From a big B to a small C......observations

PSW wrote:
Fastpaddler,

Comparing specs on the Phoenix 2350 vs Free Spirit SS:

Phoenix is only 4 inches longer. It is one inch taller. It is twelve inches wider.

Your point is well taken about being more narrow. That, however, means less room inside of course. Four inches and one inch are no big deals.

What is a big deal is that I don't see a dedicated bed on the Free Spirit. The Phoenix Cruiser has a dedicated corner bed, a slide with the refrig and couch both sliding. The couch is dually articulated and can be a second bed, a couch or two power recliners. Additionally, there is a euro chair which is incredibly comfortable.

The other big difference is the chassis. The Phoenix 2350 is available on the Ford 350 or 450 or Sprinter. I am just NOT a diesel guy. I really checked them out and the killer for me is where you can get them serviced. Look at the online MB Sprinter site for authorized service and you will find them pretty sparse. Regular MB dealers can't lift or service them, or won't. I called around and found that to be correct, at least that was my experience. Last summer, I talked to a guy in a Sprinter chassis in a remote campground in New Mexico. He told me he broke down in Western Kansas once and had to be towed back to Kansas City, Missouri. Over two hundred miles. That confirmed my concern, at least for us.

We have two authorized service places in Oklahoma, none in Kansas, one in New Mexico and one in Colorado, for example. Also, our style of RVing is more boondocking than touring at this stage of our lives and we go to some fairly remote places in the (mostly)western states. I don't want to breakdown in between Oklahoma City and Albuquerque and have the decision of which way to be towed: east or west a few hundred miles. The limited size of the propane tank for a boondock of a couple of weeks is a problem with a propane genset.

We took all those factors into consideration. Each owner has to determine what is best for them and each camps and uses the RV differently. The Leisure Travel products are extremely attractive. I spent two hours looking at that incredible Unity Murphy bed and the interior is top of the line on all their products, but I just didn't want anything but a gasser. Fords and Chevys can be serviced in about every county seat and are not unfamiliar to small local garages. Of course, the MB Sprinter is incredibly reliable and the probability of "breaking down" is remote. Still............

PSW
2350 Phoenix Cruiser

Good points and logical ones given your situation, servicing needs and preference for gasser. i found the dedicated rear bed in my Winnebago Aspect to be a corkscrew affair in the corner and I had to haul myself over my wife. For that reason i like the electric centre section of the Murphy type bed in the SS. It isnt really wide but big enough and walkaround too. I found the width of my two Cs to be a problem for me in making tight turns(big turning circle) and in shoe-horning into parking spots. In the US parking lots are bigger though. I think you have a lovely unit and I wish you all the best.

AL