New member in search of a Prevost

[amt]

Hello. I am a new member in search of a used Prevost. Just wanted to drop in and say Hi. I am in Austin, TX. I am looking for a used Prevost to go on trips with my wife, daughter, 2 cats and a dog. Yes, the pets really need to come with. I am having some trouble deciding what vintage to go for. I see many in the early 90's under 100k, but also see some late 90's and 2000 around 200k. I am quite mechanically inclined and don't mind doing a lot of maintenance myself. However, I am a bit worried about buying a coach with the 8v92, only because of availability of service when traveling.

I would not mind doing some remodeling inside to suit our needs, so an older coach with a lower price has some advantage. But it seems like finding a coach with S60 engine and still in the lower end of prices if hard to come by.

Also, I am curious if there's anything else I should consider when looking at an older coach (pre-S60). Any concern over brakes, suspension, steering, ride quality in the older coaches? Is the circa-2000 H3 models a step above the other models in some ways?

Thanks!

[WinterStorm]

Highly recommend Olympia Luxury Motorcoach in Murfreesboro, TN. They have a large assortment of Prevost coaches (Liberty, Marathon, Millennium, Featherlite, Country Coach, Parliament, etc.) and if purchasing a Zeroed-out coach it will be done professionally, thoroughly - including having the chassis, axles, wheels/tires done by Prevost Nashville. We absolutely Love our “new to us” Coach. Austin Hicks (Business Partner/General Manager), Brad Land (Sales) and Bobby Kerce (Service Manager) are World Class Prevost knowledgeable! They and their technician teams employ Midwestern work ethic and courtesy! Good fortune in your search.

[amt]

Greg and Deb, thanks for the recommendation. I am still learning a lot, and I will try to ask specific questions in the appropriate sub-forums. IMO, it looks like a minimum price for a good condition coach is $150-200k. I am seeing some for less, but I get the impression they need a bit of work. I will check out Olympia Luxury Motorcoach. However, I am hoping there might be some more local options for at least window shopping, as I'd like to get some "touch and feel" before committing to a sale. Also, BTW, leaning towards a non-slide, as I think there's enough room, and I do not want any possibility of needing to fix a slide down the road.

[Hoffman]

AMT,
I understand your position, similar to mine. I didn't mind doing a lot of work myself, wanted a lower price, but not a problem child. I ended up with a 2001 H3. It needed some work, and I've done a lot and given our budget, it's been a good decision historically. We're very happy, even if I bitch periodically to my wife about something not working just right.
However I saw a red flag when you mentioned you're traveling with your wife, daughter, 2 cats and a dog. You didn't mention the age of the daughter, nor size of the dog, but that's a lot of love in a small space without slides. Another important factor is the length and frequency of your travels. My concern is that in 6-12 mos you'll be wishing you'd gotten a bit more space with a few slides.
Of course I'm sure you know there's a lot more bargains available in private transactions, but you just take on a lot more responsibility for the state of the coach. If you go private I highly recommend you consider hiring Gil Johnson (Active on this forum) who can provide you an excellent pre-purchase review and opinion of the coach. Well worth the investment particularly with an older coach as you're inclinded. Nothing wrong with a Prevost that needs a bit of work, they're very workable. Just be sure you're walking into it with open eyes, that's where Gil's value is worth the investment.

One thing you might consider with any coach that is 15+ yrs old is having Joe Camper rebuild your chassis components. Joe can also be found on this forum. Another investment that's worth it. Having him go thru it with you, you'll learn a ton of great info about your coach, along with getting new air bags, shocks, break calipers, pads, brake lines, brass fittings, air valves, and anything else Joe finds that needs attention.

I personally recommend something in the 2000-2005 age range, not too old, still has some good life, pre DEF, D60 engine, available slides (if you want). But still cheap enough to not kill you. I'd estimate you should budget 50-100k of work in the first few years to get it all fixed up and improve it to suite your needs/style. An example of this type of work is new front seats. About $10k, but well worth it, even to include 3 point seatbelts. Your aZZ will thank you every time you drive down the road.

I'm happy to chat in person and share more of our journey. Just reach out.

[Gil_J]

I don't recommend the 8V92. Not because it's a bad engine. 2 stroke diesel mechanics are getting harder to find.

If you are ruling out slides, a late model XL is hard to beat. I believe 97 was the first independent front suspension year. Nothing wrong with the solid axle front ends. The IFS will give you a tighter turn radius and more front axle weight carrying capacity.

If you have specific questions, a call may be easier.

[amt]

Hello, Joe and Diane. Yes I don't mind getting my hands dirty. The real issue is *time*. I am pretty handy, I have rebuilt engines, welded custom exhaust systems from scratch, done suspension & brake work, but don't have any experience with large chassis vehicles. If I am being honest, the biggest hurdle just might be getting used to driving something so big. I am pretty sure I have to get a different class of license for TX (but not commercial).

As for space, my daughter is about to turn 12, and she has down syndrome, so I would say her experience is bit different than a typical 12 year old. She absolutely loves busses, and having our own, she will probably want to live in it even when we are home. The cats will probably hide the entire time :) and our dog will most likely be by my side 24/7. We don't plan on going on trips for more than 3-4 weeks initially (probably much shorter to start), and I suspect we would do 4-5 of those per year. Some of the time I will be working (I always work remote, even when home) and I'll just find a quiet place like the back room if I need it, or if it's nice outside, I'll be on my computer outside. I understand the slides will offer more room, but I am trying to keep initial expense low and not have to worry about and future problems with them. Who knows, maybe I will change my mind.

Thanks for the opinion on the 8V92, Gil. I think I can safely state I am only interested in S60 coaches now.

[WinterStorm]

Hi amt,
Also highly recommend having Gil perform a Pre-purchase Inspection (PPI) on any Coach you might be interested in buying. Gil spent an unusually long time with us over several days while he was also at Olympia Luxury Motorcoach doing inspections for other potential buyers (and, for coaches that Austin was considering buying wholesale). Gil is just as thorough when reviewing any Coach - no matter for the eventual purchaser or the dealers. His standards are High and he doesn’t compromise. We got along great and found some big ticket items (which Olympia cared for) - which made hiring Gil very worthwhile.

I totally get your interest in purchasing a non-slide Coach (although, have to admit…was pleasantly surprised that my wife was willing and still Loves our non-slide!). We also purposely chose a Classic - wanted simplicity without all the advanced gadgetry (i.e., Crestron, iPad controls, air doors, airbag slides) that I believe are more often the cause for a Coach being in the shop for repairs. We also intentionally chose an XLII model because we Loved the stainless steel and didn’t want the Driver’s seat to feel separated from the rest of the Coach. These are personal choices and preferences. Absolutely nothing wrong with advanced electronics or H3 45 models!

We travel with a Siberian Husky and a Burmese cat…and they are both great travelers. We bought the cat a window suction cup bed for the passenger seat side window…he just lays in there exploring the country as we drive by! Your daughter is going to Love having all your pets along as you all travel, too. You’ll want to have a sofa that jack knives into a bed for her…and, likely the pets. :-)

In looking for a non-slide Coach, you might also want to consider one with a North/South bed orientation. Your wife will appreciate how much easier it is to make the bed and to have “side table cabinets” for drinks, books, etc.

Setting the cosmetic aspects of the Coach aside, you’ll really want to have someone like Gil and Joe Camper looking at the chassis, engine, generator, water and air systems with you - both to verify their integrity and to walk you through their operation (video with your phone to have as a reminder/reference…even with a Classic, there is a LOT to remember). That said, what I like most about a Prevost vs. our previous plastic Winnebago - is how absolutely solid EVERY aspect of this Coach is…nothing falls off, reliability/dependability and redundancy are built in! We just completed a flawless @two month and 4,500 mile trip from SW Florida to California. Best vehicle purchase ever!

[WinterStorm]

Our gratitude and respect to Olympia Luxury Motorcoach’s Austin Hicks, General Manager/Partner and Bobby Kerce, Service Manager for their time, advice, patience and help this past Saturday!

We drove our Coach to a very nice campsite in Southern CA along with another Prevost owner couple/friends. Unfortunately, once on our pad we had an issue establishing Shore power from the camp site’s post into our Coach. Although the Control Panel showed Port Shore Power from our cable, the new Magnum 12V Pure Sine Inverters were not Float charging? Our lighting worked but, was being powered directly off the Inverters and not Shore power. And, we were unable to get any of the Cruisair SMX II panels to work at all.

We texted Austin and Bobby for help or suggestions. And, in typical fashion - we heard right back, even though it was the weekend! Bobby texted some ideas but, when nothing changed - even starting the generator to see if it might assist the park’s incoming voltage to help bring the Inverters into CHG mode. Bobby then called us directly to discuss what options we could discuss with the park’s management/electrician. Thank you always, Bobby!

Austin called us almost immediately afterward and spent nearly 45-minutes brainstorming ideas, having us verify and retry different scenarios between the park’s post 50 Amp outlet, our Hughes Autoformer 50 Amp Surge Protector, our Shore power cable, the Shore Power Breaker and the Control Panel/Inverters. Ultimately, it appears that we wiggled when we should have jiggled to ensure proper Ground connectivity with the power post (camp will look into replacing with a newer/tighter connecting outlet)…and, wallah we had incoming Shore power!

The real point I’m trying to make…is that even though it had been since mid-June when we closed on our purchase of a 19-year old Prevost (XLII Liberty Lady Classic non-slide) - certainly not one of Olympia’s most expensive or profitable Coaches…Austin and Bobby have continued to sacrifice their personal time to continue to help us; and support us through our fire hose learning curve challenges - despite our also being half a country away!

This is why we tell all friends and acquaintances who are considering purchasing a pre-owned Prevost (of any Conversion or year) to seriously give Olympia Luxury Motorcoach a call. Our own experience is that no one does as thorough a Pre-Delivery Inspection, Zeroing-out a Coach and Post-Delivery follow up/support! It is also why we will be taking our Coach back to Olympia for annual Level III service.

We could not ask for a more reliable, Midwest work ethic and just generally wholesome/decent technical and mechanically knowledgeable staff to keep us Safely on the road and enjoying this beautiful Prevost Motorcoach! They have become great friends and family we chose for our Home.
Thank you, Austin, et al.,