New or Newer Coach Questions
Through the years I have seen many would-be owners begin and go through the process of deciding what coach is best for them. While I think we can all agree the appearance is probably a very big part of the equation, and we know a buyer's budget dictates an age range, I wonder if moving up has its benefits.
Our 1987 Liberty was a great coach and we had no intention of getting a new or newer one. A fire which took it out of service for 9 months was all the inspiration we needed to buy our current coach and the improvements in the 10 year newer coach was significant. We got 5 feet more space, better fuel mileage, much greater range, user friendly systems, better fit and finish, and little improvements throughout that in total added up to a much more enjoyable coach.
While I think our vintage coach is in the "sweet" spot (for us anyway) because the chassis is a proven rivet model with an economical engine, easy repairs, proven systems, and less technical complexity I still find myself looking at newer models whose interior and exterior appearances are very desirable. So here are some questions for the brain trust (as this group has been called on occasion) relating primarily to the XLII:
For coaches newer than 2004, what mileage are you getting?
If your coach has slides, and you know their service history, how long do the seals last?
Have the slides been reliable and if there was a problem did you have to go to Prevost?
Have you had issues with bonding of the sides or windows?
If you have power awnings have you had problems?
If you have power shades have you had problems?
Have you had to service the IFS such as replace bushings?
If you had a rivet coach prior to an XLII what are the improvements the XLII has in your opinion that made the extra cost worthwhile?
What feature(s) do you miss on the rivet coach?
What has got me pumped on this topic is almost a week at Prevost for training exposed me to new and newer coaches and while I still have a real appreciation of all the features of my current coach Di and I have been discussing if moving to a new or nearly new coach is a real benefit or simply a way to spend a lot of money with little tangible benefit.