Looking for info on a Prevost

[irishguy]

Hi, I've admired Prevost conversions from a far. We sold our Monaco DP last year but are looking for another coach. I've been doing some reading on Prevost conversions.
There's one for sale not too far from us. I'm looking for some thoughts from experienced Prevost owners as to whether this is worth investigating or steer clear.

Here are the highlights:

1986 Prevost (2003 Rainbow Coach Conversion - Canada)
Current owners bought this unit in 2003. It was a passenger coach.
8V92 engine,
740 Allison automatic transmission (rebuilt 2018)
300,000 miles - Are these Detroit engines really million mile engines?
Propane Generator 20 hrs
Propane boiler for heat and hot water
Propane tank: 60 gals
Solar panels
Two roof air units
Stainless steel holding tanks
New front brakes - New tag brakes - 50% on drive axel
New airbags
Age of tires: 2018
Trace 2500 24 volt inverter.

*There is no cruise control! Can one be added without spending thousands of dollars?
The 300,000 miles is concerning. Is that an issue with Detroits?
What is an acceptable price range?

Anyone care to weigh in?

[Demon13]

run away..

[George Schweikle]

There is a list of approved converters on the Prevost website. Is Rainbow Coach listed?

Originally Posted by Demon13

run away..

[Mr.Mark]

Buying a Prevost is a serious consideration. If you buy the wrong one, you will be in a world of hurt.

There will not be a lot of info here as there is a separate site for Prevost info where the guru's hang out.

On that site, you have to join but it's free.

www.prevostcommunity.com

You will find the best information there and the people who live and breath everything Prevost.

In the description that you listed, two air units are really not enough if you travel to a hot climate. Is it a 40 ft. or 45 ft coach?

I had mine built in 2014 (takes about 7 months to build) and owned it for 6.5 yrs. and about 63,000 miles of driving. I had a four slide unit, 1.5 baths, four 3,500 watt inverters, 3 lithium house batteries, 20K diesel generator, no solar..... it was a beautiful coach.

Prevost's are 'million mile' coaches but most things attached to the engine are not. They NEED maintenance and attention to make it for the long haul. What is nice, is that everything on a Prevost chassis is very robust. The size of everything is bigger....brakes, bags, etc. And, they have real front and rear bumpers and are a true monocoque chassis (stainless steel cage).

What I liked about a Prevost are their service centers. They are designed for Entertainer coaches and Passenger buses, the motto is: 'get that coach back on the road', 'time is money'..... Prevost coach owners get the benefit of that business model.

The service centers carry everything 'chassis' related..... windshields, side glass, engine parts, they can rebuild engines which are easily removed from the rear of the coach. They can perform 3 axle alignments, etc.

Good luck and safe travels,
Mark

[irishguy]

Thank you all for your input.

I'm heading over to the Prevost Community and see what they have to say.

[Simplymagic]

The 8V92 is a good engine. For that engine it is recommended to rebuild at the 700,000 mile mark.

[irishguy]

Originally Posted by Simplymagic

The 8V92 is a good engine. For that engine it is recommended to rebuild at the 700,000 mile mark.

It turns out the engine and chassis have 600,000 miles on them. I know its a Prevost but that's kind of worrisome.

The general feeling from the Prevost community is to avoid that coach.

[Simplymagic]

Originally Posted by irishguy

It turns out the engine and chassis have 600,000 miles on them. I know its a Prevost but that's kind of worrisome.

The general feeling from the Prevost community is to avoid that coach.

Yiga, that does not leave you much wiggle room. Rebuilds are not cheap.
Keep looking, there are a lot of good bus's out there that are in really good condition and lots of miles left on the engines.

(I speak from experience.)

[moisheh]

Has that engine ever had an inframe. If not it needs one. What is your budget? Are you aware of the annual maintenance costs?

[Coldjensens]

While the 8v92 was a good engine, it is no Series 60. That is the engine you want to find in a Prevost (my dad helped test and design those engines for over 30 years).

[LA-Hodag2]

The 8V92 is a very reliable (but thirsty) engine. I had one in my 1990 Prevost a long time ago and it never needed a major repair in over 100k miles. In the 80s and 90s it was probably the most common bus and truck engine on the road, but it has now been out of production for over 30 years. By 2008 when I sold mine it was hard to find a mechanic who had ever seen one, let alone worked on one. Fuel was cheap back when they designed those engines and they did not care much about consumption. I got around 4.5- 6.0 mpg, which I understand was pretty typical. Just some points to consider. Good luck with your decision.

[RunningHard]

Run Forrest Run...