Hello POGers

[GDeen]

Dropped off the forum for a few months - signed back up and looking again at buses. Look forward to making one of the events and meeting folks in person.
Gordon

[Ray Davis]

Welcome back. Lot's of good deals on buses out there now. Check out California Coach (Steve Bennett) who is a POG sponsor (and member).

Also several nice buses from members that happen to have an extra one available too! :D

Best of luck in your hunting.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

So you fell off the wagon and now you are back on again?

You know the drill. Ask questions and we will all make up answers. We especially like telling people how to spend their money so your posts will get priority.

Nobody wants to meet us in person however. Especially the sheep herders.

[GDeen]

Thanks guys - was covered up with my business for the past 18 months, but things have slowed down, and MPD has come calling again!

Looks like some pretty good deals out there for sure. Need to schedule some time to go look at a couple of them to get things kicked off. Also wonder what the next 6-12 months will bring with the economy still slowing down.

[phorner]

An opportune time for your MPD to resurface.

Happy shopping !!

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Gordon,

As long as you avoid ever using the word "investment" in regard to the purchase of a Prevost Coach the future and its impact on anything related to a coach will be unimportant.

When folks end up disenchanted with the purchase of a coach is when they consider it to be something of lasting value. It is a great way to travel, it is unmatched in quality, but it is a depreciating asset and will never increase in value. But I have never owned anything that has been as valuable as my coaches in terms of the enjoyment we have gotten from them.

So......what are you looking for? We are all nosy and want to know.

[GDeen]

Gordon,

As long as you avoid ever using the word "investment" in regard to the purchase of a Prevost Coach the future and its impact on anything related to a coach will be unimportant.

When folks end up disenchanted with the purchase of a coach is when they consider it to be something of lasting value. It is a great way to travel, it is unmatched in quality, but it is a depreciating asset and will never increase in value. But I have never owned anything that has been as valuable as my coaches in terms of the enjoyment we have gotten from them.

So......what are you looking for? We are all nosy and want to know.

Hey Jon - I fully "appreciate" that these things aren't investments in the financial sense, but am anxious to enjoy it as an investment in enjoyment for my wife and I and our kids (when we decide to invite them along). Your last sentence of the middle paragraph perfectly spells out the goal for us.

I mentioned to someone on a PM last night, I/we are still torn about slides vs no slides to start with. I really appreciate the simplicity of no slides but we have leased a coach (plastic) with slides and they were pretty darn nice once we were stopped for the day. So that is issue number one.

Issue number two is whether to go with a late version XLV or XLII. If the decision is that no slides is desirable then we are opened up to the later model XLVs which would be very tempting. I have read your treatise on the virtues of the late model XLV presenting the sum benefit of the manufacturers experiences, and like the logic. On the other hand, I do like the taller windscreen in the XLII which gives a more panoramic view while traveling in scenic areas. I do worry about the delamination issue, but I would like to think Prevost will continue to take care of that. An 04 CC we looked at last year had just returned from being re-skinned. The owner said it wasn't pleasant having to give up his bus for that period of time, but at least they took good care of it.

As to convertor, my intuition says to stay with the big boys - Liberty or Marathon. There are some nice deals out there in the Royals though and JDub once told me here that the simple systems of the Royal would make it less worrisome to own as an orphan.


Summary....a year ago I might have been tempted by one of the higher dollar, late model XLIIs with double slides, but the overall economy has caused me to pull in my horns a little bit. Afterall, it is a toy and for some reason I have less money now to throw away on such things so a simpler, less complicated model seems right in this day and time:)

[phorner]

With regard to the issue of slides, we went from a triple slide plastic coach to our non-slide Liberty with no regrets.

This needs to be a personal decision based on how YOU enjoy your coach.

My only advice when considering a bus with slides is to make sure that you also see them with the slides in..... they're all nice with the slides open :)

Some are considerably less so with the slides in.

I like to be just as comfortable at a fuel stop as I am in a resort.

Good luck with your search!!

[GDeen]

Thanks a lot Paul - that is the kind of advice I need from those who have been in both type coaches.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I'm not going to get into a discussion of slides because that is a personal choice.

But I can say one thing about windshields. When we drive in a southerly direction with our small windshield and the OTR it feels like we are in a sauna. We have cabinets across the top so we aren't getting excess solar radiation, but it gets hot sitting in the front. A tall windshield such as in the H models and the XLII has to be admitting much more heat from the sun.

The reverse is also true. We returned home from a trip one time and had to drive for a day with outside temps never getting above minus 20 F. We froze. I had every heat source on in the coach and we could not overcome the cold air spilling from the windshield. If we had the big windows we would have had to park.

Over the years I have replaced about 6 windshields, maybe more. I guess I would say I average 40 or 50,000 miles per windshield. That may have been in part due to when we lived in NY and their tendency to carpet coat roads with loose stone so oncoming traffic would kick up a stone which ultimately chipped the windshield and started a crack. I am glad I have the small windshields because replacement is easy and relatively cheap.

The coach body style is a personal choice, just like slides and each style has its plusses and minuses. I will stick with my opinion however that the late model rivet coaches are likely to prove to be the cheapest to buy and maintain in the long run.

[phorner]

Personally, since we have a '99 chassis, I think it's kind of cool to have "one of the last" rivet coaches.

Makes it seem special in its own kind of way, 'cause there won't be any more :D