Andrew, this kind of video-interview is the way to go. These long time coach owners are a wealth of information for the industry. For us wannabe owners it's a good way to get information dealerships won't tell you. Great interview Andrew, and Steve Congrats on your Prevost-Marathon, awesome coach you have sir.
Thank you, this is the type of information that encouraged me that start this channel. Unfortunately, most coach owners are not willing to share this much information, especially on camera. I am very thankful for all of the awesome coach owners that have shared their information with us.
Enjoyed the I interview with Steve. I like the Prevost non slide in the 2000 to 2007 . I like the classic bright stainless steel lower X series just like Steve. It is a true classic over time. Nice that you have been maintaining the outside for a long period. And it shows pride of the owner and you as the detailer. Give Steve our thanks for letting us see a beautiful Prevost Marathon coach. I you see Steve ask him what fuel economy he sees at his normal cruse speed. I am guessing he has the series 60 Detroit 12.7 liter displacement engine. Thanks to both of you for a informative review.
FMCA has tires for half-ton & heavy-duty trucks too (with larger/premium wheel sizes).. most often the tire shop you end up at will just match the price and sell it themselves, but BF Goodrich & Michelin are normally around 30% off in my experience. The other fantastic FMCA deal is their unlimited Sprint hotspot device/service for $50 / month.. I get about 80 megabit throughput with it.
Stunnning looking rig.... you did the right thing buy hanging on to this gem... Aces on the detail work Brother! Looks like your channel is starting to blow up... nice 😎
We don't own a Prevost yet, but did consider buying one a couple years old. We really like the one we got instead. I am a bit OCD over maintenance and keep a log of when, where, and cost of everything we have done. Proper maintenance saves money! The discounts from a FMCA membership makes the fees a good investment.
Andrew thank you very much for the interview, I'm was looking into buying a pre owned provost, Man what an eye opener was this interview, especially knowing about the cost of maintaining one, it's rather scary if u ask me, you have to have at least 20k sitting in ur account just in case shit happens, i was more in the area of around 10k sitting around, glad i still have time to save up some more or better yet, maybe a tiffen is a better buy for me... again ty for the great job ur doing w/keeping ppl like me informed, safe travels and peace..
1971 had an order to go to Alaska Air Force purchase an open road 1 ton RV got all the way to Whitehorse found out my orders got canceled. We came back Travis Air Force Base, and got out in 72 beautiful six years in the Air Force Japan Vietnam, Guam midway island, Germany, Athens, graves Libya, Romania, and a few other countries crew chief. C130E
Very interesting and informative interview. Although a coach of that class is out of reach for us it was interesting to hear about the ownership experience. BTW we are new subscribers from Memphis TN and enjoy your videos
Awesome coach! I was initially looking at used Prevosts but it made me too nervous to follow through from hearing the astronomical costs to repair if anything breaks. Plus budget. Hard to find anyone to finance an older Prevost especially older ones that were in my budget. So I went with a used Phaeton with no regrets. Still dream though..... Great video buddy.
Probably a weird question but do people buy these monsters cash? I’m pretty young (22) but I’ve been looking for a Prevost for sometime now to travel full time in. I don’t really have a set budget but I was looking for something ready to go for around $150k. Is that a reasonable price range? I have an extra $50k to the side assuming for repairs, maintenance etc... thank you
Nice - What's unique and interesting is the actual owners unbiased opinion of their coach or trailer after living in and experiencing it in the real world. Bravo Andrew. Real people that spent their own money on their RV and not the dealer or factories paid/sponsored review.
Exactly! Conversations like this are what inspired my RU-vid channel. I have been exposed to so much great information like this that I thought it would be fun to share with the world. The tough part is, getting owners to share their story on camera. Luckily, Steve is a great guy and the good friend and always does what he can to help me out.
Very good information regarding cost of ownership. For those of us desiring to purchase a pre-owned bus conversion every bit of first person experience is appreciated.
I have always been told that one owning a diesel pusher motorhome, anticipate $10,000 a year in average maintenance cost when you factor for tires, service and repairs.
This is a tremendous interview, Andrew! It is great to get a maintenance perspective over such a long time period. I could only afford a Prevost from the 90s, so this rig begins to give an idea of what that would entail. Wow....3 trips to Alaska! It looks like it only did 3 trips to the local grocery store. A big thank you to Steve for being so open with his experience!
Dying to know what you charge to detail a coach in this condition. I realize you may have to spend a hell of a lot more time trying to bring back one that has been neglected. Also, do you just do the outside or is the interior part of your normal job?
#44 I know Prevost are top of the line coaches. My question is why not Winnebago Grand Tour Coach? The build them in Forrest City, Iowa. American Made, too!
It's all about build quality, the grantor is definitely a lot of coach for the money and is definitely American made but unfortunately it doesn't come close to the quality of build of these buses. After ten years, the Winnebago Grand tour will start to deteriorate when Prevost buses last decades.
@@RVingwithAndrewSteele Not the same, not even close. The Prevost chassis was built to haul passengers around 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while being driven by different drivers. You try that with a Winnebago and I promise you'll beat it to death.
500 per wash and wax is usual. My prices have changed significantly over the years. Was $300 when I first started detailing it a decade ago and has slowly krept up.
Great interview Andrew. Nice Marathon. FMCA Michelin tire tip, great to know. Thank you Steve for your time and honesty. Maintenance history, chronic problems, good to ask. Soft refresh sounds good. Thanks again. Happy trails!
800 dollars for one mile of towing is pure evil, i can believe how people take advantage of other in times of need. Love the coach and tanks for sharing this info.
The reason the cost is high is the necessity of disconnecting the drove line of the disabled bus. Sometimes it can be a time consuming project that's not easily accessable. I keep a Coach Net roadside policy to pay for such an emery. I had to use it s decade ago. Won't be without it.
Andrew, you were comparing a Newmar Essex with a Prevost and doing a good job at that. However, one thing you showed there was that the slides of the Newmar had screws all around to secure it, while the Prevost slides didn't have. This Prevost here, though, looks like, I am not saying its, but, it just looks like that it is riveted together, all over. Like steel ships from the 1900's ... Titanic, for example. If I really wanted to discredit the looks of this bus, I could have easily described it by saying that the whole bus looks like a ventilation duct, :)
Hi Andrew. How much fresh water would a rig like that carry? What size are the grey and black water tanks? Any special problems or costs involved in dumping them?
So. $7k for compressor, $7k for wheel issue, $3k fridge, $5k for tires, $5k for misc. = $27k over 14 years = $1,929 or $2k per year plus fuel and insurance (varies). Make it your primary home and this isn't a bad deal so long as you didn't buy it new with financing.
Add 2k/month for a KOA Kampground ($65.74/day avg in FL 1/15/21). Several thou more for ins towing, etc. $500 to wash/wax it. Far more expensive than a house. At $175/hr, I'd advise you to learn how to work on diesels, and to avoid buying a bus with a 2 stroke 60 series DD. It's like owning a yacht. Break out another thousand. Another, and another. Love the lifestyle, but it's way too expensive for me. The depreciation on a big rig is incredible, even on a 5-10 year old rig. I just can't swing it on my disability pension...not even close. ;(( It's just as well, I suppose. I gobble heart pills like Qualudes. You wouldn't want to meet me going the other way down a mountain road when I'm having an 'event'.
When I bought my 98 Monaco Windsor the factory would not give me any information of the history. They considered the person they sold it to as their customer and everyone that bought it used is tuff titties. You didn't talk about a tow vehicle or if he had redone his roof.
These have a stainless steel roof, so about the only maintenance would be to seal up seams every so often. I.e., the roof is part of the bus and lasts the life of the vehicle.
In Ontario, Canada, you are required to have at least a class D licence if your rig is over something like26000 LBS. Airbrake course is also required if the vehicle has air brakes. If you tow over something like 10000 pounds a class A licence is required.
