new & in the market

[dale farley]

Marty, I agree with Tom. I've owned Marathon and Country Coach, and they each have their advantages and disadvantages. They all start off as a Prevost, so there are many things common to them all.

[Alek&Lucia]

Marty,

Check also Royale.
If you like to see one in person, we are only 2 hr SW from Skokie.

Alek

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Marty,

All good advice. You can wear yourself out looking at coaches, and especially if you are judging a coach on its looks or colors. That has the potential to bite you in the butt.

We were exremely lucky when we go tour first coach and could have ended up hating it, but instead we blundered into a coach that had features important to us (which we realized later) because my wife preferred the laminate interior instead of a walnut interior because the wood made the coach too dark. We bought the right coach for all the wrong reasons.

Figure out what features and systems you want or need. If you go back through the threads you will see discussions on just about everything including OTR (Prevost over the road air), roof airs, Cruise Airs, long range tanks, washers and dryers, private toilets, booths versus tables and chairs, the XL or XLII versus the H3, series 60 versus 8V92 and Michelins versus Double Coin tires.

After you have created your list of priorities you may end up ruling out some conversions, or you may end up including some not previously considered. But whatever you decide don't worry about push button valves being trouble prone. That is whining from guys that wish they had such features because they wish they could dump their tanks from the comfort of their coach.

[Coloradobus]

HI Marty and welcome to bus shopping one Oh one,.

If you are remotely considering an XLII, but don't want the glued-on stainless, but want XLII goodies, how about an "H"3-45, prior to 2001 conversion year.
Yes, they are plastic, but easier to wash, less ridges, easy panel repair incase of a boo-boo..
The "H" received goodies that the XL ONES didn't get until they morph into the XLII.

Disc brakes all the way around. XL's have drums on the drivers, discs on steer and tag. The XLII has disc brakes all the way around starting in 2001 conversion year.
Dual Pane Windows which aids outside noise reduction, better heating and cooling, and no interior windowsill frost build up during winter travels.

Air activated foot pedal to adjust steering column tilt/telescoping.
We are partial to Marathons, since we have had 2, and maybe working on a third. Our current coach is up for sale. The Tech Link electrical system is programmable incase at a later date you wish to add a feature to interior switches or re-arrange them to better suit your needs.

Another item, the "H"3-45 has a flat floor, from the stairs leading from the cockpit into the salon and back to the end of the bedroom. This feature is GREAT if you need something done on the top of the engine. All motor work can be done from entering the engine compartment. Unlike the XL and XLII's, where you need to tear apart the bedroom rear cabinetry to access floor panels to reach the top of the engine.
The "H"3-45 has wonderful enormous windows. They are 5ft long and 42 inches tall. Sitting higher, the view over other coaches is wonderful in a campground, or down the road.. Some converters order the maximum window configuration from Prevost and then cover them up.???????? So, if this is something to consider, check to see how many of "H"'s have all the windows open to see out of. Normally there are 3 on either side in the salon plus the weird shaped trapezoid, and 2 per side in the bedroom. Makes for great day lighting.
We like cruise airs, over rooftops. They do gobble up some underbelly space, but the "H" has taller and larger bays, and add to overall chassis weight, but they are much quieter than rooftops, IMHO.
Also with the Trace 4000 dual inverters Marathon uses, you can power up to 2 cruise airs, or rooftops, while driving down the road for overall house cooling, eliminating the need for Prevost over the Road Air. (Oops, I'll hear about this)
"H"'s also comes with larger standard fuel tank, 235 gallons. However some XL's will have the optional tank to bring the fuel cap. up to 298 gallons in a 45 and 250 in a 40ft.
the "H", also can carry more water, depending on converter, ours is 207 fresh water gallons. 86 gallons grey and 68 black.
The H3-45 entry door has manual latches, no air lock to mess up.
The last item, is mileage. For whatever the reason, whether its the lack of ridges of the stainless, or no rooftop a/c units, or the tapered sides and the narrower tapered bus nose of the bus, slipping thru the air, our "H" gets the best mileage of the 3 busses we have had. The 2001 XL CC 2 slide on '99 shell, got 5.8 mpg. The 2002 XLII one slide Marathon got 6.5 and our current coach, 2000 model "H"3-45 gets 7.2 towing either of our 3 toweds. Their weights range from 4800 lb Rover, to a Chevy 4X4 duramax 3/4 t truck of 6220lbs, or Ford E-350 B Class, Airstream B-190 weighing 8600 lbs.

Good luck and keep us all up to date what you do. We love spending others $$$$$$$$$

[lewpopp]

Now, really, is a "H" easier to wash than an "XL"? I really doubt it by a long shot. All of your other points are closer to being fact than the wash "bit".

[grubster1]

hi adam,

thanks much for the reply and suggestions. i totally agree with your opinoins. now all i need is a coach that fits. i did see a 99 marathon that is a cream puff but was a little high in mileage and price. i am always concerned with resale value and take that into consideration. sounds like you did get lucky. i forgot how hard it is to find the right coach. i spent 2 years getting my bluebird up to my standards and then sold it. i am commited to buying a prevost this time around. in the meantime the cd's are paying 4.25 or better so thats a plus. that is, unless this economic bloodbath continues.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

You just entered into a whole new realm Marty.

These buses are not investments, and if you are buying one with resale in mind hang onto your shorts. It could be a wild ride.

If your plan is to flip buses every once in a while, forget all the advice and just focus on the Marathon or Liberty coaches because they tend to be better at holding their value. Then lay in wait and pounce upon the first bus you can find that shows up below market value because of a distress sale.

As long as you are thinking of trading and resale it doesn't really matter about floor plan, colors, systems, etc. because you won't have it that long and nobody exactly suffers with any of these coaches. Even the worst is better than anything else out there.

About that mileage comment.....people that buy Prevost coaches are the first ones to brag about their 1 or 2 million mile coach, but a lot of them have this irrational sense that somehow an 80,000 mile coach is better than a 200,000 mile coach. I want a coach that has been used regularly and is well maintained. A 500,000 mile bus is likely to be just as reliable as a 100,000 mile bus as long as the bus has had good maintenance.