DRV vs Excel

For DRV's check out: SOITC

They are one of several dealers that have good reputations. I bought our MS from Russ Dean Family RV in Pasco, WA as they were the closest dealer to me and they matched what other dealers would do. Going through the dealer you will be able to modify your unit quite a bit. Mix and match from various models, have special "stuff" you buy sent to DRV to be installed, and on and on.

This is our second MS and couldn't be happier. We snowbird in it and it is very livable, even with 2 German Shepherd Dogs as throw rugs! Lots of room. As with all rigs, there are a few minor issues and I will take care of what I want/can and let the dealer do the other. If we are ever in the market for another 5er, DRV would be at the top of the list.

Enjoy.

Acei wrote:
And as a separate question to everyone - is it feasible for a buyer to directly order from the factory without going through a dealer? Factories aren't that far away from my location, so this is feasible. I've always wondered how you can specify some of the customizations you want through a dealer... As an example, I'd like to install 4 x 6V batteries along with the matching set of solar panels, which I don't think is a standard setup for any trailers.

Also, would any of these manufacturer accommodate requests like replacing their typical 40-ish inch TV with a 55+ inch TV on the rear entertainment floorplans? This could potentially mean no windows on the rear panels which would normally be present.

Some custom mfg. don't use dealers. New Horizons is one and there are a couple others. DRV requires a dealer but you can work the factory to make changes. Batteries are an easy add on for them and if they don't offer an option like the installed solar panels they will let you buy them and have them delivered to the factory where they will install them during manufacturing the camper. I had Sea Level gauges installed that way. The large TV is no problem either and they will delete windows if you desire. A dealer that posts on the Suites forum, Alicia from Rolling Retreats in OK, had a 60 inch, IIRC, installed on the back wall of her camper.

As to ordering direct from The manufacturer, with DRV, you can't.
We had a bunch of customizations, from deleting cabinets to custom drawer sizes. We worked with DRV and they kept an order list. Once we had our decisions made, we basically put it out to bid with all the dealers that were within driving distance of us. They could call DRV and find out the cost of our customizations. We went with the dealer who gave us the best deal, including our trade in.

CoMoCo wrote:
Layzee Acres is pretty firm on their pricing. Their pricing includes PDI, freight, etc. The only thing added was tax. We also had 2 6 volt batteries, Maxx air covers and 2 small options included that were missed on the order form. From what I understand they are selling very well (and quickly when new stock arrives). The 36FW is 38 ft.

We got about 19% off MSRP and we got an excellent value for our trade.

On edit: Acei or Hone Eagle - if you want a 2013 pricing spreadsheet I can send you one from January of this year. I see the 2014 units are out now so it may be a bit out of date. PM me with an email address if you want it.

Thanks for the offer ,but we went with a Newmar 5th (Torrey Pine) New lifestyle is a dream for another time.

CoMoCo - PM sent!

Layzee Acres is pretty firm on their pricing. Their pricing includes PDI, freight, etc. The only thing added was tax. We also had 2 6 volt batteries, Maxx air covers and 2 small options included that were missed on the order form. From what I understand they are selling very well (and quickly when new stock arrives). The 36FW is 38 ft.

We got about 19% off MSRP and we got an excellent value for our trade.

On edit: Acei or Hone Eagle - if you want a 2013 pricing spreadsheet I can send you one from January of this year. I see the 2014 units are out now so it may be a bit out of date. PM me with an email address if you want it.

Layzee acres had a price on the table of the 36 FWS , they were asking $82,000 dont know if thats a hard bottom or a starting point ,but be aware its close to 40 'long.
Claim they cant enough to meet their customer demand -shrug shoulder - ?

CoMoCo wrote:
Acei - we were shopping over the past 2 years and were focused on Carriages and DRVs. Obviously we stopped looking at Carriages but we did look at Lifestyle in their place.

We decided on the Lifestyle 36FW over a Mobile Suites for a number of reasons. IMHO, the DRV dealer in London does not like to negotiate price. I also heard this comment from a number of other people who were looking to buy a DRV from them. In fact, one person I spoke to asked the London dealer if they would consider matching a US dealer's price on a cash deal and the London dealer declined - they wouldn't lower their price at all to be a bit more competitive on price.

A DRV dealer in Michigan was willing to negotiate price but it was a bit of a hassle for us as we had a trade to consider.

In the US, I believe cash deals on DRVs were approximately 25% off MSRP.

We are happy with our choice of the Lifestyle 36FW. We purchased it at Layzee Acres - just outside Orillia. We are happy with the price we paid and the trade-in price of our Jayco Designer.

Good to know that the London dealer doesn't negotiate. Since we don't have a trailer to trade-in, I don't think there will be a problem for us to buy a trailer from US. Michigan sounds close enough for me. But I'm not solidly set on the DRV just yet.

I've also seen that Layzee Acres dealer on Liftstyle website. How much discount were you able to get (in %) off the MSRP, if you don't mind sharing the info?

And as a separate question to everyone - is it feasible for a buyer to directly order from the factory without going through a dealer? Factories aren't that far away from my location, so this is feasible. I've always wondered how you can specify some of the customizations you want through a dealer... As an example, I'd like to install 4 x 6V batteries along with the matching set of solar panels, which I don't think is a standard setup for any trailers.

Also, would any of these manufacturer accommodate requests like replacing their typical 40-ish inch TV with a 55+ inch TV on the rear entertainment floorplans? This could potentially mean no windows on the rear panels which would normally be present.

Acei - we were shopping over the past 2 years and were focused on Carriages and DRVs. Obviously we stopped looking at Carriages but we did look at Lifestyle in their place.

We decided on the Lifestyle 36FW over a Mobile Suites for a number of reasons. IMHO, the DRV dealer in London does not like to negotiate price. I also heard this comment from a number of other people who were looking to buy a DRV from them. In fact, one person I spoke to asked the London dealer if they would consider matching a US dealer's price on a cash deal and the London dealer declined - they wouldn't lower their price at all to be a bit more competitive on price.

A DRV dealer in Michigan was willing to negotiate price but it was a bit of a hassle for us as we had a trade to consider.

In the US, I believe cash deals on DRVs were approximately 25% off MSRP.

We are happy with our choice of the Lifestyle 36FW. We purchased it at Layzee Acres - just outside Orillia. We are happy with the price we paid and the trade-in price of our Jayco Designer.

R12RTee wrote:

Acei wrote:
Kinda hard to get the prices for the 32ft DRVs since they are apparently special order only. I've seen 2013 Excel 31ft models go for as low as $65kUS after some discount, which is actually not that much higher than Keystone Montanas...

Am I reading this right?

Dealers can supply you with the price sheets for the asking. Here are the DRV's MSRP for 2012 base unit. Options are extra of course. Figure about another 5% higher for 2014.


32TK3 Telescoping Kitchen Triple Slide $81,948
32RS3 Rear Sofa Triple Slide $81,948
36RS3 Rear Sofa Triple Slide $85,232
36TK3 Telescoping Kitchen Triple Slide $85,232
38PS3 Private Suite Triple Slide $98,304
36RSSB3 Rear Sofa Side Bath Triple Slide $86,826
36TKSB3 Telescoping Kitchen Side Bath Triple Slide $86,826
36TKSB4 Telescoping Kitchen Side Bath Vanity Quad Slide $89,052
38RESB3 Rear Entertainment Center Side Bath Triple Slide $96,128
38RSSB3 Rear Sofa Side Bath Large Kitchen Triple Slide $95,012
38TKSB3 Telescoping Kitchen Side Bath Triple Slide $95,012
38REPS3 Rear Entertainment Center Private Suite Triple Slide $95,012
38SKSB3 Straight Kitchen Side Bath Triple Slide $96,128
41RESB4 Rear Entertainment Center Side Bath Quad Slide $93,496

Thanks for the info. Do you get the typical 20% discount over MSRP for these as well?