Would you rather have a boat or a RV?

@toddr13 Why not get a Tiffin or a Newmar? 🤑

@Stereoguy I had the opportunity to buy a classic 40' Prevost from a friend of my father's who was giving it up and offered it to me for $99k. It was a one owner, and I am not sure who did the conversion, but it could have been a Marathon, and I almost bought it, but it was a non-slide, not that it matters too much in a Prevost conversion. They always stored it with their airplane, so it was in a hangar, but I was living in the hills in LA and didn't have a warehouse to park it. LOL Plus, I would have needed to refurb it, since their style was more to the era of the bus (late 90s), so I'd spend $50k on maintenance and refit easily.

What I like about Liberty, and similar Prevost conversions, is that they never rattle, and are sure-footed on the road. There's something to be said for the classics though because they have a proven Detroit diesel engine, with 500hp, whereas I have heard the newer Volvo diesel conversions can be more finicky, since Volvo now owns Prevost.

@stratosranger They can be very nice, as well, but for a class A I prefer a tag axle over 40'

@toddr13 Ah! You want Gigantor! Nice

@toddr13 You will do fine. Family connections or otherwise. Cheers!

@Stereoguy Yes, I am not 100% sold on slides, since I think people are just going crazy with them now. The quad slides offer a good deal of space, but some of those conversions seem needlessly tight when not extended, and there are places where you may not want to put the sides out. And, the Prevost slides are very complex in their engineering, plus you have to be at high idle to deploy or retract, which would make me loath to set out too early or too late if there were neighbors around as I would invariably disturb them for several minutes. Plus, I'd already be [i]that guy[/i] with the Prevost, so I'd not need to really get them to hate me.

PLus, what's the rule? Entertain 6, 4 for dinner, and sleep 2 (unless they're family, close family)? I think that's the formula for a successful rig that I have heard.

My friend wanted to buy an MCI D4000 former prison bus to convert for his family, and was going to keep the bars on the windows. LOL I mean he has three kids, but they're not that wild. However, another jail bought the bus before he could get to see it.

@Stereoguy True, you could pull them in the night before, if leaving very early. I've seen some of the older 40' non-slides that were exceptionally well planned, but with the slides they can be feel like a small apartment.

I don't understand the schoolie hate, either, since some of them are interesting conversions. Perhaps it's the fact that they attract more of the counter culture, off-grid types. Thomas is owned by Daimler AG, after all, so perhaps they should just put a three pointed star on it to avoid the hate. It's similar to how some have a ten-year rule with respect to the age of the bus, but I do know the Prevost that I almost bought was never turned away because of age, so it may be ten years if you're under a certain price point. In some areas, it depends upon whether one lives in the RV or if it's actually a recreational vehicle and you have an actual house, since there are pro-tenant areas where it could be difficult to evict someone.

@Stereoguy Yes, because there are people who put serious money into an older Eagle or a classic Greyhound Scenicruiser conversion. The bus frame could be 50, but completely rebuilt and repurposed, so it would be no different than a classic car. Now, if it looks like Cousin Eddie should be living in it, you may have a problem, even if it's not yet 10.

@Stereoguy Wow, I would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the years, too, especially if owned by an Airstream aficionado. I wonder if there's a difference when you cross over into the coach world, especially with some conversions, like Liberty, Marathon, Emerald, etc. because they know that on a Prevost chassis that was a $1M+ bus eleven years ago.

@Stereoguy Yes, you're in the club with the name, provided that you don't mispronounce it. But, if one mispronounces it, they're giving themselves away as not being cognizant of the industry. Someone was telling me that they are members of Harvest Hosts and they stay at farms and places for the night for a nominal fee and purchases from the host companies, and that they like that it's open to different people and they get to see unique places. It sounds interesting, but I wonder if a Class A can fit in some areas. I can see it with a B or a van/camper, but trying to get a bus into a narrow wine or farmstead might be an issue.

@Stereoguy That’s the name of the program. I couldn’t remember it, but they like the “road less traveled” feel to staying with smaller business hosts. I think that they have a Sprinter now as they used to have the Volkswagen van based smaller RV and I have had the virtues of the class B explained to be by him forever, but I would be more comfortable in a class A because you’re truly a self contained rolling cabin with a proper bedroom.

@Stereoguy Yes, the wetroom, or those with the outdoor shower, even, not just for a surf rig, would be too rough for my tastes. I even prefer the bath and a half or two bath models, so you can have a rear bathroom, not a midship bath for all on board.

@Stereoguy Exactly. And, you don't have to have everything put away in show condition, or stowed for going on the road, once you're at your destination. You can leave your toiletries case out, etc., and enjoy the convenience of having the RV in the first place.

@Stereoguy I do browse listings every once in a while, and have seen some gorgeous Liberty conversions, like the new 2BR model. And, some of the H3 conversions, like Featherlite, and the classic XL and XLII still catch my eye. I could probably justify the use on a pre-owned one right now, at least rationalize it for myself, but I would have to figure out storage.