Des Beavers

[Des Beavers]

Howdy all!

Thanks for having such a great site!

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves.

My husband’s name is Darrell and I’m Jennifer. We live in a small Gulf town on West Coast of Florida in the Tampa Bay area. We moved here from the SF Bay area in 2004 just in time for a slew of hurricanes. Timing is everything!

Hubby is native Californian, I’m a crazy Cannuck.

We have three hounds of the Baskerville, a Golden Doodle, a Labra Doodle and a Chi-weenie. Guess who’s the boss?

Kids are all grown up, (actually they weren’t, only in their mid-twenties, but we gave them the Sasquatch boot out the door anyway) so we could get back to more important business.

It appears, only a couple of years into our second childhood that we unwittingly got too close in to some S/S and have gotten bitten along with several mosquitoes, by the incurable MPD.

Who would have guessed?

In our younger years we couldn’t have imagined such a thing, but now it seems like such a good idea, that we can’t figure out why we hadn’t thought of it before?

Hubby now is thinking about which Cowboy boots he should to wear to match his board shorts, while I’m envisioning him in a Ralph Kramden’s bus driver suit complete with a cap.

Any hoo, we’ve got our eye on a Quad-Slide with the Creston wireless IPad system and the blue streaks of lighting on the exterior paint (that unfortunately we can’t afford), so what ya’ll think about a non-slide 1999 Marathon XLV with 138k miles. Could we or couldn't we have some fun in that? :D

Anything in particular we should watch out for in that year other than telephone poles and trees?

In all seriousness, we would really appreciate your advice and I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone for all the great and informative posts and in particular those of Jon W.

We look forward to getting to know you all a lot better.

Thanks for having us here!

Jen and Dee

[phorner]

First of all, welcome to POG!

MPD can be serious business..... and there's only one known cure...

I encourage you to spend some time asking questions and getting educated about everything Prevost. How you intend to use your bus will play an important role in deciding which one is right for you. When you find it.... you'll know it!

As for a non-slide bus, we went from a 3 slide plastic coach to a non-slide bus and have loved every minute of it.

And, if you're by any chance interested in a 2000 Liberty....... well, drop me a line.

Again, welcome. You can count on this group to promptly answer all of your questions.... some answers may even be correct!

[phorner]

Oh, and I just so happen to have a real Ralph Kramden bus drivers cap complete with the New York City Transit System badge...

[garyde]

Hi Jennifer and Darrell. Make sure to check out Prevost-Stuff.com in your Browsing. Welcome to POG. The site for Everything you've always wanted to know but were afraid to ask. There is certainly wealth of information here for your $10.00 dues. Many of our fellow Pog members will chime in just as soon as they finish dinner and their Jello desert.
These Prevost are built to last but you have to keep them p so the first thing you want to know and see is the maintenance schedule for the Coach.
All Rubber componants; tires, air bags, belts, etc have a 5 year to 10 year life. The same with the batteries. The air systems for brakes and driving need to be inspected for normal operation . Of coarse, the engine and transmission needs to be inspected by a quallified mechanic.
These are a few but a good place to start.

[Des Beavers]

Paul and Janice,
i did see your earlier post today, but did not want to seem opportunistic, especially when you were being so upfront about the actual costs of your ownership.
Clearly this has been your pampered coach and you've put so much into her, that I'm a little afraid to ask what's your price, but on the other hand am interested because I know you taken such good care of her.

Yikes!

Please pm the details.

Thanks,
jen

[Des Beavers]

Gary and Lise,

Thanks too for your welcome.

We have so much to learn and we haven't even got a bus yet!
Go figure.

Yes maintenance schedules is something we are going to have to learn about, and also seems quite an important factor even in the buying process, in determining what has been done and what hasn't been done, and the associated costs.

We do have a lot to learn and truly appreciate whatever help we can get!

Let us please, thank you all in advance.

We have been perusing the PrevostStuff site, and while the Marathon we are considering isn't on there, it is being offered by one of the POG Sponsors.

Love to hear about as many late 90's series 60's as possible.

Thanks again to you all!

Jen

[phorner]

Jen,

You have a PM with my contact info. Please feel free to get in touch. As it turns out, we will be in the Tampa area next week

Thanks,

Paul

[Sid Tuls]

I think you guys should just meet @ Wells Fargo Bank!!! That way you save on postage. There is going one party sad and one party going nuts!! Welcome Jen to a great group!! Hey don't let the cost scare ya just drive the poop out of it and it gets cheaper by the mile:-))))

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Welcome to the asylum Jen and Dee.

This the correct place to ask questions about buying, selling, maintaining, driving and modifying a bus. Just don't expect truthful answers, especially from those of us trying to sell you one. (Paul and Janice are the exceptions of course)

Di and I have been owners since 1990 and we never had access to all that is avaiable today. I think one of the most important things we learned about coach ownership is that it has to meet YOUR needs. We can offer all kinds of advice as to the converter, the systems, the model (H, XL, XLII), etc. but the bottom line is whatever you get it must be right for you.

Before you get focussed on a specific coach do some objective thinking about how you intend to use the coach, and how it should be layed out and equipped to meet that purpose. For example if you intend to bring a lot of the family with you the coach needs to have places for everyone to sleep, but it also likely needs a private toilet layout instead of an open bath. If you intend to do a lot of dry camping look for coaches with a lot of capacities in the tanks and batteries. If your four legged family members are going to travel with you look for durable materials that can be wiped down easily and can withstand some scratching from a set of paws. You get the idea.

Set a budget. With the economy the way it is you can buy a relatively new bus very cheap. Far cheaper than its real value. But while the cost of a bus has dropped like a rock, the cost to maintain a bus has remained the same or gotten expensive. Look at what tires cost today. If you are capable base your operating budget on doing a lot of maintenance yourself. But if not or if you have no suitable place to work on a bus recognize maintenance costs for that scenario. Maintenance is a pay me now or pay me later type thing. If you delay it or ignore it you are still going to have to spend some money, and maybe what you spend because of deferred maintenance might be considerablely more.

Think of where you will keep the bus. Mine is 15 paces from the house in its own garage. We cannot imagine what a pain it must be to have to load and unload after a trip if it is stored away from the house. If you have no choice in the matter, at least be certain you can keep it powered up at all times so you can be assured the batteries are OK and that the interior temps are kept within a reasonalbe range. There have been far too many unhapy instances when owners have had to deal with ruined batteries or damaged interiors because the coach was not monitored and kept powered up.

As to buying a coach for us once we determine the systems and layout suit our needs, the history of its maintenance becomes important. Since the last several years have had a serious impact on people financially the proper maintenance of a coach often becomes one of the last things people will spend money on. The coach may be sparkling clean and pretty, but ongoing mechanical care may have all but stopped. Unless you have documentation of continued maintenance you could be very wrong to assume just because the coach looks pretty it has had the care it needs mechanically. That is why it is very important to get the codes from the engine and transmission and have a detailed inspection done on the coach and its systems. If you read the posts on this site you will quickly learn what you need to be aware of.

I seriously doubt if any well maintained coach is a dog regardless of the converter. (Well, some may disagree with me on that, but today I will take the high road and try to not irritate too many) Every converter or model of coach or vintage is going to have some problem areas or some strengths. The perfect coach has not yet been made. But it will not take much research on this site before you see a pattern of posts relating to various issues. I don't know of any show stoppers, but I do know that based on the model, the year or the converter there are things that would end up on my list of items that will get special attention. I can think of a few on the model coach you mentioned, but I can think of an equal number on just about any coach.

Good luck. Spend a lot of time looking at coaches and going through them. It is the only way you will know for sure when you have the right one.

[Sawbonz]

(Well, some may disagree with me on that, but today I will take the high road and try to not irritate too many)


LOL! If I had coffee now I am pretty sure it would have been spit on the iMac at that one! ;)

[Sawbonz]

Jen,

I figure that if I have been hanging around here for six months and finally got a bus that I too could say "Welcome"!

You've obviously done a little homework on the site, so you are as educated as I am! We are just up the road from you in Brooksville, so should you ever want to talk superficially about buses (I know little to nothing about the mechanics) look us up!

[michaeldterry]

Welcome to POG, Jen & Dee! As has already been pointed out, you're in the right place to learn all you need to know about Prevosts and Prevost ownership. Peruse the various websites, like http://prevost-stuff.com, http://busforsale.com, and various POG sponsor sites to identify potential purchase candidates. But, by all means, look at as many buses as possible in person to really get a feel for what's available and what will work best for you. Who knows? You might even find "your" bus on eBay in the middle of a sleepless night! I did! (True story) Good luck in your search - have fun with it!

Regardless of where you find "the one", you'll probably recognize her the moment you step into her for the first time. Prepare to have more fun than you've ever imagined! Good luck in your search! Be sure to ask lots of questions - both here and in the marketplace and give as good as you get here in the asylum! :p

[Des Beavers]

I think you guys should just meet @ Wells Fargo Bank!!! That way you save on postage. There is going one party sad and one party going nuts!! Welcome Jen to a great group!! Hey don't let the cost scare ya just drive the poop out of it and it gets cheaper by the mile:-))))

Thanks for the welcome, Sid.
Ah, and if it could only be that easy, then I wouldn't know what everyone was going on about!

[Des Beavers]

Welcome to the asylum Jen and Dee.

This the correct place to ask questions about buying, selling, maintaining, driving and modifying a bus. Just don't expect truthful answers, especially from those of us trying to sell you one. (Paul and Janice are the exceptions of course)

Di and I have been owners since 1990 and we never had access to all that is avaiable today. I think one of the most important things we learned about coach ownership is that it has to meet YOUR needs. We can offer all kinds of advice as to the converter, the systems, the model (H, XL, XLII), etc. but the bottom line is whatever you get it must be right for you.

Before you get focussed on a specific coach do some objective thinking about how you intend to use the coach, and how it should be layed out and equipped to meet that purpose. For example if you intend to bring a lot of the family with you the coach needs to have places for everyone to sleep, but it also likely needs a private toilet layout instead of an open bath. If you intend to do a lot of dry camping look for coaches with a lot of capacities in the tanks and batteries. If your four legged family members are going to travel with you look for durable materials that can be wiped down easily and can withstand some scratching from a set of paws. You get the idea.

Set a budget. With the economy the way it is you can buy a relatively new bus very cheap. Far cheaper than its real value. But while the cost of a bus has dropped like a rock, the cost to maintain a bus has remained the same or gotten expensive. Look at what tires cost today. If you are capable base your operating budget on doing a lot of maintenance yourself. But if not or if you have no suitable place to work on a bus recognize maintenance costs for that scenario. Maintenance is a pay me now or pay me later type thing. If you delay it or ignore it you are still going to have to spend some money, and maybe what you spend because of deferred maintenance might be considerablely more.

Think of where you will keep the bus. Mine is 15 paces from the house in its own garage. We cannot imagine what a pain it must be to have to load and unload after a trip if it is stored away from the house. If you have no choice in the matter, at least be certain you can keep it powered up at all times so you can be assured the batteries are OK and that the interior temps are kept within a reasonalbe range. There have been far too many unhapy instances when owners have had to deal with ruined batteries or damaged interiors because the coach was not monitored and kept powered up.

As to buying a coach for us once we determine the systems and layout suit our needs, the history of its maintenance becomes important. Since the last several years have had a serious impact on people financially the proper maintenance of a coach often becomes one of the last things people will spend money on. The coach may be sparkling clean and pretty, but ongoing mechanical care may have all but stopped. Unless you have documentation of continued maintenance you could be very wrong to assume just because the coach looks pretty it has had the care it needs mechanically. That is why it is very important to get the codes from the engine and transmission and have a detailed inspection done on the coach and its systems. If you read the posts on this site you will quickly learn what you need to be aware of.

I seriously doubt if any well maintained coach is a dog regardless of the converter. (Well, some may disagree with me on that, but today I will take the high road and try to not irritate too many) Every converter or model of coach or vintage is going to have some problem areas or some strengths. The perfect coach has not yet been made. But it will not take much research on this site before you see a pattern of posts relating to various issues. I don't know of any show stoppers, but I do know that based on the model, the year or the converter there are things that would end up on my list of items that will get special attention. I can think of a few on the model coach you mentioned, but I can think of an equal number on just about any coach.

Good luck. Spend a lot of time looking at coaches and going through them. It is the only way you will know for sure when you have the right one.

Jon,

Thank you so very much for taking your time to give us a detailed reply. The one question you posed that has me pretty stumped, is fiquring out how we intend to use it? I don't think we've really thought that far, other than lets get in and go, go, go, in order to be able to escape the blasted heat during the summer, (be reverse snowbirds) and/or hurricanes, travel the country sightseeing and to be able to take our hounders along. (I wish the one we were looking at had all solid surface flooring, but as we did with our home, we will have to work on getting that done, but the rest works well for us). I know that 45'ers can be a problem in some National parks that I do want to see, but I liked the extra space that they afford, so I'm hoping we can park in a RV park nearby.

And yes you are entirely correct about how fortunate that we are to have this site and members' advice, such as yourself via the internet. That is something that hasn't always been in existence.

One of our big concerns is the maintenance history as this was part of a small fleet for a company who did disaster assistance/relief and supposedly they did their own...maintenance.

Our initial plan is to go over on Monday, when they have the bus aired up, running and cooled down and look at what there is as far as paperwork. I've printed out your Prevost Buyer's Inspection from Prevost-Stuff, which will be a great help and guide for us. From what we've read so far, we know that it's the age of the tires (no more than 6 years) rather than the mileage that counts. We were told by the seller 2005's and 2007's (so we know some will need to be immediately replaced) and we were told that they only had 10k miles on them, (as if it was a plus) which leads me to believe and concerns me that the coach may have been sitting for quite a while. We will see if the airbags have been replaced, hoses & belts, and I think I read somewhere that the brake chambers should be as well?

I've asked the broker about a code reader for the engine, but he wasn't sure if he had one for that series.

Our plan is to check out what we can as far as the records, and per your inspection guide, take it for a test drive and if those seem all check out, the proceed to write an offer subject to a PDI. Does that sound like a reasonable plan?

Also you mentioned that you know of a few potential problems with that model and year. The only thing we've come across so far,is the IFS bushings. Can you tell us what we need to look for as far as those are concerned and anything else that might be a potential problem with that model in particular?

We very much appreciate your and everyone else's help and expertise.

Once again, thank you all so much.

It truly is great to have a place like this!

Jen and Dee

[Des Beavers]

Jen,

I figure that if I have been hanging around here for six months and finally got a bus that I too could say "Welcome"!

You've obviously done a little homework on the site, so you are as educated as I am! We are just up the road from you in Brooksville, so should you ever want to talk superficially about buses (I know little to nothing about the mechanics) look us up!

Karl and family, well congratulations on your new bus too! How exciting!
It's great to know that you are our neighbors. Would love to get together sometime soon.
Thanks so much for the kind offer!

[Des Beavers]

Welcome to POG, Jen & Dee! As has already been pointed out, you're in the right place to learn all you need to know about Prevosts and Prevost ownership. Peruse the various websites, like http://prevost-stuff.com, http://busforsale.com, and various POG sponsor sites to identify potential purchase candidates. But, by all means, look at as many buses as possible in person to really get a feel for what's available and what will work best for you. Who knows? You might even find "your" bus on eBay in the middle of a sleepless night! I did! (True story) Good luck in your search - have fun with it!

Regardless of where you find "the one", you'll probably recognize her the moment you step into her for the first time. Prepare to have more fun than you've ever imagined! Good luck in your search! Be sure to ask lots of questions - both here and in the marketplace and give as good as you get here in the asylum! :p

"Prepare to have more fun than you've ever imagined!"

I like the sound of that! Boy am I prepared....

Terry and Dr. Vita, thank you both as well for the warm welcome.
We are really looking forward to landing a bus and getting to meet you all.

Jen

[aggies09]

Welcome aboard. I was a complete newby to RV's in 2008 and found this site. It has been a great resource for me and I have met some folks that will be life long friends. These are fantastic machines and a little money will cure any deficiencies so just allow yourself a little room once you find that coach that makes you go Ahhh! You will know the coach the minute you see it. We did. And in hind sight, I would make the same decision(s) again. Good luck and hope to see you down the road.

[Pete]

Des, welcome to POG! A great bunch of folks, ready to help you spend your money. We have made many lasting friends in the POG group. Matter of fact, will be traveling to Florida to visit with some of them in the next couple of weeks. Buy that bus and be in Austin in October for our next gathering. Looking forward to meeting you. (you can come to Austin even if you have no bus...just an interest in the Prevost lifestyle)

[rahangman]

Jen & Dee....a thought from another "Newbie" When you go over to see the bus, etc.....tell them to wait so that you can experience its "Airing Up" and Cooling Down that way you can be prepared to experience just how well those VERY important systems are functioning.

[Des Beavers]

Tony and Jenny,
Thanks for what you said about a little money will cure any deficiencies. After being very excited, I was starting to get too worried about making a mistake in our purchase. What if we overlook something and screw up?
Anyhoo, we will try our best to be as analytical as possible and not let emotions alone rule the day, but it is comforting to know, if it turns out broken that it can be fixed.
You made us feel a whole lot better!

[Des Beavers]

Pete and EJ,

Thanks for your warm welcome. If you are coming our way, pls be sure to look us up.
We'd love if we have a bus in time to make it to the POG rally in Austin.

UT is my is Alma Mater, and I haven't been to Austin in so many years, too many years, but what a great town!
Both our kids were born in South Texas. We'd love to come back for a visit to get to meet y'all and to see some old friends.

Hope we can make it. October is a great month.

Jen and Dee

[Des Beavers]

Rodger and Faye,
That's a good idea. We will make sure to see it airing up and down, and listen to see if we can hear any leaks.
thanks,
jen

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Unless it has serious leaks you likely will not hear any. But do a DOT brake test (any state commercial driver license site has them on line) and monitor the gauges. After you are done working the brake and suspension system let the air build up to the max around 125 PSI and after a while see if the pressures have moved.

Definitely raise and lower the coach all the way at all three points and note how quickly that happens and how high the bus can go. The front should raise up as high as the rear. Remember the axle weights because an extra heavy front may also be too much for the air bags to raise to the full height.

[Des Beavers]

Thank you, Jon.

Darrell did check out the DOT online last night, and we will do as you have reccommended and try to raise the coach on all three points.
Thanks for your advice. Very much appreciated.

Wish us luck tomorrow!

Jen

[phorner]

Jen,

Another thing I would do, only because it's easy, is to take a look at the engine coolant.

In the upper left-hand corner of the engine compartment there will be a small metal tank with a sight glass in it. That's the engine coolant. If it looks a nice bright color, that's good. Now don't make too much of this because the coolant may have been just changed and may or may not be a true indicator of how well the engine has been maintained. You should expect a nice bright color.

But, if the coolant looks kind of rusty or nasty, that may be an indicator of how well this engine was taken care of ....

[Bill Price]

Des:

This is my opnion. Like all opnions some will agree and some will disagree. I would take the bus to Liberty in Stuart, Florida and pay for Troy and his team to inspect the bus. It will be the best money you will ever spend. You can think you are doing a complete inspection but if you are not familiar with these buses you could be in for a rude awakeing. How can it hurt ??

[Des Beavers]

Des:

This is my opnion. Like all opnions some will agree and some will disagree. I would take the bus to Liberty in Stuart, Florida and pay for Troy and his team to inspect the bus. It will be the best money you will ever spend. You can think you are doing a complete inspection but if you are not familiar with these buses you could be in for a rude awakeing. How can it hurt ??

Bill,
Not to worry. This is only 'our' inspection and test drive in order to determine if we even want to make an offer.
We want to know what to look for as part of our pre-offer and shopping protocol..
If we do make an offer, it will be subject to a proper PDI.
Fortunately the dealer, a POG sponsor and service center, has some reputable and experienced people there.
Appreciate your concern though.
Jen and Dee

[Des Beavers]

Paul and Janice,
I've jotted that down on my list. I'm not sure how much they will allow us to do, but this looks like an easy one.
Thank you too!

Jen

[Des Beavers]

To the member who took the time to email me the Prevost Poem, you shall forever have a special place reserved in my heart.
Thank you for your act of kindness and encouragement, exactly, precisely, when we needed it my friend...