05 Kingsley, 04 Volvo on ebay, 17k miles, $320k, burgundy.

[BravestDog]

Comments?

The floor plan shows 4 seats in the sleeper and two in the cockpit. Sort of a cool seating arrangement while driving on the road but it seems to limit the seating when stopped?

Are the windows in the bunk sleeping area designed as escape windows?

Nice headlights, small rear bumper.

How does a 13 speed auto transmission work? Does it shift through all the gears or do you skip shift...?

I like it but cannot afford it

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KINGSLEY-COACH-CAMELOT-M...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Warpath]

That is a real hunk a junk

That is Billy's rig.

That Volvo sure does look cool!

[KAYE RIVERCITY]

.....and you guys always get on my stuff for sturrin' the poop.....geofkaye...[wonder why he is unloading it...specially on Ebay for God's sake]

[5erFool (John)]

"HE" Is "Kingsley Coach Inc" and what better exposure could they get for the price... I think Bill is being facetious but I am not sure.. there are a lot of "little" things in a Kingsley that are usually not noted in their specs... listed as many other amenities..
John

[Warpath]

And yes of course I was being facetious.

Who cares where you sell it, as long as you sell it.

[Elburn Bill]

It is true...that is mine. I am having Kingsley sell it for me since the main reason we are selling it is we are too busy to use it, much less anything else. I do not have the time to worry about where it is listed, what shows it should go to, answer all the phone calls, etc.

[Elburn Bill]

Originally posted by BravestDog:
Comments?

The floor plan shows 4 seats in the sleeper and two in the cockpit. Sort of a cool seating arrangement while driving on the road but it seems to limit the seating when stopped?

Are the windows in the bunk sleeping area designed as escape windows?

Nice headlights, small rear bumper.

How does a 13 speed auto transmission work? Does it shift through all the gears or do you skip shift...?

Actually those four extra chairs all swivel and there is a table that can be inserted in the "pathway" to form a second dining table or a meeting area. We used it all the time since we are a family of six and frequently travelled with my parents so we needed all the dining seating we could find.

The rear bunk windows are not "escape" windows but in a piinch it would be very easy to punch them ot with a swift kick. There are large escape windows on either side of the rear bedroom.

Headlights are stock and the rear "bumper" is only to add a flash of chrome back there. There is no substance to it since it is only made of bent polished stainless. On my next one I am not doing anything back there except paint.

It is actually a 12 spd. It shifts completely on it's own. It will skipt shift both up and down as many as 3 gears at a time. For example, when pulling away from a stop it starts in 1 jumps to 4 and then to 7 and then usually 10 then 11 and then 12. It is programmed to work seamlessly with the jake brake on any of it's 3 settings. You can also place the tranny in manu-matic mode which allows you to have control of the shifts (just toggle the paddle up or down) but prevents you from making the wrong decision (i.e. dropping it into 1st while driving at 65 mph). It also has 2 reverse gears (i.e. high and low). I wouldn't get another conversion without this tranny!

[BravestDog]

Thankyou so much for your response.

It's really a beautiful machine.

Would you happen to have any more photos posted on line that the viewers could look at?

How do you manage the ventilation at the rear portion when people are sleeping on a warm eve? Do you have to run the generator at night for ventilation or is there sufficient air exchange through the windows?

Would you have liked larger windows in the sleeper section for the passengers view?

Would you rather have a heavy duty rear bumber that could take a hard bump/bang/smash/oops instead of the lighter version installed?

What would have made the machine better? What would you change now that you've owned it for a while to improve on it?

Would you like to comment more on your rig? I'd like to hear about it.

[KAYE RIVERCITY]

.......I've always liked Bill's Coach -I think it is the color or maybe that it is a Volvo.....anyway good luck at 320k.....geofkaye

[Elburn Bill]

Bravest,

There are 2 a/c & 2 heater units, one set for the front and one set for the rear so even with the pocket door closed there is plenty of climate control. But with the two large escape windows in the rear bedroom plus the individual windows in the bunks there was never an issue with ventilation. Those rear windows are larger than they appear (maybe 14" x 24").

My original plan was to have larger windows in the sleeper section but when we took the interior panels off and saw all the steel structure that we would have to remove, we decided to stay with the oem windows. I could not beleive how many steel cross members and such were on those sleeper walls. If we were to do the same design over I would have cut the sleeper off and just made the box longer for 2 reasons. One is we could then have made the windows as large as we wanted and the other is it would have given us a bit more interior width up there since the sleeper tapers inward from bottom to top. As far as the passengers (i.e. my kids) view goes they were always watching the tv that is just above the windshield or sleeping.

I was never worried about anything stronger in the rear since there is a 1" thick steel plate welded to the frame members for the mounting of the 40,000 pound hitch. I never came close to backing into anything but someone did back into me and dented the corner. It is just formed sheetmetal so it was easy to remove and replace with a new piece.

As far as changes goes, I would use an AquaHot system for the hot water and heat instead of LP furnaces. They are too loud and inefficient.

Overall I was very pleased with everything. I loved the way the Volvo chassis drove but with 500 HP and 12 spd auto anything would be. It was extremely easy to drive. I would change the 2 front seats for something better. There are a few other things but nothing major. I plan on using a new Volvo 670 for the new one since I am cutting the sleeper off.

[Elburn Bill]

Originally posted by KAYE RIVERCITY:
.....anyway good luck at 320k.....geofkaye

New this coach would cost over $450K so the new buyer is getting a heck of a deal. Heck the Volvo 780 cost me $118K alone.

I just went to NADA Guides and did a used value workup. Here is the link:

NADA Used Value

For those that the link does not work...Low Retail of $372K and high retail of $458K.

I could not even select some of the additional equipment I have in the rig so this value is still on the low side. But you figure these internet guides are always high so $320K is about right.

October 27, 2005 print this page


Low Retail Average Retail
Base Price

$343,640 $414,020
Mileage Factor (Gasoline engine only)
15,001 - 20,000: Plus .00% $0 $0
Options

AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING
15,000 BTU Central/Ducted: $635 $770
Furnace (13,000-17,000 BTU): $120 $145
APPLIANCES
Dryer: $390 $475
Microwave/Convection Combo: $260 $315
Refrig. 4dr w/Ice Maker (Luxury only): $1,195 $1,440
Washing Machine: $430 $520
Water Heater 10 Gallon Gas/Elec. w/DSI: $265 $325
ENTERTAINMENT
AM/FM/CD Stereo: $210 $255
CD Player (Multiple): $295 $360
DVD Player: $230 $280
Satellite System - In Motion: $1,825 $2,200
T.V. 13" Color: $165 $200
T.V. 42" Plasma: $415 $10,500
T.V. Antenna W/Booster: $75 $95
JACKS AND LEVELING SYSTEMS
Hydraulic Leveling System (Automatic): $2,100 $2,535
MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
8 Way Power Seat (Each): $485 $590
Aluminum RV Wheels (Set of 4): $1,120 $1,350
Awning 20' - 22' (Each): $635 $770
Awning for Slide-out (Bedroom): $135 $165
Awning for Slide-out (Coach): $280 $340
Cabinetry Upgrade (Deluxe): $1,500 $1,810
CB Radio: $110 $135
Cruise Control: $75 $95
Driver Side Door W/Power Window: $415 $505
Electric Step (Double): $200 $245
Fiberglass Exterior 31' and Over: $1,575 $1,900
GPS Navigation System: $2,780 $3,350
Inverter (2000 Watt): $1,045 $1,265
LPG Gas/Smoke Detector: $70 $90
Mirrors (Power W/Defrost): $200 $245
Outside Shower: $85 $105
Power Roof Vent W/Rain Sensor: $220 $270
Power Slide-Out Room (Bedroom) (Each): $1,045 $1,265
Power Slide-Out Room 16' (Each): $2,370 $2,860
Rear Vision Camera/Monitor: $850 $1,025
Shower Enclosure (Glass): $135 $165
Tilt Wheel: $85 $105
Trailer Hitch: $90 $110
GENERATORS
6 - 8 KW Diesel: $2,965 $3,575
ENGINE AND SUSPENSION SYSTEMS
Air Assisted Suspension: $245 $300
Exhaust Brake: $900 $1,085

TOTAL PRICE $371,865 $458,155

[5erFool (John)]

Bill,
That is one fine looking rig.. I recognized it instantly.. Last April our "adopted Daughters" (new nurses from the Philippines who adopted my wife and I as parents) asked for a picture of an RV.. I gave them a picture of yours.. later ,on my birthday, we were presented with a cake with a picture or your rig on the cake with my wife and I in the cab.. and the same picture framed.. we were very suprised and the picture is in our living room...
I feel like I am cheating by learning from everyone else's experience or at least becoming more focused on what I want. The things you mentioned are mostly the same as I had thought of.. I planned the exact same sleeper/seating area except I plan to have a drop down bed for extra sleeping room and a pull down screen and projector for TV/internet etc. Eliminating the dinett/couch in favor of a much more usable kitchen and stacked full size washer/dryer. Since we plan to live full time in a MH and continue working, our needs are kinda unique.
The standard move up the line from tent to popup to trailer etc has been bypassed.. good thing since we couldn't afford it anyway...barely missed the move to a MDT and 5er.
We still vascillate between HDT/5er and MH. With the MH we can pull a stacker with our personal vehicles in it but the 5er requires momma to drive her car and me to use the HDT for a daily driver.. wouldn't that be a shame.... I imagine a deal to good to pass up will come by and we will leap... we have passed up several deals that we probably should have jumped on but didn't...
BTW we have completed our stay in Urbana and are looking for a new job... somewhere between Main and SW Texas.. Hawaii as an outside possibility..
Looking forward to seeing your next rig..
John

[Elburn Bill]

John,

We did the same thing. On one hand I could make a really good arguement for the HDT/5er and then I could make just as good an arguement for the MH. I have plans for a custom-built 45' "stacker" from Featherlite. It has 3 slideouts and a rear lower garage with a bedroom above. It would have been a really neat trailer with a ton of lower storage. I would have then taken a Volvo 780, added a rear deck to it and redo the sleeper interior so that it would have 2 couches along the sides and all sorts of other goodies. Or I would have had a short toter built on a Volvo.

Then I came up with the idea to use the lower rear garage in a new Kingsley as a dual purpose area...we could haul our alpacas or the kids toys (i.e. bikes, golf cart, etc) in it depending upon where we were going. We could then also have a either a car hauler or a stacker trailer in tow for a daily driver and more storage or we could just tow our suburban behind.

In the end the MH idea won out but you never know.