GrumpyGator just got one & he was going to report back once he had it for awhile.
I gotta say I don't see the appeal.
A 31-footer starts at around $70 k.
And then there's a few things on the option list that seem like they should be included. For example, roof ladders & emergency start switches I think are pretty standard on most coaches except those that are very basic.
'13 Forest River Sunseeker 3100
'04 Fleetwood Sedona / Reese Mini 350 / Prodigy / BAL
'94 Coleman Cedar
I own a 2005 Lazy Daze that has gone over 100K miles and am looking for a replacement. Last August I visited three RV manufacturers in the Elkhart area. One day I spent all afternoon at the Nexus factory, with one of the two Nexus partners, looking at the vehicle construction and the manufacturing processes. I was very impressed by the coach design, construction techniques, and the overall company operation. My opinion was that they produce a quality product.
They appear to have adopted the "Lazy Daze" sales model; only factory sales and no distributors. However, their plans were to setup nationwide "service centers" for warranty work and ongoing support.
The Nexus pricing strategy differs from that of Lazy Daze. The Nexus base price (around $70K) is for a unit with few accessories, etc. but the accessories are available as factory options. The base price for a Lazy Daze (aroung $85K) includes a lot of accessories like genset, awning, TV, etc. When you compare equivalent equivalent configurations the prices are similar.
I use Lazy Daze as the example, however, I believe this would be true of vehicles from other "boutique" manufacturers like Born Free, CoachHouse, etc. Based on my discussions with the Nexus partners I don't feel that they really intend to compete with the "mass producers" like Winnebago, Forest River, Coachman, etc.
I would really be interested in hearing the experiences of actual Nexus owners. I plan on going back to visit them again this summer to see how things are going.
In no way is it my intention to promote Nexus. However, over the last 10 years I have looked at most of the Class C vehicles on the market and have been to many plants to see how they are built. This one left me with a very positive feeling. But, as they say: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
I picked up my 31' NEXUS Phantom on 4/5/12. Have gone close to 4,500 miles thus far and I LOVE IT!!!! Very good quality!!!!
One minor problem with the leveler system and the manufacture is going to replace it - no arguments - no problems.
I would disagree that they do not include a lot of options - most Class C rv's do not have standard B/U camera - residential one piece fiberglass shower stalls, light weight steel studding - steel enclosed structure, a composite siding that wil not rot - mildew or otherwise fall apart - like Plywood. a one piece fiberglass roof - real wood Amish quality constructed cabinets, residential microwave - on & on & on.
Lazy Daze has been around a long time - YES - and their products have been overpriced for a long time as well. Compare 31' to 31' and what justifies the $15,000 - $20,000 price difference????? Mirrors - Mirrors - Mirrors - Smoke - Smoke - Smoke.
BLOGS:
http://rvpainter.blogspot.com
http://art4rvs.blogspot.com
31' Class C NEXUS Phantom 4/4/12
Pressure Pro TPMS
Progressive Industries EMS/Surge
As someone stated above I just took delivery of my Nexus Phantom 31P. I've had it 2 weeks so far, and other than a few things I didn't know, or wasn't familiar with due to my inexperience, I'm very happy with my choice.
The 31P Model starts at about $67K. I managed to add another $10K worth of options. I did shop around beforehand and did my homework. I feel that, pricewise, this coach is right in line with, or a bit less than, others of comparable size. However I do think that Nexus does some things than stands out. In particular, the all steel frame. Also, within the frame, each opening in the roof is framed with the same steel. No aluminum or wood.
Also, Nexus is open to you visiting their assembly line any time you want. You can watch everything they do. There's nothing hidden. You can design your coach any way you want (within reason). I had no need for a dinette, so I had them build me in a desk, that will also serve as a dining table for 2. I'm old and single, so if there's more than 2 people in my RV, there's a problem.
When I picked up my coach, I had issues with some of the details. If there is one thing I believe they can do better, it's quality control. There were things I found that no customer should have to point out. While I was there I made that abundantly clear, trust me. I will say that they addressed each and every thing I pointed out and fixed it before I left. I was able to sit and talk with the people who were doing the work on the coach. Not every manufacturer is going to let you do that. All the things I found were mostly insignificant, but I'm pretty picky. More so than most.
I also researched their service network. I'm in a very rural part of Tennessee, and there is a Nexus Service Center just 15 miles from my house. I talked with that service center before I bought.
All in all, I'm very happy with my Nexus and would feel secure recommending them to anyone looking for a quality class C coach.
Have either one of you had your units weighed? I am also interested in the Phantom and have been told by Nexus ccc runs between 600 to 1000 lbs. I was wondering how accurate that number is. IMO the capacity is borderline at best.
If there numbers were a few hundred lbs off it would make a big difference.
If you want to know the carry capacity,I have a Nexus Phantom 28P and it weighs 11,000 lbs the way it is configured. I was told by the Nexus folks the 31P is roughly 800 lbs heavier. I have no slides on mine and its just under 30 ft but a I have a lot of options on mine that are not standard such as corian counters, additional cabinets, two HDTV's 2 Fantastic high volume, reversible fans with the Maxxair covers for the high volume fans, glass enclosed shower, increased outside coach storage as well as deeper master bedroom cabinets as well as recessed stove and sink with corian covers that allow the counter to become one solid surface, I have the largest outside storage of any of the Nexus motorhomes built as we wanted as much room as possible to use the capacity we have. Also have the typical options such as inverter, emergency starter, ladder, dual slideout batteries, wheel extenders, TPMS etc. With all that stuff I have 3500lbs of carrying capacity on top of the 5000 lb towing capacity which is plenty for us. The 31P should have roughly 2700 lbs carrying capacity if the numbers I was told are correct. Hope I have addressed the question if I understood it correctly.
My 31P - one slide out and big Foot leveler system weighed 12,075 out the dooron the NEXUS scales
.
Front axel 4160
Rear axel 8270
Max allowed - front 5,000 ------ rear 9,500
After loading our unit I had it weighed and the result was as follows:
front - 4,400
rear - 8925
Total 13,325
we had to move some stuff to try and even up the side to side weight distribution and did do that. Of course with the slide there is not a lot one can do to lighten up that side.
The comapny that weighed our unit after loading suggested we carry 80 psi in all 6 tires - which we are doing.
We are minimalists and do not carry a lot of "STUFF" The SINGLE most heavy thing we carry is our Q-100 table top grill and next to that is our air compressor- which only weighs 23 lbs. The Q-100 we carry in our toad (Honda Fit on all 4's) We also carry our beach chairs in the toad - so they are always with us - as one never knows when you might just stop at a beach!!!! :>)
We do not travel with any more than approx 5 gallons of fresh water and no more than approx 5 gallons of content in the BW & GW tanks.
We are full timers and feel we have everything we need on board and will only reduce the load in the future, not add to it.
Soooooo the weights allowed worked out just great for us.
Inlaws just took delivery of a Nexus 29V on 5/22. Much of the purchase and build experience was as described. It is a good looking unit. One real concern I believe is the delivered weight. With fresh water, fuel, LP,options(HWH)the rear axle was 9,300+ lbs. With an axle limit of 9,600 lbs they are under 300 lbs of CCC. Once they get in the unit they are about maxed out.
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