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[tizzyfit]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

Those going to Nashville could have been destined for Hemphill Bros.
Hemphill Brothers Coach Company | Luxury In Motion

They supply many of the biggest names in the Entertainment Biz.

This past October I had to have some work done on my 2002 Newmar just east of Nashville. My rig was towed to Superior Coach Interiors in Lebanon, TN. These people must have had 10 Prevost coaches in their shop, YES, their building is HUGE! What GREAT people! They diagnosed the problem, which happened to be a diesel fuel line leak, got the parts, and had the dogs and me back on the road in under 4 hours. Oh, and the TOTAL repair bill was under $300!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It sure was fun walking around their lot and looking at those beautiful 45' coaches. Only wish I could have seen the interiors, then again, I couldn't afford to pay attention let alone buy one of those beauties.

[vito.a]

We looked at several Prevost conversions and also a few Newell coaches just because I was interested. I actually like the Newell coaches slightly better. It is a purpose built RV from the ground up manufactured in Miami OK. The Newell front cap is a very nice looking design. I do not like all the pure white interiors they seem to have nor the noisy 20k generators mounted mid-ship.

I also saw a Newell coach with an Eaton 10 Speed Ultra Shift automated manual transmission instead of the normal Allison 4000 6 speed. They claimed it was better on fuel and acelerated faster.
They are all beautiful coaches!

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by vito.a

We looked at several Prevost conversions and also a few Newell coaches just because I was interested. I actually like the Newell coaches slightly better. It is a purpose built RV from the ground up manufactured in Miami OK. The Newell front cap is a very nice looking design. I do not like all the pure white interiors they seem to have nor the noisy 20k generators mounted mid-ship.

I also saw a Newell coach with an Eaton 10 Speed Ultra Shift automated manual transmission instead of the normal Allison 4000 6 speed. They claimed it was better on fuel and acelerated faster.
They are all beautiful coaches!

I found that the 4000 mh behind the ISX 650 I have has some "dead spots" due to the gear spread. Would prefer a 10 speed. When I get above 90+ mph I run up against the rev limit and I could use another top gear.

[Bamaman]

I was thinking there are about 185 buses registered in Nashville. The biggest stars own their own, where the less well heeled will rent buses with a driver provided.

Customers are not just country music people. You have a bunch of Gospel Music groups running them. They also lease buses to all the international rock bands when they tour the U.S. Their light bars, sound systems and staging is also coming out of Nashville.

Another group running buses are the NASCAR drivers and their team owners. They are probably good for 50 units+.

I live 2 hours south of Nashville, and one bus lessor has about 25 Prevosts sitting unused right now. When the concert season starts (late Spring), they will disperse. They do their own conversions, but no mechanical work. One late model Prevost had a major wreck and is sitting over at the Volvo/Mack dealership. It is going to take a week to remove the engine/transaxle which is going to be transplanted into another Prevost. The rest of the coach is to be salvaged for parts.

This time of the year, the big road acts are assembling their road acts, practicing putting together their staging, lighting and sound systems.. A little later, they will be using buses to move groupies , singers and stars from all genre of music around the South to rehearse upcoming mega tours. Nashville has warehouses with stages. But you can find road acts in Huntsville and Birmingham practicing secretly. This would not be possible without custom high line buses.

[jim1521]

Originally Posted by rcrevolution

They make the shell, the coach builder turns it into the finished product. When we were at Florida Coach, they had two that had just arrived from the factory.

I would not consider a new Prevost, but I’d do a used one over a new high end Mewmar or Entegra any day. The most economical way to go is to buy a used entertainer with bunks. These typically have a living area, kitchen and small bath in the front half, then 12 bunks and a lounge in the rear.

You can buy these rigs cheap because they are purpose built for the music industry and not real usable as an RV as is. They tend to have some miles, but most of the time they are, or have been, on a lease program with scheduled maintanance. So buy one of these coaches, leave the front half alone and gut the rear half. Replace the bunks and lounge with a master bed and bath.

Here is an example. All it needs is a interior remodel and you would not know it from a million dollar coach.

https://nashville.craigslist.org/rvs...463716448.html

Only 649,300 miles on it!

[Cliffy]

Some of the Prevost groups travel with their own dedicated maintenance shop and wash and wax crews as they travel around the country. Some have net worth requirements for entry into the group.

All of the ones I've been in (5 or 6) I really didn't like the bling inside either. To each their own though. What ever blows your skirt up.
They do present well on the road however.

Same as the "ramp presence" on the airport of Gulfstream jets. So how, little Lears and Citations just don't have it.

[saddlesore]

Did a one nighter, only space RV park had available was in between 2 Prevosts..found out they had a rally going on, Impressive coaches...owners were for the most part friendly.....And several of their wives asked for the "nickle tour" of our lowly coach..
When I explained why we ordered a 3 burner gas cooktop and a gas oven..they said that they really wished that they had had that option.
(DW is well under 5' tall and I do not want her on a stepstool trying to lift a heavy & hot casserole out of the over (her) head convection oven, and I do like my biscuits in a gas oven(or over a good campfire in a dutch oven)..

[BRex45]

Took a tour at the Marathon coach factory last summer and yes, they call them Marathons, just as we refer to our coach as a Country Coach, not a Gillig.

Marathon makes 18 coaches a year. They had a spec coach for sale at the end of the tour. It was really nice. Lots of electronic controls, even for the shower door. I asked the salesman what the price was on this coach and he said 2.4 million. He quickly added "but that's list price."

It would have cost over $160,000 just to pay T&L in WA. Chump change I am sure to some of our members, and national politicians too, but not to us.

[rcrevolution]

Originally Posted by jim1521

Only 649,300 miles on it!

Just broke in. My H3-45 had just over a million miles on the chassis with the original engine. I put 100K on it and all I did was change the oil.