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Newbie Question About Prevost Conversion
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Todd, I would start with Stacy and also Mike at Imperial. You will find some on this site under Coaches for Sale and on Prevost stuff under Prevost and Other Luxury Coaches for sale. They are out there. Geo.
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did you do the MCI? I just redid a 45XLE. wheel base is longer with E. Depends on your needs. If you must do it yourself. Build Kiss===Keep it simple stupid! my conversions. If you must depend on it to live in. For a group duplicate systems. you see 5 ac and two gen sets because you can’t be down if one fails.
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Staley sells a number of Entertainer Buses too …
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Todd,
Contact Wade Staley at Staley Coach, he’s an advertiser here on PC and deals in many entertainer/star coaches. He currently has 10 coaches on PC.
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Todd,
We are also in the music business and travel to concerts in our bus. Many years ago when we were thinking of buying a bus, Mr. Staley Staley was very generous and very helpful as he taught us about the various options available for a Prevost bus. He showed us Entertainer coaches that were in great shape and some that were not. You may already know this, but an “entertainer” bus is typically characterized by a lounge in front and back with many bunks in the middle and a bathroom. Many used coaches like this have hundreds of thousands or even more than a million miles. Many have been owned by companies catering to the music industry and they are well maintained; others are not.
A “motor home” conversion has all the luxuries of home: full bath, bedroom, kitchen, storage, etc. I don’t know the number of members in your band. With some fairly simple changes to some coaches, bunks or pull out couches can accommodate a small band just fine. Motor home conversions will have much fewer miles and I believe cared for better, though as the experts on this forum will tell you, records for any coach are a must. Entertainer coaches usually have more bay storage area. If you pull a trailer for equipment, either coach would be fine. We have two open bays converted for equipment and we carry enough for smaller venues. Larger venues are required to have their own sound and sound engineer so we don’t pull a trailer. Having a solid generator or generators that is/are well maintained is a must. There are some large fairs that have 50 amp service for shore power, but most do not so there are many times that our generator doesn’t get shut off till we pull it back in our barn.
I know two entertainers who tried converting their own coaches. I don’t think they would do it again as it probably costs them more in the end. It’s easy for me to say I would buy one converted already, but I don’t know your budget or skill level. I know these are complicated machines and I know my limitations so I would buy the kind I wanted and then make minor changes as needed.
With the cautions given already, I would also say, nothing drives and rides like a Prevost!
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Tim, I meant Staley as in Wade Staley…even with one finger I still muck up. Geo.
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Too funny…
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Get in touch with Robert Glines that posted above. He knows what he is talking about. He has converted 3 or 4 buses.
You might post on http://www.busconversions.com/. There are a lot of guys there that have converted or are converting from seated coaches.
Staley knows entertainer coaches well and is helpful, as was stated. https://www.staleycoach.com/
Also https://www.busforsale.com/home/index.php always has many buses listed for sale. Looking through their site and Staley’s can give you an idea of the market, should you choose to buy something already converted.
Converting from scratch is something I considered. Once considered, I knew I lacked the time, skills and money. Lots of guys do it. If you can do it and you choose to do so, more power to you!
Davy
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There are guys who have converted their own coaches and the effort to do that is expressed in thousands of hours. Add to that the effort required to source and buy all the components that are required.
And I have never seen a post from a home builder that stated the conversion is done. There always remains additional work, changes because something is not right, and repairs that were deferred in lieu of conversion work.
Unlike the purchase of a conversion that is done professionally a home builder not only has to build an entire house and all its systems, he also has a chassis that was likely run hard and is sold because the work required to put it back into good shape will cost more than the value of the coach.
Right now, even with strong prices you can buy an older motor home conversion with relatively few miles for less than it would cost just to buy the components used for the conversion meaning you get the bus for free.
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