly tell me things about Prevost conversions. I’ve had 6 coaches in the last 12 years, 2 Diesel class A’s and one class 8 Truck conversions included in that list so I had some idea of what I wanted in a coach. The folks here are simply awsome!! The articles where so helpful and my “dumb” questions where answered quickly by folks who remember what it is like to be a newbie…..

I set a budget…..not to exceed $500K, My wife and I discussed how we would be using the coach the majority of time. Resorts, stays for 2 weeks to 3 months, usually on shore power. Then we discussed what we wanted in a floor plan, one or two slides, type of bed, # of sinks, storage areas. I looked into maintenance, ease of use, complexity, serviceability ect……

We ended up getting a coach for a little less than our budget BUT I am having the dealer put on 8 new tires, all new coach and chassis batteries, new air bags and norgren valves, all new belts, diesel service, genny service, aqua hot service, coolant system flush with new hoses, new brake lines, all filter changes ect…. The coach is going to Prevost for a chassis inspection and then the dealer is completing an extensive PDI as well as giving us 2 full days of training (one day on house systems and one day on the chassis.) All in all, I will have close to $35K in “maintenance” done to get the coach as close to “zero’d out” as I can before we take delivery. I was nervous because this will be the first “used” coach I have ever bought.

Jon gave me some wonderful advice about setting a budget, look at your WANTS and NEEDS. Think about how you will use the coach and where you will be using the coach. Hot climates, cool climates ect……OTR air vs. roof airs (pro’s and con’s), energy management ect….

Finally, we decided to attend the Branson rally WITH the coach so I could continue my learning curve and meet some of the nice folks here who helped me in my decision. Am I still nervous about getting my coach…..yes, do I feel that I had enough information to make an “educated” decision….yes, thanks to this community and months of research and reading.

[Peter]

Do yourself a favor and forget the stacker trailer. #1 you don’t want the weight #2 many campgrounds don’t have the room, especially if you have to unhook.

Get your car setup for flat towing and use it that way.

[Tom]

Brian, all good advice above. Two comments. CC owners are VERY sensitive about their engine powered air conditioning system and over the years have defended it against all comments. I am sure it has merits. But to keep the record straight it is not sized the same as the Prevost over the road heating and air conditioning system. The two are not the same. Where and when you use your coach will determine how much AC capacity you require.

Having said that the various AC capacities that I know are Prevost OTR somewhere between 80,000 and 109,000 BTU depending on vintage of coach. Roof airs, a range of 13,000 to 15,000 BTU. Cruiseairs around 13,000 BTU. I do not know the output of the CC “over the road” air.

Generally speaking 3 house AC units are supplied with 40 foot coaches, 4 AC units with 45 foot coaches. Rarely if ever will you need to use all the AC capacity supplied, but if you have an AC unit failure, or the coach gets heat soaked you will thank your lucky stars you have more capability than needed.

Mark’s advice regarding towing is something to think about. We all carry far more than we need. Weight is our enemy. It kills mileage, it makes hill climbing slow, it affects stopping distances, and requires higher tire pressures. If you flat tow you are accepted anywhere. Some RV resorts will not allow trailers. There are benefits to a trailer, the most important in my mind is you can back up, something not possible when flat towing. But a lot of owners have stacker trailers and it works for them, just make absolutely certain the coach is set up with the heavy engine cradle and you do not exceed the tongue weight restriction.

[Archived]

2005 Royale XLII

# 407

I saw the ad for this coach and I’m *VERY* jealous. It looks like a great choice and what you are doing to “zero out” the maintenance makes perfect sense. If you don’t like it, let me know… 🙂

[Brian]

I am actually picking up the coach in Nashville sometime in late September…..Brandon is bringing it there once all the maintenance is done. I sure can understand what Brian is going thru. Spending that kind of cash can make your stomach turn especially when buying a used coach. I watched 4 Royale coaches get sold in the last 3-4 months and I’ve tried to talk to the new owners as to “why” they chose Royale. Seems like they all had the same answer….simplicity of the systems and ease of maintenance. For us, we wanted to keep the warmth of wood in the interior, it fit our wants and needs and by the time we get done with all the maintenance items it will be right at the budget we set.

I probably could have jumped up a year and got an ’06 Marathon but having the ability to still do the maintenance and hit the road with almost everything brought up to spec meant a lot to both the wife and I.

[AL]

WOW! I feel like that military robot in the movie Short Circuit where he’s struck by lightning and comes alive…he required “input” to gain knowledge, and I’m loving all of this input! You have no idea how much I appreciate all of you taking me under your wing so to speak and offering your advice which is based on years of what to do and not to do. I’m still torn between the two types of chassis….although being quite honest the H3 has more “eye candy” appeal to me. The Branson Rally is a great idea! I’m going to do my level best to be there.

Interesting side note….I’m a Florida native (Born and reared in Miami) oh and while I’m sidetracking here…Jon I understand you’re a pilot….my Dad (God rest his soul) was the very first Flight Engineer National Airlines ever hired when they started needing a third guy in the cockpit! Anyway I called my Allstate agent to get some idea of insurance costs here in Texas. I have a friend who has a house in Austin, but lives in Florida overseeing his Cable company he owns there. He bought his Class A in Florida but got Texas plates. He told me this morning that he should have gotten Florida plates, because Texas hit him with a 35,000 dollar impact fee! (Which Florida doesn’t do) So I guess I’ll have Florida plates on the coach!

And while I understand the weight problem with the Stacker, it’s only a 20 footer, which keeps me at the DOT length limit. I might just have to have a 4-wheeler for those dry camping days. Also, whatever coach I end up with you can rest assured that I too will “zero out” the maintenance issue. Better safe than sorry! I’ve had Sportfishing boats all my life (used to fish tournaments), and I thought that they had complicated systems! Provost is another level higher than boats. I realized this when I read the thread about tire balancing here….bags inside the tires as opposed to lead weights???? I’m beginning to think that learning to fly an F-16 has a shallower learning curve! I guess this adventure will prove out the old saying that “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” I guess we’ll find out.

And to my nameless friend who is picking up his first used coach in Nashville in September, thank you for your information and from my research Royale is one of the best conversion companies.

And on another note I read about the Lobster run you guys are making….Lobster is good…but you haven’t lived until you feasted on Stone Crab claws fresh out of the Florida Keys water! As a sign of my appreciation to all of you, I will fill up a bin full of fresh Stone Crabs, and we’ll meet in a Central location for a Crab feast….my treat. Stone Crabs are only in season with months with the letter “r” in them. I’ve tried so many times to get the State of Florida to change the spelling to Arrrrrgust….to no avail.