Looking at Liberty Prevost 97

[stinky]

What should I look at in inspecting this coach. What about the over the road air, is this a good thing, is their dump system good . As compared to the CC and Marathons. Are the alternators large enough in them to run the airs while driving.I'm new to this and have been searching and researching for about 3yrs. Looking at all coaches but seem to go back to CC and Marathons. I live in the NW (Oregon). I've been told that to stay with what is in the NW.made here because of service ability!!! The 97 Liberty is in the California Coach Company adv.What say !!!
stinky

[dalej]

Welcome,

If you can get down to Lake Havasu, Arizona, February 13-15 give or take a day, there will be a lot of POG guys with there bus's you can look at and ask questions.

[jimshoen]

Go for the 1997 - 2000 Marathon or Liberty.
CC is out of busines or close to it.
Being close to the Convertor can be an advantage.

[garyde]

What should I look at in inspecting this coach. What about the over the road air, is this a good thing, is their dump system good . As compared to the CC and Marathons. Are the alternators large enough in them to run the airs while driving.I'm new to this and have been searching and researching for about 3yrs. Looking at all coaches but seem to go back to CC and Marathons. I live in the NW (Oregon). I've been told that to stay with what is in the NW.made here because of service ability!!! The 97 Liberty is in the California Coach Company adv.What say !!!
stinky

Hi Stinky. The Coach should be inspected by a mechanic familiar with Prevost, Detroit Engines, and Allison Transmissions. A few items on a long list would be Air bags, tires, batteries, brakes , brake air system, OTR cooling/heating system, belts.

Every switch, button, valve, etc. inside and outside should be tested turned, etc.
The Liberty is a well built coach, you need to verify it has been well taken care of; serviced and maitained on time etc.
The Heating/cooling OTR system is designed and built by Prevost. The alternator is designed to handle the Coach inverters & batteries for Coach and chasis.

Most work needed on a Liberty can be handled here in California thru Prevost, or other companies familiar with converted Coaches.
California Coach, Steve Bennett is a reputable company with a proven track record in buying and selling Coaches. He won't pull any punches.

[BrianE]

Stinky,

As usual, Gary hit the nail on the head. Steve Bennett is a very reliable guy and he will do his best to help you get through the pre-buy process.

Incidentally, if it's a 40 footer, that coach belonged to a POG member prior to Steve acquiring it. Many of us have seen it and it's previous owner took good care of it. I think it's a good one.

In any event, good luck and hope to see you at Havasu, where you can ask as many questions about these great machines that you can think of.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Stinky,

That vintage coach, and that one in particular will be a trouble free ride for a couple of reasons.

The shell represents Prevost's evolution of the model and has virtually no bugs. As a rivet coach repairs are simple and it has not risen to the complexity of later models that require only Prevost techs to repair giving you as an owner a considerable number of options when seeking service.

But the house portion is also one of the most trouble free on the market as well. Liberty makes a very reliable product, but that model which we in POG are familiar with is also very easily serviced, something rarely needed.

I don't know your plans with the coach with respect to length of time of ownership (if you tend to keep things a long time or flip them in the short term) but if you are going to keep it, I would suggest you go through it and deal right away with air bags, valves, and brake chambers unless those things were done. That is something a large number of us have done or had done to eliminate the nagging problems associated with an aging suspension.

Good luck. The previous owner is a POG member and I am sure between him and Steve you will feel very comfortable with your decision to buy this coach. Enough of us on this forum are very familiar with that vintage Liberty and it is doubtful that we wouldn't be able to answer any questions that might arise, and regardless of where you are based Liberty customer support is superb, with phone calls often being all it takes to resolve issues.

[Darl-Wilson]

Welcome Stinky! I agree with just about everything that has been written on this subject. I am especially pleased that you are dealing with Steve Bennet. You won't be sorry.

I just have a couple of things to add. You are in a great area to get good service on whatever coach you buy. Harry Hoppe uses a Detroit Diesel company in Springfield that he highly recommends. There are some great parts places in the Junction City, Eugene, and Coburg area that will make life easier. You will find links to many here on the Forum.

In my humble opinion and as a Country Coach owner, I would much prefer the Liberty over the Country Coach. Jim Shoen is right about CC shutting down but I believe that someone will eventually pick up the brand if not the factory. It may never be the same but that could be a good thing.

You would help us all if you put your information about where you live, etc in your profile. We are a curious lot. As a former Oregonian I would put NW Oregon as Astoria but I have children living in the Corvallis area and a great friend in Salem that I also consider NW. You will find several POGers in your area, at Battle Ground, WA and around Tualatin, OR.

We look forward to seeing you soon, maybe at Lake Havasu.

Darl

[stinky]

Jon,
The Liberty's come with the Prevost over the road air. What are the + and - of this system. Would you recommend this when looking for a Prevost !
Stinky

[Joe Cannarozzi]

IMO a plus for sure. Royal, Vantari, Angola are a few others that utilize it.

Ours has it and it is wonderful. The downside is you loose some storage and IMO that is a compromise worth making.

[jelmore]

Jon,
The Liberty's come with the Prevost over the road air. What are the + and - of this system. Would you recommend this when looking for a Prevost !
Stinky

Stinky, we travel all the time. The OTR air is as good as it gets. No generator while running, the engine does all the work and doesn't complain. This Prevost system was designed to keep 50 people comfortable front to back so it makes a great ride for two while traveling. I don't know what the negatives are.