Selecting a Shell

What else? If your ego gets involved, you might consider which coach is easiest to update with body improvements to make a coach look newer or more customized. One example is capping the front and rear of a model 05 Eagle with model 10 caps to make it look newer. It's possible to do the same with a model 01 Eagle, but a lot more costly because you have to change bumpers and side molding with other small parts.

The GMC's looked the same from 1966 to 1980 when production was halted. There are a lot of secondary manufacturers that provide custom parts (such as caps that make it look like an Eagle; rectangular headlights and custom taillights) but the GMC really does not have a new coach model to convert its looks to.

On the other hand, the MCI 7 can be capped to look somewhat like a MCI 9. And with some secondary manufacturers' body panel kits, you can re-skin the entire coach to make it look like a MCI 9 ($5,500 parts only) or even a new MCI IO2C3. You can take a MCI 8 and cap with a MCI 9 cap, and make it look much newer. And to really finish it off, you can add some new side molding, remove the triangle side windows and install "square" windows to give it the entire MCI 9 look. After doing this, it's hard to tell it from a real MCI 9. Another popular option on the MCI's is to smooth side the entire coach to make it look brand new. Complete kits are available for $6,500 and companies supplying parts and labor will update the coach for $15,000. These are things that can be easily done if you're removing the windows anyway. Most people remove the windows, re-skin with new aluminum and cut in new RV windows with sliders and screens. Prevost is not to be left out. R & M Fiberglass in Oregon is one of several companies that produce a new cap to update the looks of the older shells to the newer look. It takes the hump out of the older units and gives it the new Le Mirage look.

All of these options and many, many more are available. If you feel you will want to update the appearance of your coach, research it well and get a cost on it first. You may find that, for the amount you're going to spend, you could just as easily buy the newer unit and not have to go through all the work. Then again, in many cases, the caps and upgrades can be had for a very reasonable price. (This will satisfy the bus owner whose hobby is doing the work himself.)

We're not done yet. How tall are you and do you want a side aisle? From the factory, the 40 foot MCI's have the most headroom, 6'7" in the front dropping to 6"5" in the rear, while the GMC has 6'3" and the Eagle and Prevost measure 6'2" in the center The GMC has the most rounded body curve on the sides and roof. Because of this, it does not lend itself to a side aisle unless you're a bit shorter than average. The MCI, Eagle and Prevost, on the other hand, have a more squared-off inner ceiling shell, which accommodates a side aisle more easily. Of course, we can raise the roof. The Eagle is by far the easiest to raise. With a steel tube frame and straight walls, it's easy to cut, lift and weld in new sleeves to give you an extra 6 to 12 inches of headroom. The MCI, GMC and Prevost are more difficult and therefore much more expensive to do (two to three times as much). Once again, think about what is important to you.

When you're considering space needs, you might think about storage underneath the coach in the bays. The GMC PD4905 has the largest amount of storage (single rear axle GMC PD 4905A has over 400 cubic feet) trailed by the Eagle with 330 cubic feet and MCI with 300 cubic feet.

And what about the mechanical end of it? If you want an automatic transmission and the bus you're looking at does not have one, consider this. To install an automatic transmission in a MCI, Eagle or Prevost is in the $10,000 range, while to put one in a GMC costs $4,500. Five percent of the MCI 7 models have automatic transmissions; 90 percent of the MCI 8 models have automatics; 5 percent of the Eagle 01 and 05 models have automatics with the rest being 4-speed sticks and the model 10 were mostly automatics. The GMCs came with 95 percent stick shift transmissions, as did the early Prevosts. We're not grading the transmissions but in the resale end of things, automatics are preferred 95 percent of the time. But keep the cost of installing an automatic in mind when buying your shell. If you are looking at purchasing an MCI 7 for $12,000 and it has a stick shift, you might be better off spending another $8,000 now and getting a newer MCI 8, which would already have the automatic transmission, installed. It also will have taller windshields and a much newer look. That extra $8,000 you spend now, will come back to you three-fold on your resale.

While we're talking about making things easy for the driver-power steering is not found in many of the early Eagles (models 01, 05). It is, however, common for most of the GMCs and Prevosts and all of the MCI's. It's a $2,000 to $4,000 add-on if you want to have it installed. The price difference between the two is that air-assisted power steering is less expensive than the hydraulic.

We still have to talk about the suspension. That debate will never end. The Eagle has torsolactic suspension, which is said to be firmer and causes a front to back rock, like a horse. The GMC, MCI and Prevost have the air ride, which is claimed to be softer and sways from side to side. The Eagle suspension is a very expensive system to replace if it goes out ($12,000--$15,000) but if it's in good order it will last a long, long time. The air system costs about $1,500 to replace all the bags.

There's still more to think about. What about the floor, the area next to the driver's seat and behind it? On all the MCI's, the floor is considered flat, and the passenger seat is at the same level as the driver. On the GMCs, the early models (PD 4104 and PD4106) have a flat floor, but on the newer ones (1966 to 1980) the driver sits two steps lower than the main floor. This can be a problem for the passenger seat and the living room arrangement, but with good planning, it can be worked out. The Eagle and Prevost are the coaches with the entire living area two steps above the driver's seat. These are probably the hardest coaches in which to move the passenger seat to the same level as the driver's; however, it can be done with a good bit of design and work. Some of the early Prevosts (1960-mid 70's) had the driver's floor flat with the driver's seat.

There is so much individual choice involved in picking the best bus-the one that suits your need financially as well as in all the other categories. There are pros and cons for each model. When you talk to owners of different types of buses, most will tell you that they are happy with the make they have. Remember that there are people who prefer an Oldsmobile to a Ferrari.

The fortunate fact is that any bus you choose is going to be a superior product. Think about this: highway buses were built to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with minimum maintenance. They were designed to carry up to 50 passengers in comfort, with luggage, and not exceed weight restrictions and, most importantly, do this safely. They were built to stand up to any abuse from operators, and to travel across the country, going up and down over mountain ranges and through deserts, and to do so without problems. I don't believe this can be said about any other vehicle built.

Here is a quick review of the main buses of choice in the $10,000 to $40,000 range.         

· MCI 5A &B: 35 foot, looks old, has stick shift ($5,000 to $9,000)      

· MCI 5C: Newest looking of all 35 footers. It's automatic, and seems underpowered with the 6V71 DD 6'3" headroom. ($20,000 to $30,000)

· MCI 7: Starting to look old, stick shift, and small recessed windshield. 40' ($7,000 to $12,000)

· MCI 8: Great bus flat floor, automatic transmission with power steering, 6"7?' headroom. Can be expensive to update. ($20,000 to $35,000)

· GMC 4104: Good old 35-foot bus 6-71 DD stick ($37,000)

· GMC PD4106: Best bus built in the early 60's. 35 1oot, 8V71 DD Stick ($6,000 to $10,000)

· GMC PD 4107 and 4108: 35 foot with lots of storage. Most have stick with power steering. $4,000 to put automatic transmission. 6'3" headroom. ($6,000 to $15,000)

· GMC PD 4903 and 4905: 40 foot buses. Greatest amount of storage. 8V71 DD, most had power steering, some with automatic transmission. ($6,000 to $15,000)

· Eagle 01: Best 40' bus to stretch, widen and raise the roof. Tag axle is in rear giving you a tighter turning radius; very important if you stretch bus 5 feet. Otherwise it's an old bus, with stick shift and no power steering. 6'2" headroom.

· Eagle 05: Easy to update to new look. Most have no power steering and stick shift transmissions. 40' low ceiling at 6'3". ($10,000 to $20,000)

· Eagle model 10: Good bus for the money. Auto transmission; Power steering with a 6V92 turbo. Very easy to update to the new look. ($28,000 to $45,000)

· Prevost Champion: 40' 8V71 stick, older looking bus. Does not have the wrap around side windows Prevost is noted for.

· Prevost Prestige: 407 flat floor with drivers area, low ceiling, 8V71DD. Most had sticks with power steering. Can very easily be updated to the brand new look.

· Prevost Le Mirage: Is the new look coach; older ones have sticks with power steering. Prices start in the low $30,000 for early 1980 bus. 8V71 DD 40 foot with flat floor.