Need some feed back on this unit.

[gershwin]

Found a coach I like - I say I like because it satisfies the following criteria:

dual convertible couches
booth dinette
Prevost slides
twin bunks

It is a Vision Conversion w/ 17k miles, 2001

The coach would have to be located in Pleasanton California which is 2k miles from me;) - So not sure where to PPI.

The following specs and info was sent to me. The "inhouse" service issue is a concern and the fact that it was used as a show "location" coach concerns me. What are your thoughts?

CHASSIS:


PREVOST XL II
DUAL FACTORY SLIDES
DETROIT DIESEL 600
ALLISON TRANSMISSION WITH EXHAUST BRAKE
200 AMP OIL COOLED ALTERNATOR
135 AMP BACKUP ALTERNATOR
2 CHASSIS BATTERIES...REPLACED IN NOVEMBER 2006
8 8-D BATTERIES.....REPLACED AT COST OF $5,000 IN NOVEMBER 2006
25,000 WATT SILENT DIESEL GENERATOR
MICHELIN TIRES
PRO-DRIVER SYSTEM
TOWING PACKAGE
MAINTAINED BY OWNER'S SON: CERTIFIED & FACTORY TRAINED LOTUS, BENTLEY, ROLLS, LAMBORGHINI MECHANIC


MECHANICAL OPERATING SYSTEM DETAILS


6 SOURCES OF POWER:
SHORE 50 AMP
25,000 WATT DIESEL "SILENT" GENERATOR SYSTEM DESIGNED FOR ON LOCATION QUIET FILMING
8- 8D BATTERIES
SOLAR ROOF PANELS
200 AMP OIL COOLED PREVOST ALTERNATOR
135 AMP BACK-UP ALTERNATOR


WATER SYSTEM (DESIGNED FOR CHANGING "GARBAGE" WATER TO SAFE & PURE) :
WATER FILTERS
REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM
ULTRAVIOLET BACTERIA KILLER
3 TYPES OF WATER HEATING: AQUA HOT, ELECTRIC AND/OR OVER THE ROAD


ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM:
4 ROOF AIR WITH ZONES TO KEEP ACTORS COOL ON LOCATION IN DESERT
3 HEATING SYSTEMS:
AQUA HOT DIESEL FURNACE
ELECTRIC HEATERS
CEILING HEAT PUMPS


LIVING ROOM AND DINING ACCOMMODATIONS :
2 LARGE SLEEPER SOFAS FOR GUESTS
EASY ACCESS DINING ROOM BOOTH TABLE
TILED ENTRANCE TO PLACE SHOES ON WITHOUT GET DIRT ON CARPET
MIRRORED CEILING WITH ACCENT LIGHTING TO MAKE ROOM SEEM EXTREMELY LARGE
ENTERTAINMENT CENTER WITH TV/VCR/DVD/SATELLITE
VIDEO GAMING CENTER WITH GAME PORTS


KITCHEN
DOUBLE SINK
GAS OVEN AND COOK-TOP
MICROWAVE
FULL SIZE SIDE BY SIDE REFRIGERATOR WITH DOOR ICE/WATER
FLOOR TO CEILING PANTRY


BATH, CLEANING AND STORAGE:
FULL SIZE TALL SHOWER
SEPARATE LARGE TOILET CLOSET
EXTENSIVE STORAGE AND CEDAR LINED WARDROBES
WASHER/DRYER


SLEEPING ACCOMMODATIONS:
EASILY SLEEPS 8
MASTER QUEEN BED
2 CLIMATE CONTROLLED FULL SIZE BUNK BEDS
CEILING TVS, PLUG INS FOR X-BOX, PLAY STATION, DVD/VCR/SATELLITE
2 SLEEPER SOFAS

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Like you said, the LOCATION coach part might mean problems down the road. Since it has never really been driven none of the suspension, bags, shocks or any rubber parts have been exercised like they should be to keep them operating and flexed properly.

These parts may need to be changed out to get you a good riding bus? If the slides have not been moved in and out, the slide seals and other slide parts may need to be replaced.

Might as well plan on replacing all batteries. They are all 6 years or older.

Has Prevost done any of the Recall items, on this bus? Prevost had several things they did with my Slides that were a factory recall.

Have you seen pictures of the bus? I am assuming you have, and everything outside and the colors are good for you? Since it has been outside all this time what shape is the outside stainless in?



Gary S.

[gershwin]

Yep, I'm already assuming that hoses, batts, tires, belts, bags, slide seals - so foth and so on will need to be serviced/replaced. It notes that all service work has been done by owners "son" an exotic car mechanic. So, it will be an investigation to see what has or has not been serviced appropriately and what all needs "sorting out."

The pictures I have are not large but suggest its in good shape - however I think the only cure for that will be a prepurchase dealer inspection for specifics at the appropriate time.

Colors are good.

But interested to find out how many hours are on generator.

Carfax shows no reports - other than a mileage documented of 3,924 in 9/25/00 however the coach is marketed as a 2001

Can I furnish Vin# to Prevost to acquire shell information?

I have no knowledge as of yet regarding Prevost warranty issues or other codes.

In the pictures it does show interior storage however - unknown if it is parked outside for months at a time.

[Mark3101]

One more things...tires. Are they the originals? If so I would be thinking about adding that to the list of things that may be needed even with only 17000 miles. Must be at least 10 years old if original. Maybe all wheel seals too if it has been sitting alot.

[merle&louise]

Yep, I'm already assuming that hoses, batts, tires, belts, bags, slide seals - so foth and so on will need to be serviced/replaced. It notes that all service work has been done by owners "son" an exotic car mechanic. So, it will be an investigation to see what has or has not been serviced appropriately and what all needs "sorting out."

The pictures I have are not large but suggest its in good shape - however I think the only cure for that will be a prepurchase dealer inspection for specifics at the appropriate time.

Colors are good.

But interested to find out how many hours are on generator.

Carfax shows no reports - other than a mileage documented of 3,924 in 9/25/00 however the coach is marketed as a 2001

Can I furnish Vin# to Prevost to acquire shell information?

I have no knowledge as of yet regarding Prevost warranty issues or other codes.

In the pictures it does show interior storage however - unknown if it is parked outside for months at a time.

gershwin,

If you put your computer cursor over the picture, then right click and click on Set As Background" the picture will be enlarged on your desktop!

Looks like a beautiful bus.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Gershwin,

I did not really look in detail at the specs because what you find important and desirable may not be what I find desirable, but the cursory look indicates it has the things you would expect to find, with the exception of a very quiet generator and a water system designed to handle crappy water. I don't see those as bad.

But what concerns me is the owner performed maintenance. Combine that with low mileage and I have alarms going off in my head. In the interests of full disclosure I do all my own maintenance so I am not concerned about that, but it took me quite a few years to come up to speed. If you want to see the schedule I adhere to it is available on the POG web site somewhere. My questions to the owner would follow these lines of thought. "Show me copies of the maintenance log book." If that is not available I will guarantee you that maintenance at best was hit and miss. There is so much to be maintained on a bus, some predicated on miles, some on calendar, and nothing consistent that nobody can keep track of it without maintaining a detailed record.

As you now know you can plan on air bags, Norgren valves, brake chambers, maybe tires, maybe batteries, and numerous unanticipated minor glitches due to lack of driving. That's not all bad because at 10 years of age a whole lot needs to be replaced anyway just because it is 10 years old. But you can make that a negotiating point.

I would be concerned about the engine and if that long period of inactivity has created any issues. I would talk to Detroit about that. I would be very careful if the coach owner cannot prove the coolant was changed per its schedule established by Detroit. Ditto on the transmission fluid. I would insist on having Detroit and Allison run the codes.

Personally I would not be afraid of the coach because I don't see the effort to bring it up to new condition underneath particularly bothersome. I would expect there to be interior wear inconsistent with the mileage. I would not even consider the coach unless I was willing to look at it first hand and I gave it the sniff test. I am not only concerned with whether it was smoked in or if it was used to house a herd of goats, but an almost certainty that the slide seals, if they have not been maintained and replaced as needed have failed and allowed water to get into places that could do damage, or worse, create mold and mildew which can take hundreds of thousands to deal with.

Good luck. I hope it is everything you want and in superb condition.

[rfoster]

Just thinking out loud here- but if I were looking at a coach that age with those low miles - what would be a deal breaker? Outside of knowing there are no leaks, rust, mold, rot, & that the rubber components require replacing and battery dates checked--(that cost can be computed) -I think if I were to check the air tanks and they were more water than air in the tanks- I feel that would be deal breaker.

In order for the slide seals to maintain a proper seal and assuming that they hold air - the aux air had to be left on and few of us, if any have ever seen an air tight coach (speaking of air systems here) meaning the aux air compressor had to run for a lot of hours thru the years.

Once up a time I heard tell of coach that the pocket doors no longer worked- problem being the aux tank was never drained (maintained) and the lines were full of water and eventually all air powered components failed. A genuine PITA to fix and the cost ???????

Just my two cents

I hope the bus has been stored in air tight mayonaise jar - you know the rest of the story.

[garyde]

Of coarse everyone is making good points, not necessarily a negative vote on the coach but things to look out for when doing an inspection. Paperwork is what your after with a used coach when you don'thave a manufacturer in buisness to support the coach any longer. Certainly Prevost in California would be one company that coulld check out many of the chasis issues. You did'nt say if the slides were Prevost or another convertors. If they are air seals made by prevost then they should not be much older than 5 to6 years in my opinion. After that, they need replacing with a newer generation of seals.
Any Detroit/Allison Service Center will be capable of inspecting both the engine & transmission along with the coolant and auxilary equipment on tthe engine. Definately have them run the codes.
All under carriage supports , steering, axles, brakes, bearing sels, shocks, mufflers, etc. could be inspected by a certified mechanic for buses or Tractor trailers.

A coach which is 10 years old and has very few miles can be a great find but if it was used contiuously in a parked position for living then the interiors and the workings of the Coach systems may need changing out.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Assuming there is no deal breaker like mold or mildew I would take a different postion than Roger's. He is correct, but put it in this context. You are going into this assuming almost everything in the auxiliary air system has aged out and needs replacement. Included in that will be air bags, Norgren valves, brake chambers, and presumably slide seals. Since you know and understand that from the beginning it really does not matter if the aux air system has been kept dry. The bulk of the components affected are going to be changed out anyway.

All you should care about is if you do find evidence of lack of maintenance, such as air tanks full of water it just strengthens your negotiating position.

Some numbers and labor estimates. I have doubled the labor to cover surprises.

Air bags, $1300 plus 16 hours labor.
Brake chambers $600 to $800 plus 12 hours labor.
Norgren valves $600 plus 10 hours labor
Slide seals $4800 plus 16 hours labor.

For well under $15,000 you should be able to refresh the entire coach's aux air and braking system and that includes all the normal maintenance such as air dryer. Depending on date codes you can likely add in the cost of tires and batteries.

By doing all of this at once the labor costs should be much lower because you are pulling the wheels for access (might as well get the new tires mounted at that time) so you do not have to repeat that for every individual task. My only concern would be if it works well enough for the drive home and if it is safe to drive on the existing tires. I realize all of this sounds negative, but I did exactly what I described above (except for the slide seal) when I got my current coach and the end result is from the git-go I had the satisfaction of knowinig I had a coach in which every single maintenance event was zeroed out and I was starting out with total confidence in its reliability, something that has been proven out in my 6.5 years of ownership. The front end cost to do all of the work was a big shot, but with all preventive maintenance items having different due dates now my ongoing expenses are staggered and I rarely have the breath taking expenses all stacked up at the same time.

[truk4u]

The Ad claims the Bus was used as follows: Used very gently as a location coach in Las Vegas and Universal Studios. I assume that means it sat for most of it's life outside in the elements and was used as an office or some other mobile facility. I would bet the gen hours are high (a good thing) but would confirm the bus has sat stationary at various locations for it's life.

[garyde]

I don't know Tom. If it was Charlie Sheen's coach it might not have been used 'very gently'.

[normancasson]

The last time I saw Charlie sheens bus it was for sale at desert west coach in Phoenix.

[gershwin]

Thank you for all the help. I've decided to pass as the "broker or advertiser" Prevost -trader has been very elusive about particulars. In addition he has stated he's seen it but can not speak of specifics.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I think anyone interested in seeking a Prevost should put feet on the ground and go to the greatest concentration of coaches for sale. If I lived out west I would definitely talk to Steve Bennet, plus seek out anyone else with more than one coach for sale. If I lived in the east I would talk to the Florida dealers or converters.

By seeing a lot of coaches a person gets to automatically get a true sense of the difference between the various chassis and converters. It is definitely a learning process and instead of focussing on a single coach it provides the big picture to help with the understanding of the differences. Once that portion of the process is complete and the specific body style and converter and floor plan is identified than looking at pictures or visiting a specifc coach for sale would make sense.

One thing I would caution about is believing anyone that does not routinely deal in and sell Prevost conversions. My experience in talking to people who ordinarily never have a Prevost for sale is that they are less likely to know and understand the coach than you the buyer and for sure those in the business of selling Prevost coaches. As a result I suspect the answers to questions are bogus and it is doubtful they care about repeat business. On at least two occasions I have looked at coaches sold by folks who don't understand Prevost conversions and each time I was lied to.

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Just my two cents worth. The pictures you see of these bus's really don't do the coach justice. Sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad. I looked for two years, scouring the internet, before we found the bus we bought. And the pictures of our bus almost turned us away from flying all the way to Florida to actually see the bus. Same thing happend to JDUB. He and Rae saw pictures of their current Marathon, but almost didn't go physically look at it, cause the pictures showed a totally different looking coach than what they saw in person. And by that I mean the colors weren't properly represented in the pictures. So when they say a picture is worth a thousand words, if you like what you see, be sure and see it in person to verify it is what you want.

Maybe that is more than two cents worth ? :o

Gary S.

[Coloradobus]

gershwin, who has this coach? I found a ad for a Vision XLII 2 slide for sale on www.prevosttrader.com. If this is the same coach and same site, beware.!! This is the guy ( Paul somebody, the Florida Dentist) that ripped of Viv!!!!
http://www.prevosttrader.com/index.php?v=8&iview=145

Have you looked at this coach... We looked at it in Kokomo Indiana back in January. Email me and I can give you the scoop.. Its a twin bunk coach with twin coaches. It has new tires up front, the others are just over 5 closer to being 6 years old. It's stored in a heated hangar.. It does have some small niggling issues in the house. I know the owner will take less than advertized since he made us an unsolicited offer, but not sure how much less. They want a Road Trek since they can't leave home for long periods as they had planned.

http://www.philcooper.com/details.php?v_id=447

[garyde]

Beware 'The Dentist' Sounds like a Hit Man.

[gershwin]

gershwin, who has this coach? I found a ad for a Vision XLII 2 slide for sale on www.prevosttrader.com. If this is the same coach and same site, beware.!! This is the guy ( Paul somebody, the Florida Dentist) that ripped of Viv!!!!
http://www.prevosttrader.com/index.php?v=8&iview=145

Have you looked at this coach... We looked at it in Kokomo Indiana back in January. Email me and I can give you the scoop.. Its a twin bunk coach with twin coaches. It has new tires up front, the others are just over 5 closer to being 6 years old. It's stored in a heated hangar.. It does have some small niggling issues in the house. I know the owner will take less than advertized since he made us an unsolicited offer, but not sure how much less. They want a Road Trek since they can't leave home for long periods as they had planned.

http://www.philcooper.com/details.php?v_id=447

Thank you Jim:

Yes that is the guy - his website is Prevost-Trader. I asked him some direct questions and his evasive behavior got me curious. He always wanted me to "just give him a call." He claimed the coach was spotless - however he never saw it. He would not provide vin# and owners contact info. I'd love to have it - if for no other reason to let them know the guy is a tool.

The 99 you linked me to is later than I want to get in to.

I just saw the perfect coach for me pop up @ California Coah. Its an 05 Marathon twin bunk. Its an H3 and I'd prefer an Xl but it has everything I've been looking for. Curiously the coach has been on the market for nearly 3 years. It had been on Marathon's site but when I inquired they said they no longer had it. It was on Ken Goss's site (another potential clown) would love to know if anyone has run a "rental" program through him and he told me a couple of months ago it had sold - however the owner was really upside down on it. Now it pops up on Cali's site for considerably less than previously advertised. So I will contact Steve about it and hope to get the whole skinny on this coach.

Sometimes patience pays off:

Here is a link:
http://www.prevost-stuff.com/2005PrevostMarathonCALCOACH.htm

[Jerry Winchester]

Gershwin,

This price dance is not unusual around some of these dealers. You have converters trying to hold the resale value of their used coaches up to make the new ones look reasonable and then you get wholly unreasonable prices from the seller without the dealer putting the whole thing into perspective and then you end up with a coach on the market for years.

Our current coach was mixed up in the mess until we got enough "reality light" shining on it and the guy saw what he had. The fact that I was willing to price my coach in the same manner finally convinced him I was serious but not stupid.

[Coloradobus]

Gershwin, that coach that Steve has is the coach we much drooled over when it was beside us a Marathon central in June 2004 being PDI after building. the coach belongs to Steven Smith. We know its history, but will let Steve Bennett tell you the full skinny on this coach.
It is absolutely stunning both with its paint and interior. We loved this coach since our address has 8's in it. This is Coach 888.
We never really considered it, since it has Girard awnings on the roof, and an H with Girards will never fit in our barn. Good luck, go see it if you can it is spectacular!!!
Ya, I have talked to Ken Goss, lots of hot air and chest pounding, IMHO.

[gershwin]

Gershwin, that coach that Steve has is the coach we much drooled over when it was beside us a Marathon central in June 2004 being PDI after building. the coach belongs to Steven Smith. We know its history, but will let Steve Bennett tell you the full skinny on this coach.
It is absolutely stunning both with its paint and interior. We loved this coach since our address has 8's in it. This is Coach 888.
We never really considered it, since it has Girard awnings on the roof, and an H with Girards will never fit in our barn. Good luck, go see it if you can it is spectacular!!!
Ya, I have talked to Ken Goss, lots of hot air and chest pounding, IMHO.

Is Steve Bennett on the forum?

And Steve Smith - he's w/ California Coach, right?

[Coloradobus]

yes, he is