Lynne Jayzee
Asheville NC
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Joined: 04/01/2003
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After submitting my post I remembered that the Winnebago View is available on the gas Sprinter 3.5L V6 cutaway chassis. That thing has got to be heavy, and I'm real curious as to how it will perform.
- LJZ
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rebop
Palo Alto, California
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Joined: 09/08/2002
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Well, just read most of the Sportsmobile site and played for 2-3 hours designing what I would want. Good news is it prices out about 84,000. But it doesn;t appear to be the quality of cabintes and counters, etc of an Ascent or Agile.
I'd definitely have to see one. But it would have more storage and be what I'd prefer in a floor plan.
~Bob
PS. And gas is available as well.
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Davydd
Minnesota
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Joined: 11/27/2005
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Lynne's remarks were pretty much right on. To answer more on the diesel, we have a range of about 550 miles. We can't drive that long without stopping so finding a place to fill up is not a problem and you definitely have enough range to plan carefully. Saying that, on our way out from the B4 rally we coincidentally stopped at the very same time and station as Lynne. She got to fill up at the clean pumps. We had to fill up at the large nozzle no auto shutoff truck pump. That's the part about diesel I don't like. It happens maybe about 1 in 4 times. The rest of the time you can find diesel pumps right alongside the auto pumps. Fill ups are never a problem on the highway. It is in the inner city areas where there might not be any diesel pumps.
We bought a B right off the lot and it had the built-in TV/DVD, antenna and cable connection. I thought that was great. In hindsight we rarely use the TV. For the upcharge if I were putting it together new to order I would be inclined to skip it. Sometimes we have watched DVDs but then since I carry my Mac laptop computer it is up to that task in such confined quarters. For what they charge you could buy a very nice computer with the same size screen as the TV they offer. Actually I could watch TV through the computer with my TV tuner as well.
We got the built in coffee maker. Since Nancy and I are both coffee addicts and make coffee the first priority every morning, we liked that feature very much. It is there and doesn't have to be moved or stored away. They charge too much. But I guess you have to give them a way to make a little more money so those more disciplined about accessories might be able to afford a B. 
Davydd
2005 Pleasure-Way Plateau Sprinter B Camper Van
Davydd is the Welsh spelling for David with an English twist using a v instead of an f.
See Our Pleasure-Way and my pork tenderloin sandwiches
Visited states in an RV
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mumkin
Minot ND USA
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Joined: 07/16/2004
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rebop wrote:Well, just read most of the Sportsmobile site and played for 2-3 hours designing what I would want. Good news is it prices out about 84,000. But it doesn;t appear to be the quality of cabintes and counters, etc of an Ascent or Agile.
Only 2-3 hours? Great self-control on your part. 
The Sportsmobile look is very different from the others and they are not going for the luxury market. They are building 'campers' not small Class A's. To be honest, I actually prefer the simple industrial style.
And when you factor in the lower price and the fact that you can design the floor plan that you want... it is very appealing.
Mumkin
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kmessinger
Bay area but NOT San Francisco or Berkeley
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mumkin wrote:rebop wrote:Well, just read most of the Sportsmobile site and played for 2-3 hours designing what I would want. Good news is it prices out about 84,000. But it doesn;t appear to be the quality of cabintes and counters, etc of an Ascent or Agile.
Only 2-3 hours? Great self-control on your part.
The Sportsmobile look is very different from the others and they are not going for the luxury market. They are building 'campers' not small Class A's. To be honest, I actually prefer the simple industrial style.
And when you factor in the lower price and the fact that you can design the floor plan that you want... it is very appealing.
Bob, drive down to Fresno if you can. You can visit several RV lots on the way. When you get to SMB you will find the quality and options look much better in person than on the web.
Our Sprinter is almost done there. With wood grain cabinets, leather upholstery, etc. it looks quite nice. It does not have the look and feel of an Agile . . . there is something different about the larger manufacturers and it is very nice to walk in and drive it off! That said, the ability to design from the floor up, including the finish of hinges and cabinet pulls is great.
I put some pics on this site and other pictures, showing steps in the building process can be seen on the website listed in my profile.
Regards,
Keith
14 days until the A's home opener
14(?) days until the Big Bus is done
135 days until Alaska
The excellent adventures of Keith and Debbie. Observations about life, at home and on the road in our 2008 Sportsmobile Sprinter.
(Warning: Occasional sharp turns to the right.)
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rebop
Palo Alto, California
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Thanks Keith. Your pictures do look better than their site :^)
I may have to take a trip down there to see.
~Bob
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NoraExplora
WA
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Joined: 09/05/2004
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After reading the posts in this discussion something else popped up in my mind about generators; propane vs gasoline. Just how quickly does the propane go vs gasoline. Then is the gasoline generator more noisy than the propane, more exhaust etc?
Thanks up front!
Lenora
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Rodger
Tucson, AZ.
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A quick answer is, if the generator runs of the the vans fuel tank, like about all the built in gas gen-sets do, then it will run till you have about a 1/4 tank of gas. The propane generators will run as long as the propane tank lasts, which is a lot less, and the major complaint about propane generators. Noise wise, I don't think there is any difference between an Onan 2800 gas, and a 2500 propane.
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Lynne Jayzee
Asheville NC
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Joined: 04/01/2003
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The more appropriate question is probably how often you will need to fill the propane tank if you have a propane generator.
With a gasoline generator, you are refilling your generator fuel supply every time you fill up your vehicle's fuel supply.
With a propane generator, you have to go to a "special" source to refill the tank. If you use your generator a lot, you will need to refill your propane tank a lot.
Those of us who have gasoline generators only use our propane for heat (furnace), cooking, the hot water heater and possibly the refrigerator. Our gasoline generators will power the microwave, air-conditioner, coffee maker and anything electric.
Those who have propane generators will need to use the propane supply for heat, cooking and hot water...and also to power almost everything electric...so the propane, theoretically, wouldn't last as long.
- LJZ
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Rodger
Tucson, AZ.
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I was just looking at propane tank sizes. The Agile's tank is just slightly larger 39L/10 US gal./45 lbs. compared to the Rt gas models 38L/10 US gal./45 lbs. The Adventurous is 45L/12 US gal./50 lbs.
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