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Hi , and am I being realistic?
05-20-2017, 02:21
Post: #1
Hi , and am I being realistic?
Hi, I’m John, a wannabe that’s getting serious about selling my home and buying an early 90’s coach to live in full time. My apologies ahead of time, this is going to be a bunch of questions…

Is it realistic for a 50 something single guy, who is struggling under the cost of home ownership in San Diego to live in a Prevost full time? I’m an experienced Designer/drafter (CAD) and project manager and have been fighting to find steady work here. I can both freelance and work temp positions for small or large companies. When I’m here, I plan on maintaining a base by parking on a friend’s rural property in north San Diego County. The idea is to be a sometimes traveling CAD show. Using temp agencies, Linkedin, etc. to find jobs around the country. Am I dreaming? Or is this lifestyle both possible and as fun as it seems? Friends and family respond like I’m crazy, stupid, or high when I mention it.

From what I’m reading the annual cost of ownership varies based on needing anything more that annual maintenance. But what are the surprises? How often do they pop up on a 25-year-old bus? What do they cost? Can I count on the adage of the better maintenance equals the better reliability? Or do I need to plan for my home possibly breaking down and leaving me and my cats stranded on my way to a new location? If I budgeted $1000 to $1500 a month and saved it for the “unknowns”, would I be safe?

Where do I get it serviced in San Diego/LA?

Is budgeting $70,000 to $80,000 for acquiring a `92 bus and taking care of the initial service needs a reasonable expectation?

How do I find parking for a month or so when going to cities where I don’t know anyone?

Can I keep the house batteries charged with solar panels on the roof while running a high end professional graphics workstation and large monitor as well as the normal house electrical needs?

Are the air conditioning units/heaters reliable to keep my cats safe during the day if I working at an office?

That’s all I can think of now…Thanks in advance!
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05-20-2017, 11:01 (This post was last modified: 05-20-2017 11:20 by davidbrady.)
Post: #2
RE: Hi , and am I being realistic?
Hi John and welcome to the forum,

You wanna do what? What does your mother say? What do your friends say? I can hear them now: "this is the craziest, looniest thing I've ever heard, what will people think? You're going to pour all your money down that bottomless pit, living like a gypsy! Get your wings level and fly straight will you". (as my grandmother always said) Smile

LOL! In all seriousness I think the idea is very sound. You can absolutely do everything you said, and there's few better choices than a Prevost bus of the vintage you describe. We in the RV and Coach Conversion industry have been doing tiny homes for a long time; it's mind boggling to me that folks are sinking $75K to $100K into wooden tiny homes on trailers when the same money can buy a 25 year old Prevost! The choice to me is a no brainer. The trick is finding a well maintained bus to start with. It's always better to pay more for the right bus than less for the wrong one.

Prevost-Stuff has two promising '94's listed. Here's one, and here's the other, both 40 footers, both on the surface look to be well cared for, and both have relatively fresh tires while one has new batteries. A 25 year old coach better have new suspension air springs and norgren valves all around and new brake chambers, and I'd want to see receipts. If a Prevost Service Center didn't do the work I'd want to know who did and I'd probably call them or pay them a visit. If these items are fresh a coach will stand tall on it's suspension for months without the leans. As you narrow in on a coach we can help with PDI (pre-delivery inspections) and checklists and things to look for. Taking a candidate bus to Prevost for an inspection is a great idea too. What you want to do is stem the tide of continual expenses by buying the right bus up front. Find the one that's been stored indoors, used regularly, maintained annually with a list of receipts to prove it.

So, once you've found your bus and had it checked out and once it has new or relatively fresh tires and batteries and air springs and norgrens and brake chambers, then you need to be concerned with maintenance. A Prevost Level-2 service which is fluids, filters, and grease and a bunch of visual checks will run a couple of grand. As time goes on they'll spot items that need repair, say a loose steering ball joint, cracked suspension bushings, purge valve for the air dryer, maybe a leaking hub seal. These items will be in addition to your annual level 2 and I'd budget around $500 per month for these. Then there's the essential house items; i.e., perhaps new inverters, maybe a new refrigerator, perhaps a waterpump. These are durable items and expenditures on these should taper off as you use the bus and work out the bugs. Budget maybe another $500 per month but taper off for the second and third year. Then there's the elective interior upgrades: fabrics, wall coverings, flooring. You can spend unlimited amounts on these items but the good news is you can put them off for as long as you wish.

All in all, I'd say $1200 to $1500 per month initial budgeting is realistic and as the second and third year rolls on I'd expect you to accumulate quite a cash cushion in your Prevost maintenance account to the point where you're steadystate monthly budgeting could be reduce to $500 per month (plus or minus).

david brady,
'02 Wanderlodge LXi 'Smokey' (Sold),
'04 Prevost H3 Vantare 'SpongeBob'

"there is no perfect forum there are only perfect forums"
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05-20-2017, 15:56
Post: #3
RE: Hi , and am I being realistic?
Hello John,

Welcome to the forum.

I’ll Try to answer a few more of your questions. There is a large community of “full-timers” now living in their homes that are mobile. Visit the online website https://www.escapees.com/ and their subpage https://www.escapees.com/xscapers-group for more information about their member’s experience at living the nomadic lifestyle.

Although budgeting constraints will play a major role in deciding which year and model you choose, you should be aware of the progression of Prevost motorcoaches from year to year. Generally speaking, a 25 year-old model will look a lot like a 1 year-old model. The big differences are in the improvements in the mechanical, electrical and technical aspects from year to following year.

One big change is the engines. For a few years prior to 1995, Prevost equipped their busses with a Detroit Diesel 2-cycle 500hp 8V92 engine. A '92 model will have this engine. These are great engines and serve their owners well when maintained properly. However, they have unique requirements such as oil type that the owners need to be aware of to keep them properly maintained. Also, finding a mechanic who knows how to work on 8V92 is getting more difficult.

About 1995 Prevost changed to a Detroit Diesel 4-cycle 500hp S-60 model engine which remained the standard until just a few years ago when they replaced it with a Volvo engine. This S-60 engine proved itself to be very reliable and almost bullet-proof when maintained properly. It would be my choice of engines and I would want a coach equipped with one. Given that this is your first Prevost, I would suggest looking at a ’95 and up model Prevost if economically possible. You may find that the additional initial purchase price may be offset by the added costs incurred to get an older model into reliable running condition. Also, be aware that choice and availability is increased. There are not a lot of pre-’95 busses out there to choose from.

Prevost have a factory service center in Mira Loma, CA which is about 100 miles north of you on I-15. They also have factory and authorized services centers nationwide.

Most RV parks have weekly and monthly accommodations. Prices are commensurate with the quality of the park and run the gamut a couple of hundred dollars to two thousand dollars.

I don’t know of many owners that depend on solar to keep the large battery bank charged and provide all their electrical needs although I’m sure there are some. Most busses are really designed to be plugged into 50 amp shore power for long term use. Most RV parks will have 50 amp service available along with water and sewer connections. A Prevost motorhome is usually equipped with a generator sized properly to supply your electrical needs for a few days of dry camping.

You will need to be able to hook up to utility power at your friend’s rural property. Trying to dry camp there long term without an available shore power supply may not be practical. If power is on the property, you will need an electrican to install a 50amp RV plug-in receptacle to hook your power cord into.

You will need a minimum of 3 A/C units for a 40’ bus and 4 A/C units for a 45’ bus. They will keep your cats cool and comfortable while you’re are away. Just remember, as with all electrical appliances, they are dependent upon a constant source of power. Most will not restart themselves if power is interrupted.

A Prevost is usually equipped with two or three ways to heat your bus. There could be heat pumps in the A/C units, electric baseboard heaters and a main heater such as an AquaHot or Wabasto which are diesel fired. So, there is redundancy if one or the other fails.

I hope this helps….


Chuck & Tela Millsap
Arizona
2003 Marathon XLII S/S
2000 Wanderlodge LXi S/S
2004 Wanderlodge M380 D/S
2000 Wanderlodge LXi N
/S
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05-20-2017, 19:09 (This post was last modified: 05-20-2017 19:09 by cmillsap.)
Post: #4
RE: Hi , and am I being realistic?
John,

Here's a 1995 40' Prevost for $68,900. The low price may be reflective of the 221,000 miles on the odometer. That mileage should not be an issue if the coach was maintained properly as this bus was built to go a million miles and more. The converter is not mentioned which would make me think that it is an orphan whose converter is no longer in business. It may need tires & batteries and who knows what else and if not in decent mechanical condition, it may not be a good deal after all.

But if I were in the market for a coach with a $70,000 price point, I would at least inquire about it.
https://www.rvtrader.com/dealers/Eagle%2...-121274357


Chuck & Tela Millsap
Arizona
2003 Marathon XLII S/S
2000 Wanderlodge LXi S/S
2004 Wanderlodge M380 D/S
2000 Wanderlodge LXi N
/S
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05-21-2017, 01:38
Post: #5
RE: Hi , and am I being realistic?
Thank you both!
The engine info is helpful, but somewhat disappointing. It seems the best years to look at would be narrowed to 95-97. I called the mortgage company to get a pay-off quote. Now I'm looking for a real estate agent. Houses here are selling fast, and for outrageous amounts. Soon I'll know what my budget is. Hopefully, I can up my limit to increase my choices in those years.

It's good to know about the fifty amp requirement. I'll talk to my friend about having a dedicated 50 amp circuit added. I was thinking I could go self contained rooftop solar. Could you explain why this wouldn't work?

Also nice to know a service center is near. How much can I expect to pay for a PDI by Prevost? Are the knowledgeable individuals who do the service as well?

Thanks again!
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05-21-2017, 12:43 (This post was last modified: 05-21-2017 13:11 by davidbrady.)
Post: #6
RE: Hi , and am I being realistic?
Hi John,

The efficacy of rooftop solar power depends on how much you need to run your air conditioners. If you're comfortable outside, then you'll be comfortable inside w/o AC's assuming you can park in the shade with the windows open, interior ceiling fans running, and with the bus oriented to take advantage of outside breezes. This is a tall order but there are areas in the country where it works; i.e., the Bay Area, Ca for instance. In all other cases you'll need your air conditioners and you'll need at least two of them. They typically require around 2kW each. If you can completely line your roof top with the latest solar panels you may be able to fit fourteen 300W panels for a power output of around 4kW which sounds like it should handle two AC's but solar panels only produce power during daylight hours, only when not clouded over, and most efficiently when pointed directly at the sun. So on average your 4kW system is probably producing a long term daily power output of around 1kW (assuming 12 hrs of sunlight and factoring in clouds and the aperture angle of the panel), and all this is at the cost of $3K just for the panels. Usually running ACs means either connected to shore power or running the generator. Also, fourteen 300W panels weighs 850lbs not including mounts. From a vehicle driveability standpoint, you'll definitely feel 1000 lbs added to your rooftop - think upside down pendulum! I've seen bus owners lay their panels out on the ground, but in a campground environment space is restricted. All of this means solar panels in a bus application can only really provide a trickle current and function as a fair weather adjunct to genny power while boondocking, but cannot be counted on to power multiple air conditioners.

david brady,
'02 Wanderlodge LXi 'Smokey' (Sold),
'04 Prevost H3 Vantare 'SpongeBob'

"there is no perfect forum there are only perfect forums"
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05-21-2017, 15:46
Post: #7
RE: Hi , and am I being realistic?
Thanks David,
That seems logical. I hadn't considered how often I'd need the air conditioners. Also did not consider the affect of the added weight on top of the bus. I can pay to have the 50 amp circuit installed at my friends place, but this shows how much I need to learn about life in a higher end coach. How much fuel does a generator burn through on a hot day (3 AC units needed) when boondocking?
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05-21-2017, 18:06
Post: #8
RE: Hi , and am I being realistic?
(05-21-2017 15:46)JohnGC Wrote:  Thanks David,
That seems logical. I hadn't considered how often I'd need the air conditioners. Also did not consider the affect of the added weight on top of the bus. I can pay to have the 50 amp circuit installed at my friends place, but this shows how much I need to learn about life in a higher end coach. How much fuel does a generator burn through on a hot day (3 AC units needed) when boondocking?

Generator Size (kW)= 20
1/4 Load (gal/hr) = 0.6
1/2 Load (gal/hr) = 0.9
3/4 Load (gal/hr) = 1.3
Full Load (gal/hr) = 1.6

These are approximate.


Chuck & Tela Millsap
Arizona
2003 Marathon XLII S/S
2000 Wanderlodge LXi S/S
2004 Wanderlodge M380 D/S
2000 Wanderlodge LXi N
/S
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05-24-2017, 00:18
Post: #9
RE: Hi , and am I being realistic?
Chuck,
Thanks for the generator numbers!
I've been doing a lot of reading and have a better grasp on the power needs now. Has anyone taken the easy way out and just installed a nuclear reactor? Big Grin

Received the payoff quote on the house today. It's worse than I thought. Gotta meet with a realtor next...and hope I get better news or my budget is going to be tighter than I thought.
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