-
Newbie intro from the North
-
Jon,
To be honest I have thought about OTR but since I am not wanting to be in the south in summer it really did not mean much to me personally. However you bring up a good point about resale and value if the coach is not equipped with it it will narrow the folks you can sell it to. I always try to have a solid exit plan because you never know what may come your way. I dont fully understand OTR completely and need to think this over.
Excellent points Jon and thanks again.
Dale
-
The vast majority of owners do not and never had OTR. They drank the Kool Aid when buying a coach and thought a coach without it had twice the storage and stayed cool while driving in Phoenix in August. (I now fully expect to get flamed for picking on folks, but that is what I do.)
OTR is really nice when you travel in the hotter temps in the summer. Its 80,000 to the current 106,000 BTU of air conditioning is unbeatable. But if you are just not doing a lot of long time drives in the summer in the southwest you can get along fine without it. If your use of the coach is primarily as a second home in an RV resort it is not necessary at all.How you use the coach will decide if you need it or not.
However the market has expectations and the lack of it on a Liberty may influence the resale. Nobody is going to expect to find a Royale or a Country Coach with OTR. One has just driver’s air and the house AC units, the other has driver’s air and the converter’s version of an engine driven system called OTR but a much lower output version. But with a Liberty OTR is expected. Other conversions such as Angola may or may not have it.
-
Jon,
Thats for that explaination. Given the Liberty coach I noted above, would mind giving me your opinion of the asking price ? and also what would a fair figure be to deduct for not having OTR ? Is the asking price fair in your opinion ? I hope I am not putting you or anyone on the spot. Who knows maybe the seller is a member here.
Dale .
-
THIS could be a very nice “Value Play” …
😛
“low” miles… Under 100K… Series 60….
http://www.philcooper.com/inventory/1994-45-liberty-prevost-conversion/#.V4LTeT9nQgs
Good Luck!
-
Why not consider a Country Coach conversion? They are also simpler as far as electronics go, and there are several in the PC coach for sale listings that fit your budget. Country Coach cabinet woodwork is second to none, and their OTR-on-a-budget AC that Jon mentioned would probably do well for your needs as you described, since you also have the dash AC and three roof ACs. That being said Prevost OTR is fantastic when you travel in 100-degree weather like we did last month. With separate settings for the driver and the rest of the coach, the entire coach stays at the temperature you set. We alternate between OTR AC and generator running the CruiseAirs and certainly stay cool. Good luck in your search!
-
Before I comment on the CC I have to say “I have NO interest in the coach or dealing with the seller ” !!!! When I first posted on this thread it was to inquire about a Country Coach. The boy’s whipped my adventurous spirit into shape in a hurry ! (Thanks) I really liked the interior of that coach. I have looked a few few other CC and I would have no issues buying one if the coach was right in all other respects.
So what would be the differance in a Royale 95-97 and a CC 95-97 ? Generally speaking because I would think most coaches individually have differant specs.
Dale
-
Today, I was driving north from Stuart, FL, heading towards GA. We don’t have OTR air because we have four slides (OTR not available).
I was running the dash and aux front air and then turned on two roof airs (2 out of 4). We can run all the air units from the inverters as we have four 3,500 watt inverters.
At my first rest stop, I turned off the 2 airs units from the inverters and turned on the genny….. then turned the air units back on (need to exercise the genny). At 95 degrees outside the temp inside was 72.
When it is hot outside, I like to run the genny an hour or two before we stop. That way, the 50 amp connection is not trying to charge the Lithium Ion batteries while I’m trying to use multiple air conditioners. The battery charger has priority so I may not be able to use all the air units until the battery charger is finished. By running the genny before we ‘land’, no charging is necessary.
Mark
-
Dale,
I can’t and won’t be able to offer an opinion on the asking price of the Liberty. There are so many factors that influence price nobody is in a position to say anything other than more information is required.
I would suggest since you have specific ideas about the age range of the coach you seek that you develop some information that is available with a search of every coach that fits within your parameters. For each qualifying model year gather all the asking prices and determine the range of prices. Then if there are enough coaches that qualify, try to make the same determination for each conversion. If you can try to determine if there is a difference not only between converters, but between 40 foot and 45 foot coaches.
Everyone has what they consider wants and needs. Everyone also has things that are deal breakers. For example if a coach does not have OTR or a private toilet it is not one I will ever consider. You may also have features you cannot live without. Sort your list to see if your wants and needs or deal breakers influence the selling price.
Keep in mind several important things. Certain items have definable costs so you can modify a coach’s value, up or down based on those items. Two coaches of comparable condition, age, and equipment can have a wide variation in actual selling price depending on the age of tires and batteries, air bags, or brake chambers, all of which have a life span. Two identical coaches can have different values if one has a highly detailed service history that shows all service events are current, and the other has no information relating to what has been serviced or not. Two identical coaches can have a substantially different value if one smells of pets, cigarette smoke or mildew, and one has no odors.
As you can see valuing a coach is detailed and even with everything considered, the perfect coach for you may be off the table because it has colors you just cannot live with. There is no substitute for doing your investigation work first on the internet, including establishing your budget, your list of wants and needs, and then putting feet on the ground and seeing coaches.
-
Dale:
I went through what you are experiencing and here is my
experience.I made a list of what I required. OTR, Retarder, Aqua Hot (I like long hot
showers) and a private potty. Everything
else, other than Pepto Bismo Pink, I would tolerate. To me, high mileage was not as much a factor
as it is to some others, as I believe that a mechanical device that is
exercised usually lasts longer than one that just sits. Also rubber parts last longer with exercise
and there are a LOT of very important rubber parts on these coaches.I spent about three years looking and even traveled to some
remote place called Vanore, Tennessee to meet 20+ members of this group and learn
more about the Prevost shell. I ran
across a bus that met my criteria, but the price was, in my opinion, way out of
line. Seems that some well known
individual had purchased the Coach initially and the second owner thought that
since that individual had sat on the toilet, the bus was worth a lot more. Needless to say, I did not contact the
seller. About a year later, after
looking at a lot of other coaches, I found one that checked all my boxes and I
called, but was too late and the coach had sold.I decided that I needed to have my finances ready to jump if
another coach came by because I did not want to miss another chance. I seriously considered a really nice Royal,
but no OTR, I found a CC that Suited my needs, but again no OTR. The coach with the butt prints of the famous
person on the toilet seat dropped in price, then about 3 months later dropped
again. Still too expensive, in my opinion. However, I decided that if the price got to
my price, I would pounce.About 2 months later, I was at the computer and it flashed that
the coach had dropped a little below my figure and I spun around, picked up the
phone and called. I was number 2 in
line. I had to wait 3 days and the other
buyer passed, so it was my chance. After
extensive phone and email communications, I wired a down payment. The first buyer turned down the coach because
it had 202,000 miles. The original owner
put 60,000 in two years and the second owner used it in his job, so I surmised
that it should be in mechanically good condition since his livelihood depended
on the coach. When I went to close on
the deal, the inspection showed that the coach was in extremely good shape with
adequate service records (receipts), but the coach batteries were timed out.Since I picked up the coach 7 months ago, I have replaced
the coach batteries using my NAPA card (Thanks BA), had a wire from the
alternator break and replaced a relay. I have put 6,000 miles on and plan to go
back to Vanore next month and let Jeff perform one of his famous high priced
oil changes, to see what other items I need to address.My advice, develop your criteria, have your finances in
order for a quick down payment, keep asking questions of this group (no
question too dumb) and keep looking because your coach is out there.Hope to meet you on the road some day soon.
Triple Foxtrot
-
-
Thank you gentleman again for taking the time out of your day to post and give all the great advise, I really apprciate it !
My list is getting refined on a daily basis. One thing I didnt have on it was a Jake Brake that Fred mentioned. One of the things I struggle with is interior. Because my wife and I are very simple people, live in a log home and our property is very rustic. We don’t even have or watch TV. With that said I prefer a simple mostly wood interior. What I do not like with alot of the coaches for sale is mirrored ceilings, rope lighting all over, white leather furnature and laminant cabinets throughout. I am somewhat flexable on the laminant as long as it is simulated wood. So, that takes alot of coaches out of the running even if they are equiped the way I would like (so far).
My usage needs are simple as well. We do not entertain at all. I will be in the coach quit a bit by myself on hunting/fishing excursions but I will also use it for work as I work away from home. I have a few years left before I retire. I think I will start to make a spread sheet on the differant coaches and see how that lays out so I can get a grip on asking prices and my own comfort level.
Again thanks for the advise and personal experiances.
Dale
-
Damn,……………….that takes mine out of the running.LOL
-
Dale, like you my wife and I are not into bling. But that shouldn’t make you steer away from some very good coaches. If your priority is a plain or basic interior a Prevost might not be for you.
Our last two coaches are what I can say were kind of glitzy. The previous one especially had mirrors everywhere but the floor. It had etched glass. You get the picture. We wouldn’t have ordered it like that if our lives depended on it. But we grew to like it. A lot. It was completely different than how we live and it was our getaway.
You don’t have to turn on the rope lighting. You don’t have to use the underside neon lighting. If you don’t like the upholstery do like we did and change it. Most Prevost coaches are well equipped with fancy features. Nobody says you have to like them. They certainly don’t make the coach any more or less comfortable or useable. We surprised ourselves when we realized after a short period of time we had grown to like our over the top coach. I did not like it so much when I realized it looked like what people assume a whore house looks like. Tom told me what they looked like. I wouldn’t know.
-
One point on the wood cabinets vs laminate cabinets: wood cabinets need to be gone over every so often with furniture polish–we had beautiful wood cabinets in our last coach, but they require a lot more care than the laminate cabinets we have in out current coach. Like Jon said, rope lights don’t have to be turned on if you don’t like them–they burn out quickly anyway!
-
All points taken under advisement. I was just really saying what I “would” like. I am flexable, honest I am. I sure don’t want a coach that comes with the complete Barry Manilow collection (just sayin).
Jon like yourself I have never been to a whore house….. honest !
Now thinking a bit more on the OTR. My wife is going through the change and is always HOT !! maybe that should be under the deal breaker section.
Additionally, I am a carpenter by trade and could make and install all new cabinet fronts and wood trim as needed. Furniture can also be exchanged.
Dale
Log in to reply.