Mr.Mark
Out West and Mid South
Senior Member
Joined: 09/24/2006
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Keith, I can't imagine that there is a dimes difference between a Zephyr, Entegra or London Aire with the ride.
Go with the floor plan that works for you and your family. A friend of mine just ordered a new Zephyr, another has an Entegra and loves it. My brother is on his 3rd Tiffin.
Safe travels,
Mark
Mr.Mark
2021.5 Pleasure Way Plateau FL Class-B on the Sprinter Chassis
2018 Mini Cooper Hardtop Coupe, 2 dr., 6-speed manual
(SOLD) 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach, 45 ft, 500 hp Volvo
(SOLD) 2008 Monaco Dynasty, 42 ft, 425 hp Cummins
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Crespro
SoCal
Senior Member
Joined: 07/23/2004
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keithos27 wrote:I, too, appreciate all the insights and how Prevost is better than the 2nd tier options.
That being said - no one has taken a stab at answering questions around ride quality for the Zephyr vs Entegra or say a London Aire.
I can appreciate that Prevost are the top of the line chassis option.
Also, how can all the non-Prevost options be unsafe? I’m also looking to do ~10k miles / year. Dad, mom, two year old, and another on the way. This would be for traveling around in luxury.
Thank you all for the discussion!
Hi Keith,
Let me offer a few thoughts. We have had three Class A RV's and drove them with our gals over the full lower 48. Our last one was a 40DP bought new in 2005 and sold in 2017. We now have a fifth wheel with many upgrades. We also have weathered the experience of children and grandchildren toddlers.
In your shoes, I would have the following list of items to handle the needs of two toddlers for beds, playroom and bathrooms:
1. Two Bedrooms
2. Two Bathrooms
3. Stacked Washer-Dryer -- Rebuild Master Closet
4. Residential Refrigerator
5. Dishwasher -- Rebuild Island. All new countertops.
6. Instahot Water
The only RV that meets these specs is a Grand Design Momentum 397THS-R. You can see an example on changinglanesRV.com with Chad and Tara.
I understand the joy of driving a Class A with a 400ISL. But this is not compatible with the safety and child seats of a newborn and a two-year-old. The newborn should have a reverse position on a child seat until age two. The two year old will need a child seat when traveling. A crew cab F-350 DRW provides a much safer solution. I know the truck and fifth wheel is not as quick to load and set up, but suggest you might consider this. The toy hauler enables you to have a bedroom with crib, changing table, toddler bed and playroom.
If you choose this option, you will want to set a goal of 250 to 300 miles per day, with stops every hour or two. Use Google to locate a convenient big box store. You will need to hire a cabinet person to do the mods for the stacked washer-dryer and dishwasher. I did this on our RV for the Bosch dishwasher, the Miele stacked washer dryer and the Instahot, but you will be doing a larger mod. I would let DW pick out all of the countertops.
The truck would be as follows:
Ford F-350
1. Diesel Engine
2. IFS -- 4x2
3. DRW
4. Fifth Wheel Prep
5. Six Camera Mod
The IFS is important. While we have an F-250 with the 7.3 gas engine, my wife thinks the seat position and ride is very close to the comfort of our 40DP. We bought the 4x2 for this reason.
I understand this is a different plan, but suggest it fits much better for a family with two young children.
Best,
Charles
P.S. For what it is worth, I looked very hard at 45DP's in 2019, before we decided to buy the fifth wheel. I have not driven them, but looked carefully at the Essex, Zephyr and Cornerstone (and Anthem). If I were selecting a 45DP, it would be a Cornerstone. If you are interested in that, read the review of a 2016 model by Mark Q.
Crespro 2021 Grand Design 310GK-R, 2020 F250LB, 7.3L, 4.30, Reese 27K
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Skid Row Joe
Texas
Senior Member
Joined: 04/26/2006
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Mr.Mark wrote:I decided to go for gold. I had a new 2015 Prevost Liberty built in 2014. Yes, it was pricy, 4 slide, 45 ft., 1.5 baths, king bed, washer and dryer, 55" TV in living room and 55" in outside bay, 38" in bedroom and 24" in living room as a side TV. 9" monitor at passenger seat. It had 4 roof airs, Webasto heating, heated flooring (love that), Italian leather furniture, Crestron automation, air valves for sewer, etc. etc.
At $2.7M list, it was a gorgeous coach. I drove it for 6.5 yrs. and 63,000 miles. I decided to downsize to a class-B.
If I were going to spend $500,000 for a coach, I would certainly look for a Prevost. Liberty's are the highest price followed by Marathon, Millennium and Emerald..... there are others but those are the top 4.
There is nothing like the quality of a Prevost chassis. The service centers are nothing like a regular coach service center. Prevost service centers are made for Prevost buses and Entertainer coaches.... "GET THAT COACH BACK ON THE ROAD"....."TIME IS MONEY"!!! Prevost coach owner's get the benefit of that business model! They can take care of everything.... alignment, windshields, side windows, everything 'chassis', engine and transmission. Since Prevost uses the Volvo engine now, the Detroit Diesel will need to go to a DD service center for major repair, regular oil/belt changes can be done at Prevost.
Every brand of coach has maintenance costs including Prevost's. The slide out mechanisms are solid and robust as many components on the chassis.
Start looking at Emerald Coaches and Country Coach Prevost coaches.... very solid and not too techie.
Good luck,
Mark
Mark, I'm interested in learning the costs of your Prevost ownership. What was "out-the-door" price, and sell price after your usage? Why did you sell it? Would you do it again?
How do you like your new coach?
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