Cruise Air/ Roof Air Any Difference?

[tdelorme]

Well the search continues and a few more questions have come up. We really want a coach with Prevost OTR Air, but so far nothing has come up that we really like. Today's question is about the difference between Cruise Air and regular old ducted roof air units. Marathon has one coach with "3 Cruise Airs" and there are no units on the roof. They have another unit that the spec sheet says "three curise airs" and there are three roof Air units. So, is there a difference between the two?
We drove a Liberty at Tulsa RV over the weekend that is really a nice unit. Even has Prevost OTR Air, and If it had a private potty room we would have driven her home. Jerry Nading is the owner of Tulsa RV and seems easy to deal with. We felt comfortable there and his prices are appropriate for each unit on the lot. None of the "list price" that is about twice what a unit should sell for.
Thanks in advance for any help.

[garyde]

There is plenty of recent posts on this subject. Check out the Search engine on OTR and Cruise Air.

[Ben]

If there are boxes on the roof that look like air conditioners, then the bus has roof airs and the spec sheet is wrong. If there are no boxes, then it either has cruise airs or some other system (some country coaches has a HVAC unit in one of the bays for instance).

FYI: All my knowledge relates to Prevost XL's and not the newer rivet-less XLII's:
Cruise Airs are quieter than roof airs since the compressor is under the bus instead of right above your head (less of a rumble sound). They are almost always mated to digital SMX controls, which offer five fan levels (roof airs have three fan levels and analog controls unless it's a Marathon, since they use SMX controls with roof airs). The SMX controls also allow them to automatically switch between cooling and heating (which is nice in desert climates where it might be getting cold at night by the time you get back from your daily adventures).

Cruise Airs should cost more to have them worked on (since they are in the cramped environment of the bays) and fewer places will know how to repair them since they are not common on RVs in general... they are more common on yachts.

Hope that helps.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

You are diving into an area that sometimes polarizes owners with their opinions.

There are only a few absolutes when considering the AC systems that people rarely disagree with. The first is that if you want the ability to handle any heat while underway the only way too do it, assuming you start with a coach that is completely heat soaked is to get OTR. Any other option may maintain a cool temperature, but none will go from a blazing hot coach to walk-in-freezer temperatures as quickly and effectively as OTR.

To keep a coach cool while driving without OTR, roof airs will function better than Cruise Airs.

The cheapest units to service or replace are roof airs.

The above statements are what everybody can generally agree upon. The debate on AC systems gets real confusing when the topic includes such issues as AC packages (like in homes), inverter run AC units, driver's air or modified driver's air with converter installed zones, and combinations such as OTR and Cruise Airs or roof airs.

Search all the thread on this site and the prevost-stuff.com site and read the discussions and try to decide what is best for you.

[tdelorme]

OK, Gary is right on, just do a search. I was taking the Marathon Spec sheet as gospel. A mistake on my part. So the coach with the roof air units that they say has cruise air, actually has roof air. The trick for us is finding the right coach that has Prevost OTR air as well as either roof air or cruise airs. The OTR air and a private potty (ok, water closet.) are the only set in stone requirments. Well, except for the price. I'm going to stay under 300 and I think it can be done. Thanks again everyone.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

tdelorme,

I think there's a few of us looking for that exact same BUS:eek:

:rolleyes: The variations will be the wives' approval of the interior:(

That may very well be the most difficult part:D

[Jon Wehrenberg]

tdelorme,

You have so clearly defined your coach that the only thing left for you to do is pick the colors.

With the very rare exception of some coaches produced to a specific customer order (such as Jerry W's recent purchase of a XLII Marathon) the only coaches that will match your description of what you want will be produced by Liberty, and depending on condition, model (Classic or Elegant Lady) or who it is purchased from you are looking for a 1995 to 1999 model to be in your price range.

The coach will have OTR and Cruise Airs, and some of the floor plans produced have private toilets.

[JIM KELLER]

tdelorme, Look at : Prevost-stuff.com. Under used coaches, 5th column over,3rd one down. 1997 Liberty. Belongs to one of our founding fathers, Mango Mike. It is hard to put a dollar amount on the value associated with buying a used coach from someone that has performed proper maintenance. The ability to talk to the previous owner, see his records and discuss condition is unmeasurable. If I had the knowledge this Web Site has given me before I purchased our coach I could have saved THOUSANDS ! !

" It is not the price of the Bus, It is the condition."

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I'd have been on that one in a heartbeat, but it is an open toilet plan.

[JIM KELLER]

tdelorme,

To continue with this thought, there are several members on this site with excellent condition used coaches for sale. We like to keep the "family members" together. Take Jon for example. If he ever announced his coach was for sale, there would be a line starting in Florida all the way to Tennessee to get a chance to buy his Bus.

[tdelorme]

Jim, I have been checking the Prevost-Stuff.com coaches for sale site for several weeks now. You are right about Mango Mikes coach. Without a doubt the best looking unit available in that year. My wife likes the coach so much she had me download and save the interior pictures for future reference. The open potty again is the issue. If it was just me, well heck I'd just step outside and take care of business but she is kinda prissy in some ways:)
As I have said before, we are going slow and willing to wait for the right coach to show up. Over the years when we traded coaches, I just got a feeling in my gut when we found the right unit. And, its not like I'm afoot now so while I'm ready to switch, I'm willing to wait. This could be the last coach we ever buy and I'd like to get it right.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Six months ago there was a large selection of coaches in the vintage of Mikes. Now the market is empty. It apparently runs in cycles.

FWIW, a person using the facilities in Mike's coach need only slide a pocket door to get complete privacy. That floor plan has a pocket door between the kitchen and bath area and between the master bedroom and the bath area.

[win42]

We had a walk thru bathroom for ten years in our 40' Royale and enjoyed the extra space it provided to get out of the shower and get dressed. Each door had a full length mirror facing the bathroom when closed.
Our 2000 Liberty has the private throne room. It narrows down the pasageway a bit but this coach is five foot longer allowing more room in the bathroom and bedroom area. Either way the exhaust fan is the key. It was kind of nice to close off the front end from the bathroom and bedroom when visitors were on board.

[truk4u]

Tdelorme,

We just recently sold our 97 Marathon and it also had the open floor plan for the bath. When we starting looking at Prevosts, the private toilet was on our must have list, but we compromised and found the plan like Harry said was great. The sliding doors worked out fine. We previously had a Foretravel with the open plan, then 2 country coaches with a private toilet and after having the Prevost, the open plan is great for us.

You should seriously consider Mango's Liberty, it will be hard to beat..;)

[MangoMike]

Tdelorme,

I've been off line for a few days now out on the road with the Mangoettes. So I've missed some of the postings.

I spent about nine months looking for the "perfect" Prevost for us and was lucky enough to find the Mothership previously owned by BOB-00 (who later joined POG). Being a first purchase Jon was kind enough to accompany me to NC and bless the acquisition. It has been a great bus.

One thing about POG that I'm sure you've discovered is that it is incredible source of knowledge when it come to maintaining your vehicle. And I used this resource to it's max in keeping the bus in pristine mechanical condition. The other thing about POG is that it's members will hound you to death if you don't maintain their standards.

You have to decide where you're going to draw the line in the sand with the floorplan issue. The only thing I can tell you is that upon the initial purchase of the Mothership I took off 6 weeks from work and headed West with the family. Four girls and Mango in the bus for over a month. We made it work with the open floor plan, but it did take some planning and family flexibility. When it was just Mrs. Mango and me in the bus the open floor plan was never an issue.

If you have any questions at all about the Libery don't hesitate to send me a PM and I'll be glad to give you my cell number.

Thanks and good hunting.

Mike