35', 40', or 45' Newbie asks round 3

[MtLaw]

Hello again,

Thanks for all your input.  This is a great forum and I am learning.  Round 3 asks how long should a couch be?
I want to drive down the road but be able to also pull a little off onto a dirt rd.  I also understand the 45' aren't even allowed in many parks.
This 2001 MCI 35' is way out of my price range but seems really inexpensive for the age and mileage, which is 44,000 not 440,000.  What do you all think?  Might it be relatively inexpensive due to its shorter length.  Is longer really better?    Or is it truly compensation for some?

Lee

[MtLaw]

Oops
This 2001 35' foot MCI  . . .     
                  http://www.heritagecoachsalesllc.com/

[TomC]

All I see is the 45ft'r.  I'm building a 40ft truck conversion and am staying at 40ft so I can drive on any highway, stay at many campsites that a 45ft can't, and so that anyone can drive it without a Class A non commercial license.  Good Luck, TomC

[JohnEd]

That is one sweet 35' bus.  A lot depends on the engine and trans.....6 speed Alison?  Auto shift stick? You can get one heck of a Prevost 40 for that money in this market.....look, shop, ask, dare to dream.

35 is the max for some parks.  Sean has data on this at his finger tips.  Send him a PM....he seldom bites.

John

[Gary '79 5C]

I have always favored the 35'er, and have lusted over the MCI 3500. BUT there is a reason the 3500 out there for sale have extremely low miles. I believe that they have problems with dispatch reliability, and thus become hanger queens. I have spoken to two operators (not comprehensive) and both indicated electrical problems as top of the list. Smoke in the cabin at the drivers position had happened three times for one operator. Luke has indicated his concern of electrical, mechanical, assembly problems, and lack of support due to low production numbers. I would assume that they were not a big money maker in revenue service @ 35', vs 45' & one driver.

The low, extended front end becomes a skid plate depending where you drive. I believe they are delivered with the DD Series 50 engine. I do not believe that engine is being supported for the future by DD, Correct me if I have that wrong.

That is a great price for a great looking coach, but there alot of substancial but's associated. A different engine/trans when the DD 50 dies would be a costly maintenance item, but quanitifable. Coach wiring is another thing totally.

I love the look, size, and use of interior space, but I personnally have a grave concern as to the low mileage of all that I have seen for sale. Not many 3500's show 200K - 300K miles.
If some one is more close to this than I, please chime in, as I still believe at that price, without operational problems would be one sweet coach.

Gary

[Jeremy]

The interior of that 35' MCI conversion looks to be really, really nice - clean and elegant design and a nice choice of timber - so much more classy than the usual overly-elaborate and heavy-looking oak interiors that most conversions seem to have. I would have definitely have put flush doors on the cabinets myself, but apart from that there is not much I'd have done differently. I don't know the market / model enough to say whether $90k is a good price, but the conversion certainly seems a cut above the rest.

My own bus is a 'shorty' by the way, but there is a much bigger selection of buses available here so it isn't particularly unusual. My original instinct was to get as big a bus as I could, but the access to my property required me to get a short one - and now I have I think it is probably the best compromise for the recreational user (perhaps different if you are living aboard). I have all the space I could reasonably need, and feel that with slideouts my space will be a far better 'shape' than most. The only downside to a short bus is that the proportions are such that a roof raise becomes more obvious.

Jeremy

[John316]

Lee,

Absolutely, shorter is sweeter . If you can go shorter, do it. A forty fiver is harder to drive. I am not sure if you want to go with thirty five, but it is easier to drive for sure! You all would do just fine in a shorter bus because there is only four of you all.

Only trade off is, the shorter buses are usually older...usually meaning more maintenance right away...

God bless,

John

[belfert]

The MCI F3500 is basically a shorter version of the Dina Viaggio.  It is still a Dina at the core.  MCI did make some exterior changes to make it look more like a MCI, but it even has the same windshields as a Dina.

The F3500 does have some upgrades from the Dina Viaggio like a fancier dash.  They also made the entrance door shorter and stouter to make it less likely to get out of adjustment.  This bus appears to have the hinged door MCI used on motorhome shells instead of that silly air powered plug door.

[cody]

We have a 40 fter and we've never had any park problems, libby says that we don't like each other enough to be in a shorter bus. From a storage and sawdust hauling stand point I'd like a 45 just to have the additional space but I'm getting too old now to start over.

[JackConrad]

   We had a 35' GM 4106 and now have a 40' MC-8.  There are pros & cons to both. Obviously, the 40' gives you more space to haul more "stuff". But a bigger (heavier) coach uses more fuel and has a larger turning radius. This can sometimes make it more difficult to get into some locations. Our 40' also has 2 more tires to maintain.  For us the cons are worth the extra hauling capacity and extra room inside the coach. It all depends on you situation (number of people on board, trip duration [full, time, weekend, 2 week, etc], amount of "stuff" you need to haul, etc.  Jack

[luvrbus]

The 102 wide and 40 ft long makes a good conversion.
When you get into the 45 footers with a steerable tag they can be a maintenance nightmare along with very costly repairs.
I have a friend that just had his tag rebuilt on a MCI 45 ft for the tune of 11 grand and Dick Kaiser told me a rebuild on a Prevost steerable tag can cost over 15 grand       good luck

[poppi]

Depends on which dirt roads

  A lot of our state area's have a max of 35', Seems the fed areas are better.
  I tend to use virtual earth to check out possible areas. (newer aerials than google in this state)
  The swan is pretty much out for me. To go to the east side of canyon ferry I would have to
   drive an extra 50 miles to get to the camp sites. The sites are only fifteen miles away by regular vehicles.

   So basically a lot of prep work will be required before I would go any where. (the hunting camp sites are definately out)

   When things dry off and warm up I'll fix my air leaks and you can come on over and drive mine so you can see (if you promise
   to keep your eyes open)

    Skip

[boogiethecat]

My first bus was 40'
Current ones are 35 and 29
35 is my favorite, no doubts

[kyle4501]

List out your "must haves" for your coach.
Then, list out your desires.

Then you will be able to answer your question.

For me, I prefer the 4501 for many reasons,
some of which are practical - only 11' tall, 40' lg, designed (pre-innerstate) to operate on back roads, T-drive, etc
some are vanity - it LOOKS COOL! 

These reasons outweighed the significant cons - curved glass is expensive to replace, old & not supported by the OEM, most have been used hard & neglected, etc 

But, I'm happy with my choice (except when I'm lookin' at another cool vintage bus like Gene's '48 jimmy).

[MattC]

As we are working towards full-timing I had my heart set on a 45' Eagle for conversion, but settled on a 40' MCI.  It occurred to me that 45' bus + 17' Toad + Blue Ox plus hitch =  over 65.'  I didn't want to fight with DOT or every rookie trooper with a good eye for length.  =)   I know people get away with this all the time, but given my close relation to Murphy, I chose to forgo the luxury of five extra feet.  Sure would have liked the extra ~100 sq ft. of storage space though.  sigh

IMHO

Matt