schoonmakerjon

All, again my thanks for everyone's comments and insights. Very helpful. I've done my initial bus/coach inspection, a 1999-2000 MCI, converted to an entertainer/star coach just after delivery. This coach has ~400K miles, and I've all 20yrs maintenance history and have inspected the bus w/the current, and only owner. The owner included the mechanic having done all the maintenance and record keeping. The owner, mechanic and I spent ~1hr together going through the engine, transmission and ECAS maintenance activities. The owner and I spent ~another 3 hours covering the interior, usage profile, other questions, etc. This unit appears to be a possible purchase and meets our needs. Unfortunately, PeterPan Bus, has been unable to deliver on the prior commitments. This bus/coach has a Detroit Diesel S60 engine and Allison B500 transmission, and again I've access to all the maint. and fluid analysis records. All valuable. I'm now looking for a service organization and storage facility in the CT I91 corridor. I'll be reviewing/interviewing a few after the new year. also, I've come across Nat'l Indoor RV storage, and their facility is in the Atlanta area. The current owner would prefer is store this coach indoors w/30-50amp continuous power. Most of this is to support 10+yr electronics, that I've no value for, and to eliminate the winterization process time/expense. I'm interested in anyone's insights into the storage issues, indoor/outdoor, and service organizations. thank you and a happy new year to all.

Hello FMCA responders to this post, My apologies for my tardy reply/update, a busy fall. First,, I appreciate everyone insights here, all very helpful. Many thanks to everyone. I particularly interested in these MCI comments/insights, as I live fairly close to PeterPan Bus HQ, and this larger reg'l carrier runs MCI buses exclusively. So there is a wealth of expertise in this area to support/maintain a MCI RV/entertainer. Additionally, I've completed most hurdles for this purchase and am now assessing 3 ~20yr old MCI entertainer/RV units. We will see how this goes. Thank you all again. --- Jon

I've been evaluating purchasing a 16-20year Prevost motorhome. Given appropriately documented maintenance records, these units appear to be a reasonable purchase, i.e. ~200K miles w/85%-90% price depreciation. Also, I've spoken to a few folks providing entertainer coaches to the music industry, and have some understanding of these units, configuration, usage levels (500K-1m miles) and cost. Since I need 3-bunks and space for 2 large dogs, my configuration needs look more like a Prevost Entertainer coach than a motorhome. However, for a similar cost, the motorhome will have 50%-80% lower mileage/easier usage. So I'm considering purchasing this RV/coach as a motorhome and than reconfiguring some of the galley and bath/shower areas into 3-bunks, dog crate area, etc. My reconfiguration spend target is ~$15K-$20K. Does this appear to be a reasonable approach to interested members reading this post? If so, what ideas, problems, recommendations do you all have for an effective result? Thank you for your help.