Van Hool

[Utahclaimjumper]

 On another board is a person buying a Van Hool T 940 .  Whats the thinking about using this bus as a conversion prospect? >>>Dan

[CrabbyMilton]

I have heard from a few drivers over the years that those first VAN-HOOL T900's from back in the late '80's into the '90's that they sold over here are in the word of one colorful driver(Worthless G-D sh**) even though the current models are much improved. So perhaps there are some out there that have the bugs ironed out so it may be a good value if that's the case.

[windtrader]

I have heard to research out parts availability and costs, more so than what we busnuts have to face anyway with these antiques. But it seems Van Hool is more scare so just do your homework.


I'd think generally a better choice for support and parts would be found in MCI, Prevost, GM, and Setra. 

[lostagain]

I would stay with MCI or Prevost.

[luvrbus]

ABC does a good job with parts and service on VanHool,most of the T940 model were Cummins M11 power they are good engines,parts don't cost anymore than Prevost or MCI  some are less you get into anything ZF on MCI,Prevost or Vanhool it is going to cost some bucks

[belfert]

I looked at some older Van Hool buses at ABC back in 2006 before I bought my bus.  I am not sure of the model numbers, but they were junk.  They rusted horribly.  A few of them had doors literally held on with baling wire and so on.  Those should only have been parts buses or gone to the scrapper as it would have been near impossible to make them road worthy again.

I was told that Van Hool did not use stainless on those buses and that later buses use stainless.

[DoubleEagle]

I drove a number of Van Hool's for a charter outfit. They can be nice buses with a compact turning radius, but they can also cause you to want to pull your hair out because of mystery problems. The M11 engine would not keep up with other ones with Series 60's in the mountains. The ventilation system would sometimes let the whole windshield area fog up, and the power steering on the earlier models would feel like manual steering when maneuvering at slow speed. Parts were scarce and expensive depending on what it was. The main reason the owners got them is that they were cheaper, but when it came time to get newer buses, they would go to MCI's. The only plus I can think of was the shorter wheelbase, but even then, if you cut the wheels too sharply the rear end could swing out and wipe a sign out (or something harder).

[lostagain]

Van Hool to buses is like Hyundai to cars, or Freightliner to trucks: you see lots of them because they are cheaper, not because they are better...

[CrabbyMilton]

I'll never forget the first time I rode on a VAN-HOOL. This was back in the early 1990's so it was either the T900 or T800. This was the first over the road bus I rode in that didn't have the DETROIT 71-92 engine so I was amazed how quiet they were.( No offense to DETROIT fans). The seats were of such that were comfortable in a way that provided support without excessive padding which at the time was new and different at least for me. True, you don't see many of those first one's from back then anymore but time will tell if these newer CX and TX are improved as they claim. MCI and PREVOST seem to hold out much better overall.

[luvrbus]

I drove a new Vanhool a 45 ft from Phoenix a casino purchased new  had the ISX 12 Cummins engine that was a nice bus,I still don't like the German running gear Serta,Vanhool and Neoplan use,ABC does support the Vanhools here in the west.Don Laughlin has 2 of the 945 and one of the newer T model he runs from here to Phoenix with series 60 the newer one has the D13 detroit 

[Boomer]

We bought 3 new coaches in 1999 and extensively evaluated all the manufacturers models including the VH 945.  I highly recommend staying away from them.  We settled on Prevost for all our new coach purchases and were never sorry.  I did like the MCI J in a lot of ways but in the west their support was less than ideal. The DL3 was a good solid car but we were looking for a high floor coach at that time.

[lostagain]

The high end travel companies who book luxury tour groups demand Prevost buses from charter companies. And less than 3 years old too. That is my experience, pre COVID, in the Canadian West and US North West. It is an image and status thing, as Prevost has positioned themselves at the top of the heap, with good marketing and quality vehicles for many years now. A new MCI J is right up there too, and I prefer them in many ways. A Hool is not in the same league.

[CrabbyMilton]

What about TEMSA and SETRA? SETRA has been around forever so how do they rank as far as status? After all, they are known as MERCEDES BENZ outside of North America. TEMSA is still too new here but where are they in comparison to VAN-HOOL?
Not a bad thing in brand/builder loyalty but it strikes me as a bit silly that you can equip a coach from each of the big three builders the same and still some will turn their noses up on the basis of the nameplate. at least with VAN-HOOL and MCI you can get a CUMMINS or DETROIT(not for long) engine which you can't on PREVOST.

[Utahclaimjumper]

 You also get a very expensive ZF trans and parts that are sourced from around the world.. So suspension parts are also expensive due to shipping costs..>>>Dan

[Boomer]

When you buy new coaches (does not pertain to busnut old conversions) you are not just buying a bus.  You are buying the support behind the bus, everything from the financing, maintenance and parts support and tech support.  And one huge item to remember is what the thing will be worth 8-10 years down the road.  Look into resale values between a Prevost and a VH and you see a vast difference.  When I expressed my hesitations to the VH salesman about this he did not try to challenge me.  Also I told him I was worried about parts availability and price and he said "OK, we will stock $10K worth of new parts in your parts room for free if you buy 3 new ones", lol. Anything to sell a bus.