Quote Originally Posted by Woodscrapper View Post
Gary,

Thanks very much for your insight. Practically everything I have brought used has turned out to be a disappointment. So, I totally
agree with your "moral." Never-the-less, buying a new coach is out of the question for me. I am looking at buying either a pre-owned Prevost, Foretravel, or Country Coach because of their chassis construction and reputation for quality.

Best Regards
Woodscrapper,

You certainly are looking at apples and oranges. When you compare the CC and the Foretravel you are comparing similar products. A Prevost is not comparable to the vehicles designed exclusively as a motorhome. As a bus chassis that has been converted it is an assemblage of two products, the chassis made by Prevost using the same standards as motorcoaches designed for durability and millions of miles of service in commercial use, and a house built into that chassis by a converter.

For your quest you need to set a budget and with that in mind start seeing what is available. For value for the dollar nothing compares to a good used Prevost conversion. It will still be running when a lot of purpose built motorhomes are in the scrap yard.

But like anything there are good coaches out there and there are some not so good. The key to success involves some homework on your part. That homework should include a serious look at what you need based on how you intend to use your coach, a decision if you are a "keeper" or if you trade often, the types of systems you want, and a list of important things to you such as floor plan, type (XL, XLII, H3), engine (Series 60 or 8V92), length (40, 41, or 45) converter (if you have a preference), etc.

You need to consider your ability to maintain a coach. If you like to do mechanical work and are capable, a coach with little or no history may be a good deal. If you are uncomfortable with the whole concept of maintaining a coach then focus solely on one with a proven and documented progressive service history. If you live with easy access to service facilities and have the pockets with sufficient depth to make use of those facilities, you may wish to be a risk taker and look for the cheapest possible price. If you wish to avoid the potentially huge expenses in restoring an underloved coach make price the second consideration and look instead for impeccible maintenance history. Even then you will be spending some money so make sure your budget reflects the hidden or unknown problems.

Have fun.