Leisure Travel Vans, need second opinion before purchase.

I have a 2006 Free Spirit that is extremely well built and I can recommend them wholeheartedly. I have been to the Coach House factory and they are also very well built. They have a new class B called the Arriva.

You are in Ohio so you should check out Advanced RV in Willoughby, Ohio. LTV is top quality but I think you might find Advanced RV to be better. No slide out models though. Also, you can get custom design work done to suit your desires. That was important to me after nine years of Class B experience and no converter offering a package close to what I wanted. If you are new to Class B RVing I am not sure how important that would be to you as it is hard to know what you don't know without experience. Been there.

Advanced RV

lloyd528 wrote:
My wife and I are near retirement and intend to travel in a class B. I've scoured all the class B motorhome websites and Leisure Travel has the most thorough site, with many informative videos, photos, etc. After looking at the Free Spirit SS and Unity models, with slide outs, I found my local dealer and took a tour of the Unity. I was blown away by the craftsmanship and interior and exterior design of this vehicle. I got in and out of the best Roadtreks they had and no comparison. I checked out Winnebago's best motorhome of similar size as well as the Airstream's best, but not impressed compared to the LTV offerings. Unfortunately there are no RV shows around at this time of year to get in and out of other brands such as Pleasure Way, CoachHouse, etc. Am I on to something here, that Leisure Travel Vans are a cut above the rest or am I missing something? Who has cabinetry like them? I just didn't see it in the other motorhomes, in the 22-24 size, on a Mercedes chassis.

Any suggestions, or things I should consider before buying a Free Spirit SS or the Unity, both with slide outs. Have I overlooked a coach that is top of the line?

The Unity is a small Class C, built on a cut-away chassis. It's a lot different construction than a Class B.

I will check out Advanced RV and the Coach House Arriva. If Advanced RV turns out to be good, I am in luck with them nearby. What do you think about the Airstream Interstate? Fot the money, what's the big deal? We have the funds to get a top quality class b that is small but roomy. Does LTV really have the only slide outs for class B's in the 22-24 foot range?

Pleasureway just introduced the Plateau XL widebody which is a 22 foot class c on a sprinter chassis. No slide out but it has a murphy bed. The sofa bed in the ss is rather small and the slide must be out to use the bed. I was disappointed when I saw the ss in person and except for the large bath didn't think the slide out was worth the extra money. If size isn't an issue my preference would be the Unity.

I've never owned a Leisure Travel Van and my current RV is a Roadtrek 210 that I purchased new. It's the 4th RV I've owned and the first Roadktrek. It's a nice unit and overall I'm happy with it, but I doubt I'd ever buy another. If I were to replace my Roadtrek I'd seriously consider something from Leisure Travel. (I've never owned a Pleasureway either and although they appear to be fine units I'm not a big fan of Fords which they use in many of their models.) All my RVs have been Class B's or what some used to call B+'s, although some now call small Class C's.

This isn't a complaint or a rant against Roadtrek. As I said this is the 4th RV I've owned and they all have problems that I've learned to fix and/or live with. Roadtrek did go thru a period where they had some pretty serious quality control issues back in the 2010 timeframe and unfortunately my unit is a 2010 model. Its had its share of problems, most of which I've ended up fixing myself due to problems Roadtrek has had in maintaining a local dealer and dealing promptly with warranty issues.

Dealer support is important in any RV purchase, but I'd temper my expectations of support after the sale. Most dealers are there primarily to sell units; they maintain a service department but mainly for the purpose of doing aftermarket installations and pay-for-service operations. Warranty work generally doesn't make them any money and they have to deal with the factory for authorization, etc. So warranty work usually takes a back seat to anything else going on in the service dept. That's usually what you don't want to hear when you've plunked down thousands of dollars for a new RV that ends up spending more time in the dealers service dept than in your back yard.

we have the freedom sernity II on the 3500series chasis , yr 2007 bought new , you will not find a better made rv from top to bottom quality. ours is on the sprinter chassis ,just came back form morehead city NC .round trip up and down the hills 19.8 for a 1800 mile run, the I 5 cyc engine is gone ,epa said they didn,t meet there standards . IF I was you I go to the factory, they have tours , I got a flyer if you need it. I,m in louisville oh close to the pro foot ball hall of fame . your welcome to come drive play with ours. and I know where theres used ones.jim

I also have a 2006 Free Spirit, have spent more than three months a year in it since 2010 - lots of miles - and could not be any happier.

Interesting you mentioned the cabinets. LTV's solid wood cabinetry is extremely well-fitted into the contours of the van and with 75,000 miles on it, all still aligns perfectly, despite a few trips down some mighty rough roads. The upholstery and other fittings are equally well made. Excellent workmanship lasts, which is probably why I have seen people pricing used LTVs like ours for more than we paid used in late 2010. (Who knows of course, what the final sale might be.)

I think you would also be happy with the fast and helpful customer service from the factory.

We haven't owned any class B or C except our Xplorer class B. however we did tour the Leisure travel factory last Fall and looked at several units. I was very impressed with everything I heard and saw on the tour.

As I said, I can't speak too much about the other brands, but if/when we decide to replace our current B, Leisure Travel will be one of our top choices. Advanced RV has caught my attention also, but I haven't visited them yet.

I am living in a 2013 LTV Unity U24MB, currently in Alaska, and loving it.

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