MCI is proud to have many longtime, loyal customers. But still, we feel a certain excitement when someone new comes along — or comes back after a few years behind someone else's wheel.

Mid-American Coaches and Tours, a leading operator in Washington, Missouri, near St. Louis, purchased four MCI® J4500s earlier this year after not buying MCI models for 15 years, though it did still have some of those older models in its fleet. Roger Jones, president of the company, was considering standardizing the fleet under a different manufacturer but changed his mind once he took a closer look at the J4500s. "We thought that the coaches would be right for the company," says Jones. They're dependable, and the drivers like driving them. They represent us very well."

Mathieu Gingras, vice president of La Quebecoise, recently bought an MCI after years of buying competitor models. "The price is better," says Gingras. "And the look of the bus is better too."

Lindsay Hurn, co-owner of Quality Coach, Syracuse, New York, has had several makes of coach in his garage. He and partner Steve Bailey bought their first MCI coach, a J4500 earlier this year and soon after bought a second to replace a competitor coach that failed catastrophically on a trip, temporarily stranding a group of bagpipers (to read about how MCI's Emergency Roadside Assistance came to their assistance, visit FYI from MCI’s September 2008 archive).

To Hurn, the advantage of MCI isn't just good looks and great features: It's service. "For us, it's often the sales person who turns us on or off. Roy [Furo] was the only one to offer us a demo coach," says Hurn. "With a lot of manufacturers, you pretty much have to buy the coach unseen. You spend $400,000 and hope for the best."

Hurn, Bailey and their drivers all took turns trying out the J4500 and quickly came to appreciate its deft handling and passenger appeal. The J4500 had another advantage: Quality Coach's mechanic was already very familiar with MCI models — as so many mechanics are.

"MCI never stops looking for way to improve the product, further widen our service network and offer solution-based innovations to help our customers make their businesses stronger," says Larry Killingsworth, vice president of sales and marketing. "It's what's made the MCI brand the category leader."

"We're pleased with the J4500s," says Hurn, whose goal is to add a new coach to the fleet every year. "We're considering another one."

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