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Been a long journey, but I Finally bought a Prevost.
I've been a long time lurker of this site, always wanting to have my own Prevost. I finally bought one this past weekend, it is a 1996 Le Mirage XL. A passenger bus with 140,000 miles. Detroit 60 series, 6 speed automatic, solid front axle. I have been looking for years, and could never find the right one. I was told that this specific bus was purchased brand new by a church in North Carolina. When the pastor (the only one who would/could drive it) passed away, they decided to sell it. Talk about the right place at the right time. This bus has been meticulously maintained. They provided me with all of the service records. All of the filters for the engine are Detroit brand filters, and there are enough spare parts to service the bus 2 more times before I have to purchase any. It has many spare belts, hoses, clamps, you name it. This bus looks like it just stepped out of 1996. I'm surprised at the condition, especially considering all of the other busses I have looked at. I showed up, the bus was cold but fired right up, bags aired up with no problem, and I drove it home 500 miles without a single hiccup. That ole Detroit just purred like a kitten. I guess you could say it had one little hiccup, the OTR heat was not getting hot, but after a few minutes of crawling around the engine bay I discovered two valves that appeared to be coolant. I guess they were because I opened them and the heat started working very well. The bus currently is set up as a passenger bus with ALL 55 seats, the overhead compartments, and the rear lavatory. Everything is functional with the exception of a few bulbs. This isn't my first bus, I had a 1982 MCI MC9 (40') that I purchased as a conversion, traded that in on a 1996 Winnebago Brave (30') gasser (regretted that almost immediately) sold the Brave and bought a 2005 Itasca Horizon 36GD (36') with a CAT C7 and a six speed. That has been a great coach, with absolutely zero complaints or issues, except its not a real bus. Through the years and variations of campers, motorhomes and busses, my wife and I have always wanted to do our own MH conversion and this one is our perfect candidate (both in our early 40's). We know the "theme" we want, the layout, colors, finishes etc. We are very excited for this adventure. Our kids and pets love camping and road trips, so this is a major win for all of us. The plan is to build it the way we want it, as we plan to have this coach a long time. I have some other projects going on, but plan to start this one this summer. Being in Florida, the plan is to park it in my covered shop, temporarily install an AC window unit so we can do the conversion in the AC and not kill our selves with the heat. I'm sure I will be asking a TON of questions as the build progresses and I look forward to any and all advice anyone is willing to share. I have a full auto restoration and fabrication shop (lathes, mills, welders, plasma cutters etc) at my disposal, and I am very mechanically inclined. The last project was a full frame off re-build/restoration sort of resto-mod of a 1969 Chevelle, and I am currently doing a frame off restoration on a 1972 Olds Cutless 442 (project to complete before the bus begins). I have many other projects on my resume, from boats, to campers, golf carts, 4x4's, pond builds, horse trailers with living quarters etc. You name it, I've probably toyed with it, with the exception of aircraft....... HHHMMMMM..... Focus Aaron.
Bus use plan- Cross country trips with a TOAD, weekend camping trips, weekend boondocking trips, day trips, events, rallies, off road parks (with our sxs's)
Bus build plan = Full master bedroom, king bed and built ins. Full size walk in shower, porcelain toilet. Separate toilet room from the shower (I have girls, trust me this is the only way to go) Considering a residential washer dryer combo unit (ex: GE Profile UltraFast Combo(operates on 110v) 150 gallons fresh (maybe more), 100 gallons (maybe more) each grey/black, 60ish pounds of propane (2-30lb portable tanks for ease of fillability). Largest RV style fridge possible (to be able to use propane). No built in stove, we do 99.9% of our cooking outside. Maybe a microwave, not sure yet. Enough counter space to cook a meal using a propane camping stove if we absolutely need to. On demand water heater. Solar on the roof. 15k diesel generator. I plan on keeping the OTR air but adding a mini split with dual heads (one in the rear/bedroom and one in the front) for using while hooked to shore power. Various 12v and 110 outlets throughout. A smart TV with no satellite. Couches that fold into beds, but have storage built in. The idea is to keep it as simple and clean as possible. Fewer things to go wrong, but enough amenities to be comfortable for long distance trips. And easy enough to fix of the road in need-be. The bus will e fully self contained and ready to go at a moments notice at all times, less the food. I'm sure Ill come back and edit this, but it gives you an idea for now.
