Which one to buy???? We have narrowed it down to a Winnebago View or a true class B.. The RV show is in October in Pomona so I want to be ready to look at what I am interested in and not to get sidetracked by all the other rigs.. I am not necessarily interested in a diesel. The savings on buying a gas motor over a diesel pays for a lot of fuel. I do want a stand up shower and a reliable van with good customer service (so gulfstream is out.) It is only my wife and I. Any suggestions as to make, size etc?? Also if with your suggestion you include where to buy and how much. I would travel to pick it up. Thanks in advance for any input.
Do NOT buy a Pleasure-Way van. I made the mis-take and bought one months ago and have had nothing but problems with it. You name it, the LEMON of a Pleasure-Way, had it or got it or is getting it. Service is a very very very long drawn out problem area which needs lots of improvement. Management people need a lot of schooling on being polite and understanding. Treating people with respect is not a strong point.
Need I say more.
Be careful out there, the world is full of greedy little people.
If I needed a new van, and if I had time and money to travel right now, I would get the View. First saw one at the Springfield RV show last winter and fell in love...I want the one with the fixed bed so I don't have to disrupt my sitting area to go to sleep every night. It's a brilliant floor plan, IMO.
I have a Sportsmobile; always thought I would order another, but the space in the View is so tempting...and the slide...they are pricey though.
MidwestLady wrote: Do NOT buy a Pleasure-Way van. I made the mis-take and bought one months ago and have had nothing but problems with it. You name it, the LEMON of a Pleasure-Way, had it or got it or is getting it. Service is a very very very long drawn out problem area which needs lots of improvement. Management people need a lot of schooling on being polite and understanding. Treating people with respect is not a strong point.
Need I say more.
Be careful out there, the world is full of greedy little people.
It would be interesting to hear all about your unusual experience in another thread. I'm sure many other people would find it interesting also.
I for one would not hesitate to recommend PW. I've had my 2005 Lexor for about 18 months now, and still love it. I drive it every day, and have been on several short trips in it. No major problems at all, and just 2 minor issues that I was able to correct myself (broken DVD player, and a loose faucet connection.) I would buy another one without hesitation.
As for the question of size, it really depends on your preferences and requirements. I was originally going to by a wide-body Excel, but when I saw one in person, I realized it wouldn't fit in my driveway very well, so I bought the regular width Lexor. I'm very glad I did, because I drive it to work every day, and it actually fits just fine in a regular parking space without crowding the other cars too much. A wide-body would not be as good in this respect, but the extra room inside would be nice sometimes. It's all a matter of preference, as I said.
I think Roadtrek makes a good product if the layout is right for you. In any case, the follow up service from the dealer is going to make your purchase a continuing pleasure or hell on earth. Evaluate the local dealer for whatever you like, and if he has a bad reputation, don't buy his product. The top three or four brands are all very good and very similar, the dealer is going to make it.
Tor2ga
Roadtrek 190 Popular (2004)
Belle, the yellow Lab assistant
Tor2ga wrote: think Roadtrek makes a good product if the layout is right for you. In any case, the follow up service from the dealer is going to make your purchase a continuing pleasure or hell on earth. Evaluate the local dealer for whatever you like, and if he has a bad reputation, don't buy his product. The top three or four brands are all very good and very similar, the dealer is going to make it.
I agree. We have a Roadtrek and love it. In our case we have not had one problem to speak of in one year or ownership. We did a do a lot of looking of all brands, decided on Roadtrek because the local RT dealer in MA has a fine reputation and service dept. Roadtrek does back up their product and that is another reason we went with them. But, as in the quote above, the top 4 brands are excellent. One brand is not for everyone. The main reason I liked the Chevy RT was its "stealthy" look - a "Van" look rather than a "motorhome." We did not want a "C" that the "View" is. But, we liked the "View's" layout and design, It was just not for us.
Wow, the post by MidwestLady is probably the first truly negative post I have ever seen about Pleasure-Way. In almost 5 years of ownership and posting on these forums, I can tell you Pleasure-Way is among the most highly regarded of all Class B's.
We really need to know a lot more about your likes and dislikes, but I'll throw in my generic two cents worth.
If you want a fully featured Class B, one that has all the bells and whistles and is very nicely crafted inside and out - and is on an excellent chassis in terms of reliability, handling, ease of maintenance, power and value for the dollar..... and looks like a conversion van, not a motorhome.... I vote for a Roadtrek 190 Chevy or Pleasure-Way Lexor Chevy. We like the rear twin beds makes a king floorplan, but you may prefer the rear sofa in the Pleasure-Way. The Roadtrek wins in the arena of looking like a regular conversion van. Most folks never suspect it is a motorhome.
The wider Excel's and 210's are nice, too - but you gotta decide if you want the longer, wider, less 'stealthy' look of those vans.
After owning 6 fully featured Roadtreks, Pleasure-Ways and an American Cruiser I seem to have decided that I really like pop-top camping vans (for now). I wanted to try one for years and finally did so with the Traverse. I liked the Pleasure-Way Traverse but I think the top in my Sportsmobile is much nicer. It doesn't look as sleek on the outside, but it allows for a vastly larger space inside. We don't do a lot of camping and the low profile pop-top seems to suit us fine as a traveling van that can be camped in on occasion.... and Sportsmobile will build whatever you want..... they have dozens of floorplans or you can design/modify you own.... and they will convert any chassis you want - they even do more 4x4's than anybody else.
Sportsmobile has been doing conversions since the VW poptops in the '60s and has three facilities across the US.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
BTW, I bought all of my vans used, but I can attest to good factory support from Pleasure-Way. I have called them maybe a half dozen times over the years and always received the answers/help I was looking for. My last experience involved the '03 Traverse. I was the second owner but it was still under warranty. I did not get a manual, wanted to replace a cracked section of curtain track and wanted to add a padded edge to the counter-top (an item that became standard after mine was built). Phil at Pleasure-Way had 'em all sent to me with absolutely no problems.
* This post was
edited 09/09/06 04:52pm by ARcruiser *
I have a Gulfstream and I guess I don't understand the comment about thier service. The 2 times I contacted them with questions, I got the answers and a call back to see if my questions had been answered. The questions could have been answered by a better manual, but that's the only complaint I have with Gulfstream. Quality wise, the conversion has done everything I expected. I would be curious to know if anyone with a Vista Cruiser has had quality issues. I know there are serveral other owners on here.
The room of a C is tempting, however as soon as you cross that line, a whole new world of problems arise. Parking, HOA, and that's not counting the extra maintanence that comes with slides and fiberglass.
The diesel premium vs gas is a personal choice. Mine was based as much on the turbo as the diesel. Having driven turbos in the mountains compared to NA engines, there is no comparison. Fuel injection cannot make up the lack of oxygen at altitude only a power adder can. The turbo gives a small effiecent motor the power of a bigger motor on demand. It's that combination that makes a turbo diesel my choice over gas.
Midwest Lady I wonder if your problems were more with the dealership than with PW. We bought a new one in 2004 and have been delighted!! It is an Excel V10 and I do believe I could live in it full time. The only problems we had initially were some minor issues with the window screens. Phil, PW's wonderful resource person, has almost all the answers for problems. We called him once while we were on the road and he gave hubby exact instructions as to how to solve a generator problem. Last week hubby called again because the black tank valve was hard to work. Phil is sending us a new one at no cost to us.
We attended the PW rally in Saskatoon last year and had a great time. PW people went out of their way to welcome us. We toured the factory and were VERY impressed with the workmanship and craftsmanship that goes into each unit. I would buy another in a minute but the current one still looks like new and only has 13,000 miles
I believe we went through this discussion not too long ago about B or C. To me there is a world of difference so if you are considering a C that is probably what you want. I wanted the B for the go anywhere touring factor and I gave up on my Airstream trailer lust after figuring out what I really wanted. The C is a motorhome with motorhome limitations and if I wanted space I don't think I would settle for a View. It is kind of caught inbetween not satisfying either of my desires--go anywhere fast without need of a toad or live inside luxuriosly and comfortably for the long haul. The View is not that bad looking but most cab over C's disturb my aesthetic sensibilities.
Davydd
2011 Great West Van Legend Sprinter B Camper Van
Visited states in an RV
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