For the second consecutive quarter, purchases by private bus operators pushed deliveries of new motorcoaches to about the same level as a year ago.

A total of 439 new coaches were sold during the three months ended Sept. 30, down just 4 percent, or 18 buses, from the 457 coaches sold during the third quarter of 2007.

Given the widespread uncertainty in the general economy, the motorcoach industrys third quarter sales record was a bright spot.

National Bus Trader magazine, which serves as the industry clearing house for new motorcoach sales figures, said this years third quarter was atypical because of the mix of coaches sold during the period.

For example, new coach sales in Canada were higher than usual, and there was a greater percentage of coaches built in Europe Van Hools and Setras sold during the quarter than is typical.

At the same time, public sector coach sales dropped during the third quarter, as did sales of conversion shells and coaches equipped with ZF AS-tronic transmissions.

"There were only 32 conversion coaches (sold) in this quarter, down to only half of the 64 shells (sold) a year ago in the third quarter of 2007," said National Bus Trader Editor Larry Plachno.

Several groups that track such things report that wealthy and fabulously wealthy individuals have been cutting back on their spending. For example, among families worth $1 million to $10 million, 76 percent plan to cut spending, and among those worth at least $30 million, 29 percent plan to trim their spending.

Other factors believed to be depressing coach shell sales include the absence of new whiz-bang gizmos that excite shell buyers, and fewer music groups touring North America these days.

Regarding public-sector coach purchases, Plachno said that while he does not have accurate figures, "my guesstimate is that in spite of some nice public-sector sales this quarter, we are down approximately 50 public-sector coaches from the third quarter of 2007.

"Hence, it is very obvious that while both public sector and shell sales are down in this third quarter, private-sector sales are up substantially and made up for most of the loss from the public sector and conversion shells," he noted.

Trying to fathom the reasons for the increase in private-sector sales was a bit of a challenge for Plachno. "What may be happening," he said, "is that in spite of (or because of) the economy, several operators are doing well and are upgrading or expanding their fleet. I noticed several nice orders that came through recently, including an unusually high number from Canada."

Second-quarter new coach sales also were bolstered by private operator purchases. (See Sept. 15 Bus & Motorcoach News.)

Another notable change occurring during this years third quarter was the coach model that was the industrys best-seller. In recent years, MCIs J4500 has been the top-selling coach but that changed in the third quarter when MCIs best-selling coach ever, the D4500, climbed back to the No. 1 spot as a result of public sector sales. The J4500 was No. 2.

The other top five selling coaches (in order) during the third quarter were the Prevost H3-45; Van Hool C2045, Setra S 417; MCI D4505 and Prevost X3-45.

Sales of new coaches into Canada totaled 76 buses, or 17.3 percent of the total, during this years third quarter. That compares to third quarter 2007 Canadian new coach sales of 25, or 5.5 percent of the market.

A total of 112 imported coaches Setras and Van Hools were sold in this years third quarter, or 25.5 percent of the total. That compares to 103 imported coaches, or 22.5 percent of the market, in the third quarter of 2007. "While 25.5 percent is relatively high for imports, it is explained by the reduced public-sector and conversion-shell sales that are primarily domestic," Plachno pointed out.

ZF auto-stick transmissions were installed in 82 of the coaches sold in the third quarter, representing 18.7 percent of the market. That is a decline from recent quarters.

Plachno concluded his third-quarter sales summary by noting there could be a new coach brand included in future reports. The first production order of Temsa 35-foot coaches arrived in Georgia from Turkey late in the third quarter. He expects the first Temsa sales to occur during the current quarter.

The Temsa was introduced to the North American motorcoach market at UMA Motorcoach Expo 2007 in New Orleans. (See Feb. 1, 2007 Bus & Motorcoach News.)