Luxury Coach Lifestyles - View Single Post - benefits of newell vs. prevost and blue bird

Scott P. · 06-12-2003, 03:42 PM

Well, I'll present my opinion in my area of "expertise", which is the five year span of 1988-1992. In the 40 foot models, drivelines are comparable, with 450-500 horsepower Detroit Diesel 8V92 engines, and Allison 4 or 5 speed transmissions. Chassis quality is excellent on all three, but the Prevost is certainly the most sophisticated design, and is particularly appropriate in very high mileage applications. The "systems" of the coaches, such as plumbing, heating, electrical, etc., start to differentiate the three choices. Blue Bird Wanderlodges are certainly the most complex. There are switches and gauges for everything. Great if you like that stuff, but expect significant costs to maintain everything in working order. Newell is very well thought out, and less "gimicky".

Prevost conversions are another story. Keep in mind that the Blue Bird and Newell are built from the ground up as motorhomes. The Prevost is an empty bus "shell" that the converter then adds everything to make it a motorhome. The quality of the systems on a conversion can vary wildly. Some of the converters are unriviled in their attention to detail, while others are disasters. Keep in mind that many coach converters are out of business, and factory support for problems, or things like wiring schematics, may not exist. If you are going to consider a Prevost, you really must do your homework on who the quality converters are/were, and look at a lot of coaches to determine what the differences are. Price is another issue. Prevost conversions have held their value very well. This may be viewed as both a blessing and a curse. Sure, they hold their value better, but expect to pay $50,000 to $100,000 more for a comparable Prevost over a Blue Bird or Newell.

I think that makes the Blue Birds and Newells a much better value. Prices of Newells and Blue Birds tend to track each other, with Newell asking prices a bit higher than the Bird's. Right now with the soft economy, and the popularity of slide-outs, the prices of non-slide Newell and Blue Birds of this vintage are becoming very attractive. I've just touched on a few of the things to consider, but this topic could be discussed much more in-depth, and depends on what things are important to you in a coach.

06-12-2003, 03:42 PM	#4
Scott P. New Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 5	Well, I'll present my opinion in my area of "expertise", which is the five year span of 1988-1992. In the 40 foot models, drivelines are comparable, with 450-500 horsepower Detroit Diesel 8V92 engines, and Allison 4 or 5 speed transmissions. Chassis quality is excellent on all three, but the Prevost is certainly the most sophisticated design, and is particularly appropriate in very high mileage applications. The "systems" of the coaches, such as plumbing, heating, electrical, etc., start to differentiate the three choices. Blue Bird Wanderlodges are certainly the most complex. There are switches and gauges for everything. Great if you like that stuff, but expect significant costs to maintain everything in working order. Newell is very well thought out, and less "gimicky". Prevost conversions are another story. Keep in mind that the Blue Bird and Newell are built from the ground up as motorhomes. The Prevost is an empty bus "shell" that the converter then adds everything to make it a motorhome. The quality of the systems on a conversion can vary wildly. Some of the converters are unriviled in their attention to detail, while others are disasters. Keep in mind that many coach converters are out of business, and factory support for problems, or things like wiring schematics, may not exist. If you are going to consider a Prevost, you really must do your homework on who the quality converters are/were, and look at a lot of coaches to determine what the differences are. Price is another issue. Prevost conversions have held their value very well. This may be viewed as both a blessing and a curse. Sure, they hold their value better, but expect to pay $50,000 to $100,000 more for a comparable Prevost over a Blue Bird or Newell. I think that makes the Blue Birds and Newells a much better value. Prices of Newells and Blue Birds tend to track each other, with Newell asking prices a bit higher than the Bird's. Right now with the soft economy, and the popularity of slide-outs, the prices of non-slide Newell and Blue Birds of this vintage are becoming very attractive. I've just touched on a few of the things to consider, but this topic could be discussed much more in-depth, and depends on what things are important to you in a coach.