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Thread: Suffering From Prevost Fever!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Hot Springs, Arkansas
    Posts
    10

    Default Suffering From Prevost Fever!

    Hello everyone, my wife and I just joined the forum a couple of days ago. We are 50 years old, and probably about 8-10 years away from retirement. My name is Sam, and she is Kim. Our 13 year old dog is named "Bear", hence my forum name of "Beardog".

    We bought a 2003 Holiday Rambler Navigator about 4 years ago, as our first RV. For the ensuing 3 years and 11 months, we have wished that we had known about bus conversions!

    We have looked at Prevosts off and on, but are seriously looking now. We listed the Navigator for sale today (http://www.rvt.com/rvshdetail4971461.htm?hm=top), and plan to look at the possibility of trading, as well. No matter what, we will take a big hit on the Navigator, but everytime we see a Prevost on the road, we look at each other and sigh, so the quest begins in earnest!

    We are so used to the Aqua Hot system, stacked washer/dryer, automatic Girard patio awning, etc., that it is hard to imagine a Prevost without those features (the wife could get by without a Girard awning, but a stacked, residential washer/dryer set is a must for her). We are not familiar with the Webasto system, or whether it is a move up, down or sideways from the Aqua Hot. Also, we are used to having 2 slides, but we think that perhaps a no-slide bus would be OK. We gravitate toward the apperance of the XL/XLII's, but are not adverse to an H3 body style. Also, we don't have a set opinion on 40 vs. 45 ft. length yet. The wife probably will push for 45, if we buy a no slide bus.

    I am having a hard time determining which conversion companies are still in business, and which ones are no longer with us. Since we are in central Arkansas, and live nowhere close to a conversion company, I am not sure how much that matters, however. My wife seems to prefer the Liberty Coach interiors, followed by Millennium, Country Coach, and Marathon, not in any particular order.

    We camp frequently in open fields and grassy parks, so the heat/exhaust out the roof appeals to me on the Millennium coaches. I have always been a little concerned about all that heat from the generator and Aqua Hot blasting down on dry grass and leaves under the edge of our Navigator (although I don't know if it has ever been a problem).

    I think that financially, we need to be looking at buses in the 1995-2002 range, as I don't want to mortgage our life away on a bus. We paid cash for our Navigator, but man, do I wish I had all of that money back to go toward a Prevost now! I know that we will need to borrow some money over whatever we get out of our Navigator, either by direct sale, or trade.

    From what we know at this point, we think that we definitely want OTR, but have no definite feelings about Cruse air vs. top mounted A/C units. We do notice how noisy the roof units on our Navigator are, however.

    I don't know the turning radius on our 41 ft. Navigator, but we have no problem with it. My wife drives it as much, perhaps more than I do. So, I don't know if we would really appreciate the better turning radius of a Prevost with IFS, or not. It sounds like maintenance and repair costs are lower for the straight axle buses.

    We hope to get out of town to look at and drive a few Prevosts in a couple of weeks. It looks like we may need to drive 6-12 hours, or fly to Florida or California to look at a good selection of buses all in one place.

    We are used to the maintenance and repair costs of a large motor home, so the $2.5-$5K per year average costs don't scare us, but we sure hope to find a bus that doesn't surprise us with thousands of dollars of unplanned repairs in the first year.

    Any suggestions and all advice is a appreciated. We have spent about 12-15 hours perusing the forums here already!

    Best Regards,

    Sam & Kim Vallery
    Hot Springs, Arkansas

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Bradenton
    Posts
    317

    Default

    welcome Sam & Kim, Any of the broker/dealers listed as sponsors on the POG are great. We have personally dealt with Coachworks, Florida Luxury Coach and just recently purchased a 2000 CC from Scott and Wayne (Waynes Coach Sales) and could not be more pleased. I agree with Jon that a 45 non slide is best for a travel coach, while a 1 or 2 slide coach might be better if you park and stay alot. Look closley at layouts in non-slide coachs to avoid pinchpoints.Good Luck
    Corey Grubb & George Prentice 2000 CC Will & Grace
    Corey Grubb & George Prentice
    1999 H3-45 Vantare
    Will & Grace-fierce felines
    Cedar Hammock, FL.

    The road goes on forever
    and the party never ends

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Knoxville, TN
    Posts
    104

    Default

    If you want OTR air, you have basically limited yourself to Liberty, which is not a bad thing. I own a Liberty, and would never own anything else.
    John & Janene Browder
    Knoxville, TN
    2008 Marathon H3-3S

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    thomasville,nc
    Posts
    1,209

    Default

    I doubt that you will find a Millennium of that vintage because they started converting around 2000,I purchased a 2001 Marathon in 2006 and spent about 20K fixing all the glitches so good records and a complete inspection are well worth the money.I have heard that Marathon has been looking for a buyer so if that is true Liberty,Millennium and possibly Featherlite (Amadas) are the only converters that seem to be in good financial shape.The rivet coaches which are prior to 2001 seem to be great values but I would not consider anything that did not have a Detroit series 60,that will limit you to 1995-2000.There is a real nice 2000 Liberty that Paul owns and he has records with great documentation,being a Liberty it has bus air and Cruise airs which many of us think are the ultimate.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Bradenton
    Posts
    317

    Default

    Jack makes all good points. In an XL, 2000 and prior are rivet coaches, but that's a good thing as 2001-2005 XL's can have de-lamination issues. If you look at non-slide coaches, the onlly issue with Liberty's of that era is trying to find one with a cross bed and you lose the large rear closet in a 45. Marathon and CC rear and dash AC woks just fine unless yoy spend a lot of time in the desert, also properly ducted roof airs have certain advantages over cruise airs. they leave you with more storage space,much less expensive to repair or replace and give you a little more control flexibility. I would be a little hesitant about cruise airs in a 10-15 yr old bus. As usual Jon is right about see,feel,touch and smell-so you might want to think about going to Fla where in 2 or 3 days you can see a lot of various coaches in a small radius. Just go see Coachworks, Parliment, Florida Luxry Coach, Millenium and Liberty as all are pretty close to each other.
    Corey Grubb & George Prentice
    1999 H3-45 Vantare
    Will & Grace-fierce felines
    Cedar Hammock, FL.

    The road goes on forever
    and the party never ends

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Santa Barbara
    Posts
    3,177

    Default

    Welcome to POG Beardog, aka Sam & Kim. The great position you are in at this point is you have a lot of great coaches available
    right now at reasonable prices. So, take your time and get to know the market. The first thing to remember is that
    the coaches are Prevost first and foremost. The converter is important to a certain point. Some converters like Country Coach designed
    their own electrical systems into the mid 2000's which can be a problem finding parts. However, many converters use many of the same systems.
    Liberty has some specific differences, they have one waste tank for both grey and black. They use stainless steel tanks.
    They have OTR on almost all of their Coaches.
    So, enjoy the journey , its definately part of the fun.
    Gary & Lise Deinhard, 2003 Elegant Lady Liberty, Dbl slide

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Gig Harbor, WA
    Posts
    340

    Default

    Welcome Sam & Kim, You have allot of the right questions and as usual the questions come easier than the answers. The responses you have receive have covered allot of the questions in general, but as you continue with your search you will begin to develop a list of "must haves", "It would be nice to have" and "don't need it at all". Just be patient and you'll get there. We have all been where you are.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Beverly Hills
    Posts
    4,652

    Default

    Sam & Kim,

    We just went through what you are about to go through. We had a 2008 Beaver Contessa 42. It was a beautiful coach with tons of room having 4 slides. King bed, over/under washer dryer, large screen TV, etc... So for my wife moving to a 99 Country Coach had its moments. Queen bed, dual function washer/dryer, much smaller kitchen, laminates, and far too many mirrors. However, the ride is awesome! Even compared to our 10 bag tag axle Beaver coach (not a bus conversion). Now we are getting ready for our first real trip (Tampa to Anchorage).

    I would highly recommend spending some time with the service guru, Rick May, at Coach Worrx in Clearwater, FL. Even if you don't buy a bus there, you will leave knowing tons about the different conversion companies and options. Don't overlook eBay and RVT.com. There appear to be some good deals on eBay. We found ours on RVT.com. Tires and batteries are expensive! With discount, expect a set of Michelin tires to run you about $6K. Those 8D AGM house batteries are about $575 each and some buses have 8 of them! Bus air or over the road air have pros and cons. We have OTR air and dash air. Dash air is the same as any car in that cold air is delivered to the dash. Our OTR air uses a very similar engine compressor to that of the dash air with air vents in the middle and rear of the bus at floor level. Bus air has a huge engine driven compressor, air is typically discharged at the windows, and you lose a storage bay. Also keep in mind what refrigerant is used. I understand converting a bus air for the new refrigerant is a very expensive conversion. Cruise air or roof toop units... Cruise air split systems are common place in larger boats. There biggest advantage is they are quieter and don't require holes in your roof. There disadvantage is repair costs, loss of storage space, and refregerant conversion. The roof top units are now common place. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to change out. I too loved my Aqua Hot! I haven't turned on the Webasto unit but expect similar heating. For hot water I have 2 10 gallon electric hot water heaters.

    When it comes to looks, I favor the riveted XL. BTW, late 90s XLIIs have independent front ends. Although it probably improves the ride, I've been told it was done to carry the extra weight.

    This is what I've learned in the few monthes I was looking and based on what I purchased.


    Gil and Durlene
    2003 H-3 Hoffman Conversion

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Sealy, Texas (50 miles west of Houston on I-10)
    Posts
    836

    Default

    Be aware that the "Prevost Bus Air" and the Country Coach "Bus Air" are two different things. The Prevost bus air is designed to produce much more cold air. Although I have never owned a Country Coach with their system, I have owned one with the Prevost bus air and they are a wonderful system to have. You will never be hot in a coach equipped with the Prevost bus air.
    The Prevost bus air can be found on some though not all conversions. As mentioned previously, most Liberty conversions have it, some American, some Marathon, some Angola, and others do as well. If you plan on travel mostly in the southern states, the temps can be brute hot in the summer months.

    I presently own a Vision conversion with 4 Roof airs, and dash air, and it is sufficient in summer months, but can not hold a candle to Prevost bus air.


    Pete & EJ Petree
    2001 Prevost Featherlite Vantare
    2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac 4x4
    Sealy, Texas

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Diamondhead
    Posts
    447

    Default My Prevost Verse

    For every one who has or is looking for abus.


    MY PREVOST STORY

    WHEN YOU FIND THE BUS THAT’S RIGHT
    IT WILL PROBALY BE LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
    SOMETIMES YOU MUST TAKE A CHANCE
    DON’T LIVE YOUR LIFE LISTENING TO CAN’T’S

    STICKS AND STAPLES ARE IN MY PAST
    FINALLY GOT SOMETHING THAT WILL LAST
    WE FINALLY DID IT NOW I CAN BOAST
    WE WENT OUT AND BOUGHT US A PREVOST

    OWNING ONE IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
    CAUSE THE PURCHASE PRICE IS JUST THE START
    GOING TO THE PREVOST SHOP THE FIRST TIME
    YOU’LL FIND YOU NEED A CREDIT LINE

    MADE GREAT FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY
    HOW MANY THEIR ARE ITS HARD TO SAY
    BUT IN THIS NEW BUS GROUP I FOUND
    THEIR KNOWLEDGE HAS NO BOUNDS

    ITS ALWAYS BEEN A DREAM OF MINE
    TO RIDE THE HIWAY IN SOMETHING SO FINE
    ALL SLICK AND SHINY I WAS SO PROUD
    I WAS NOW WAY ABOVE THE CROWD

    ON THE HIWAY FOLLOWING THAT LINE
    GOING NOWHERE BUT MAKING GOOD TIME
    WE FOUND THAT THE THRILL OF THE RIDE
    IS PART OF THE THRILL OF THE DRIVE

    ( FOUR LINES NOT ORIGINAL UNDERLINED)
    Attached Files Attached Files
    Last edited by Jamie Bradford; 05-23-2012 at 09:29 AM.
    Danss 1999 Vogue, 03 Chev. Trailblazer

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