Leisure Travel Vans, need second opinion before purchase.

[lloyd528]

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?

[Neverhappy]

Nothing can justify the outrageous price tag of a DIY looking Advanced Rv.
IMHO I think they won't be around in a couple of years.

[rvit]

We have a 2014 Pleasure Way Pursuit and have put over 5000 miles on it in 3 months. We simply love it. We did not like small units with slide outs because their use of space depends on them, meaning that while moving or stopped at places where you cannot extend them, they are far less usable/comfortable than units with no slides.

IMO the length is important to consider. At 22' I can fit in almost any parking spot. As soon as you get to 24' your options become seriously diminished.

[OKPETE]

Fastpaddler wrote:

arvie wrote:
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.

And I might add that Pleasure-way cabinetry is top quality and not laminate. My 0(07 build) Plateau TS with Honey Maple wood looks almost like new and no problems with hardware of fitting NOR squeaks due to precise machining. Good luck. I liked the new PW XL somewhat but I would like to avoid slide-outs given my past experiences.

r
Hello,
I have a 2012 pleasureway rear bed and overall pleased with the layout. However, the finish on lower cabinets leaves much to be desired. My wife is very careful and I will have to refinish after 14 months of use. If you don't use the galley ,the finish is fine. The finish is a quick drying lacquer which facilities production, but is a poor finish when the sink is located above . Polyurethane should be used. We waxed at least three times. Overall the simplicity and features have been good. The factory, of course, would not help because we were 6 weeks over the one year warranty. Read carefully, the five warranty is a bit illusion army.

[bobojay5]

Lynne Jayzee wrote:

lloyd528 wrote:
...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?

in my opinion, Pleasure-Way and Coach House are of similar quality to LTV, if not better, and you would be making a mistake by not looking at units built by those companies.

Coach House does not build Class B's the last time I checked.

-LJZ

Coach House just introed a class B, the Arriva

[Lynne_Jayzee]

lloyd528 wrote:
...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?

in my opinion, Pleasure-Way and Coach House are of similar quality to LTV, if not better, and you would be making a mistake by not looking at units built by those companies.

Coach House does not build Class B's the last time I checked.

-LJZ

[wincrasher65]

jjson775 wrote:
IMHO I wouldn't get fixated on a slideout. The extra weight will reduce the net carrying capacity. Eight years ago we were in the same position you are and went with a Pleasure Way Excel. Went all over the U.S. and Canada in it, it worked out very well for us. Another consideration is a generator, we did fine without one. Our current RV has a generator and I could do without it. The key is to keep things simple and enjoy your travels and experiences, not obsess about the RV. Good luck.

Jim

I agree with Jim. Keep your RV as simple as possible and you'll increase your satisfaction with it. If you have enough LP and two house batteries, I doubt you'd need a generator. Running the AC on generator for days on end is not something most folks would do. I've been able to run my AC on a 2000 watt yamaha portable. That might be a good option for those times you must have AC.

[jjson775]

IMHO I wouldn't get fixated on a slideout. The extra weight will reduce the net carrying capacity. Eight years ago we were in the same position you are and went with a Pleasure Way Excel. Went all over the U.S. and Canada in it, it worked out very well for us. Another consideration is a generator, we did fine without one. Our current RV has a generator and I could do without it. The key is to keep things simple and enjoy your travels and experiences, not obsess about the RV. Good luck.

Jim

[bobojay5]

In my opinion, PleasureWay seems to be morphing into a class C builder.....

[Fastpaddler]

arvie wrote:
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.

And I might add that Pleasure-way cabinetry is top quality and not laminate. My 0(07 build) Plateau TS with Honey Maple wood looks almost like new and no problems with hardware of fitting NOR squeaks due to precise machining. Good luck. I liked the new PW XL somewhat but I would like to avoid slide-outs given my past experiences.

[bobojay5]

To the OP, you really need to check out AdvancedRV like DavyDD said. Like he stated, they will build to suit, use the latest technology, their wood work is beautiful and hand fitted, and the owners, Mike & Marsha are really nice folks.
On top of all that, you can order the Sprinter color and MB factory options the way you want it.
Otherwise you won't go wrong with a Leisure Travel, but keep in mind, the units they state that are B+'s, are really class C's.
Interstates, Roadtreks and ERAs are a step or 2 down in interior quality and appointments

[EsoxLucius]

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

jtappen.wordpress.com

[_B_usy]

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.

[NCWriter]

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.

[midnightsadie]

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

[bob_nestor]

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.