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Thread: Reflections on 4 Years of Prevost Owner$hip

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Port St. Lucie, FL
    Posts
    1,745

    Default Reflections on 4 Years of Prevost Owner$hip

    September 5, 2011 will mark the 4 year anniversary of the purchase of our 2000 Liberty Lady Classic. What a day that was! We had been “shopping” off and on for just about a year and the day we made our purchase will always be remembered as one of the happiest and proudest days of my life.

    It was hard to believe that we owned a Prevost bus, and a Liberty Coach at that! Although we had looked at others, Liberty Coach was at the top of our list then and it remains today, in our opinion, the best of the best.

    Now, you may hear Jon say “you don't know what you don't know” from time to time. Truer advice was never given. It's not meant to be dismissive of your experience or intellect. It is simply a statement of fact. As a newbie Prevost owner, and only a newcomer to POG, I epitomized the clueless when it came to being prepared to purchase a Prevost bus. If I had truly understood then what I have come to learn over the past 4 years, I would have been a much different buyer. I would have asked better, tougher questions of the seller. I would have asked for documentation, in writing. I would have inspected the bus much more thoroughly through much better eyes. Take Jon's advice to heart.

    For those POG members that are reluctant to participate in the forum, perhaps still shopping for that first Prevost, I strongly encourage you to search and read the posts and try to absorb as much of the collective knowledge and experience as you can BEFORE you part with your hard earned cash. Better yet, don't hesitate to jump in and ask questions. It will be the best investment in time and effort you can make.

    To back up a bit, Janice and I retired in 2002 and had at that time been “motorhoming” for 4 years, starting out with a 32' gas powered Allegro Bus. When we retired, we sold the house, the Harleys, the Corvette, the '70 Dodge Challenger R/T, and all the household “stuff” and went to live full time in our 40' Safari motorhome, expecting to winter on our lot in Port Saint Lucie, Florida and travel during the summer. It would be an “endless vacation.”

    As time went by we replaced the Safari with a 42' Beaver motorhome and eventually we decided that if we wanted a coach that would truly hold up to extended travel and full time living, we would need a real bus. We also wanted to be “slide free”. It looked like the 1997 – 2000 Prevost XLV conversions would be perfect for us. A good old “classic bus” might be in our price range and be perfect for us.

    And perfect it was. We could not have been more pleased with our Liberty. This bus has a good heart. This bus has “soul”. This bus has been the conduit to many wonderful trips. We have traveled from Florida to Maine, New Jersey to California and most places in between. We have become spoiled by never having to pack for a trip. Every night is in our own bed. “Home” never changes.... only the scenery. We have met and enjoyed the company of scores of wonderful people. This bus is “us”.

    Now, before we purchased our Liberty, I asked another bus owner “if I can manage to put together enough money to actually buy a bus, how expensive is the maintenance?” After a moment of thought, he said “not bad, really... probably not significantly more than you're spending now on your Beaver.”

    I bring this up for the education of new POGers and those about to purchase their first bus as it underscores the need to be as fully educated as possible while making the purchase decision. First of all, “significant” is subjective and means different things to different people. As an example, while $1,000 might be significant to some, it may go unnoticed by others. Hence the advice to know what you're looking for, what questions to ask and what to expect BEFORE you make your purchase. Maintaining a bus, or bringing one up to snuff, can be expensive. To a certain degree, it can depend on your comfort level of ownership. I primarily prioritize our maintenance into four general categories: Safety, Reliability, Comfort/convenience, and Cosmetics, in that order.

    Over the past 4 years, we have spent $47,173.03 in maintenance. That's nearly $1,000 each and every month since ownership.... and I still have some work yet to do this year.

    We have driven our Liberty bus 21,337 miles thus far. That means our bus maintenance has cost us about $2.21 for every mile. This does not include fuel which averages right around 50 cents a mile for us. Fuel cost pales in comparison to any other aspect of bus ownership.

    And, it doesn't include the big one; depreciation.

    Now, these figures need to be be kept in the proper perspective as some of the work accomplished during this four year period won't need to be done again in a while (batteries, tires, brake chambers, etc.), some not for quite some time (air springs, Norgren valves, aux compressor, engine bellows, etc.) and some perhaps never (upper and lower A arms, upholstery) so a longer term would likely yield much different annualized costs of maintenance.

    This is being posted in an effort to open the eyes of would-be or new Prevost bus owners. If you don't take the time and make the effort to become knowledgeable, you can quickly spend a lot of money.

    All that being said, it has been an incredible, wonderful experience. I am sure glad we had an opportunity to realize this dream. The parts of this wonderful country that we have been fortunate enough to travel through and explore have been awesome. The friendships and relationships forged through POG and our bus travels have been incredibly rewarding.

    But, after more than 9 years of full-timing in a motorcoach, it is time for us to start thinking about a more permanent home. We will be hanging up the keys as both our lot in Saint Lucie West and our beloved Liberty Coach will shortly be up for sale. In todays market, we expect it to take some time, so we're not disappearing anytime soon.

    Speaking only for myself, Prevost ownership is/was everything I had dreamed of.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Harrison
    Posts
    623

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    Ditto on many, many of your thoughts.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Jasper
    Posts
    3,775

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    Nicely done Paul, but from a selfish standpoint, I hope it takes awhile for your sale. You and Janice have been an inspiration to folks wanting to full time and it will be a sad day for POG when you hang up your keys.

    On the other hand, Woo Hoo, we'll have a place to mooch from wherever you land and sounds like exciting times are ahead with a home that doesn't have wheels. Just think, Ms Ivy can then bounce off the walls of many rooms and climb the curtains.

    Keep us posted and try to make Austin before kicking the Liberty to the curb.

  4. #4

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    Although I was greener than Paul in experience, I have to echo many of his sentiments relating to coach ownership. I had many of the same requirements Paul did and in hindsight our '97 Liberty n/s was perfect for us as well. When it comes to maintenance of theses coaches you cannot be faint of heart, that is just part of the deal. Thanks for your post Paul and hope to see you in Austin.
    Tony and Jenny Conder
    Abilene, Texas
    - - - - - - - - - - -
    2008 Marathon D/S XLII
    2017 RAM 1500 4x4

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    thomasville,nc
    Posts
    1,209

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    Paul,I just missed yall last week,Troy got you fixed too quick.Your experience and knowledge is very helpful to all of us on this board.I have not totaled the cost of 3 years with a new coach but I think that I will now.I hope to cross paths again with you and Janice in the future.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Houma, LA
    Posts
    1,783

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    Paul,

    I know how you feel. Karen and I were there in the beginning of this year; we had listed our coach with Ken Robertson and decided hang up the air bags! After a month or so, I changed our minds (Karen tends to go along with me in this department).

    We are now in the middle of a complete renovation of the inside of the coach; every thing in the bedroom is being changed. The dinette, sofas, curtains, etc. in the front are being changed and we are very happy that we changed our minds about selling.

    I will not try to change your minds, because I am sure that you and Janice have given this a good deal of thought. I will say that we will miss you two, and we hope you will make the rally in Austin.

    Somebody's gonna get a good Liberty!
    Tuga & Karen Gaidry

    2012 Honda Pilot

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    anytown
    Posts
    8,908

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    Paul,

    Good luck to you and Jersey Janice. We are sure going to miss you and I wish you could somehow stay in touch with this bunch of misfits. You always brought sanity to the discussions.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Posts
    104

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    Paul and Janice,
    Janene and I certainly enjoyed getting to know you all. We wish you the best in the next stage of your lives. Someone will be getting a beautiful and well-sorted coach. Good luck, and hopefully we will see you down the road.

    John Browder
    John & Janene Browder
    Knoxville, TN
    2008 Marathon H3-3S

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Port St. Lucie, FL
    Posts
    1,745

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    Thanks everyone for all the kind words.

    We have thoroughly enjoyed our full-timing lifestyle, and our participation in POG has certainly enhanced our experience. We feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to live the life of a "high end" homeless couple as we traveled these wonderful United States, especially in good health and at a relatively young age. Few folks will ever realize this experience.

    We are truly thankful for the many friendships we have made, with fellow POGers in particular, and the hand of both friendship and assistance that was always so quickly offered to us.

    As I mentioned, we aren't about to disappear anytime soon, as I'm sure it will take some time to figure out the logistics of selling the bus and our lot while we're still using both as home. In retrospect, a better exit plan would have sure been handy about now....

    Thanks again. Safe travels everyone.

    We'll probably still see ya down the road..... for a little while anyway...

    Ideally, we would like to make it to POG 10, as it may well be our last rally, but we can't commit to that just yet.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    SW Virginia ( GOD's country ! )
    Posts
    563

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    Paul, Your post reminds Megan And I of our trip to Stuart, We became Liberty owners in March of 2010, We had always wanted a Prevost and were told to check out Liberty, we were driving a Newmar Essex at the time a nice coach I might add! We had looked at Featherlite at Tom Johnson, and Marathon in Coburg, We both knew when we walked in that coach it was the one 20,000 miles later we love our bus it is a member of this family! Yes I am still a green horn but we bought it to drive and that's what we do. We were lucky to get all records with the coach, and New Tires and batteries etc included in sale The original owner had spent 70,000 in upgrades in 2008. Were just happy with it. We are off to PEI on Sunday back the 28th Louisville on5-14Sept Austin 23Sept till Mid Oct Then who knows hope to see and meet you at POG10 Gary

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