Millennium has gotten my Attention!

[Sting]

Most of you know I had posted a few weeks ago about wanting to upgrade from my 2006 Country Coach Affinity to a Prevost. As stated earlier I really like the interiors of a Country Coach. I believe Marathon is a great coach but I have yet to see an interior that turns me on and trust me I have had them send me a bunch of pics. I have been in contact with Liberty but for some reason I cant get them to take me seriously. I asked for some close up pics as well as pics of the middle of the coach instead of the same living and bed room pics on their site. I also asked for some floorplan layouts and I was told they dont like to share that info., to which I stated I need that info. so as to get some ideas on how their coaches are laid out and visualize myself in that floorplan arrangement. I was told he would TRY to email me some plans but never did. I am a little gun shy of Country Coach now in light of the problems with their parent company. With all that being said, after my first love(Country Coach) failing to keep my attention, I really was focused on Liberty but the phone conversations have bordered on arrogance(dont mean to hurt anyones feelings but thats just how it came across) and since I cant even get a package of info. I have scratched them. Marathon has bent over backwards and is not out of the game but I just need to see something not so contemporary. Which brings me to Millennium. A call to them and I was given to Meg who has answered everything I asked and has provided a wonderful package of info. that was overnighted to me. I have been in a Millennium before and I do like their interiors. My only concern was whether or not they are a long term player. I must admit all the vibes I got from talking with her have been positive, so much so I am flying there to get a first hand look. Right now Millennium has gotten The Stinger's attention. I still like a Country Coach and despite their problems I still cant rule them out. Marathon either. They have been great. So far my only bad experience has been Liberty. For some reason I just dont think he took me seriously. I am 40 years old so maybe a young voice did it, I dont know. I am looking forward to my trip to Millennium. Are there any Millennium owners on the board?

[matsprt]

Todd,

As I mentioned in a private message I spoke with Meg last night. I asked that same question about longevity. I was told they have been doing conversions for 7 years and have converted 37 (I think, or 39??) coaches to date. One thing I forgot to ask was the ratio of H's to XL's.
Maybe someone here can answer that ?? As soon as I get some additional information I may just take a trip out there....race ya !!

BTW, they need to fire their IT people and get someone that can keep their email up. That seems to be a big problem.

Michael

[Coloradobus]

Todd, I don't know who you talked to at Liberty, but if you haven't talked to Robin MacCracken, do so.
He was with Buddy Gregg and is very personable and knowledgeable about the product. We and other friends have dealt with Robin when he sold Country Coaches.
Altho, we no longer have a CC bus , and never had a Liberty, we still keep in touch with Robin since he moved.
Give him a call and tell him you know us , Jim and Chris.

Your experience parrallels mine with Vantare, They had a 3 slide "H" at the this past January's Barrett-Jackson auction. They were taking appointments to see this coach, but shunned me twice about setting one up. Guess jeans and T-shirt and baseball cap didn't fit the mold.
I have even call 2 weeks ago, to inquire about their open rally at the next Barrett-Jackson auction coming up in Scottsdale. NO one will return my call, even tho they sent us a flyer about it. Go figure.

Have you seen any Marathons with the Golden Ribbon Mahoganey, or Bronze Ribbon Mahoganey, or the Anigre laminates. They are very warm and wood like.

[Sting]

LOL....Robin is who I talked too. I knew his name from Buddy's and that is why I called him. I have never heard from any RV maker that they dont like to share floorplan or picture info. but that is what he told me. I WAS SHOCKED! I took the high road and as mentioned told him I needed that info. on this sort of purchase and that is when he said he would try and trust me from the tone, I knew right there he was just trying to get me off the phone, so he took my email address address. I talked to him twice and the first time he got my number. Still no call or email. Millennium, Marathon, Country Coach, all sent overnight packages or emails with pics, etc within a half hour. I certainly dont want this to be a flame on Liberty or Robin, but I was just explaining how one company who I was interested in treated me and how others have. Did I mention Millennium has my attention-LOL:D

[Coloradobus]

Hmmm,

Todd, I guess I would go where they want your business and $$$$$.

[Denny]

Sting

When looking for a used Prevost I contacted Liberty and got the same response - nothing. Steve Mitchell at Parliament Coach did respond and I bought a 99 Country Coach from him. When in Florida see Steve. He and his family are one of the original coach converters, Vogue conversion and coaches, and do an excellent job with their Parliament conversion. Certainly worth the time.

Denny

[matsprt]

Jim,

I hate to say it but my experience with Robin was very similar to Todd's. I first met Robin several years ago at a CC reunion. He was helpful, but I got that "distant feeling" from him. Once he went to Liberty we talked several times. He did overnight information on a used CC and a Royale but their pricing was out of this world.

I think Robin is a good salesman and has a good following. However I think many times in these transactions it comes down to personalities that match. Ours did not it seems.

Not to start a Liberty war, as I will say that they are a top notch converter, but they do exude that "we are the best and you will pay for it" attitude. That, along with the fact their interiors do not trip my trigger removed them from my short list. I understand Todd's feelings about the CC interiors. I come from the same background.

This is such a small market with regard to total units made / available it makes shopping a challenge. Throw in the wild pricing and you have excitement unlimited. But boy is this fun...where else can Christmas last soooooooo long ??

Michael

[Ben]

I've always found Liberty sales people to be arrogant. They think they have the best product period and are out of touch with how potential buyers will interpret their actions.

If they were to be "normal folk" who could constantly prove beyond a doubt that their product was best (which they could in many ways, but never seem to do), then they would be best served without the arrogance that turns me off so much.

I love my Liberty and I believe it was the best coach I could buy (for a 1997) and Marathon was the only other brand I was considering (that was after doing almost two years of research). In the new coach market, I would also consider Millennium. I also liked the interiors on some of the Country Coaches, but was swayed towards Liberty based on how they put together their systems (I especially like the single waste tank with gray water bypass).

If you want info on Liberty, I'd suggest calling the Chicago office and asking for one of the Konigseder brothers (they own/run the place). Let them know you're having problems with their sales force and ask for help. I really wouldn't ignore Liberty just because their sales people are arrogant... it's the coach you should be looking at and then the service staff since you shouldn't have to deal with sales people much after you make the purchase. And, please let one of the Konigseders know what it's like to deal with their sales people. I'd love for them to make some changes in that department.

[garyde]

I just got back from Stuart,Florida with my new 2003 'Elegant Lady' Prevost Dbl. Slide. I can say it is one heck of a Coach. If you have not already, talk to Robin McCracken at Liberty (772-349 7471) Tell him I sent you.
They have a good selection of used Coaches right now, and I saw one new Coach in their showroom. I beleive they are almost sold out on their 2007 production. Or they may be sold out. I was lucky to have been talking with them when the 2003 showed up as a trade in.
I found them to be very helpful when they knew I was serious, and sent a deposit.
Finally, Liberty and Marathon have the best engineering of all the coaches. Gary

[Sting]

Gary, your input is appreciated but your advice has already been heeded and if you read a few posts before yours you can see it yielded no fruit. I am glad you are being taken care of.

[MangoMike]

Gary,

Congratulations. How about some pixs so the rest of us can drool.

MM

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I think it is a coincidence if Gary has the coach I think it is. His coach was parked at the end of my hangar line while we were doing an annual on the plane. It was being transported from Chicago to Stuart and the driver has a place near the airport so he parked the coach on the airport while he overnighted.

[kmuller]

I spent two months working on a deal with Liberty on a 1999. Great coach, difficult sales process. It was definitely a classic case of who was going to wear out first....them or me. For a number of reasons(which I will tell you about later), we really wanted that particular coach, so we just kept grinding away, piece-by-piece, till we got to where we needed to be. There were also a couple of things that Liberty should have disclosed, but didn't. In our yacht business, we always sleep better at night when we operate on a basis of full diclosure. Now the fun begins! We also had an ok experience at Featherlite, NC. It seems like the sales side of the business has not matured as quickly as the product side has. kmuller

[Coloradobus]

I had a long chit chat with Brian Griffit of Buddy Gregg last week. Seems they are selling Country Coach busses hand over fist esspecially the 2007's. Even pre-selling coaches before they are off the line. I was told hey have committed to another 18 new rigs above what they have currently on order.
Seems CC is not letting the parent company problems bother them much. However, the new plastic coach CC is coming out with, the $1.1 million plastic 4 slide Rhapsody, may be getting the short end of the development $$$$ stick.
Busses are doing a rosy business for Buddy Gregg, Inc. :)

[Sting]

I talked to Chad Dupuis at Buddy's who sold me my Affinity and he says the 2007s are moving well. I am flying out this week to Millennium and will have a much clearer picture in my mind when I get back what direction I will head. I have to admit National's problems are a concern that I have especially in light of the fact that (1) Country Coach has tryed to get out of the bus operations before, (2) Building the Rhapsody sends me mixed vibes as to what message that sends to the bus buying public. I certainly dont want to own an orphan if they decide to get out of buses. Buying a Country Coach off the lot may get me a good deal but when ordering there seems to be not a lot of room for movement on price and not a lot of interest in customizing to what the customer wants. To me a true converter caters to the wants of the client and not what THEY drew on paper. I have not ruled Country Coach out as I have always been treated first class by Buddy and his staff in Lewisville, TX but Country Coach's status as it relates to National needs to become clearer for customers. When I designed my Affinity I flew to Oregon and made friends with some folks up there and I have recently talked to some in the last few weeks who are no longer there or who have went to work for Marathon. All give the same response that they loved their jobs at CC but are concerned not only for the company but also for the ones that are still there. Oh well, I am off to see what Millennium has to offer and will let you know.

[dreadnought]

Sting, I wish you would give Liberty one more shot. I had problems with their sales people too, mostly because personalities just did not click. Lets face it, if you're going to go into debt for a million or so, you durn well want to feel good about the person on the other end of the deal. I got back from Stuart yesterday morning and I'm now deep in debt, but there's a drop dead gorgeous bus in my barn and I have no concern whatsoever that the people I bought it from will not be in business next year.., Or that they will not stand behind their product.., Or that the resale value will not be there when it's time to trade or dispose of it. I paid more for a used coach from Liberty than other converters sell new ones for because of the reasons listed above. ALSO, Liberty gave me a 6 month warranty on the components of the coach, paid the fee to transfer Detroit's driveline warranty to me, AND gave me the same LIFETIME workmanship warranty that they give an original owner. I don't have a dog in this fight, but before you give up, Call & ask for Dave Wall, the store manager, and tell him Bill sent you.

[Sting]

Thanks Bill. Check your private message box. Thanks for you help in advance.

[Just Plain Jeff]

Sting:

If you get the famed 'Nelson treatment' that we all received at POG I, you will be demonstrating the famed Secret POG Handshake at Sanford.

You can bet on it.

Good luck with yer new coach!

[merle&louise]

Sting,

I am one of your southern neighbors, my name is Tuga Gaidry and I live in Houma.

In September 2005, my wife and I drove to Stuart to look at Libertys, we met with a salesman whose name I can't recall at this moment. He was courteous and helpful; we met for about 3 hours and he answered all of my questions from a prepared list. We had called ahead and made an appointment with him. He showed us about 8 Libertys, but they were very expensive and not what we were looking for.

I don't know why you received the cold shoulder, I agree with Gary - call Liberty in Chicago and let them know what happened. They need to understand that EVERYONE is a potential buyer and that no one should be treated the way you were.

[Sting]

Hello my Cajun neighbor:) I flew to Sanford and visited Millennium and that is all it took for me. Their interiors are something special in my eyes. It was a real down home environment and you have an owner who is in my opinion a step ahead of the rest and my salesperson Meg is creative in her own right. She has great ideas floating around in her head and has a tablet that she let me flip through that had some of her ideas drawn out. I am using a couple of her ideas in my coach that is being built. To me having a quality built bus means more than a company claiming to be the best, you really need owners and support people to back that up. Honestly, I think all the converters out there build a good bus and deserve to be looked at but you just know when you have found the right one for yourself. Nelson, Evelyn, and especially Meg made that decision for me easy when I went to Millennium last week.

[Clary]

I just joined this forum and was reading through various posts and ran across this thread. I have known Robin McCracken for several years and have always found him to be straight-forward and honest. I call him from time to time for information and he has always provided what I request.

Jerry Clary
2000 Country Coach Conversion

[garyde]

Hi Jerry. Great to have you. Check out posts by Sting. He purchased a M.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Hi Clary, WELCOME. Ask lots of questions so we can all enjoy the answers. JIM