I made a mistake

[Alan__]

Also, some conversions have Vorad--think code M. Don't know how many they made but I have it and agree to its value.

Good luck on your search.

[Sawbonz]

For mid 6 figures you are going to get a lot of coach and a fairly new one. A quick trip through the various sites listing Prevost coaches for sale will show you that.

So that being said, you now have a lot of work ahead of you. You and your family have to decide on the things that are important to you. First you have to define how the coach will be used. Will you spend a lot of time on the road, or parked? Will you be hooked up to shore power and other utilities or will you dry camp? Where will you be traveling? How many will be on board?

Then you have to decide what features work best for your use of the coach. Private toilet or open plan? Separate sleeping areas, both with access to the toilet or no? Slides? Over the road AC? Etc. Read all the posts on this site to get a sense of the importance of the various ways converters design a coach. Listen to the salesmen, but keep in mind every single one will sell you what is on their lot. You have to sort out the fact from fiction.

If I were to give you any advice it would be to rethink the basement bedroom. Any converter can create one, but to start with give some thought to how much space you give up for storage of stuff. The importance of that relates back to how you use your coach. I don't know of a single owner that has ever said they have too much bay space. I would look for the more conventional (but rare) bunk coach that can be converted back to closets or a space for a washer and dryer when you no longer have the need.

From a purely mechanical perspective a basement bedroom presents some serious design issues, not the least of which is access from the house made more complicated by considerations such as other mechanicals interfering with the access hatch location. That might make a non slide coach a more serious candidate due to the slide having the need to occupy bay ceiling space for mechanicals. Further, it might make some conversions more practical due to the need for heat and air.

Good advice. If history is to be my guide, we will only get out 5-6 times per year. We are business owners, and tied to the area most of the time. We do not dry camp, but being able to is nice. You never know when you may sleep in a rest area! That said, I am not afraid to use the generator, and typically travel with full fresh water.

We have 4 on board now, but are only 3 years from college for one kid. That means, to me, washer and dryer are required. We've always had enough storage as it is, and with an H3-45 the capacity is HUGE. This makes me think that losing one bay for the time when the kids are with us is not a bad compromise. When number two leaves, we change it back, sell everything we own, and full-time.

[Sawbonz]

I think that there are some important chassis features that you should consider,the 2004 shells have 365 tires on the steering and tag axles,the steering axle is rated at 18,000 Lbs instead of 17,200 lbs. also the gross is 54,500 verses 51,500 lbs.It is also important to know how to read the year code in the serial number,(any salesman can show you where it is) count 8 digits from the end of the serial and that is the year of the shell.If that number is a 4 then the shell was manufactured as a 2004 and the conversion should be a 2005,do not let a salesman sell you a coach that is more than 1 year different from the shell unless it is priced accordingly.Also Prevost has constantly updated their slides and the 2004 shells have the next to last update,the 2007 have the "no pin slides"and are still the latest series.

Excellent, jack14r! Sooooooo, now I need an explanation of what a 365 tire is and how it compares to whatever else there is. I understand the value of an increase in gross, though I still wonder if I will need it. I guess it depends on how crazy the converter got with the granite and glass!

Then you mentioned "priced accordingly". I am still looking for advice on how to know this other than seeing what people are asking and going from there. Speaking with a lender yesterday, they decided that they couldn't use NADA and would instead just try to find 3 others with similar prices to verify value for the loan. Sounds a lot like real estate, except that real estate sales are available for comparison instead of just listing values.

[Sawbonz]

So much to learn and so little time! The one thing I can suggest is to hang around a while ask questions and do your research. There are many choices of convertors and many very good used coaches out there. So, take your time and enjoy the journey.

So far, so fun! I hope that we can take a little longer to do this than we did to buy the Monaco, just to make sure we get the best we can. It also will give me a chance to save some $ for a down payment!

[Sawbonz]

Also, some conversions have Vorad--think code M. Don't know how many they made but I have it and agree to its value.

Good luck on your search.

Where does one find this code?

[jack14r]

The 365/70R22.5 tire is rated at a maximum carrying capacity of10,500 LBS,the 315/80R22.5 has a max rating of 9090 LBS.If the converter is trying to sell you a coach that is called an 06 but it is a 2004 shell I would value it as an 05 because if you ever want to sell or trade it that is what it actually is.There is a used coach for sell by a used dealer in Florida that is titled as an 07 but it has a 2003 shell,if someone buys it and does not understand the date in the serial number they will be surprised when they decide to sell.There are some converters that have been guilty of not titling a conversion until it has been purchased,therefore the title can be 2-4 years newer than the actual shell.

[Sawbonz]

The 365/70R22.5 tire is rated at a maximum carrying capacity of10,500 LBS,the 315/80R22.5 has a max rating of 9090 LBS.If the converter is trying to sell you a coach that is called an 06 but it is a 2004 shell I would value it as an 05 because if you ever want to sell or trade it that is what it actually is.There is a used coach for sell by a used dealer in Florida that is titled as an 07 but it has a 2003 shell,if someone buys it and does not understand the date in the serial number they will be surprised when they decide to sell.There are some converters that have been guilty of not titling a conversion until it has been purchased,therefore the title can be 2-4 years newer than the actual shell.

Thanks, clear as day! That is also NOT something I would have thought of on my own. I did have a converter at the show tell me about another company that had a lot of left over shells, and this is probably what would happen...

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Be very cautious when dealing with salespeople that have to talk about their competition. I don't care if they are talking about someone owning an inventory of shells, or discussing the competitor's features of lack of them. Listen carefully as the salespeople tell you about their features and be prepared to ask a lot of questions.

Anytime a salesman talks bad about his competitors or even makes snide remarks in my opinion he doesn't have much good to say about the product he is selling.

There is a lot of ball breaking on this site about converters. We love jerking each other around. (I of course don't participate, but others do.) The bottom line is every conversion is good. Every converter has strengths and weaknesses, but I am not aware of any conversions you should be afraid of considering. Having said that you have to identify what is important to you in a coach and focus on those converters who produce the bus that is closest to your needs. The more people you talk to, the more questions you ask and the more coaches you go to see the better you will be as a buyer. When you find the right coach it is likely you will know it is the coach for you as soon as you go up the steps.

Some features that are important to you may only be found on coaches produced by one or two converters. That is going to sharpen your focus and make you a much better informed buyer if you take the time to learn all you can about those conversions.

As a two time buyer and hardly an expert we ended up with two coaches that have been exceptional for our needs. The first was because we were lucky. The current one is because we knew clearly what we wanted. As a result both our coaches were "keepers" and we couldn't be happier. We tend to keep our "stuff". As a result I am more likely to pay a little more if necessary to get as close to what we want as possible. Others like to trade often and then it becomes important to be extremely price conscious because trading is a huge expense due to depreciation. Buying a Prevost is a complex job and a lot of factors must be considered.

[merle&louise]

Karl & family, welcome to POG. One of your questions was how you can determine fair market value. I look at eBay and watch the bidding. I also look at the "Buy it Now" price, that of course tells you what seller's bottom line is. Record these amounts in a journal noting decreases in BUY IT NOW prices for a given coach. Also, record the brands that are selling! This will give you an idea of what the market perceives as fair market value. You will learn to make adjustments for age, converter, mileage, and curb appeal.

To start you off:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-...item2a0d3855de

A 1999 Marathon just sold for $159,900 it had 148,000 miles and neutral colors inside and outside



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Also, I call sellers who have recently sold their buses (RVOnline.com, prevost-stuff.com, etc.) and talk to them. Occasionally they will tell you what their selling price was - record it in your journal. Pretty soon you will have a good idea of what buses are worth in today's market.

[Sawbonz]

There is a lot of ball breaking on this site about converters. We love jerking each other around. (I of course don't participate, but others do.)

That's MY kind of line!

I may start a war by asking this question if POG is anything like rv.net, and you already partially answered, but is there a "ranking" of converters as it pertains to quality? I know you are a Liberty guy, so you will understand the salesman I spoke with there today telling me that they have the "best quality" of any.