Input on this coach

[aggies09]

The following is a coach that my wife and I keep going back to. Being a newbie, I would like some input. Let me what you think of this bus and why? Thanks for all the help.

http://www.genexusa.com/prevost.html

[dalej]

Tony,

It is very hard to look at the photos and tell you what we think. It looks like a well kept coach. You have to look at some coachs in that era and make the call. I seen a 91 or 92 country coach at Desert West (on prevost-stuff sponsors) That Lloyd was looking at and it was a nice coach for that year. I think it was around $139,000

Maybe someone in south Texas could look at it with you. Keep in mind if the price is right, you won't mind fixing things on it. Just make sure the motor and transmission are strong. If you can get the service data on those items you could post them.

Just to let you know, I bought the second coach I looked at, still own it.

[Darl-Wilson]

First, welcome to the group Tony!
This looks like an extraordinary coach, well kept, low mileage, and loaded with equipment. I only have two comments; do you really want a 40' rig and is it priced right. When I bought our coach I had lots of input from friends and relatives that owned these vehicles. Almost all encouraged us to buy a 45' model and something 1996 or newer because of the Prevost engine changes after that date. I am really glad we made the decision to purchase one with the extra 5'. For you I think it might be even more important with the space needed for a young family. Pulling a long trailer or vehicle could make a 40' the only vehicle that would comply with some state's length laws but other than that I think the 45' is better. The series 60 engine could be another reason to buy a newer coach. Fuel economy is a big issue right now and regardless of the diesel price in relation to the overall operating cost it will have an impact on resale value.

No doubt about it, this 40' Liberty looks like a beautiful coach that anyone would be proud to own. I think others here have offered similar advice but the ultimate decision is yours and your family's. My advice really only applies to what has worked for me and my family.

Good luck and try to come to one of the rallies.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Assuming the coach has been well maintained you seem to have picked a winner.

I have a strong bias toward Liberty so take anything I say as reflecting that.

Ignoring price for the moment, there is little you will need that is not on that coach. Like all of us you may upgrade some of the audio visual stuff or change some fabrics but essentially that coach has features you will find lacking on coaches of its vintage.

What you will get with the coach is Liberty support. If you own a Liberty, they will stand behind it and support you should you ever need service or advice. If you have any problems or issues Liberty will take care of you.

Reading the specs it appears the owner(s) kept this coach up to date. Based on its vintage it has some things not available when it was built such as Crestron. I can assure you that you will look for years and not find a coach of this age equipped as this coach is equipped.

Where I part ways from a lot of folks is that I tend to hang on to a coach. I am not someone that flips coaches. If I am to trade there has to be a strong reason. As a result it is more important to get a coach that is as near perfect for my needs as possible, and not try to get the best price in the world. Others are more concerned with getting the most coach for the smallest price. When I see the rare coach that trips my trigger I am OK spending a fair price for it, because I know that after owning it for ten years the small amount extra that I might have paid is inconsequential. This coach would fit into that category for me.

Take that as a strong endorsement, assuming it passes a detailed inspection with no surprises and evidence of good maintenance.

[tdelorme]

That coach has been on the market for a long time. It's been on eBay in the "MyStores" section for a year and is still listed there.
Looks like a real nice coach, just overpriced. Virtually the same coach that we paid about $45,000 less for. It might be worth that much more, but I'm happy with mine at the price we paid.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1992-Prevost-XL-40-Liberty-Coach-Conversion_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q 2el1247QQcategoryZ50068QQihZ020QQitemZ300165461108 QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If $165,000 is the price, then it must reflect that value in some fashion, starting with detailed maintenance records and ending with a no squawk inspection.

At that price the tires and batteries should be so new that replacement will not be a near future requirement, and everything should work. To use Ted's example, assuming near equivalent coaches, he can afford to have a lot of work done, get a new paint job, and redo the upholstery and still be on a par with that coach price wise.

This is a perfect example of the type of problem faced by a new buyer. That price is in the range a converter might charge, selling the coach with a full pre delivery maintenance and inspection, and a warranty of some sort.

That coach may really be worth the price because its pictures and specs lead me to believe it is not going to be easily duplicated, but it also needs to be pristine and well maintained. If it is not as good as it seems it may be overpriced. It is still a much better deal than a plastic coach at the same price.

[lloyd&pamela]

Dale the Desert West coach will sell for $125. I have lots of photos if someone is interested.

[aggies09]

Just a word of thanks to all of you for your time in responding to my questions. It is invaluable and i cannot believe that I could get that much intelligence from any other source. You all have my sincere gratitude.

[VegasDogMan]

Coach looks very nice. From my recent 3 year experience living full time in a 40' Liberty you should be aware that there is little storage space below in this coach.

One full bay all the way through plus a few drawers and that's it down below. OTR AC, Gen, Radiator, Inverters, Gen Battery, Water Bays, Entertainment Center all hog storage below.

If you're looking for a coach for full timing or extended travelling you might be better off with a 45' coach or something with roof air and no OTR AC.

Then again, if your looking for a week-ender then this coach would be great.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

That bus would leave you wanting nothing accept maybe another 5ft and the motor upgrade that would automatically come with.

In the current market even if it turns out perfect with new tires and new batteries IMO it should be had for less.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Without seeing the coach, driving it, looking over its maintenance records, and actually working every system I don't believe any of us are in a position to judge its value.

What is certain is that there are some coaches of that vintage that are absolute dogs. They have not only been poorly maintained, but over the years owners or mechanics have done some really poor repairs or upgrades that do not even come close to the original quality level of the conversion.

Those coaches are somebody's nightmare because when a new owner gets one he will go nuts trying to figure things out and making things work as they should. In addition he will be paying for the sins of the previous owners' lack of maintenance.

To me I would pay a premium to get a coach that has had well thought out upgrades and proper maintenance over its life. As I said previously some folks are looking for the least expensive and are willing to put the effort into restoring a coach to its former condition. I wouldn't wish that on a new owner unless the new owner had a place to work on the coach, had some mechanical skills, had extra money, and had a desire to make the effort.

It is almost effortless continuing the maintenance on a coach that has a history of good maintenance, especially if you have the records. But if the coach lacks records, and from its appearance shows it has not been well maintained I can see an owner that is going nuts because every time he turns around something else is wrong, and as someone new to the Prevost he doesn't even know what he doesn't know. There is a real value in starting out with a good reliable coach. How many of you current owners felt like a deer in the headlights when a parking brake diaphragm failed, or when you woke up in the morning with the coach leaned over, or your Webasto wouldn't fire up, or your generator wouldn't start?

The only way for any of us to really judge price is to touch and feel the coaches being evaluated and do a serious inspection. Then and only then can the price be factored into the equation. I would bet that if the coach were inspected, and it was found lacking the owner would either lose a sale, or be paying serious Lewbucks to correct problems in order to get it sold.

[jack14r]

I think that the description of this coach has been taken from a 2006 spec
sheet.It reads just like the newer Liberty product.

[tdelorme]

Jon, you are right on as far as knowing the history of any used coach. Some coaches have complete maintenance records and others have none. Having a knowledgeable person go over every system is good insurance, but with any used vehicle a new owner better be ready for a few surprises.
I was fortunate in that our coach came directly from Liberty in Fl. and Liberty had maintained the coach for a number of years. The service manager that I spoke with said the he knew the coach and that there were no problems that he was aware of. The only issue for us so far was my busted turbo tube (thanks again, Jon) and that is just one of those surprises you get with an older coach. The trick on purchasing a used Prevost is being willing to look and look and wait for as long as it takes to find the right bus. Look at Gary & Peggy. They were so patient and smart in their search and I'll bet they were tempted more than once to just buy a coach and be done with it. But their patience paid off big time and they have ended up with a really nice bus.
Still, anyone who buys a used coach with no warranty faces the possibility of laying out some big Lewbucks for an unforseen problem, and they better be ready of it.

[garyde]

Aside from buying a Coach from 'the little old lady from Pasadena' , I agree with Ted and Jon in the fact that purchasing from say Liberty, Marathon, etc. is one way to insure you are buying a 'known bus'. My Liberty was never far from the Liberty folks thru the previous two owners before me.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

I think that the description of this coach has been taken from a 2006 spec
sheet.It reads just like the newer Liberty product.

I think that Jack is right on on this count.

If this bus is appealing to you, it certainly seems worthy of a visit, and inspection, but don't accept that everything in the spec. sheet is on/in the bus without absolutely verifying it!

The pictures look great, but they too may not reflect the actual condition.

Try to find out where the present owner stands in the family tree of ownership. If ne is the original owner, then that is a +.

Good luck

[aggies09]

I believe he said he was the third owner, and that he had owned the coach for six years.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Jack,

I just went through the spec sheet, and as near as I could determine everything checks out. Like I said earlier, that coach is loaded, and if it has been maintained properly finding an equally well equipped coach of that vintage will be very difficult.

If you look at each listed feature and compare it to the pictures you will see no discrepancies. There are obviously things that cannot be confirmed such as the type of VCR or the KVH, or even the Crestron, but that coach looks like it has every feature of the current Elegant Lady coaches, but in 12 volts.

Some tip offs were things that are visible such as the Vitricor with the concealed microwave, the generator within a box, and not just visible when the bay door is open, the waste area plumbing which agrees with the features described, plus the little things like the vanity, the key pad entry (hard to see) and virtually every single design feature of Elegant lady coaches up until the more recent interiors.

The Crestron is listed, but I did not see any way to confirm it is there and that is the only thing I would find to be unusual for that year coach.

[jack14r]

Jon,You hit on some that I was not sure about,but I also questioned the Bose Lifestyle audio system and the auto boost from the house batteries for the generator battery.Are these options possible? Jack

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Jack,

I cannot answer about the Bose. We have an Alpine surround sound with a big speaker under the sofa and numerous other speakers throughout the house and a graphic equalizer that allows for the sound system to create the sensation of being in a church or stadium or normal sound. I presume Liberty used different systems. Since all audio equipment is now considered throw away by stores like Best Buy or Circuit City there is likely to have been system changes or upgrades due to the age of the coach. I just changed out my Alpine radio / CD player because nobody would repair it.

But our generator battery is as described. It maintains its charge through the house batteries and it has an isolator in the electric compartment to prevent discharge as the house voltage goes down. It is set up as a 12V tap off the house.

[rfoster]

I am not 100% sure, but I believe the Crestron system was not available on the 12 volt coach until the very late 90's or early 2000. It may have just been the sales pitch - but 97 was supposedly some of the earliest available for 24 volt coach.

I agree with Garyde and Jack- the description reads like the current Liberty coach.

Looks great in the photos, and if it does have all those features, that is one to take a closer look at.

[aggies09]

You may be right. I put that question to the seller as soon as you made your post, and he has yet to respond or clarify. Thanks for the input.