What's The Problem

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Nothin goin on out there. Not too long ago there was a constant flow of problems being resolved. I was begining to wonder if The Bus was not going to be too practical or reliable. The Yachtsmans proverbial hole in the water! Now I am seeing a slow down of problens occuring. Is this because the bus is in the barn this busy time of year or is the POG tech crew quickly getting to the heart of long time cronic problens? Somebody start a topic!! :D JIM

[lewpopp]

A resident of the resort showed up today and it was the first time I noticed his license plate. Only a rear plate so that's why I never noticed it. It said "Y FLY". So much was said with so few words.

Lew

[win42]

Jim: Most of us have come together through this forum and POG1&2 in a matter of months. My guess is a lot of the members like me have owned their Prevosts for a number of years. In our case ten years. We all knew the bus needed routine maintenence and even some replacements due to use or time. Through this medium we are all finding what and how to catch up on those much needed repairs, replacements and routine service. The thrill of finally finding out how our wonderful machines work has sparked an interest in most of us to catch up on those needed items and eliminate our list of things to fix on the bus. I know in my case I have spent a lot of time and some money recently on my coach that I did not spend for the last ten years I owned it. When I finally get all the items that need replaceing we should have another ten years of trouble free use. What I've learned here will allow me to give it the routine service it needs to maintain it's reliability. The nice part of owning a Prevost is you can bring it up to spec. and you will have a good as new unit to drive. Most other RV's will deteriate to a point no amount of time or money can restore their worn out parts or systems anywhere equal to a Prevost.

You will see a simmering down on projects here through the next few months due to the weather and the Holidays. Spring will bring on a re-newed efforts to bring the bus's up to par for POG3 and summer use.

I now, through the last few months with pog, am driving a Bright and shiney vintage 89 Prevost with new shocks, tires, graphics and paint. Soon the list will be complete in brake and air bag replacements.

Keep the faith and continue to find your dream Prevost.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Jim,

When these buses start life they are in all probability the most reliable, long lasting motorhomes in the world. That does not mean they don't not require maintenance to keep them that way. What POG members are doing is actually raising the awareness of what it takes to keep these machines operating in a trouble free and reliable manner.

If ignorance is bliss, then the place to be is the Prevost Prouds. Their focus is not on the nitty gritty of ownership, but of rallies and good times with a lot of emphasis on buying a new coach.

Back in the real world we know things break, things wear out, and repairs have to be made. So we talk about those things, and we teach one another how to do that stuff so the hole we pour our money into is not as big or deep as it could be. I suspect that if you buy a plastic motorhome, brand spanking new and keep it for 5 years, the maintenance you have to do is exactly what you have to do with a used Prevost of exactly the same value. You will need to change oil, lube the chassis, replace tires and batteries, and fix the minor things that loosen up or break or wear out.

With the used Prevost, there will be things you also may have to do that you will not need to do on the new plastic motorhome. You may have to replace air bags, or brake pads, or brake chambers or chase some air leaks. But as soon as you have done those things, you have brought the Prevost up to the same level of reliability as the new motorhome because once the basics are restored to new condition like Harry has pointed out, you are on a par with the new motorhome. Assuming both are heavy duty diesels with equally heavy duty transmissions it can be said you will not wear out the drive trains.

But here is where the similarity ends. At the end of five years the Prevost shell has the exact same integrity as it did when you bought it. It probably has a couple of million miles of life left. The plastic motorhome however is starting to make a lot of noises. It probably rattles and shakes and the structure is just not what it once was. Because the interior was designed to look good but cost little, things are not holding up as well as the Prevost interior. It is starting to exhibit a lot of little problems. But the worst part is that you have been hit with massive depreciation, which is a real expense. The money you spent to bring your old Prevost up to snuff is chump change compared to the six figures that just went down the toilet.

I have a 10 year old coach approaching 200,000 miles. I have owned it a little over 2 years. Since I got it I have done 5000 mile oil changes and lube jobs. I have replaced the brake chambers as a precaution, and just completed a complete replacement of air bags for the same reason. Those repairs which I consider preventative maintenance both cost less than $1100 each. I've replaced transmission fluids, coolant, air dryers, belts, and filters. All of which I would have had to do whether the coach was new or used. My only unplanned expense was chasing and finally repairing a refrigerator problem.

It all relates to dollars. Buy a bus that has not been maintained and you will face some daunting costs bringing it back to new condition, or pay more and get one that is completely up to date.

In the long run however, these are cheaper than a plane, a yacht of the same value, or even a second home of the same value. And they are a hell of a lot of fun. And they are a whole lot cheaper to own than a plastic motorhome.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Thanks Harry and Jon, Thats what I was thinking but you two have reinforced it with experiential facts.

[win42]

Lew: The Y Fly license plate is John Maddens sentiments exactly. John M's theory of no fly stems from a plane accident in Evansville Indiana that killed an entire sport team from Cal Poly University. John was supposed to be on that plane as one of the team coaches. A case of the Flue kept him home from that fatal trip.
John has logged probably more business miles on a bus than anyone I know of. It would be interesting to talk to him about any attachments to the bus he has developed during the time he has spent in them. John and his family live on the same street as my son does in Pleasanton, CA. If I can ever catch up with him, I'd like to talk bus with him. Right now the Raiders need him back!

[truk4u]

Good posts boys, if there are any plastic lurkers here, MPD is getting much worse now!:D Prior to the Marathon, I had my share of plastic because I didn't think I could step up to Presvost due to their cost. So I started digging and learning the prices of used Prevosts and quickly learned that for what I had in a 2004 CC, I could find a Prevost for the same money or less.

I was very fortunate in being able to sell my CC because I bought it (as Roger says, back of book) from an estate. Most freinds I know with plastic take a huge beating when selling or trading and just seem to accept the fact that losing your butt is just a cost of updating to new plastic in order to start the process all over again for the next one. One friend trades every year and I'm talking the 700K range. The trade difference gets rolled into the new loan and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, while the coach's value goes south at an alarming rate. Talk about being upside down!:eek:

If your in plastic and somehow can get out and minimize your losses, the step up to Prevost will help stop the blood letting. Will the used Prevost depreciate as you own it, sure, but nothing as compared to plastic. We knew a guy who bought a new Eagle in the 350K range and after 6 months had to sell and ending up with a wopping 169K. If that was a 99 Prevost, how much do you think he would have lost?

For most folks, the biggest hurtle will probably be the slide issue. I won't waste everyones time with that, but if you get beyond the slides, your on your way.

Now, if that H Model comes along............;) See, MPD is a disease!

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

" In the long run however, these are cheaper than a plane, a yacht of the same value, or even a second home of the same value. And they are a hell of a lot of fun. And they are a whole lot cheaper to own than a plastic motorhome."

Jon, Your entire "Quote" is the answer I have been searching for a long time:D It all makes perfect sense now !

Thanks.

Gary;)