Some thoughts.
As a newbie, I can tell you that my first reaction to all this was, as Jon stated, scared and worried about the "what have I done now? syndrome. So, as I usually do when my balancing act of life becomes disturbed, I go back to basics and do a reset. So here it is,
I bought a Prevost because there wasn't another coach out there that made sense to me to sink money into. That was no light decision. We "Kicked the dead horse, then all it's parts" for about a year and one half getting to that conclusion.
I would not buy it, I could not justify it when it would be an occasional use toy, but it was my first choice when the decision was made that it would be our home.
Of all the things I have in my life, my wife is most dear to me. I could justify the additional cost of the quality, servicability, upgraded systems, the additional costs of the redundant system, all the maintenance, and all the time I would put in to make it work so that she would be happy, comfortable, safe and secure. For me, as I believe it is for most here, the conclusion quickly becomes that the dollars and hours spent fixing are a bargin for the rewards. I wasn't sure that those rewards were available with a decision different than Prevost.
For those who might be reading this in preparation to buy a Prevost, understand this, Poggers are a very unique group of people. The talents and skill sets here are just amazing in their great diversity and high levels of acheivement. Consider the following as you read. Maybe not all, but a lot of the gripes, complaints, problems, criticisms, etc. are just distractions along the route in a pogger's quest for the perfect Prevost. Mountains are made from mole hills when the standard has been set that less than perfect is unacceptable. It is a matter of personal perspective if this is a negative however, if you are there, I suggest you keep reading the forum. Read the threads where someone has broken down in a foreign country and take note of the resources that were brought to the table to help and save the day. Read about all the "newbie" questions that get answered without hesitation. Read about the cooperative efforts for improving life in a Prevost. Take note while you are reading that you are only reading because of the sharing that goes on and a lot of the sharing is about the little things.
As a newbie myself, here is my perspective: How many of you can go take a walk around your house and cars and not find enough items to make a two-page list of things to do? Make sure that if you can't, you go talk to your spouse. Now that you have your three-page list, sit down and ask yourself this question, Why do I expect anything different from my bus?
As I stated earlier, when things get out of balance, I return to basics and disect to be able to apply simple solutions. The above stated question has resulted in my formulating the following set of rules which I share here for other newbies to consider:
Sawdust_128's Rules for Happy Prevost Ownership
1. Do not sweat the small stuff.
2. It is all small stuff.
3. You can't change Rules 1 & 2.
4. Unless you absolutely have to, don't do it with your own money.
5. Do not get arrested.
I leave you to your own thoughts to determine if this will work for you.
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