Prevost coach's

[rancher]

So lets talk Prevost buses that were converted from new shells. Mid 80's to mid 90's just before the series 60 engine. Good and bad? Any of the conversion company's stand out as better or worst. Are certain years better that others? I would like to go 60 series engine but those coach's are out of my budget. Looking for feedback and ideas.

[lostagain]

I don't have experience with factory conversions, but from an old bus driver that has driven them all since 1973, I can tell you that MCI cars are more solid and sturdy, less rattlely, and less complex in all their systems. Prevosts are great coaches, but MCIs are better. A lot of people like Prevosts and would disagree with me, but it is my opinion. I'll take an MCI over a Prevost any time...

[Tedsoldbus]

Fred will probably jump in. We both have 1980 Prevost buses. My is a 35 footer and still 96 wide. I am told it is a "shorty" but don't know if that is really what the public calls it. It has no tag wheel. My 6V92 was rebuilt in California by supposedly a reputable place. I have all the paperwork on that and all the service records from the first guy until me (I think I am 3rd). Not many of the 35 footers ever made and I hear Fortravel took a few in 80 and 81 before Prevost quit making them.
We love it. It was handed to me with all new belts, hoses, fluids, 1 year old tires. It has almost no rust and was probably garage kept by all before me. It did have a dying refer and I wanted to keep the dual capability so I took it to the Amish in Shipshewana as recommended by these guys. They changed all the guts after laying it on the floor in my bus and put it back in so it still has the same front. So far flawless and will freeze the milk if set too cold. Also had to replace the inverter. But all good now.
The place I take mine for some service (East Tennessee Luxury Coach) always has about 20 Prevost there. It is all he works on. There are usually a few there like me that still have rivets, but we are getting fewer and fewer and his guys mostly work on the series 60. The owner has to coach the guys when anything 6V or 8V comes in, but they seem to have the parts and oil and like working on something different now and then. So far everything else is still 42 years old and working! Duo therms do hot and cold. Microwave still works. Belly done by Fortravel is wonderful and everything between Prevost and Fortravel seems heavy duty and functional. It rides and handles well and is very quiet. I have to shift the 4 speed Allison a bit more than I expected to keep it from lugging on hills but have grown to actually like doing that.
We have a had a number of RVs and I can't say I am a Prevost Junkie, but the 35 foot length is I think why be bought it.
Best of luck and I hope you find something you like as well as we like this bus.

[rancher]

Thanks for the reply's I am looking at the MCI's also there just doesn't seem to be a lot of conversions from new shells out there in that mid 80's to mid 90's that is in my price range. Was hoping to get some thoughts on the different company's that were doing conversions back then.

[freds]

First off in the motorhome community Prevost does have a certain cachet.

Since Ted and my buses are 1980's they sort of proceed the bus motorhome craze. In 1980 there were only eight motorhome/entertainer shells built whereas today it's like 40% of their production line.

Most of the shell buses are goanna have less miles than the over the road couches. I believe my bus has less than 200,000 miles on it; though that is difficult to determine because of an incomplete dash conversion that came with my bus where the speedometer wasn't working when I got the bus.

I did meet another Prevost owner last week at the bus conversion rally in Quartzsite and he has an entertainer style bus and it has over 700,000 miles on it.

A lot of buses have been re-powered over the years. My observation is that the Eagles and MCI's have larger engine compartments that make this effort easier.

If you go through my 1980 Prevost build thread you will see where I reference a website that allows you to look up who the original bus was delivered to. That web site is offline now but the contents are available through the internet time machine. Since my bus is a 1980 it has a serial number, not a VIN.

I have no idea who did the original conversion on my bus and I don't think that it really makes a difference because given the age group that you're looking at as things are goanna need fixing and it's not goanna depend on the quality of the converter at this point.

My bus has had numerous makeovers and I am just the latest participant.

Be prepared to shell out $10,000 or more in the first year to correct maintenance and safety issues on the bus.

Just find a bus that interests you and stick with it...

[Tedsoldbus]

Fred does more research on Prevost than me and is smarter when he is sleeping than I am when wide awake. I'd encourage you to PM him Prevost questions and the rat pack engine/chassis/ Trani questions. I agree with all he said. Mine was in a little better shape when I got it I guess and it also has close to 190K miles. I look at the Prevost buses when I get mine serviced. There are usually about 20 there waiting for parts or getting a major remodel or electronic upgrade. I'm older (65) and do not need 4 TVs, a fireplace that comes up out of the floor. rope lighting everywhere and push button everything. Half the buses at my repair place have 3 or 4 of those gizmo items needing repair along with whatever else they brought it there to service. I think Fred and I got our buses before Prevost put mirrors on the ceiling and everywhere, including the toilet seat lid. Great if you are Dolly Parton, but the inside of ours looks more like a nice camper. Prevost went ga ga not long after Fred and I got a nice functional interior. But 1980 vintage, we did tear out the purple shag carpet and put vinal down.  We took out all the hippie pattern valences and ratty shades and went with a grey upholstery and pull down shades. It looks great. For being 42 years old all the windows and bay doors still work well. All the plumbing and electrical so far so good (except for frying my inverter. my fault).
So don't worry about your budget pushing you into something older. They have their problems, but far fewer "add on" things to aggravate you than what the buying public seems to demand now.
Look for rust, pay a real guy to check the engine, and like Fred said, find one that makes you raise your eyebrows right when you see it. I've not been in an MCI or other coaches and hope you have the opportunity to look at all options before you buy. The opinion of those who have driven many types or drove them for a living probably have the best advice. Best thing is that if you buy a bus that the front half is a Flxible and the back half is a schooley, these guys will still help you.
Best of luck.

[RJ]

Rancher -

I'm on my third bus. The first was a 35' 1964 GM PD4106, originally owned by Orange Belt States out of Visalia, CA, fleet #130 and aka the original "Sports Car of Buses." It ran like a scalded chicken, and would easily run away from an MCI MC-9 on the I-5 Grapevine in CA. Fastest bus in Orange Belt's fleet. Unfortunately, the intermediate PO had apparently decided to play Jeep with it, and created some severe cracks in the undercarriage where the upper radius rod bushings attach to the chassis - the back end would try to steer the bus between being on the throttle and letting off the throttle.  It's now a storage shed in NoCA after sacrificing many of it's good parts to the Pacific Bus Museum's restored '06 since I donated it to the outfit.

My second bus was a 35' 1978 MCI MC-5C, affectionately known as "Tortoise" after a repaint. This coach was converted on a new shell by Angola Coach, based in Angola, IN. Second year of production for the 5C models (JC above had a '77, the first year!), and unfortunately burdened with a transit-style powertrain, where flat out at 2100 rpm you were doing 60 mph. But I owned that bus four years, putting 45,000 miles on it during that period, and it served me well with just routine maintenance. Angola did a nice, solid job on the interior - even being 36 years old when I bought it, there were no squeaks, rattles or odd wind noises while toodling along. I know the current owner, and he's done some nice upgrades. I would probably still have that coach, but for the odd way I found my current coach in 2018.

My current bus is a 40' 1992 Prevost XL, converted on a new shell by Vantaré, back then a division of Rex-Martin Yachts in Sanford, FL (Vantaré is now a division of Featherlite.) A chance meeting with an MC-8 owner in our local Safeway parking lot led me to this coach, which was his 90 year-old father's. Had to go from Spokane, WA to Gilbert, AZ to pick it up at his daughter's house, where it had sat for four years (unopened in the blazing AZ summers) after having a complete documented out-of-frame major overhaul of the 500 hp 8V92T Detroit, caused by a blown radiator hose.  Because of it's tenure in AZ, there were a LOT of little things that needed to be repaired due to heat damage, but the "bones" were in good shape, plus only 65 miles on the engine, helped me make the decision to trade up. The interior damage was no fault of Vantaré, their workmanship has been excellent, it' was the PO's fault.

Besides being 14 years newer, five feet longer, and six inches wider, plus the light-colored interior, gives this XL a very spacious feel, almost like it has slide-outs. The majority of the heat damaged interior has been repaired, most of the interior and exterior lighting has been upgraded to LEDs, as well as other items. Routine maintenance takes care of the chassis for the most part, altho I do have a gremlin in the Level-Low leveling system that needs to be tracked down and fixed.

As far as ride and handling, my favorite, by far, was the 4106. A V8 4-spd pushing 23K lbs was quick, agile, and an absolute ball to drive (for a bus!) The MC-5C was like an under-powered Buick - quiet, comfortable, but at 28K#, it's 6v71 struggled with the mountains out here on the West Coast. However, like the tortoise in Aesop's fable, slow and steady got me there (hence the name!) The Prevost is sort of an enigma - it's quiet and comfortable, but has some quirks that have taken a bit of getting used to. It's nice to set the cruise control at 100km (62 mph) and just let it roll, but requires a lot more driver attention, not because of wandering, but because the blow-torch engine's temperature must be monitored constantly, and, at 42K#, following distances must also be watched since this thing seems to take three football fields to get stopped from highway speeds. The bus just feels "heavy" and handles accordingly.

But I like the extra room inside, the extra baggage space downstairs, the extra power from the 8V, the additional gear in the five-speed automatic, the cruise control, the interior amenities, the handy washer/dryer, and the redundant heat sources. Built to high-end yacht standards, the workmanship is extraordinary, especially since the coach is now 30 years old. I also really like that even tho it's got some "modern for it's day" amenities, it's nothing like the complexity of the newest models, plus, being on the XL chassis, it still looks like a bus, as opposed to Prevost's "H" series, which I think look more like a high-end factory stick-n-staple rig.

Be aware that 1994 was the change-over year from the two-stroke 8V92T Detroit to the four-stroke Series 60 at Prevost. You will find some '94s with the two-stroke, and later '94's with the 60. The 60 is the more desirable engine nowadays, even tho it, too, is now obsolete. But don't just automatically rule out a two-stroke - thousands of them powered bus fleets all over the country for years until, as usual, the government got involved and screwed everything up. Not to mention the fact that NOTHING matches the glorious sounds of a two-stroke Detroit at full song!!

As for conversion companies, Angola, Custom Coach, Country Coach, Liberty, Marathon, Royale and Vantaré were all around in the time frame you're looking at, so that gives you quite a few choices.
~~Angola Coach, originally in Angola, IN, opened in 1965 and built conversions on both MCI and Prevost shells, with the MCIs being more rare. They were a small converter, only doing 6-8 coaches a year, but concentrated on quality. In 1994 the founders sold the company, and the new owners pretty much destroyed Angola Coach, closing it down in 2001. IMHO, if you look at an Angola, best it be a pre-1994! 
~~Custom Coach from Ohio, now a division of Farber Specialty Vehicles, is the "granddaddy" of the conversion companies, opening in 1955. They tended to build more along the lines of executive models, such as the MC-7s they built for McDonald's, as well as the Madden Cruiser for Coach John Madden. They also built Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miner's Daughter," an MC-9, which she still owns.
~~The original Country Coach did conversions on MCI and Prevost chassis until they went bankrupt in 2008. They're now a division of Winnebago, use their own chassis, and are a high-end version of a typical RV. 
~~Liberty Coach, with it's main production facility in North Chicago, IL, has been around since 1968, and still under the original family's ownership. They build a high-end version that's often quite "cutting-edge" and innovative, which also means they can be quite complex, too.
~~Marathon Coach, HQ'd in Coburg, OR, first opened their doors in 1983. Initially, they built units on both MCI and Prevost shells, before switching to Prevosts exclusively. They're considered the "top of the line" top of the line, and have a very loyal following (as do Liberty owners.) Their units tend to be extremely complex, often with proprietary systems that frequently only the factory service centers can fix - sometimes. Lots and lots of remote-controlled items that really appeal to the gadget gurus and tech nerds. (Side note: I knew a fellow in Fresno that had a 1984 MC-9 converted by Marathon's original owners, and it was beautiful, yet just as simple as my '78 Angola. When Robert Schoellhorn bought the company in 1994, it was his vision and drive that took Marathon to the top of the bus conversion industry heap where it still sits today.) Because of their high end status, Marathon's are sometimes jokingly called "rolling bordellos!"
~~Royale Coach began life in 1977 as Royal Motor Coach, founded by George & Mary Cornish in Elkhart, IN. Monaco purchased the company in 1989, taking over full control in 1994, which is also when they added the "e" to the end of Royale. They tend to be kind of a production-line type of operation, with just a few basic floorplans of which the buyer has some flexibility in customizing. If Marathon is the Cadillac, Liberty the Buick, then Royale is your Oldsmobile. They build a really nice coach, tho not as glitzy as a Marathon.
~~Vantaré sort of set the bus conversion industry on it's head with it's first coach introduction in 1991 with the philosophy of building a luxurious coach to yacht standards. They quickly got the attention of NASCAR - where you'll still see lots of Vantarés in the pits - and production boomed when NASCAR's favorite trailer manufacturer Featherlite took interest in Rex-Martin Yacht's creations. Vantarés core attributes are still what attracts the NASCAR crowd, as well as others, to the coaches: yacht quality fit & finish, robust systems, light-weight construction, innovative design, and reliability.  I like mine, that's for sure!

Photos of my three coaches below:

FWIW & HTH. . . 

RJ   

[chessie4905]

Its beyond me why many owners don't drop those 92's down to 400 hp and enjoy long engine life with a lot less engine heat. So many Prevosts for sale list rebuilt engines at low miles.

[lostagain]

I don't know if the OP is looking for slides or not, but they make a huge difference in space. We have had all kinds of RVs over the years, including two buses that we enjoyed. Then my wife decided we needed more space with slides. So we now have a 2007 Country Coach with four slides. It is as big as a house with the slides out. Amazing!

[luvrbus]

Marathon.converted MCi buses, Vantre was a big converter of MCi buses in the 80's,Custom Coach was to since MCI owned Custom Coach for a while.Marathon,Monaco,Country Coach converted Eagle buses to they pop for sale from time to time but bringing more cash than the Prevost and MCI for of the era cost .The H series Prevost is the top of the line in Prevost buses one of my favorites.RJ  the Lee family bought Country Coach back from Winnebago. I went bus shopping for a bus and ended up like JC with a Country Coach with 4 slides and 600 HP ISx Cummins I love..If there is any way possible get a bus with a 4 stroke engine you will happier

[rancher]

RJ   Thanks for the post on the information about the convertors. Nice to see some back ground on them.

Lostagain  I think any bus with slide outs is way over my budget. Would have to sell a farm to get one of those. If we would happen to end up with a diesel pusher class A then it would probably have slides.

Luvrbus.  Trying to stay with a four stroke. In my price range it tough. Have found a few that have been repowered with four stroke's. If I could find the right one that the {BOSS} wife fell in love with I could probably up the budget and get into a newer one with a four stroke. For now the looking continues.

Keep the ideas coming. If you see something that may fit the bill please reach out with the infomation on it. I am sure there are ones listed that I haven found yet. Have been looking at a couple factory built toterhomes on truck running gears. 

[chessie4905]

just remember that they are like cars. They lose value. Just be patient for a few years. One in your price range will show up. Right now there is a big demand for Prevost conversions, and they are priced accordingly. Just wait for interest rates jumping, triggering another recession, major market correction, etc.

And they are a fad right now for many of the ones posting on Facebook. A lot of them will lose interest in a few years when tiring of fuel, maintenance, and campground costs. Fads come and go all the time.

[luvrbus]

You need to check a pre 1985 Prevost careful  they can be beyond repair because of rust ,I  have seen several go to the scrap yard because of rust,if you find a super buy watch out

[dtcerrato]

I recently made flight (speeding down I75) to Tampa to nail a great (I thought) purchase of a 2006 one owner no accidents GMC Envoy with 62,000 mi. for a vehicle to stow away in the Tok AK garage. It was a trade in at a Subaru dealer. It was a sharp vehicle until I looked under the back bottom. Almost totally corroded gone from the one owner living on the Tampa bay boat ramps with his kayaks - yipes, I ran and the next of 18 buyers in line snatched it - NOT I!  .

[rancher]

Thanks guys for some more insight on this. Living in a salt area I am always concerned about rust. That's one of the reasons I have been looking at from the shell conversions and trying to find one that hadn't been used in the winter in the salt country a lot. I have call about a few that the folks bought them last year and now have figured out they are over there head and trying to resell them. I haven't seen anything in the bus conversions and toterhomes I have called about aren't moving too fast. Wife is going to retire in July this year so if we don't find the right set up by then we may just pickup a fifth wheel camper and use it for a while. We have a low mile one ton pickup we can pull it with. If you know of a good unit that is a good value out there please reach out to me. Not trying to steal any ones unit but not going to over pay just to have one. We have worked to hard for our money and will try not to throw it away. Thanks for all the help.