mwsjr

[MWSHAWJR]

Considering 2004 h3 with less than 100k miles, looks great and in top condition all the way around and will be my first Prevost. Wondering if I should look for a newer model year or does age make that much difference?:

[Dany]

I recently purchased a 2001 H345 83000 miles well maintained great coach Danny Marathon conversion

[dale farley]

As a general rule, "Condition" is more important than Age.

[jack14r]

A 2004 is usually a 2003 Prevost chassis,there is a real difference in a 2004 chassis verses a 2003 chassis.In 2004 the front axle was increased to 18,000 pounds and the front tires were increased to 365s from 315s.Another area that is very important is that in 2004 the structure in the bays for the slides was increased and also the slides were updated some call these slides version 3 and they are considered almost bulletproof.I would really want 1 year newer if I cold find it at a similar price.You can identify the chassis year by looking in the drivers windshield at the Prevost serial plate,count from the rear 8 letters or numbers and that will be the chassis year.

[garyde]

Its all somewhat subjective. Purchasing a Prevost is already a huge step up. Owners with older coaches are quite happy with their coaches.
Price point is as relevant as anything.

[Gil_J]

Buy what you like, that meets your finicial target, and that has been well maintained. One thing that is for certain is that these are very complex systems that differ by converter. If I was buying again, especially at the price you're looking at, I'd probably hire someone to perform a detailed inspection. I know there are folks like Rick May at Coach Worx that will travel to perform a PDI and suspect the converters may offer a similiar field service. I would also cponsider having the coach inspected by Prevost. Of course, the challenge there is they may be too far away. There are many other chassis focused shops that have Prevost experience that put the coach on a lift and chrck it out. You can otherwise estimate the cost of what you haven't discovered on your own. Having gone down this last path myself I can tell you my estimate was too low.

The coach is 10 years old and has 100K miles. The tires may be over 7 years old; an age requiring routine inspections or consideration for replacement. How old are the batteries, even if newer, make sure the house batteries are what you expect. Some may have replaced AGM or gels with wet cells when the placed they're located isn't suitable for wet cells. Some replace the house batteries with smaller batteries, i.e. 4D when the battery supports are designed for 8Ds. Some may have put fewer batteries in the bank. Depending on your use, this may be a problem. If the coach was stored outside, rubber components may be nearing the end of their useful life, like air bags and belts.

If you like the floor plan and colors used inside an out, you're in the right place. If you sense the systems are all functional, you're still in the right place. If you can get a PDI done or want to accept some hidden cost, you're still in the right place.

[cthalfman]

Gil, 4D's in 8D slots and wet cells where AGM's used to be. I wonder where you might have seen such a thing?

I agree with Gil here. A good set of house batteries can run as much or more than a complete set of tires. Our coach "originally" had eight group 8D AGM's.

[TerryM]

Hi,

We purchased a 1999 Vantare with 145,000 miles 2 years ago. The coach was maintained by Coach Worx and I had them go through everything with me before we closed. We've had small issues in the last 2 years, but from what I can tell reading on this site and others, they are normal issues for both new and old coaches.

We looked at both newer and older coaches during our search. We settled on an older model that had many systems already updated and was well maintained. I've learned to think of our coach more like a house and less like a car. With a house you fix and remodel things you don't like because the infrastructure is built to support the changes. In our case, when our car gets "tired" we trade it. We are taking the "house" approach to our coach. We are changing the things we want to change and maintaining it for the long-term.

We have also found the information and support on this site and from the industry makes owning a complicated, motorized, rolling house fairly painless and easy.

Good luck!

[lbriant]

Prevost is Like a fine Wine gets better with age,
at 7 years I agree the tires should be new I only run them 5 to 7 years depending on what position there in,
If its never had Batteries they are about the same closer to five probably if they are not there but close make them give you an allowance, its a buyer market thats for sure !!! They would probably put a gold steering wheel on there if you said you had cash .)
All my Dog bone bushings were gone, not just bad after I bought my coach I kept hearing a clanking noise on bumps the old one were rubber and were rotted completely out, I went to the two piece Neoprene or some kind of plastic that won't rot out,
Good Luck

[Dick in Wisconsin]

To a naive neophyte like me, all of the information in this thread and in many of the posts is like seeing fire and discovering the power of electricity all in the same afternoon. Is there a timeline listing of the Prevost chassis evolution that would provide a buyer with more insight into year over year changes? Is there a pre-purchase checklist document that someone has put together that a prospective buyer could use as a basis for reviewing a coach?

Keep the information coming! Thanks for the time everyone puts into this web site.