i'm not sure what to do

[joeandrews]

we want to buy a prevost coach conversion. we didn't think buying one from some website or a broker would be a good idea so we went to liberty and marathon and parliament and featherlite. we are trying to get a coach conversion with a stated value. what we found is only two of the companies buy back their coaches for the price we would pay. they are in florida and make their own conversions. the company's are parliament and liberty. marathon and featherlite won't do that - joe/debbie

[VegasDogMan]

Selling a used Prevost can be dificult. Just look at the TBC (Two Bus Club) members. Trying to negotiate a trade on another rig is also tough because there's no real "Book Value" to determine wholesale value on these "Custom Coaches".

Recently we decided to go shopping for another coach and found that dealers we visited would not/could not give us a trade price on new coach without trying to find another dealer who would buy our current coach.

The last dealer we worked with had to contact atleast seven other dealers to find one that would buy our "special" coach. Price they offered on trade was so ridiculously low we felt insulted.

An other issue we have is the fact that we live full time in the coach and can't let it sit on a consignment lot. When we sell we'll have to move our contents to a storage locker and immediately buy a replacement - can't stay in a hotel too long. This is tough because it limits our choices.

Just my thoughts.... Wanna buy a beautiful Liberty??

[Ray Davis]

Joe,

Forgive me if I'm not understanding. ARe you looking for a vendor that will guarentee to purchase BACK the coach from you, at the price you paid for it? Is that within some time period, or limited in some way?

I guess personally I've never heard of that, or assumed that was even possible. Just personal opinion, although it's great to purchase from a conversion company, you are potentially going to pay a significantly higher price. When I was looking for my coach, Marathon had a similar year/model on their site asking almost $200,000 more than I paid for mine. Granted they would have come down, but I believe the delta would still been over $100,000 in their favor.

Ray

[merle&louise]

Joe,

I am confused a little also about the buy back from the converter. Did they quote you a buy back price? If they agree to buy it back at a specified price I would go that route. As Lee said, these coaches are not easy to sell unless JPJ is the salesman.

I have bought two coaches from the factory with warranties and one from a broker with no warranty. Personally, I think that the warranty adds about $50K to the selling price. It really depends on how much inventory the factory has in stock or, in the case of buying from a broker, how anixous the owner is for the broker to sell the unit. I bought from the broker at about $50K under the market value (my opinion of fair market value). So I think that I got the best deal buying from a broker.

I would not hesitate to buy from an individual if he had the coach that I wanted and we could agree on a price. You will find that the Prevost used market is a very small world; shoppers watch these buses to see how long they are for sale, price reductions, and SOLD signs. The ones with the best colors inside and out and from the best converters hold their value and sell in a reasonable time period (6 months). The ones that are overpriced (and there are many) sit for years waiting to sell.

The Prevost Pricing Guide on this website is a fairly good indicator of fair market value IMO. Have fun shopping around, that is half of the fun

[Just Plain Jeff]

Joe,

As Lee said, these coaches are not easy to sell unless JPJ is the salesman.

Hey, hey now, be nice. I am NOT a bus sales guy. I wear socks as many here can attest. The original allegation here, to the best of my knowledge, is correct; but what do I know anyway.

[Jerry Winchester]

I think the more correct statement would be that these coaches "can" be difficult to sell for a premium price. It has been more of a buyer's market and I think we were able to sell our '92 relatively easy because we bought it from an individual and didn't pay "high market" price for it. Also, if you pick a coach with a goofy floorplan and purple/mauve/white colors and hi-lo pinto shag carpet, you better plan on owning it for a while.

I think my problem was I put a lot of cash into the coach upgrading it and it's kinda like digging a pool; you had better enjoy the value because you won't see it at resale.

I would be leery of a buy back program. There has to be some hidden cost in there somewhere.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Over the years I have marvelled at the number of owners that treated the purchase of a bus conversion as an "investment", and how much they ignored about the forces of the market.

If you buy a coach, it will lose value. The amount of depreciation varies with the age and condition and to a great extent how the coach is perceived by the market. A great coach with green and purple and pink and chartreuse colors throughout is likely to bring less or remain on the market longer than a coach that has neutral colors.

There are serious buyers in the market and there are serious sellers. The sellers price the coach to reflect what the buyers are willing to spend, and the buyers are influenced to buy the coach because the price is fair and the coach has been maintained and it shows.

It ain't rocket science.

[garyde]

I bought my coach from Liberty. It was a trade in. I am the 3rd owner as I understand it. It is a beautiful coach and I could not ask for more except maybe a new Liberty. However, I know if I called them a week after the sale, they would have happily bought the Coach back at approx. 150k less. Although at times I have illusions of granduer when it comes to selling my Coach , the reality is it is a huge depreciating vehicle. The only way a individual can hope to not loose $$ is to purchase at a very Low discount.

[joeandrews]

we are new to this forum and have trouble signing in. we got a new message. it didn't open up right. a mr. rubenstein we met at parliament got all his money back on a coach from them. he didn't give a price. he said marathon would not buy any coach back even from a dealer. this is all too confusing for us. sorry to make trouble on your forum. joe

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Joe,

You are not making trouble and keep posting questions and concerns.

Sometimes on a forum like this the conversations are all over the place because of different interpretations, but if you have questions or comments just chime right in and if your questions are not answered, keep asking.

There is not a single person that ever bought a bus conversion that started out knowing all there is to know.

As to the guy that bought a bus from a converter and then turned it in for 100% of his money.....there is more to that story because that is not the real world. Sometimes folks neglect to relate certain details.

If you want a Prevost, can afford a Prevost, and have the time to enjoy a Prevost, buy a Prevost. But do not expect it to hold its value, especially if it is new or near new. These depreciate like cars, boats and big screen TVs.