New member here looking for advice

[MusicianTrader]

@HOFFMAN SO GLAD YOU POSTED YOUR BLOG, LOOKS LIKE A FASCINATING READ!
I have a vogue by Mitchel....I really loves the simplicity of it. Things to consider (in my eyes) for your purchase are maintenance records, a former owner who knows the coach well and owners manuals. All coaches gonna need work or future work .
The most frustrating part of my 4 weeks of ownership so far is not knowing the systems. former owner is WORTHLESS, I have no service records and no owners manual. I have had to become ninja in electrics in a short amount of time, am now niffty with a multimeter and now Im a plumber. I have above avg general automotive knowledge and was a fabricator welder by trade...so I know i can learn this stuff (right?)
Good luck in your search...i can tell you this...with all my troubles this is still the most amazing purchase of my life. AM SO IN LOVE!!!!

[Marks71]

One thing I didn't hear you talk about is your needs and general budget. For example, we chose an H model due to our desire for the larger vertical storage. I store my bikes upright in one of the bays using fork mount points screwed into the joey bed.
Some people really value the higher ceiling space in the X.
Also consider maintenence. For us, we preferred Marathon partly because we're west coast based with usually annual trips thru Oregon and liked the availability of Coburg. We know them well, stay in the parking lot frequently. Liberty is a more east coast based company. But of course there's many 3rd party companies who also can provide service for whichever you choose.
Then of course there's look and feel. So I encourage you to explore what you need to help drive that selection process.
What an adventure, we hope you enjoy the shopping journey as much as you'll enjoy whichever you end of selecting.

I never thought of doing this. Currently we keep 2 folders in the first CS bay, and put 2 road bikes on the back of our toad. I would consider putting the road bikes in the bay and getting rid of the folders because carrying the bikes on back of toad is a bit of a hassle w/ weather, road dirt etc. I'm going to set them in there when we re-unite w/ the bus in a couple of weeks to see how they fit. Thanks for the suggestion

[Hoffman]

To fit my bikes vertically in the first bay, I remove the front wheel (of the bikes) and remove the bike seat. Seems like a hassle, but once you get used to it, it's actually rather quick.
I used to have a shelf in half of the front bay, but I removed that to accommodate the bikes.

[Marks71]

yeah thanks. We'll be back to the bus in a couple of weeks and I'm going to scope it out, do some measuring and definitely think about it. THANKS for passing along this info

[CorporateMonkey]

I finally went to contract on a bus. I located a nice Marathon XLII non slide that has been fully updated (new interior, and electronics).

Bus will need a few mechanical repairs, which the sellers are taking care of, including a new Delco DN50 alternator (it just blew an oil line) and new suspension components (a-arms, bushings, etc...).

I do have one question for the group that I can't seem to find (I searched). Since they are replacing the DN50, I was thinking of upgrading to the DN50+ (450amp version). Has anyone done this?

In time I will be replacing the inverters and going with a large lithium battery system.

[BGLogistics]

When mine went out on the road, we were almost 1500 miles away from home. Prevost had replacement 24v 50DN and shipped it to me - had it in one day. I did see that 50DN+ online, but 270 amp version has been sufficient so likely would have stayed with that anyway.

[PrevostNewbie]

I would stick with the 270, not sure if all your internal wiring would be able to handle it.

[CorporateMonkey]

I would stick with the 270, not sure if all your internal wiring would be able to handle it.

All of that will be upgraded. The lithium system I am designing will be quite large.

[amt]

That' s awesome that you found a coach! I assume the 50DN is going to the house batteries and not the chassis ones. Personally, I'd want to pair it with something like wakespeed W500 regulator before just bolting it in http://wakespeed.com/products.html I do not know for certain if it's compatible (obviously check with Wakespeed), but it's the route I was going to try when I upgrade to lithium. Oh yeah, we need pics!

[CorporateMonkey]

That' s awesome that you found a coach! I assume the 50DN is going to the house batteries and not the chassis ones. Personally, I'd want to pair it with something like wakespeed W500 regulator before just bolting it in http://wakespeed.com/products.html I do not know for certain if it's compatible (obviously check with Wakespeed), but it's the route I was going to try when I upgrade to lithium. Oh yeah, we need pics!

Well that is a neat item. I wonder if it will interface with the canbus system Victron uses?