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RE: Your 21 foot buying decision
Before we bought our current Class B, I entertained the thought of getting a larger unit. I studied B +, C, and A's pretty thoroughly before deciding to stay with a Class B. My conclusion was that for just about the same cost as a Pleasureway Excel, I could buy a 32 ft Alegro with a front engine diesel. Soooo, if I were to get out of a Class B, I would have gone to the Class A, I couldn't rationalize anything in between as none of the other classes can do what the B's do so well, Travel, Camp, park anywhere, use as a second car, and get decent mileage.
Nick
07 XLTS
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charles
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11/30/07 08:51am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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Close to Buying a "B"
So after months of looking at RVs and changing my mind at least 10 times, I think I have finally decided on the Pleasureway Excel. I'm in Southern California and can get one for about 15% of MSRP. Is that a standard for this type of vehicle? Can I do much better? If I can save another 5% or so, it may be worth looking more. However, I don't know if it is worth it to beat the 15% discount by just a small amount($1K or so).
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embrau
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11/17/07 11:44pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Toad
I tow a Jeep Liberty 4x4 behind our Pleasureway Excel. I go to the Pa. mountains 8 to 10 times a year where I like to get off the main roads and get back into the boondocks for hunting, fishing, an photography. I don't like taking the PW of a paved road, that's the main reason I have a toad. Also, we go to Florida for the month of February and rent a house. It's a little too hard for Chris to get around down there in the PW so this year we're towing the Jeep down.
I have the Blue Ox Aventa LX tow bar, and the Brake Buddy Classic system. The V-10 has more than enough power to tow it up the mountains and most of the time you don't realize that it's behind you. And it is nice to just let the PW sit with stuff on the counters, etc., and just get in the Jeep and go. Extra cost is about 2 mpg.
Nick
07 Excel TS
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charles
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11/12/07 08:06am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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Good Onan Report
Over the last couple nights I had my first cold weather (mid 20's at night) boondocking trip in my Pleasureway Excel TS. I thought I would see what the Onan could handle. For 30 minutes I ran together the heat strip and the microwave on 60% power so it was going on and off, along with the tv inverter and a few lights. It handled it well, as a matter of fact it sounded like it could take on a little more. When I turned it off, the battery was fully charged handled the TV for the rest of the evening and the furnace blower all night. I was at about 1600 feet elevation. I can't remember if my last one would handle the heat and micro together but this one sure does.
Nick
07 Excel TS
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charles
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11/09/07 06:40pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Airstream Interstate owners
Russ,
There is an airstream owners forum www.airforums.com that can probably give you all the information you need on the Interstate models. Give it a try.
Nick
07 Pleasureway Excel TS
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charles
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11/06/07 07:18pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Off MRSP
Don't forget that on new models you are entitled to any rebates the chassis manufacturer is offerring. I received and additional $1,300.00 after my best deal when I bought my 07 Pleasureway Excel on an 07 Chassis. It was an advertised $2,000.00 rebate but then they use a formula adding back into the price the fleet discount the the conversion company gets, in my case it was $700.00 which is how I ended up with a $1,300.00 rebate.
Nick
07 Pleasureway Excel TS
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charles
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11/02/07 10:08am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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The Escape Pod saves the day!
Sunday morning we received a call that a Red Cross evacuation center was opening due to a local wildland fire. We'd been expecting it, since we'd seen TV reports and had listened to the scanner. Bud put on his Red Cross duds and went to take care of business. I stayed at home to await further developments. By Sunday afternoon when Bud came home to get something, I had my little Honda packed with pet supplies, bottled water and granola bars and was minutes from driving myself, two dogs and a cat down off this hill. I wasn't sure where we would go, but I knew we had to go somewhere.
The reason for that decision is easy to understand but hard to describe. I had been standing in our front yard, staring up in amazement at something I'd never seen before. There, what I can only describe as a volcanic eruption of a mass, black and dark gray with fiery orange overtones, roiling like a hellish river, fast and furious, high above our home. It looked, how can I put it, non-survivable. At that moment, one half of the sky was crystal blue, cloudless and sunny, and the other half looked like the Devil himself had opened up a trap door into Hades. An absolutely fierce wind was blowing but oddly, no ashes or embers were falling. The nightmare above us was moving too fast to drop anything, or so we thought.
We switched plans quickly and took the emergency supplies out of my Honda and loaded them into our PleasureWay Excel, along with the pets. We drove down the hill trying to decide where we should go to be safe. We drove to the Red Cross parking lot, away from any fire action, and parked the van. Bud went in to check what was going on and quickly got recruited to move Red Cross vehicles and supplies to two different evacuation centers. The pets and I stayed in the van. It was hot, but I could not open any vents because the smoke-filled air outside was suffocating. The wind jerked the van around like a small ship on a stormy sea. Edna, Poquita, Rosie and I settled in for the night, glad we had an RV with all the amenities instead of just a car.
At 2:00 am, Bud arrived back and we drove over to the Wal*Mart, where people were being allowed to park during the evacuation. Even better, that store is open 24 hrs, so Bud went in to buy a cat litter tray and some kitty litter. I had forgotten those in my rush. I also had forgotten our meds, important papers and just about everything else. It seems that all those emergency contingency plans go out the window quickly when panic sets in. We spent a tense night, listening to local radio and a scanner by turns, trying to decide if our neighborhood was safe. We heard that it wasn't. We looked out the window at flaming ridges in the distance, wondering which was the one nearest our neighborhood. The winds were almost tornadic, rocking the little PW so severely that I wondered if it could be blown over. Shopping carts sailed across the parking lot and into our van. Luckily, they were mostly plastic. I wondered, silently, what I would miss the most if our home of 29 years was gone? I wondered if we would move away from earthquake/wildfire country, but where? One of our dogs hyperventilated from fear and was sick half the night. We took turns cleaning up the mess and trying to comfort the terrified pooch. Luckily, the other dog and the cat were very good, although Edna, the tabby, kept checking me closely during the night to make sure I was still breathing. Bud slept a little, I never did.
In the morning Bud went back into Wal*Mart to buy coffee and sandwiches. Bless them, nobody ever better criticize that store to me. Finally, the heat and nearly hurricane force winds subsided a little, and we heard the message we were waiting for. The road going up the hill was, at last, open again. We stowed everything that was loose in the RV and started driving, not knowing what we would find when we reached the home we had left nearly 24 hours earlier. Driving up the hill, we saw that half a dozen homes we had passed when we'd left had burned to the ground. They were not all in one area, but scattered, random events. We got to the top of the hill with our hearts in our throats, and...........our house was still there! A neighbor had strung our hoses across the side fence and, he would tell us later, stayed and watered down our roof and his. A house around the corner from ours had burned completely. Large, black ashes covered everything. Trees and plants were broken and limbs were stripped of leaves. Otherwise, the old homestead was the way we left it. Thank God for firefighters. Thank God for good neighbors. Thank God.....
Judy
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CA POPPY
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10/23/07 10:04pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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Anti sway bar question
Recently, in a discussion about the Pleasureway Excel not handling well in wind, it was suggested that I look into a Roadmaster Antisway bar. Can't seem to locate a dealer around here who has one, and one dealer didn't think much of them. Are there other anti-sway bars or similar "fixes" that I should look into? Getting ready for a long trip second week of October, so need to do this soon.
Scotty
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viking1
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09/29/07 10:54am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: pleasureway excel increased leg room
We traded a less than 1 year old PW excel for a 2007 pw excel all because of the increased leg room. And it was worth it. Hubby is 5'10" tall but it makes all the difference to him to be able to put the back of the seat further back. We did a 16,000 mile 3 month trip this summer. He never needed a back cushion.
Our micro is now located in the rear in one of the upper cabinets. I read about the rollover with a PW where the micro was over the driver and it came loose in the rollover. Fortunally is was thrown out of the RV. I am glad ours is in the rear.
Louise in FLA
2007 Pleasureway excel TS-2
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las313
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09/13/07 08:27pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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pleasureway excel increased leg room
This may not be hot off the press, but I just found out about the Excel being available in a TS-2 model. From what I understand they reduced the width of the clothes closet by 4 inches and added 4 inches to the drivers seat adjustment. With that option, a smaller microwave is mounted above the closet, but the micro/convection combination will not fit. I prefer the larger closet and convection option but it should open the door for more customers that were concerned about leg room in the Excel models. I would assume that it is available on the Excel RD and TD also.
Way to go Pleasureway,
Nick
07 Excel TS
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charles
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09/12/07 06:51pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Downsizing from a C to a B - anyone gone this route?
I've had 2 A's, 2 TT's, 1 Truck Camper, and I'm on my 3rd B. You're not comparing apples with apples, but you can do much, much more with a B, including using it to replace a car if you care to do that. They are quite suitable for use as a daily driver, they actually spoil you after awhile with all of the conveniences. Parking is easy, economy is good, the only thing you give up is space.
Nick
07 Pleasureway Excel TS
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charles
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09/10/07 11:37am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: State park camping
You can also tow a jeep with a Class B, some only can tow 3,500#, but others can tow up to 5,000#. I have a Pleasureway Excel on a Ford Chassis with V-10 and tow a Jeep Liberty that weighs around 4,000#.
Nick
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charles
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09/04/07 05:24pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Classic B vs. Sprinter
Outside storage is extremely important to me. Think of all of the gear that you need as a minimum and then think where do you put all that stuff, some of which is smelly and greasy. Some of the Roadtrek Chevy's and Pleasureway Fords offer the space needed, but if you're not in a hurry, look at them all. All dealers should have at least one of each in stock for you to compare.
Nick
2007 Pleasureway Excel TS
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charles
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08/18/07 07:41pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Trying out Pleasure-way New Excel
We actually bought our 2004 PleasureWay Excel TD without even test driving it, which we do not recommend. On the way home, we thought maybe we'd made an awful mistake. The road wander was alarming, especially in L.A. traffic where they do not let you do 60 mph. We took everybody's advice from this forum and tried everything anyone suggested to stabilize the ride and it all helped somewhat, but not as much as we hoped. Finally, we upgraded the tires to range G and THAT made the big difference. The stiffer, stronger sidewalls allowed us to stop white-knuckling it. We were told by a tire shop we trust that the tires that came on the Excel were insufficient for the conversion. The sidewalls on the original tires bulged a bit, resulting in some instability, especially on turns or in strong wind. Mind you, that was three years ago and things may be different with new units in 2007. I hope so.
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CA POPPY
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08/18/07 02:41pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Models with rear bed?
We own an twin bed Pleasureway Excel 2001. This past weekend it was raining at night so instead of a camp fire my hubby napped on one of the twin beds and my two grandchildren and I set up the larger table and played dominos. I sat on the bed with hubby making ZZZ sounds and I using him as a back bolster and they sat on the other bed with the bolsters as back rests. We had a grand time on that rainy night -- so there is room in an Excel!
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travelingartist
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08/01/07 05:43pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: B's are great
I've noticed that they've begun to stock B's around here. When I was looking 6 months ago, noone had them. Today, I was able to look at a Roadtrek Popular, Versatile, and Sprinter......also Leasure Free Spirit. Now that I've seen the others, though, I'm happier than ever about my Pleasureway Excel, which seems much roomier, and has better bathroom arrangement. The Sprinter had a convection oven, though, which was nice.....but mine is older model.
Scotty
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viking1
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07/31/07 08:45pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Models with rear bed?
We have a 1996 wide body Dodge Pleasureway excel with twin beds and like this arrangment best for our needs. When we are traveling we use the night stand between the beds for a table, leave the beds made up all the time. When we put the table between the beds we can sit across from each other and play cards,games etc. also one can use the table for the computer while the other is laying down reading, watching tv etc.Also the twin bed models do not take up any of the precious space in the trunk and the people on this forum says that the twin beds are more comfortable than all the other ones. It all depends on your needs as all the bed arrangements are good, depending how you want to use it. Bob :B
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radio man 7.262
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07/31/07 06:22am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Does Sprinter offer significant advantages over the others?
We have an 07 Pleasureway Excel TS, our second Excel, our first was the narrow body Lexor TD. We prefer the wider unit, much more room, there is no step down floor as mentioned above. It has a king size bed option and an extra 3" of width if using the twin bed arrangement, 2 inches more interior height, and 6 inches less exterior height, and 9 inches wider than the Plateau but it's also 19 inches shorter. It really isn't hard to park, even parallel parking is fairly easy. I really never considered the diesel as it was too narrow for us and they used propane for the generator which is a 2500 watt instead of the gas 2800 watt unit. BUT, BUT, the interior of the Plateau is BEAUTIFUL, and almost swayed me into buying one. One more thing, the Ford V-10 helps to keep the injectors clean by sucking in gas at an unbelievable rate, can't compete with the diesel there, I get a little under 12 mpg towing my Jeep Liberty, and a little under 14 without it, hopefully will get a little better as I get more miles on it. Finally, there's a unit out there for everyones taste, and they're all nice.
Nick
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charles
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07/26/07 05:52pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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Any ideas on the new pleasureway excel design?
I see pleasureway has a new burner arrangement on the late arriving 2007 (flat top)
Any other word on the new design changes for 2008?
New Ford van for 2008 do not know if they are going to do any other changes.
Any dealers talking?
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Canuck99
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07/15/07 09:16pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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Gas milage for Pleasureway with a V10
I am thinking of purchasing a Pleasureway "Excel" and I am wondering what type of gas milage I can expect with the V-10 engine
On edit: Moderator added PW V10 to the Subject.
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chopperdom
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07/06/07 10:52am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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