MARATHON COACH - BEAUMONT, CA

[Coloradobus]

I noticed over the weekend Marathon' s website was down.
Today, I notice that at the bottom of their web home page, where their location addresses are, the California facitility is not listed . A goof or is there a story?

[Sid Tuls]

I was at Marathon in Colberg this afternoon and Phil said that they closed that place down. There place was a ghost town itself!! They were doing a few remodels and had a new XLll for sale for an asking price of $1,900,000.00 I think they are going to have it for awhile. It's sad to see the industry like Marathon that a couple of years ago produced 60 coaches a year and employed 250 people

[garyde]

I spoke with Steve Bennett last week. Marathon did close down their So. Cal facility.

[jack14r]

They have converted 65+ in good years,it looks like that this year they might do 4-6,does anyone know the exact number.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

While I have no personal experience with Marathon or its coaches I hope they not only can survive, but can prosper. Nothing benefits us as owners as much as having good strong healthy converters. The competition creates a better product and provides us as owners with needed support.

[jack14r]

I am also concerned like you Jon that the largest converter is having a tough time in these economic times,I was at Liberty and Millennium last month and both seem to be doing ok,I guess that there are really 4-5 converters left and only a few that seem to be healthy.I would be interested to hear the numbers each converter converted from Bill Jensen in the last 12 months,I bet that the pecking order has changed dramatically.

[Sid Tuls]

Jack, Marathon didn't have any new Prevost shells at their facilities. Phil told me the only way they would build another one is if it was custom ordered. The one one the show room had the new batteries in it . They are the new lithium batteries at a price tag of $20,000.00 It is a great looking coach!

[Coloradobus]

Yes, we are saddened to hear about Marathon's California facility. It was a good place for service comvenient to Palm Springs and Indio. How long and far will this correction be. So much in the RV business has changed after the bubble burst.

[jack14r]

I sell mirrors to the RV and Moblle Home industries,my sales data tells me that neither has recovered and the Mobile Home industry might be getting worse.I know that the Prevost market is in a different league but if it is almost impossible to get financing it will limit sales dramatically.

[dmatz]

Just before Labor day I did a tour at the Prevost factory, there were 6 shells in progress at tripple slide H going to Liberty complete a no slide XL going to Amadas, a quad slide H just in frame and a couple of others. The gentelman giving us the tour could not remember the last shell Marathon ordered. Building about 70 shells for MH entainer a year down from 370. The motor coach is still at the same numbers 3 per day.