Installing Slide(s)

[jmoorelewy]

Where should I go to have a slide installed on a 90's XL 45? Can anyone give me an idea of the cost?

[ajducote]

Here is 1 place I am aware of, there are others.
http://www.excaliburcoachus.com/

Last time I asked, it was about 90K for a salon slide, and I think it was about 50K for a bedroom slide, but it has been about a year since I asked so my memory is a little faded.

[rahangman]

Where should I go to have a slide installed on a 90's XL 45? Can anyone give me an idea of the cost?

When we were looking at coaches to buy, we found a place in Clarendon, PA, Hoffman Coach that does this and also a place in Joplin, MO, called BentleyMotorCoach.com may be worth a look.

[JIM KELLER]

JMOORE, Be sure you understand all the implications, complications,liabilities,hazards,downfalls, etc,etc. of a project like this. Serious issues are at hand.

[merle&louise]

jmoorelewy,

I agree with Jim Keller. I would be very reluctant to have after market slides installed. If you feel that you have to have them, I would contact a shop that has installed several slides, and I would call the owners and see how they like them!

As many of the members of this forum can tell you some (not all) Prevosts have had trouble with their slides. And these are Prevost slides; designed and installed by Prevost Car Company when the bus is built!

Maybe some of the members of the forum who have after market slides can chime in with some positive news on slides.

[Jeff Bayley]

Justin-

Shameless plug and not just for you but any other readers that can offer advise or ideas. I'm ready to trade this for an existing business opportunity if anyone has one to dispose of that is comparable.

I have 1999 H3-45 shell that has double slides. Only plywood inside. Nothing has been started on the conversion. It's a VIP shell with 8,000 miles. I haven't been advertising it except for one lonely ad on RV Trader. If slides are around $50,000 each, you might consider putting that $100,000 toward my shell which I will sell for $150,000 giving me a $100,000 loss from when I purchased it 2.5 years ago. I suspect that the tear down of your interior (labor) is going to be more than putting slides in an empty shell.

The prices of everything (including my shell) is in the toilet of course. I would take it to a none brand converter or solicit an Entertainer coach company (most of them build their own) to do the floor plan of your design. I have people that know estimate roughly between $200 to $300k for the labor and parts. I know that someone trying to be a dealer for a name brand converter (forget which one now) said they came down to $850 for a finished double slide. Considering that the Prevost double slide is somewhere around $525 I recall, that would calculate out to around $325 roughlyn (if the conversion from . I would think it would be a shoppers market on the new coaches also (Or having a chassis you bring them converted) with the economy. I would appreciate any comments on what others thing the conversion with parts and labor could be done for so as I continue to talk to the occasional prospect I can be accurate.

$150 for a shell plus let's say $250 for a conversion is $400k and used double slides. Just doing a cursory search on Phil Cooper the first listing was around $450 for a Vantare double slide with low mileage as you would expect (65k miles) . If someone were to build this one, it wouldn't provide a savings but it would allow someone to make a custom floor plan without starting with a $500k plus shell just to get started. So one would have a 2010 interior tailored to their specs. Personally, I always found the bathrooms and kitchens bigger than neccessary and would rather have a larger bedroom and front salon.

[Sid Tuls]

Jeff, could you post some pictures of the shell or e-mail me some? I have a uncle that might be interested. sidtuls@yahoo.com

[Jeff Bayley]

Sid-

You bet. Emailing all to you know including the build sheet. Thanks.

Further to my prior post (and this might be a long shot), but it occured to me that any business worth a darn is going to be worth more than the cost of the shell. Is anyone ready to check out of their business that worth more and take the shell as a down payment on the business ? I know. I'm reaching. I sell cosmetic lasers which are elective and cash based and the econonmy had slowed sales to a crawl. Looking for new opportunities. Don't think a hot dog stand is going to pay the bills.

I don't know the ratio of POG members that are retired to those that are still have companies to run full time to those that are able to work from the road like we are able to do with a lap top and phone. That's ideal for us. I guess I should start a new thread for this but since I'm only 42 and looking for ways to thrive in this recesion as well as find something with more joy and less stress, I'll never know if I don't let it know that suggestions or opportunites are both welcome, wanted and needed. I'm smart enough to have made enough money to have forked over $250,000 for one coach and $275,000 for the other (wait, that makes me dumb not smart) and I also have a semi trailer that was an PET scanner and has central A/C and a 60kw generator. Oh, I forgot about the $250k for the shell. That's $750,000. If I had pocketed the money (or at least $500k of it) I could move to Panama where my wife is from and live in the mountains with year round perfect weather. If I'm still alive when the money runs out in 7 or 8 years I could go back to work. But that money is gone now and those buses aren't worth what I paid for them. So.........crank up the money machine again and spend it more wisely this time. I wish I could get into something (that pays the bills) that also helps people and changes their lives becuase that brings a satisfaction that money can't buy and there is no joy like that in our current business.

The semi trailer was going to be the 2nd generation mobile laser showroom and entertaining station as well but I'm scrubbing that for now. Does anyone travel coast to coast doing trade shows where any of my assests would have application ? I'm open to discussion on using those items for some form of cooperation without requiring anyone to purchase them. Just takes the right idea and opportunity.

Here's a few snap shots of the spare stuff. My Royale is not pictured. The 22' Airstream (not pictured but here) works well as a guest room to tow behind the bus if you have a crew and you need to convoy to a job site or trade show. Share the driving during the day. Guests have their own space to sleep. Some of his makes no sense to the reader. I'm thinking of concepts that are too lenghty to explain.

Ideas ? Need to find a way to make the assets work for me and make more than there worth to sell (except for the shell to Sid's family maybe). Haven't looked into chartering them but would have to get CDL, insurance. Would make sense if I had a source / connection for steady clients. But there's probabley bigger bucks to be made on other angles instead of trying to rent a bus and driver for $1,000 a day (unless you could work 20 days a month).

Let me know if anyone thinks it's worth posting a dedicated thread to this. The thing is there is a lot of wise, experienced memebers here and I'm only 42 and can use some advise. How can I make this stuff go to work for me ?

22' 2005 Safari Airstream not pictured but I'll sell it for wholesale of $28k. Makes a great guest room to two behind the bus.