Slide vs No-Slide

[jack14r]

I have had 2 Prevost with both having 2 slides and have never had a problem or any maintenance.I would only buy Prevost slides because I feel that they will always be there for service and they designed the slide to be a part of the shell.If you are looking for a newer coach it is hard to find one that does not have slides,the majority of XLs will be non slide coaches.I attend events for 5-7 days and slides are great for us.

[lonesome george]

Ron, we have a non-slide coach and we are happy with it, having said that we have also been in Gary and Peggy Stevens bus with the slide extended and it is VERY ROOMY and a very tasty coach on top of that.
Our bus is an 86" floor to ceiling unit and it has a little different feel. Most XL's are 83" floor to ceiling. Just something else to think about.
This is really a question of how you plan to use the bus and personal preference.

[Bill1170]

I have a 2 slide coach and have enjoyed the extra room. We attend Bama football games every weekend and many times have 7 or 8 people visit at a time.
We also enjoy the room when just the 2 of us are camping.
I have had slide problems this past year,replacing front and rear seals at a cost of about $7000 for both. My coach is an 03 and Prevost told me this is about the normal for seals.
I would suggest you might like the slides since you are full timers but at least look at both slide and nonslide coachs untill you are sure of which you like best.

[rfoster]

I am on my 2nd Prevost. The first was a non slide coach, the 2nd is a two slide coach. They are/were both Prevost. We have enjoyed both tremendously.

I have put 30,000 miles on the slide coach with only one slide problem . Vacuum switch failure, which once bypassed worked as planned.

I could go back to a non slide coach, but the wife would resist and I don't want too. It would be like going back to a car/truck with manual windows and no heated seats. I just like the benefit of the slides - MORE ROOM.

Yep, there is price to be paid for more square footage, up front $$ and the future maintenance$$. The Prevost slides are designed with a rubber innertube type inflatable bladder that has a limited life expectancy - just like tires - after a while something like a leak is gonna happen. The cost of replacement of the seals has already been posted in this thread and has been said about Prevosts - they are not for the faint of heart.

So if you want the slides, get 'em, --if you can live without them - then you can spend more money for diesel fuel & Stuff.

As for me - I love my slides.- Its that OTRa/c thing that gets me.

[GDeen]

Frequently discussed topic for sure and ultimately a personal decision. When we bought our XL I was a little concerned about two things - 1.) I would start jonesing for an XLII, and 2.) we would regret not having slides.

Turns out that neither concern could be further from the truth - at least at this point. We really enjoy the layout of the bus just like it is even when staying in the same place for a few days. It is a bus after all, and I like the way it feels. I think with Jennifer, the dog and I we have plenty of space. If you are going to travel with multiple people, the slides may be beneficial for moving around each other and just to add cubic feet to the living space.

[garyde]

Ah yes, the eternal question. Slides or no-slides. The question haunts POG members like a tick on a dog.
Here's the thing. Slides are great. You quickly increase your living space when open. If they are Prevost slides, you have great support . something goes wrong, you call Prevost 24/7 and they will walk you thru an answer and get you on the road. Heating and cooling are not an issue in my coach no matter the temp outside.
Just like everything else on a coach, you need to maintain the slides. No big deal.
Structurally, Prevost over engineers everything so thats not a concern unless I'm hauling goats.
My Coach is very quiet travelling with no air leaks, rattles, squeak, noise, etc.
With my kids, dogs, my wife and I there is abundant room to relax with the slides open.
My last two coaches had slides, so were past that question.

[grantracy]

We have a two slide coach and it is unlikely we would ever have a non-slide coach. Our slides are after market and were mfg. by HWH who by the way give great support. The only problem we have encountered is a failed switch which we were able to jump( this in over three years of use) I view the slides as a desirable option ( like any other option/sytem) and the attendant maintenance as a small price to pay( so far)

[Loc]

We have had a non-slide Prevost and currently have a 2 slide Prevost. As Roger said, we enjoyed the non-slide and really are enjoying the current bus. When I started looking for a newer bus I wanted bunks for the kids. I really didn't want slides because we typically do a lot of driving (800 miles on Saturday) on our vacations and other than a trip to Disenyworld every year we rarely sit in the same place for more than 3 days. Long story short, I bought this bus for the bunks and not the slides. However, I really like the slides and would have a difficult time going back to a non slide bus. We had a problem with the roof leaking which Prevost fixed as a warranty item. So far (knock on wood) no other real problems. I do expect there to be more issues to deal with given the slides (more moving parts equals more issues or at least more maintenance). I agree with Gary that I would stick to Prevost slides because Prevost did engineer the bus to have slides. I was concerned about being isolated or the bus feeling really small with the slides in. Not the case with our conversion because of the way the converter does the build out in the slides retaining a very large window to the front and rear.

Granvil,

What was the two slide Vantare doing at Millennium?

[Russell Coachworks]

As you may or may not know, one division of our company leases to entertainers and our fleet is made up of Prevost XLII. We have slide and non-slide units. Here is my brief thought on the issue. As many have said, if you are going to be in a location for an extended period of time, it is great to have slides. You obviously get more room, etc. If all you are doing, like many others have said, is running the highways to get to a destination and not be on the coach full time, a slide may not be the best choice for you. It really comes down to personal choice. Keep these things in mind: how many will be on your coach? Is it just you and your spouse? Will you use the coach for entertaining? Are you using it full time? Just a few thoughts.

Regarding function and maintenance of a slide: I would not purchase a coach that does not have factory slides from Prevost. Personally, I will not run a coach that have third-party slides. Like Jon has mentioned, it is a little nervous thought to have a whole cut in the side of the coach! Who better to do it than a company who has an engineering and design team that knows their product inside and out. I for sure would only go with a coach with Prevost slides!

Our coaches run 80,000 + miles a year. We have not had any problems, issues or concerns with our slides.

I hope you find this information beneficial!

Rob Russell
www.russellcoach.com

[merle&louise]

Rob,

That seems to me to be a pretty resounding endorsement of Prevost slides! A fleet of XL IIs with slides and no issues, no problems, and no complaints.