I’m ready to Purchase my 1st preowned Prevost, but is a NewTiffin a better choice?

[Prevost4sanity]

I was on the fence about purchasing a new Tiffin over a used Prevost based on a friends recommendation.

I Live in the NE, and also have a place in Palm Beach FL. Looking to purchase a coach where I can get reliable service in the unlikely event my coach will require “unscheduled”service :rolleyes:

Looking for a Prevost between 2008-2011? (Suggestions?)

Any advice, etc will be greatly appreciated.

I came close to purchasing a new Tiffin, but the build quality seems superior on the Prevost. Any prior Tiffin owners here? Don’t shoot the messenger, but I was told by a Tiffin owner I should never consider a Prevost. If I want one then take a grey hound is how he put it. If I wanted a co dedicated to making coaches, then I should buy a Tiffin, because this is all they do, and it is a better coach. . Once again, I’m here for a reason and committed to Prevost, so don’t shoot the messenger. Lol. But I would like a rebuttal to feed back to my buddy. We’re always ribbing each other, and in good spirit, but he has a lot of RV experience, so I need some help here.


Getting back to my purchase. Liberty, and Marathon keep coming up on the radar as nicely built coaches, with great customer service. I’m sure there are others as well, so i’ll Defer to the veterans here for suggestions.

Any info on insurance, tires, organizations to join, ad INFINITUM... Anything a new RV’er should know/consider will be greatly appreciated. I’ll also peruse the forum for newbies, i’m Sure what i’m Looking for is all here.

My wife and I look forward to becoming the proud owner of a (Gently used) Prevost and meeting some of you at a future Prevost owners event.

[Joe Camper]

All the info u seek is right here, in multipal repeated posts and if u can't find the answer info is very quickly responded to.

Hey, we love spending other peoples money. Good luck on the hunt.

[GoneCrazy]

You might be happier in the long run with a pre EGR engine ? Lots and lots of info in the archives. Due diligence is required on your part.

[dale farley]

NOTHING RIDES LIKE A PREVOST!!! Once you've had a Prevost, nothing else will satisfy. Most all of us have owned and driven other diesel pushers, but there truly is no comparison.

[Gil_J]

Frank,

First and foremost, your Tiffin friend is an idiot or a loyalist. I don't know him, so let's go with loyalist. BTW, you're going to find a lot of Prevost loyalist to. No, not that they have some loyalty to Prevost, Prevost owners and commercial operators know that just isn't necessary. The Prevost motorhome loyalist are often going to be loyal to their converter. It's an interesting loyalty given most will have only experienced the one converter's product. As a person that helps buyers, especially first time buyers, decide on which Prevost model and which conversion I'm often asked which converters product is the best. The answer is simple, there isn't one. There is the perfect conversion for a given buyer, but it may be a different conversion that's perfect for the next buyer.

Let's step back and get to the root of your question; why Prevost? First, and foremost is safety. No one wants to consider the possibility of an accident. Many buyers think of the safety aspects of a car and it's safety rating in the purchasing decision but few RV buyers do. My assumption is they either assume all are created equal or are afraid to give safety much thought. Of course, the traditional RV industry doesn't market safety which should be the first red flag. It doesn't take watching to many Class A RV accidents on YouTube to come to the conclusion, crash worthiness is not a critical design factor. A Prevost is a commercial vehicle, even with slides, it's a commercial vehicle. As such, it is engineered and tested to crash worthiness. Yes, Google bus wrecks after you watch Class A RV accident videos and you can stop reading my post. You should have already made your decision. Let me point out one commercial standard motorhome shells don't comply with. The commercial standard requires the bus to have emergency roof hatches of sufficient size for a person to exit. Our coaches aren't equipped with these.

Okay you're still reading. So, let's go beyond safety. As commercial vehicles a Prevost is engineered for reliability and speedy recovery if a failure occurs. The Frank,

First and foremost, your Tiffin friend is an idiot or a loyalist. I don't know him, so let's go with loyalist. BTW, you're going to find a lot of Prevost loyalist to. No, not that they have some loyalty to Prevost, Prevost owners and commercial operators know that just isn't necessary. The Prevost motorhome loyalist are often going to be loyal to their converter. It's an interesting loyalty given most will have only experienced the one converter's product. As a person that helps buyers, especially first time buyers, decide on which Prevost model and which conversion I'm often asked which converters product is the best. The answer is simple, there isn't one. There is the perfect conversion for a given buyer, but it may be a different conversion that's perfect for the next buyer.

Let's step back and get to the root of your question; why Prevost? First, and foremost is safety. No one wants to consider the possibility of an accident. Many buyers think of the safety aspects of a car and it's safety rating in the purchasing decision but few RV buyers do. My assumption is they either assume all are created equal or are afraid to give safety much thought. Of course, the traditional RV industry doesn't market safety which should be the first red flag. It doesn't take watching to many Class A RV accidents on YouTube to come to the conclusion, crash worthiness is not a critical design factor. A Prevost is a commercial vehicle, even with slides, it's a commercial vehicle. As such, it is engineered and tested to crash worthiness. Yes, Google bus wrecks after you watch Class A RV accident videos and you can stop reading my post. You should have already made your decision. Let me point out one commercial standard motorhome shells don't comply with. The commercial standard requires the bus to have emergency roof hatches of sufficient size for a person to exit. Our coaches aren't equipped with these.

Okay you're still reading. So, let's go beyond safety. As commercial vehicles a Prevost is engineered for reliability and speedy recovery if a failure occurs. The monocoque chassis, which is primarily all stainless steel, was built to provide 1 million miles of service. The drivetrain is the best of what is commercially available. Depending on model year you will be looking at one of the workhorses of the diesel engine industry in the Detroit Series 60 engine or the Volvo engine. Both have national support networks that rival any engine manufacture.

Prevost has several service centers that pride themselves in getting downed vehicles back on the road. It comes with being a commercial bus supplier and we benefit from their mission to the commercial industry. They also have a 24/7/365 telephone support network that gets you or the shop you’re at the information you need to get rolling. They also have a mobile service, if that’s what you need or desire. Although most of the undercarriage and drivetrain are typical of any Class 8 truck, there are some things uniquely Prevost. When a Prevost service center or an authorized Prevost Detroit/Volvo shop is not nearby, many of the commercial charter operators with Prevost buses will take on outside work. It’s also comforting to know common faults can often be taken care of easily on the side of the road. Again, we are benefiting from the commercial bus industry that needs to keep up to 55 paying passengers on the road.

Are you still reading? Why not take a ride in a Tiffin and then a Prevost. Depending on road condition and winds you could immediately tell the difference; quieter inside, less noise from outside, less roll in the wind, and no effect on lane following when passed by a large semi. You won’t find a supplemental steering stabilizing system added to a Prevost like so many Class A RVs. If you drive one with those supplemental systems, turn it off during your test drive and you’ll quickly see why they were added. You’ll get exhausted with the system off.

Buy a Prevost and watch your friend’s attitude change toward you. He’ll likely park several campsites away. It’s okay, in time his jealously will subside and he may even concede with the purchase of his own Prevost.

Okay, that should be enough for you to ask more and to realize as good as that Tiffin may be, it simply can’t be compared to a Prevost motorhome conversion.

[BadFitter]

One comparison:

How many Tiffin owners eventually buy a Prevost?
How many Prevost owners eventually buy a Tiffin?

[BadFitter]

I'll park my 14 year old bus next to a new Zephyr and we can monitor the passersby folks reactions.
15712 15713

But the real biggie is that after 5 years, Tiffin does not allow you back to Red Bay. Prevost will repair my bus at any of the soon to be 20 North American service centers. Most any repair part is available over night.

[Prevost4sanity]

Awesome! Great info...Thank You

[Prevost4sanity]

Beautiful Coach! Well maintained for sure.

[Prevost4sanity]

Makes total sense. I’m thinking 🤔 they’re migrating over from Tiffin to Prevost....For sure....

[Prevost4sanity]

Thanks for the info.

[Prevost4sanity]

LOL. And thank You.

[TheGadgetGuru]

This may help:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOAjQmP74bE&t

[Joe Camper]

Gill your brutal

[Wannabemike]

I’m a new Prevost owner, and still punch drunk off the kool-aid. So my opinion is worth as much as my old Monaco coach after 4 yrs of ownership.
One of my good buddies has a tiffin and he’s happy with it at least when I’m around him.
I suspect he’s slightly in denial about the situation kinda like I used to be about the fuel mileage on my f350 diesel.
Coming from the Monaco coach which isn’t comparable to the tiffin in a lot of ways, but still a plastic coach, makes me shudder at the thought of having to go back to it.
In theory, the tiffin may compare well to the Prevost. In reality, I suspect it’s much different.
i would strongly suggest you drive each one so you’re happy with your decision!

I was bent out of shape on buying a country coach intrigue or magna, after the Monaco. In theory and specs, I thought I would be very happy with it. I likely would’ve been happy with it, but now that I have driven the Prevost I thank my lucky stars I ended up with the Prevost
Mike

[Prevost4sanity]

Thanks Mike, good info, for sure. Enjoy your new coach!

[Marks71]

I just caught up to this thread. Where are you w/ this decision? i'll give you just a brief perspective based on our experience

* a year and a half ago we decided to size up to a diesel pusher from our Class C. Considered Tiffin and Newmar and went with a Newmar Dutch Star (new) for what we thought were good reasons.
* loved almost every minute in this coach and had no significant problems. Floor plan, decor, functionality, looks, just awesome. Then we started getting educated and also noticed some things
* the education was about the difference between fiberglass walls on top of a chassis (e.g. Tiffin and Newmar), vs a Prevost bus conversion which is basically a motorhome built inside a steel cage. SAFETY was 80% of our decision to move from the Dutch Star to a Prevost
* the remaining 20% was the quality of the ride. As much as we loved our DS, we started noticing increasingly annoying squeaks and rattles running down the road. Prevost's are legendary for minimal noise, very solid feeling ride. Our test drives, even of older buses, confirmed this.

SO ... bought an 11yo Marathon H quad for about double the new cost of the DS, and sold the DS back to original dealer for not too bad of a depreciation hit. The Prevost is having some interior remodel done so I can't tell you yet what the driving / living experience has been. I just wanted you to make sure you're factoring in SAFETY and RIDE QUALITY not just the elegant look, superior finishings, redundant engineering, prestige branding, and awesome interior light of a Prevost.

There are many cautionary notes, I'll give you just one: If you decide to go with Prevost, finding one may and probably SHOULD take a lot longer than simply choosing which model and floorplan of Tiffin. You have to take into consideration which converter, model X or H, and since you'll most likely be buying pre-owned, which era / generation, and have to think about is this a one-owner or more, how has maintenance been, etc. It's a much trickier decision process w/ bigger financial implications

Almost everyone on this forum knows way more about this than I do, but I just went through the quality motorhome experience into the Prevost bus conversion and wanted to share.
My keywords: SAFETY and RIDE QUALITY . :)

Good luck

[captain2107]

So I am new to the forum and an owner of a 2018 American Coach Dream and joined to find out if Prevost is as good as I kept hearing. So we noticed issues almost immediately with our AC Dream and being on warranty was fine but we have owned it almost 18 months and been in the shop or waiting for repairs for almost 5 of those months. The dealer here in Texas is slammed and can’t get to it. The rattles, air noise from windows makes us crazy and nothing they can do we are told. A slight cross wind of 20 mph pushes me all over the road. So we’ve had it and now we are looking at 06-07 Prevost as well and one little quality difference that reminds me every time I open the door on my current class A is.... the door. It’s about 1” think and rattles all the time and doesn’t seal out the wind noise at the top. My wife almost won’t ride in the jump seat. Then look at the door on a Prevost and it’s about 3-4” thick depending on converter and when it closes it’s like Nothing heard before. Air tight. The rest of the comparison on feature and systems is not even close, even for coaches that are 10-14 years older than my new one. So I been pouring over this forums posts and flying around the country looking at various coaches and the difference in drive quality is astounding. I have driven a couple Prevost now and it’s truly hard to believe the difference. Take your time and when you find the right one you will know it, but do your homework before buying. There is no question an older Prevost is still a superior product than my brand new class A. We continue the search and hope to be in a Prevost before The holidays.

[Fratto]

My sister has a Tiffin. It is in the shop a lot. The aqua hot, the aqua hot pumps, electric awning, etc. etc. The last time we were out together, the main slide got stuck half in and half out because one of the rollers broke loose.

And they complained about the cross winds on the drive ... we said what cross winds? :-)

And yes, the noise level and ride in the Prevost are way better than the Tiffin.

[Gil_J]

Kirk, didn't you purchase a Marathon or am I thinking of another Kirk?