Newbie, help appreciated

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I pick on Debi just because I can, but any coach Bob has is a good one. And if Debi has worked her magic on the interior it is going to look good. I have no idea what Bob is selling now because he has had more coaches than anyone on here.

[garyde]

Thanks all for the replies. I have done some research and do think that sacrificing a little speed "off the line" is way better than sacrificing driveability in the wind. So I'm dialed in now on an aluminum sided Prevost in the 06 / 07 range. Some mentioned there are some POG members with some for sale. Is there a specific forum for this or are they refering to the prevost-stuff.com website? Thanks all and I look forward to joining the "club". Tommy

Hi Tommy. The Prevosts are Stainless Steel polished, not Aluminum siding. Hence our obsession.

[Prevost T]

Thanks again folks for all the replies. Sounds like a very knowledgeable group and I look forward to meeting some of y'all (that's Texas language). Jon, regarding you speed comment - I currently have a 330 hp Cat in a much smaller coach. It is adequate. However, recently I drove a 650 hp Foretravel and I felt comfortable getting up on the freeway and such. I then read that the Prevost is heavier than the Foretravel and has a 515 to 525 hp engine so it raised a concern for me. However, my research and comments from this forum have convinced me that the Detroit engine should be adequate. I'm not a speeder, just not interested in getting in to trouble entering the freeway and such.

One more question for the group: A few have indicated that the Liberty is by far the superior conversion. I would appreciate a quick run down between the Liberty, Marathon and Country Coach? Also, does anyone have knowledge on the 2007 Country Coach at Liberty Coach of Florida or the 2006 tan Marathon coach at Buddy Gregg that would be helpful in reviewing these coaches?

Thanks again all, Tommy

[Jerry Winchester]

Tommy,

Don't let these morons jerk you around. Its late enough that all the Liberty guys are in bed, so we can speak freely.

Liberty a "superior" conversion? Not hardly. Very good, great or outstanding? Absolutely. Overpriced or gaudy? Dead on.

Log back in around 3am when they all wake up to pee. They'll check the forum and post their spewage. The Country Coach guys won't show up until their Viagra wears off.

[rahangman]

Great one, JDUB(?) way to start 2011

[rfoster]

Anybody need new Bumper Stickers yet?

[phorner]

Welcome, Tommy and Happy New Year to ya.....

You have made a wise choice to place a Prevost conversion bus at the top of the list of recreational vehicles. There are simply no others like them.

As to the best of the best, there are subtle but important differences between the various converters.

As an example, if you want a converter that routinely provides real over-the-road bus air conditioning, a transmission retarder instead of an exhaust brake, cruise air conditioner/heat pumps instead of roof air conditioners and a single waste holding tank that can be dumped 3 ways; drivers side, passenger side or by macerator pump..... all from within the comfort and convenience of the inside of your coach..... well then that would be a Liberty Coach.

But those others are nice too.......

[Jon Wehrenberg]

OK, Tommy it looks like you've done it.

The debate begins (again). Here is a simple way to sort out preferences. You have to do this one owner at a time and via email or private messages because you are seeking the truth and not what an owner is compelled to say due to peer pressure. Keep in mind if an owner publicly demeans his particular conversion, it influences others and has a detrimental impact on market values.

So here is how you negotiate the fertilizer that can get spread when the serious forum discussion begins.

Ask individual owners privately what coach / conversion they have.

Ask if they would buy another of the same type.

Then ask what other conversions they would buy.

From that data you will see which conversion gets the most votes. Everything you read on the open forum is nothing but background noise because no owner of a XXXXX conversion will publicly state any dissatisfaction, or openly express desire for another conversion.

Having said all of the above in a serious manner I can sum up what your results will be. The numbers you tabulate if you actually do the survey will be very close to the percentage of market share a coach will have. Because of the numbers out in the market place and the fact the converters are still building and supporting their products Marathon and Liberty will be at the top of the list. I would be very surprised if that was an incorrect statement because owners of those conversions are usually very loyal and satisfied. But that doesn't mean a Millennium or a Parliament or a CC or a Royale is a bad coach or may not be for you. It likely means that since they are relatively small in numbers a lot of us in POG really don't know about them or have experience with them.

What you need to understand however is that the coach you select should have nothing to do with anyone's opinion. You will spend some serious money to buy and maintain a coach and what other people think really shouldn't infuence you. I don't think there is a lousy coach out there. They all share the Prevost chassis, either an XL or an H3. The converters have copied and stolen ideas from each other for so long that it would be difficult to say any particular conversion is so much better or worse. Each converter has its own way of doing things. It will be a rare Liberty that does not have over the road air and heat. Those that own a Liberty will almost universally rank that as important.

Others will have their version of coach climate control and will stress the importance of that. What it boils down to is you need to identify what is important to you. OTR? Availability of converter support? The decor? The outside paint scheme? The floor plan? Storage space? The more you look and learn the easier it will be for you to focus on those coaches that meet your needs.

The salesmen will give you a lot of information biased towards their product. There is no better way to get the differences out on the table so you can sort out what you are looking for. But apart from salesmen who represent a particular conversion we also have sponsors who sell all conversions. Get their opinions also.

Or you can save yourself a lot of time, get a great coach you will never regret buying by just going out and getting a Liberty.

[Reagan Sirmons]

This whole thing is a joke... right?
Pres

[garyde]

One of the most interesting things about all Conversions is the engneering developed by the convertor. There are reasons why one convertor chooses Aqua hot heating and another chooses Webasto heating for instance. Roof air units instead of OTR and Cruiseaire units. Stainless steel water & holding tank instead of plastic. And the list goes on and on. Its up to the individual to determine what is important to them. This takes an endless amount of time. Then, one needs to determine the condition of the Prevost Bus itself and what condition it is in. Its a journey, enjoy.