Buying a Pre-Owned Prevost

[Woodscrapper]

Hello to all,
I just joined POG because my wife and I are interested in buying a pre-owned motor coach and have interest in a Prevost. Needless to say it is confusing to select what one believes to be a quality coach and one that will provide reliable service at a reasonable cost. With regard to a Prevost, I have the following questions that I hope POG members might answer and provide some much needed, appreciated help.


I have found several coaches with rebuilt engines - some with as few miles as 88,000. Is this common for a DD engine and what is the average life (in miles) of a DD engine assuming it has been properly maintained?

How much importance should be placed on mileage when considering a coach?

Where does one find "book values" for the Prevost? NADA does not provide such.

Aside from price, what are the most important factors to consider in evaluating and buying a pre-owned coach? Should one insist on a PDI? Most common problems occurring on a Prevost?

I know ownership costs can vary widely, but on average what can one expect annual maintenance costs to be?

Since I have never driven a motor coach but have towed travel trailers for some 40 years, where can one find help to learn to drive a behemoth safely? Must dealers have offered helping us out the gate!

Which is best, dealing with a dealer or individual?

Many thanks for all the help provided.

Woodscrapper
]

[garyde]

Welcome to POG Woodscrapper. A lot of good and relevant questions.

The Detroit Engine is a very reliable engine and with proper care should last many hundreds of thousands of miles without a rebuild with some exceptions.
Mileage on a coach is not as improtant as its maintenace and upkeep history.
The only way to determine fair market value on Prevost Conversions is to learn more abot the market and the different Converters.
PDI is very important for a buyer; Engine, Transmission , suspension, Air systems, Electrical Systems, Batteries, Tires, Generator, Water system, A/C system, Heat system, Waste systems and so on.
Annual maintenace costs will vary depending on age , amount of use intended, upgrades, replacement of worn out parts. This goes back to PDI as well.
Driving Skills; At Rallys and FMCA Conventions they offer driver seminars.
Either Dealers or individuals have its own merits, advantage, and draw backs.

[HarborBus]

Welcome to POG, I would recommend you take a drive down to Costa Mesa and talk to Steve Bennett owner of California Coach Company 3030 Pullman St. Ste. B,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626, Toll Free - (800) 460-7989. Steve is a POG member and very knowledgeable on Prevost's. You won't find a more honest straightforward dealer than Steve.

[Woodscrapper]

Hello Elliott,

Thanks for your recommendation and I wished I could drive down and talk with Mr. Bennett but I live in Tennessee. I will give him a call though.

Woodscrapper

[ajducote]

Woodscrapper,

The questions you ask are all the one's we have all asked about and been thru in our decision to buy a Prevost. It might help get you some better answers if you could narrow down the approximate year of conversion and possibly if you have a particular convertor in mind. There are some basic differences that could possibly change the answers to your questions such as 8V92 vs. S-60 engine, straight front axle vs. IFS, XL (rivet coach) vs. newer XLII (non rivet coach), XL vs. H3, Slide vs. non slide. Well you should get the idea anyway.
In the most basic round numbers I use 5K a year for projected needed maintenance and upgrades. Some years it is more, some years a little less. And there is a lot of discretionary spending for upgrades of things like satellite dishes, TV's, stereo upgrades, etc. Some things you have to spend money on, Tires over 6 or 7 years old HAVE to be replaced, house and chassis batteries can get expensive, new air bags and shocks for older coaches (over 10 years old or since last replacement). Most people agree that an 8V92 gets about 6 to 6.5 MPG and a S-60 gets about 1 MPG more.

BUT, when it is all said and done, it is worth it. Nothing drives or rides like a Prevost. Good luck on your search and welcome to the group.

[CAPT MOGUL & Sandy]

Welcome to POG, Woodscrapper! A little hint here. We have our 97 royale 40 ft no slides and completely remodeld with neutral colors inside. Maintained well and service records in hand. All oil & transmission fluids checked with analysis each change. One of the most beautiful exterior colored buses you will see. We just need to sell it due to -- Ed had to have a 45 ft! I stll love that bus and wish we weren't selling it! She is simple and open space.
Sandy

[Woodscrapper]

Hello Garyde,

Thank you for your response. The tip regarding driving skills is well received - have not thought of this. Once we get a coach, plans are to join FMCA.

Best Regards,
Woodscrapper

[GSwaim]

Welcome to the POG,

I was in your very shoes about six months ago. I wanted a prevost in the worst way after owning several glass coaches. We looked long and hard and found just what we were looking for at a price we could afford. The thing is I checked this Prevost front to back and still ended up getting a bus that needed a major repair. The bus drove perfect and every mechanic that looked at it said they couldn't believe how nice it was kept. after a couple of days of crawling all over it and even spending a night dry camping in it, The only items I found in my prepurchase inspection was the front sway bar busihings, the transmission was leaking from the front seal nad the autofill was not working. The maintenance records were all there, so I thought and all looked very good. Five months after buying it, I took it to Nashville Prevost to have the swaybar busings and tranny leak fixed and ended up replacing the transmission! From what I can tell someone had removed the tranny and didn't assemble it right so it was filled with metal fillings. A tranny fluid analysis would have caught the problem so I would suggest fluid ananlysis before purchase. Moral to the story, buying used is always a crap shoot.

I can tell you the coach I left is a 2008 HR Navigator 45 foot quadslide completely customized inside and out for fulltiming. It is out at Steve Bennet's showrooms and he will tell you it's the cleanest used coach he ever had. It's for sale at the wholesale price! If you give up on prevost and I'm not suggesting you do in any way, make sure to go see my Navigator, it's the cleanest and nicest we could find in the glass coach industry.

[Woodscrapper]

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

[Jon Wehrenberg]

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.