I made a mistake

[Sawbonz]

Great ideas, Tuga. Funny enough, that first one you linked to I just got done looking at online. I will also start looking at RVOnline.com.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

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.

Well Karl, since you twisted my arm I have no choice but to tell you Liberty is the best.

But all kidding aside only you can define the best. I have very strong reasons for feeling a Libery is best but they are based on what we want in a coach and may not be at all important to you. But to really play with your head I also think our vintage of rivet coach represents the best of the best and later model coaches (XLII) are not examples of ever improving conversions but are actually a step backwards.

Undoubtedly others are going to disagree proving what is "best" is as viewed by each person.

[jack14r]

Karl,I think that you will make a real mistake if you don't look at every converter,you will also learn what you might want and what is important to you and your family.

[Sawbonz]

We have plans to visit Millennium, Marathon is only a few miles from our house, and we will probably visit Liberty too. Hopefully by then we will be close to making a decision.

So, Jon, what do you look for that made the Liberty your best choice?

[Orren Zook]

Karl.

You're also only a few miles from Parliament Coach in Clearwater - you might want to add them to your list too.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Karl,

So, Jon, what do you look for that made the Liberty your best choice?

Since I previously spoke negatively about salesmen that speak bad of the products of other converters I will speak only of the positives I attribute to my coach and those of a similar vintage. Keep in mind certain of the positive attributes may not relate to all converters such as battery location or lack of power accessories.

The coach has riveted construction which allows easy removal and replacement of damaged panels. Body panels are availble from suppliers other than Prevost for economical replacement cost.
The coach has smaller windshields which can be replaced in about 1/2 hour and because of their height limit solar heating inside the coach. The windshields are often available for $150 or less
The coach has a solid front axle as opposed to independent front suspension minimizing maintenance while being very durable.
The coach has a lower weight than later models which reduces fuel consumption and allows the use of smaller tires at lower pressures.
The coach has 298 gallon fuel capacity reducing the need to visit truck stops and providing a practical range of 1800 to 1900 miles with reserves enabling fuel shopping.
The coach does not have power windows, shades, or awnings reducing complexity and need for repairs.
Coach batteries are all located where they are visible and easily accessible for checking and easy replacement.
The coach has an electrical system that can be diagnosed and serviced using simple tools and meters.
The side windows (like the windshield) are easily replacable.
The coach has a vintage of engine that provides an average fuel consumption of 7 to 8 MPG contributing to its range.
The shell configuration and conversions within the shell represent a long model run that was refined over decades and which has virtually no design issues.

[Sawbonz]

Ok, Parliament is on the list! Tomorrow morning is Marathon.

Thanks for the run down, Jon.

Now, off to peruse the other forums. Where to concentrate....

[Sawbonz]

We went to Marathon today..... There were two I liked- the 2007 h3-45 three slide (asking $945k), and an '04 XLII one slide (asking $450k). It was really like a 90% like to 60% like, if you can follow that. I just really like the big bays on the H, and the more modern the better. The Crestron is pretty neat, and the outside fixtures were impressive.

We drove the H3 for my first Prevost test drive ever. It was a nice drive. Not as much "sprint" as I expected given my experience with the 400 horse engine in my Monaco, but it did ok. I do think it would do better with another 100 ponies though! Other than that the drive was solid. There was some wind noise at the door that they intend to quiet up, but nothing terrible. They also said they will put new tires on it and replace the compressor that powered the doors among other things.

This thread did help with the one unit they showed us. It was the one they took to the Tampa show. It is billed as an '11, but they VIN tells me it is an '08! The story is that they sold the unit they were going to take to the show, then the one that was supposed to be the back up. Still they didn't seem to have any qualms about asking $1.2M for it! I guess I will wait until I get closer to a decision to check tire codes, but it is good to know about.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I have zero experience with motorhomes. I have never driven one. So as a result I have no idea what your 0 to 60 times are or how fast you go in the 1/4 mile.

But I do know speeds in our buses is based on our senses. If you sit up high, and you cannot hear the engine it is probable you will grossly underestimate speed or acceleration. We all judge our speeds and acceleration by how fast the road slides beneath us and if we are sitting high the sensation of speed is diminished because of the distance we sit above the road. Likewise not hearing the engine also hides the fact our engine is really pulling us along.

But mechanically our buses are also not set up for acceleration but for economy if you want to call pushing 50,000 plus pounds down the highway an economy consideration. If you redo the test drive, but put the transmission into the non-default mode you will notice it hangs in gear longer and snaps off the shifts authoritatively rather than upshifting at 1400 or 1500. I don't know if the transmission pad is like mine on the newer coaches, but by pressing the mode button on mine I go into performance mode and will be able to raise the shift points to as much as 2100 significantly reducing the time to 60 or the 1/4 mile.

But since our buses are so great we drive slow to maximize the time we spend enjoying them.

[Sawbonz]

I should have foreseen that reply! I'm not concerned with top speed at all, or acceleration except when merging onto I75 while going uphill. Which is what I did.