Rancher -I'm on my third bus. The first was a 35' 1964 GM PD4106, originally owned by Orange Belt States out of Visalia, CA, fleet #130 and aka the original "Sports Car of Buses." It ran like a scalded chicken, and would easily run away from an MCI MC-9 on the I-5 Grapevine in CA. Fastest bus in Orange Belt's fleet. Unfortunately, the intermediate PO had apparently decided to play Jeep with it, and created some severe cracks in the undercarriage where the upper radius rod bushings attach to the chassis - the back end would try to steer the bus between being on the throttle and letting off the throttle. It's now a storage shed in NoCA after sacrificing many of it's good parts to the Pacific Bus Museum's restored '06 since I donated it to the outfit.
My second bus was a 35' 1978 MCI MC-5C, affectionately known as "Tortoise" after a repaint. This coach was converted on a new shell by Angola Coach, based in Angola, IN. Second year of production for the 5C models (JC above had a '77, the first year!), and unfortunately burdened with a transit-style powertrain, where flat out at 2100 rpm you were doing 60 mph. But I owned that bus four years, putting 45,000 miles on it during that period, and it served me well with just routine maintenance. Angola did a nice, solid job on the interior - even being 36 years old when I bought it, there were no squeaks, rattles or odd wind noises while toodling along. I know the current owner, and he's done some nice upgrades. I would probably still have that coach, but for the odd way I found my current coach in 2018.
My current bus is a 40' 1992 Prevost XL, converted on a new shell by Vantaré, back then a division of Rex-Martin Yachts in Sanford, FL (Vantaré is now a division of Featherlite.) A chance meeting with an MC-8 owner in our local Safeway parking lot led me to this coach, which was his 90 year-old father's. Had to go from Spokane, WA to Gilbert, AZ to pick it up at his daughter's house, where it had sat for four years (unopened in the blazing AZ summers) after having a complete documented out-of-frame major overhaul of the 500 hp 8V92T Detroit, caused by a blown radiator hose. Because of it's tenure in AZ, there were a LOT of little things that needed to be repaired due to heat damage, but the "bones" were in good shape, plus only 65 miles on the engine, helped me make the decision to trade up. The interior damage was no fault of Vantaré, their workmanship has been excellent, it' was the PO's fault.
Besides being 14 years newer, five feet longer, and six inches wider, plus the light-colored interior, gives this XL a very spacious feel, almost like it has slide-outs. The majority of the heat damaged interior has been repaired, most of the interior and exterior lighting has been upgraded to LEDs, as well as other items. Routine maintenance takes care of the chassis for the most part, altho I do have a gremlin in the Level-Low leveling system that needs to be tracked down and fixed.
As far as ride and handling, my favorite, by far, was the 4106. A V8 4-spd pushing 23K lbs was quick, agile, and an absolute ball to drive (for a bus!) The MC-5C was like an under-powered Buick - quiet, comfortable, but at 28K#, it's 6v71 struggled with the mountains out here on the West Coast. However, like the tortoise in Aesop's fable, slow and steady got me there (hence the name!) The Prevost is sort of an enigma - it's quiet and comfortable, but has some quirks that have taken a bit of getting used to. It's nice to set the cruise control at 100km (62 mph) and just let it roll, but requires a lot more driver attention, not because of wandering, but because the blow-torch engine's temperature must be monitored constantly, and, at 42K#, following distances must also be watched since this thing seems to take three football fields to get stopped from highway speeds. The bus just feels "heavy" and handles accordingly.
But I like the extra room inside, the extra baggage space downstairs, the extra power from the 8V, the additional gear in the five-speed automatic, the cruise control, the interior amenities, the handy washer/dryer, and the redundant heat sources. Built to high-end yacht standards, the workmanship is extraordinary, especially since the coach is now 30 years old. I also really like that even tho it's got some "modern for it's day" amenities, it's nothing like the complexity of the newest models, plus, being on the XL chassis, it still looks like a bus, as opposed to Prevost's "H" series, which I think look more like a high-end factory stick-n-staple rig.
Be aware that 1994 was the change-over year from the two-stroke 8V92T Detroit to the four-stroke Series 60 at Prevost. You will find some '94s with the two-stroke, and later '94's with the 60. The 60 is the more desirable engine nowadays, even tho it, too, is now obsolete. But don't just automatically rule out a two-stroke - thousands of them powered bus fleets all over the country for years until, as usual, the government got involved and screwed everything up. Not to mention the fact that NOTHING matches the glorious sounds of a two-stroke Detroit at full song!!
As for conversion companies, Angola, Custom Coach, Country Coach, Liberty, Marathon, Royale and Vantaré were all around in the time frame you're looking at, so that gives you quite a few choices.
~~Angola Coach, originally in Angola, IN, opened in 1965 and built conversions on both MCI and Prevost shells, with the MCIs being more rare. They were a small converter, only doing 6-8 coaches a year, but concentrated on quality. In 1994 the founders sold the company, and the new owners pretty much destroyed Angola Coach, closing it down in 2001. IMHO, if you look at an Angola, best it be a pre-1994!
~~Custom Coach from Ohio, now a division of Farber Specialty Vehicles, is the "granddaddy" of the conversion companies, opening in 1955. They tended to build more along the lines of executive models, such as the MC-7s they built for McDonald's, as well as the Madden Cruiser for Coach John Madden. They also built Loretta Lynn's "Coal Miner's Daughter," an MC-9, which she still owns.
~~The original
Country Coach did conversions on MCI and Prevost chassis until they went bankrupt in 2008. They're now a division of Winnebago, use their own chassis, and are a high-end version of a typical RV.
~~Liberty Coach, with it's main production facility in North Chicago, IL, has been around since 1968, and still under the original family's ownership. They build a high-end version that's often quite "cutting-edge" and innovative, which also means they can be quite complex, too.
~~Marathon Coach, HQ'd in Coburg, OR, first opened their doors in 1983. Initially, they built units on both MCI and Prevost shells, before switching to Prevosts exclusively. They're considered the "top of the line" top of the line, and have a very loyal following (as do Liberty owners.) Their units tend to be extremely complex, often with proprietary systems that frequently only the factory service centers can fix - sometimes. Lots and lots of remote-controlled items that really appeal to the gadget gurus and tech nerds. (Side note: I knew a fellow in Fresno that had a 1984 MC-9 converted by Marathon's original owners, and it was beautiful, yet just as simple as my '78 Angola. When Robert Schoellhorn bought the company in 1994, it was his vision and drive that took Marathon to the top of the bus conversion industry heap where it still sits today.) Because of their high end status, Marathon's are sometimes jokingly called "rolling bordellos!"
~~Royale Coach began life in 1977 as Royal Motor Coach, founded by George & Mary Cornish in Elkhart, IN. Monaco purchased the company in 1989, taking over full control in 1994, which is also when they added the "e" to the end of Royale. They tend to be kind of a production-line type of operation, with just a few basic floorplans of which the buyer has some flexibility in customizing. If Marathon is the Cadillac, Liberty the Buick, then Royale is your Oldsmobile. They build a really nice coach, tho not as glitzy as a Marathon.
~~Vantaré sort of set the bus conversion industry on it's head with it's first coach introduction in 1991 with the philosophy of building a luxurious coach to yacht standards. They quickly got the attention of NASCAR - where you'll still see lots of Vantarés in the pits - and production boomed when NASCAR's favorite trailer manufacturer Featherlite took interest in Rex-Martin Yacht's creations. Vantarés core attributes are still what attracts the NASCAR crowd, as well as others, to the coaches: yacht quality fit & finish, robust systems, light-weight construction, innovative design, and reliability. I like mine, that's for sure!
Photos of my three coaches below:
FWIW & HTH. . .
RJ
