Reflections on 4 Years of Prevost Owner$hip
September 5, 2011 will mark the 4 year anniversary of the purchase of our 2000 Liberty Lady Classic. What a day that was! We had been “shopping” off and on for just about a year and the day we made our purchase will always be remembered as one of the happiest and proudest days of my life.
It was hard to believe that we owned a Prevost bus, and a Liberty Coach at that! Although we had looked at others, Liberty Coach was at the top of our list then and it remains today, in our opinion, the best of the best.
Now, you may hear Jon say “you don't know what you don't know” from time to time. Truer advice was never given. It's not meant to be dismissive of your experience or intellect. It is simply a statement of fact. As a newbie Prevost owner, and only a newcomer to POG, I epitomized the clueless when it came to being prepared to purchase a Prevost bus. If I had truly understood then what I have come to learn over the past 4 years, I would have been a much different buyer. I would have asked better, tougher questions of the seller. I would have asked for documentation, in writing. I would have inspected the bus much more thoroughly through much better eyes. Take Jon's advice to heart.
For those POG members that are reluctant to participate in the forum, perhaps still shopping for that first Prevost, I strongly encourage you to search and read the posts and try to absorb as much of the collective knowledge and experience as you can BEFORE you part with your hard earned cash. Better yet, don't hesitate to jump in and ask questions. It will be the best investment in time and effort you can make.
To back up a bit, Janice and I retired in 2002 and had at that time been “motorhoming” for 4 years, starting out with a 32' gas powered Allegro Bus. When we retired, we sold the house, the Harleys, the Corvette, the '70 Dodge Challenger R/T, and all the household “stuff” and went to live full time in our 40' Safari motorhome, expecting to winter on our lot in Port Saint Lucie, Florida and travel during the summer. It would be an “endless vacation.”
As time went by we replaced the Safari with a 42' Beaver motorhome and eventually we decided that if we wanted a coach that would truly hold up to extended travel and full time living, we would need a real bus. We also wanted to be “slide free”. It looked like the 1997 – 2000 Prevost XLV conversions would be perfect for us. A good old “classic bus” might be in our price range and be perfect for us.
And perfect it was. We could not have been more pleased with our Liberty. This bus has a good heart. This bus has “soul”. This bus has been the conduit to many wonderful trips. We have traveled from Florida to Maine, New Jersey to California and most places in between. We have become spoiled by never having to pack for a trip. Every night is in our own bed. “Home” never changes.... only the scenery. We have met and enjoyed the company of scores of wonderful people. This bus is “us”.
Now, before we purchased our Liberty, I asked another bus owner “if I can manage to put together enough money to actually buy a bus, how expensive is the maintenance?” After a moment of thought, he said “not bad, really... probably not significantly more than you're spending now on your Beaver.”
I bring this up for the education of new POGers and those about to purchase their first bus as it underscores the need to be as fully educated as possible while making the purchase decision. First of all, “significant” is subjective and means different things to different people. As an example, while $1,000 might be significant to some, it may go unnoticed by others. Hence the advice to know what you're looking for, what questions to ask and what to expect BEFORE you make your purchase. Maintaining a bus, or bringing one up to snuff, can be expensive. To a certain degree, it can depend on your comfort level of ownership. I primarily prioritize our maintenance into four general categories: Safety, Reliability, Comfort/convenience, and Cosmetics, in that order.
Over the past 4 years, we have spent $47,173.03 in maintenance. That's nearly $1,000 each and every month since ownership.... and I still have some work yet to do this year.
We have driven our Liberty bus 21,337 miles thus far. That means our bus maintenance has cost us about $2.21 for every mile. This does not include fuel which averages right around 50 cents a mile for us. Fuel cost pales in comparison to any other aspect of bus ownership.
And, it doesn't include the big one; depreciation.
Now, these figures need to be be kept in the proper perspective as some of the work accomplished during this four year period won't need to be done again in a while (batteries, tires, brake chambers, etc.), some not for quite some time (air springs, Norgren valves, aux compressor, engine bellows, etc.) and some perhaps never (upper and lower A arms, upholstery) so a longer term would likely yield much different annualized costs of maintenance.
This is being posted in an effort to open the eyes of would-be or new Prevost bus owners. If you don't take the time and make the effort to become knowledgeable, you can quickly spend a lot of money.
All that being said, it has been an incredible, wonderful experience. I am sure glad we had an opportunity to realize this dream. The parts of this wonderful country that we have been fortunate enough to travel through and explore have been awesome. The friendships and relationships forged through POG and our bus travels have been incredibly rewarding.
But, after more than 9 years of full-timing in a motorcoach, it is time for us to start thinking about a more permanent home. We will be hanging up the keys as both our lot in Saint Lucie West and our beloved Liberty Coach will shortly be up for sale. In todays market, we expect it to take some time, so we're not disappearing anytime soon.
Speaking only for myself, Prevost ownership is/was everything I had dreamed of.
