PW Excel Buying Process
Our Quest to a Pleasure Way
Back in 2009, Vickie and I visited the Santa Barbara, Claifornia RV Show, which was held at the Earl Warren Showgrounds. This was our first RV show, but we were already enjoying camping in our aging 5th wheel trailer. The many types of vehicles were fun to explore. We learned how people could afford these things; payments over 20 years and interest tax deduction for their second home on wheels. We discovered that many of the sales crew did not work directly for the dealers whose vehicles they were trying to sell; some dealers cannot afford to send all of their sales force to the shows, so they hire “show dogs” or “carnival workers” to cover the shows. I understand that the temps follow the shows, with their work. This trip also started a “love / hate” relationship with McMahon RV. While inspecting one of the McMahon RV trailers, we found a three-page document left over from the previous RV show in Pomona. A disgruntled customer who described his many problems dealing with McMahon RV apparently placed it.
McMahon RV was selling both Roadtrek and Pleasure Way van conversions at the time; these Class B RVs were a marvel to us and it was fun learning about them. Pleasure Way Ambassador, Rick, a local with much related travel experience was great answering our questions about the real use of an Excel.
Why did the Class Bs look so good to us; how did we know we could make them work? Many years ago, we ordered a Volkswagen camper to be picked up in Germany. With our two young kids, we boarded the Swedish freighter Axel Johnson in Vancouver and sailed for a month before making our way to Wiedenbruck, Germany where the VW vans were fitted with camping equipment. We picked up our Westfalia camper. At the time, Westfalia made most of its money by building agricultural trailers. Our VW was the first version with their pop-top opening to the front of the vehicle and it had a refrigerator and a second battery, just for the refrigerator. We spent 8 months camping around Europe and North Africa before taking the Yugoslavian cargo ship, Tuhobic, back to the United States, with our camper lashed to the deck. Our third son arrived soon after returning, and then we spent 5 months camping in the United States, Canada, and Alaska until the, at one time, down payment for our first house was used up. We figured that if we survived the VW, these van conversions should do well.
The Roadtrek 210 Popular and Pleasure Way Excel both looked like what we wanted. We made pro and con lists for each vehicle. This is when we realized that the selection process would include many compromises. We were always on the lookout for these vans; so we could talk with owners and ask our never-ending questions. The McMahon RV file was added to as we found references on line and in magazine Action Line type columns. We even had a firsthand report from a recent McMahon RV Pleasure Way buyer we talked to in our local RV park. Yes, we walked campgrounds a lot; mainly to see which sites we might have a chance of getting into with our 5th wheel.
The 2010 Santa Barbara RV show came; and we went. McMahon RV had stopped selling Roadtreks, so their informative salesman, Marshall, had lots of reasons why we would not want a Roadtrek. He gave us many areas to compare and told us how to remove any unwanted van decals. Marshall had his family with him and they were enjoying visiting the local area. He seemed like a guy we would want to buy from in the future. To be sure, the Roadtrek sales force suggested reasons for not buying a Pleasure Way. Talking to factory representatives at the shows was very informative. The Roadtrek sales literature provided more information than Pleasure Way. Over the few years that we checked, the Pleasure Way web site looked like a work in progress. We started putting up ads for used Pleasure Way Excels around our Valley; nothing happened.
McMahon RV did not participate in the 2011 Santa Barbara RV show. On one camping trip to El Capitain State Beach, we hiked west to the next state park, Refugio State Beach. There, in the campground was a lone Pleasure Way Excel. Owners Liz and Bob were getting ready for their first night in the Excel and both were very generous with information. We mentioned our problem about gaining knowledge from the Pleasure Way RV Club West; where better to find out about these things but from visiting a group of owners? Our dilemma was that only Pleasure Way owners could join the Club. When Liz and Bob found out that we were from Buellton, they mentioned that later in the year the PWRVCW would be having a get together in our town. We checked with Flying Flags RV Park and found out that indeed, there were dates for the Pleasure Way meet. We had been asking many RV owners about their insurance companies. All were very happy with their insurance companies; but none seemed to have had any claim experience.
It was great to see all of the Pleasure Ways driving around Buellton, and better yet to see the relative sea of parked units at Flying Flags. We met Marg, President of the PWRVCW and Barbara– Lynn of the Yahoo open to all group, PW ClassB Vans. They, and others, were very responsive to our questions. No agreement of which insurance company was best for Pleasure Ways was evident. Marg e-mailed information to us when Excels became available on her for sale list.
Even before we started to camp regularly in our 5th wheel, we liked to watch a local infomercial from Sky River RV of Paso Robles; eventually a Roadtrek dealer. Their charismatic General Manager, Michael Beardsly, would visit local camping spots and report on why you should have an RV and be camping there. Michael’s manner is unlike that of most salesmen, and we look forward to watching his shows. One day, an infomercial from Mullahey RV Collision & Service Center in Arroyo Grande showed up. In part, the service manager, Rory, was interviewed. Rory talked about his job of working with the insurance companies to have them approve repairs that his customers needed. Rory would know about insurance company quality, so one non- workday for Rory I found him in his office and we talked of many things. Rory told me that from what he had experienced, the American Automobile Association claims adjusters from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties were the best with their customers; so good that he changed his own insurance to AAA! When asked about common problems that brought Excel type vans to his facility, he told me about damage caused by hitting the bottom vehicle parts on things; low ground clearance. Rory sent me off with many bottle openers and business cards, and the strange feeling of hoping that something major would need fixing on our trailer so that I could bring it to his shop.
Remember McMahon RV’s Marshall from the RV show? We were ready to buy a Pleasure Way so we called and e-mailed him; messages were not returned. The main theme of our McMahon RV file was that they were not responsive to customers and they did not do what they said they would. Later we found out that Marshall is working in McMahon RV’s Colton location. McMahon RV talks of their Better Business Bureau rating. Looking at the BBB information, McMahon RV has had what seemed like many complaints; most for not doing what they had contracted to do. Apparently, resolving these complaints allows McMahon RV to keep its misleading, to us, BBB rating. One thing that slowed us in buying a new Pleasure Way was the wait for Pleasure Way to find another dealer in Southern California; one with a better reputation.
In 2012, we decided to explore obtaining a Pleasure Way Excel from McMahon RV’s new Westminster location; the previous site, Traveland, in Irvine is being turned into something else; after almost 40 years. Working to find a desired unit still involved way too many compromises. The McMahon RV web site had an Excel that looked like it could be for us. The pesky Live Chat Attendant who keeps popping up on top of what you are trying to read on the McMahon RV web site, is really back east, somewhere; not even an RV person; just passes on your message; if you can connect with him. When we arrived at the Westminster dealership, as seemed typical, the trainee who first meets us on the lot quickly turns us over to “The Van Guy” after we ask a couple questions about the Pleasure Way or Roadtrek. We respect that new sales people have much to learn about the many RVs on the lot.
Our Van Guy was Jim who was knowledgeable and seemed sincere. When we stepped inside our advertised as new “dream van” things were definitely not right. It had just returned from an RV show. Beverage containers and trash were on the floor; as if thrown over the driver’s shoulder. Loose table type components were not stored, and one rear side window screen was missing. The most disheartening things seen were the noticeable gaps between the ceiling and cabinet tops and one buckled wood trim piece below the ceiling. It looked like the van had been taken over a jump; or dropped. Jim explained how McMahon RV hires an outside company to transport most of their RVs to and from RV shows. Related; it took Jim some time to find the keys to another van that had been returned from a show. We also learned how the Excel advertised fresh water storage capacity went from 24 gallons to 30 gallons one year; the water heater capacity had been added in.
With hopes for our first pick van dashed, we ran into more of those compromises while looking at the remaining Excel stock. By observing the Stock Numbers such as PW806, on their web site, you can watch as some of the vans are rotated around McMahon RV’s Arizona and Southern California locations; looking for a better sales climate. The lower the Stock number, the longer McMahon RV has been trying to sell the related vehicle.
We finally found the Excel that we wanted, but when comparing the Pleasure Way Excel Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (M.S.R.P.) list to see that all of the items listed were present, we pointed out to Jim that the Ford and Coach VINs did not match; paper to vehicle. Only the Stock number matched. Eventually, on a subsequently provided M.S.R.P. list, the van options and VINs matched; but for some reason, the bottom number on the Pleasure Way M.S.R.P. sheet (the Sub Total) was not a correct addition of the Base M.S.R.P., Options, and Freight costs). That day was like being in Alice’s Wonderland. The test drive went well. The on-line recommended extended run at about 65 mph showed that the van was a little goosey, but not as bad as the Ford tow vehicle we were already using. We could work with its characteristics. Pleasure Way had already installed a ROADMASTER rear anti- sway bar kit. A one and a half inch diameter steel bar that probably cut into our payload capability.
Price negotiations with Jim were interesting, as you might expect from car buying experiences, but we wish we had a camera when Jim was on his knees, begging us to raise one of our offers. After agreeing to a price for the van, we were ushered to the office of the “Paperwork Guy”. Ron was business like in our signing of all of the paper work; he explained things well. Ron was an active Marine for 21 years and he has examples of his pen making and scroll saw work in his office. The only “extra” Ron mentioned was that if we gave him our e-mail address, RV America Insurance would send us an insurance quote. Jim said that they did not have time to prep the vehicle for us that afternoon, so we agreed to return after our planned camping trip to Emma Wood State Beach, which started the next day; to a favorite camping site there next to a spur of the actual 1927 concrete Coast Highway. When stopping by home, we had a request about registration and e-mailed both Jim and Ron at the addresses printed on their McMahon RV business cards. Both messages bounced; address not known. Remember that McMahon RV file?
Costs in addition of the agreed upon selling price were:
Excel preparation, safety check, detailing, demo, and RV Starter Kit - $995.00
Documentation Preparation Fee – $55.
Use / Sales Tax – 7.75% Santa Barbara County sales tax rate on agreed sales price plus prep ($995.), and document prep fee ($55.)
DMV License - California DMV calculator
Many State Registration Fees - $88.
Tire disposal fee - $12.25
After our camping trip, our son, Clint, ferried us down to Westminster to pick up our Excel. The demonstration of features was good; not that we remember all of the fine points. They took pictures of a bent / loose trim strip on top of one of the ottomans and told us that another would be mailed to us; with adhesive. Jim promised us a copy of the pre-delivery preps and inspection. Paperwork to start the delayed warrantees for both the Ford and coach were filled out. Back to Ron’s office to finish paperwork. Ron did tell us about an extended warrantee from Portfolio; 7 year, 85,000 miles for just over $3000. The promised inspection / safety check list still was not offered. Looking back, I should have had this listed on the Due Bill, near the “Full tank of fuel”, that was listed. The Due Bill states the only things left that McMahon RV is contracted to perform; any verbal or other writings do not count. I suspect that the Due Bill is what you could take to the BBB so that McMahon RV would resolve the disconnect; to keep its rating as a BBB Accredited Business.
We signed a “Bought As Is” form as McMahon RV is not responsible for any of the warrantee work; that is through Ford, Pleasure Way, and the many component manufacturers. The Pleasure Way Warranty for the parts that they built for us is 36 months / 36,000 miles for the original purchaser. But, a sub set of items has only a 90 day warranty and another group of things has a warrantee of 12 months / 12,000 miles.
Then our long anticipated event took place. We adjusted mirror type things and drove off of the McMahon RV lot to head home using our full tank of gas. It cost 6.0% less than the Pleasure Way Sub Total M.S.R.P. to get the Excel on the road; including insurance. Because of the many variables and compromises experienced by each person, comparison to what others have paid loses some of its value. I am pretty sure that Mr. McMahon did not go hungry from our visit. You know about Rescue Dogs? As the miles passed, we felt better that we were doing right by rescuing this Pleasure Way from McMahon RV. Approaching Carpinteria, we decided to stop and celebrate with one of the great hot dogs from Surf Dog. Bill Connell has been bringing his mobile stand to the Carpinteria Bluffs for many years. Bill’s claim to fame is that he finally beat California State Attorney General Jerry Brown who did not like that Bill was not charging sales tax or paying any to the State. An 1872 law on the books exempts Disabled Veterans who are street peddlers from “paying any license, tax, or fee whatsoever.” It took Bill 16 years of testifying before the Board of Equalization to teach bureaucrats how to read the above words in quotes. The Pleasure Way connection in all of this is that while we were enjoying our sweet Polish dogs, a jogger was stopped by the sight our van and commented with ”Wow. What is this? I have never seen one; it is great!” Things had come full circle; the jogger’s reaction was the same as ours when we started our quest long ago. Now we are answering the questions.
When we arrived at home, and started exploring our van, we found that we had been sent off with a full propane tank and the water heater on. The full tank of water we had carried from McMahon RV turned out to smell and foam like dishwashing detergent. Flushing of the water tank produced soft and hard manufacturing debris. The 3 problems we identified were minor. But, McMahon RV sure did not earn their preparation fee; still no related report or Due Bill trim strip for us.
RV America Insurance works with five, or so, insurance companies to find the “best” policy for you. Our promised quote was from Progressive. They included Total Loss Replacement / Purchase Price insurance similar to the Good Sam option, along with campsite / RV liability insurance, and a combined total medical / death coverage of $1000 for any cats or dogs traveling in the RV. I went on line to Progressive’s site to get a quote for the same coverage as provided through RV America; on line, it was a little higher. Both Progressive quotes were about $500 for 30 days of use per year.
AAA wants a little less money than Progressive for their insurance; higher liability limits for 2500 miles per year use, but none of the desirable RV coverage.
The Excel contained:
10’ light duty sewer hose
25’ electric hook up 30-amp cable
TV stand to be used if TV removed from van; found in kitchen drawer
Dometic thank you of jelly, shaped candy; found in refrigerator
8 oz Aqua- Kem Liquid; found in bathroom
Along with the Excel came a Pleasure Way satchel containing:
Ford owner’s manual, warrantee, and related literature
Appliance literature; lots of them
DVD remote
TV remote
Firestone suspension remote
120 VAC to 12 VDC converter to power TV if taken out of van
4 awning pole stakes
Shower curtain for bathroom window shade
Some unknown leftover parts
The Excel Owner’s Manual; at least 2 years out of date; have asked for a newer one
Identifying Ford options and appliance model numbers has taken some time
The RV Starter Kit was made up of:
Four rolls RV toilet tissue
Travel checklist
10’ light duty sewer drain hose
Inlet fitting and clamp for above hose
40-50 psi water pressure regulator
25’ drinking water hose
30-amp to 20-amp electrical cord adaptor
Bubble level
Two packages of Aqua-Kem Dri
One concern that I have is that as Pleasure Way adds features to their vans, corners are cut on exiting things to keep price rise down. I have lost my kitchen window and Pleasure Way tells me that those two small pillows that are shown in their Sofa Demonstration video and still pictures are now an option; available from my dealer. Pleasure Way has been very responsive to our questions.
One recent new feature is the addition of RV-ID, a GPS and wireless network vehicle tracking and alert service. On line, we can view the routes of our trips on top of Google Earth satellite images and receive e-mail alerts, such as “The battery in your Ford may be running low.” The related video on Pleasure Way’s web site tells of a test ride driver taking off in an Excel from McMahon RV; she was apprehended just short of the Nevada state line; in part due to RV-ID.
Our first camping trip was to Morro Bay State Park; dry camping for 3 nights; similar to our trailer use. Everything we used, worked. After 3 full days and nights, the refrigerator, which was running on propane, cried uncle; the Ford and generator were not started during our stay and the battery voltage was down to 11.0 Volts. We had not used the TV or furnace. At the end of our stay, the waste and fresh water tanks each registered 1/3 full; mostly from a total of six showers. The Ford computer calculated 13.4 miles per gallon for our 157-mile trip powered by the V-8. This is more than twice the mileage of our previous rig.
Now it was time to sell our 25-year-old Fire Ball 5th wheel trailer and 25-year-old Ford pickup tow vehicle. Even with the 34 camping trips taken during this reported saga, I never got the knack for backing into the desired spot in a reasonable amount of time. We also look forward to traveling outside of our AAA towing radius.
We are finally enjoying being Pleasure Way owners; appreciation of the design and craftsmanship of the Excel is a large part of that. We have joined PWRVCW and we look forward to being shown the secret handshake during a future gathering.
This has been our experience –
Chuck & Vickie Sorensen
Buellton, California
2012 Excel TS
We will later post how our Excel was used in its first year.
Back in 2009, Vickie and I visited the Santa Barbara, Claifornia RV Show, which was held at the Earl Warren Showgrounds. This was our first RV show, but we were already enjoying camping in our aging 5th wheel trailer. The many types of vehicles were fun to explore. We learned how people could afford these things; payments over 20 years and interest tax deduction for their second home on wheels. We discovered that many of the sales crew did not work directly for the dealers whose vehicles they were trying to sell; some dealers cannot afford to send all of their sales force to the shows, so they hire “show dogs” or “carnival workers” to cover the shows. I understand that the temps follow the shows, with their work. This trip also started a “love / hate” relationship with McMahon RV. While inspecting one of the McMahon RV trailers, we found a three-page document left over from the previous RV show in Pomona. A disgruntled customer who described his many problems dealing with McMahon RV apparently placed it.
McMahon RV was selling both Roadtrek and Pleasure Way van conversions at the time; these Class B RVs were a marvel to us and it was fun learning about them. Pleasure Way Ambassador, Rick, a local with much related travel experience was great answering our questions about the real use of an Excel.
Why did the Class Bs look so good to us; how did we know we could make them work? Many years ago, we ordered a Volkswagen camper to be picked up in Germany. With our two young kids, we boarded the Swedish freighter Axel Johnson in Vancouver and sailed for a month before making our way to Wiedenbruck, Germany where the VW vans were fitted with camping equipment. We picked up our Westfalia camper. At the time, Westfalia made most of its money by building agricultural trailers. Our VW was the first version with their pop-top opening to the front of the vehicle and it had a refrigerator and a second battery, just for the refrigerator. We spent 8 months camping around Europe and North Africa before taking the Yugoslavian cargo ship, Tuhobic, back to the United States, with our camper lashed to the deck. Our third son arrived soon after returning, and then we spent 5 months camping in the United States, Canada, and Alaska until the, at one time, down payment for our first house was used up. We figured that if we survived the VW, these van conversions should do well.
The Roadtrek 210 Popular and Pleasure Way Excel both looked like what we wanted. We made pro and con lists for each vehicle. This is when we realized that the selection process would include many compromises. We were always on the lookout for these vans; so we could talk with owners and ask our never-ending questions. The McMahon RV file was added to as we found references on line and in magazine Action Line type columns. We even had a firsthand report from a recent McMahon RV Pleasure Way buyer we talked to in our local RV park. Yes, we walked campgrounds a lot; mainly to see which sites we might have a chance of getting into with our 5th wheel.
The 2010 Santa Barbara RV show came; and we went. McMahon RV had stopped selling Roadtreks, so their informative salesman, Marshall, had lots of reasons why we would not want a Roadtrek. He gave us many areas to compare and told us how to remove any unwanted van decals. Marshall had his family with him and they were enjoying visiting the local area. He seemed like a guy we would want to buy from in the future. To be sure, the Roadtrek sales force suggested reasons for not buying a Pleasure Way. Talking to factory representatives at the shows was very informative. The Roadtrek sales literature provided more information than Pleasure Way. Over the few years that we checked, the Pleasure Way web site looked like a work in progress. We started putting up ads for used Pleasure Way Excels around our Valley; nothing happened.
McMahon RV did not participate in the 2011 Santa Barbara RV show. On one camping trip to El Capitain State Beach, we hiked west to the next state park, Refugio State Beach. There, in the campground was a lone Pleasure Way Excel. Owners Liz and Bob were getting ready for their first night in the Excel and both were very generous with information. We mentioned our problem about gaining knowledge from the Pleasure Way RV Club West; where better to find out about these things but from visiting a group of owners? Our dilemma was that only Pleasure Way owners could join the Club. When Liz and Bob found out that we were from Buellton, they mentioned that later in the year the PWRVCW would be having a get together in our town. We checked with Flying Flags RV Park and found out that indeed, there were dates for the Pleasure Way meet. We had been asking many RV owners about their insurance companies. All were very happy with their insurance companies; but none seemed to have had any claim experience.
It was great to see all of the Pleasure Ways driving around Buellton, and better yet to see the relative sea of parked units at Flying Flags. We met Marg, President of the PWRVCW and Barbara– Lynn of the Yahoo open to all group, PW ClassB Vans. They, and others, were very responsive to our questions. No agreement of which insurance company was best for Pleasure Ways was evident. Marg e-mailed information to us when Excels became available on her for sale list.
Even before we started to camp regularly in our 5th wheel, we liked to watch a local infomercial from Sky River RV of Paso Robles; eventually a Roadtrek dealer. Their charismatic General Manager, Michael Beardsly, would visit local camping spots and report on why you should have an RV and be camping there. Michael’s manner is unlike that of most salesmen, and we look forward to watching his shows. One day, an infomercial from Mullahey RV Collision & Service Center in Arroyo Grande showed up. In part, the service manager, Rory, was interviewed. Rory talked about his job of working with the insurance companies to have them approve repairs that his customers needed. Rory would know about insurance company quality, so one non- workday for Rory I found him in his office and we talked of many things. Rory told me that from what he had experienced, the American Automobile Association claims adjusters from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties were the best with their customers; so good that he changed his own insurance to AAA! When asked about common problems that brought Excel type vans to his facility, he told me about damage caused by hitting the bottom vehicle parts on things; low ground clearance. Rory sent me off with many bottle openers and business cards, and the strange feeling of hoping that something major would need fixing on our trailer so that I could bring it to his shop.
Remember McMahon RV’s Marshall from the RV show? We were ready to buy a Pleasure Way so we called and e-mailed him; messages were not returned. The main theme of our McMahon RV file was that they were not responsive to customers and they did not do what they said they would. Later we found out that Marshall is working in McMahon RV’s Colton location. McMahon RV talks of their Better Business Bureau rating. Looking at the BBB information, McMahon RV has had what seemed like many complaints; most for not doing what they had contracted to do. Apparently, resolving these complaints allows McMahon RV to keep its misleading, to us, BBB rating. One thing that slowed us in buying a new Pleasure Way was the wait for Pleasure Way to find another dealer in Southern California; one with a better reputation.
In 2012, we decided to explore obtaining a Pleasure Way Excel from McMahon RV’s new Westminster location; the previous site, Traveland, in Irvine is being turned into something else; after almost 40 years. Working to find a desired unit still involved way too many compromises. The McMahon RV web site had an Excel that looked like it could be for us. The pesky Live Chat Attendant who keeps popping up on top of what you are trying to read on the McMahon RV web site, is really back east, somewhere; not even an RV person; just passes on your message; if you can connect with him. When we arrived at the Westminster dealership, as seemed typical, the trainee who first meets us on the lot quickly turns us over to “The Van Guy” after we ask a couple questions about the Pleasure Way or Roadtrek. We respect that new sales people have much to learn about the many RVs on the lot.
Our Van Guy was Jim who was knowledgeable and seemed sincere. When we stepped inside our advertised as new “dream van” things were definitely not right. It had just returned from an RV show. Beverage containers and trash were on the floor; as if thrown over the driver’s shoulder. Loose table type components were not stored, and one rear side window screen was missing. The most disheartening things seen were the noticeable gaps between the ceiling and cabinet tops and one buckled wood trim piece below the ceiling. It looked like the van had been taken over a jump; or dropped. Jim explained how McMahon RV hires an outside company to transport most of their RVs to and from RV shows. Related; it took Jim some time to find the keys to another van that had been returned from a show. We also learned how the Excel advertised fresh water storage capacity went from 24 gallons to 30 gallons one year; the water heater capacity had been added in.
With hopes for our first pick van dashed, we ran into more of those compromises while looking at the remaining Excel stock. By observing the Stock Numbers such as PW806, on their web site, you can watch as some of the vans are rotated around McMahon RV’s Arizona and Southern California locations; looking for a better sales climate. The lower the Stock number, the longer McMahon RV has been trying to sell the related vehicle.
We finally found the Excel that we wanted, but when comparing the Pleasure Way Excel Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (M.S.R.P.) list to see that all of the items listed were present, we pointed out to Jim that the Ford and Coach VINs did not match; paper to vehicle. Only the Stock number matched. Eventually, on a subsequently provided M.S.R.P. list, the van options and VINs matched; but for some reason, the bottom number on the Pleasure Way M.S.R.P. sheet (the Sub Total) was not a correct addition of the Base M.S.R.P., Options, and Freight costs). That day was like being in Alice’s Wonderland. The test drive went well. The on-line recommended extended run at about 65 mph showed that the van was a little goosey, but not as bad as the Ford tow vehicle we were already using. We could work with its characteristics. Pleasure Way had already installed a ROADMASTER rear anti- sway bar kit. A one and a half inch diameter steel bar that probably cut into our payload capability.
Price negotiations with Jim were interesting, as you might expect from car buying experiences, but we wish we had a camera when Jim was on his knees, begging us to raise one of our offers. After agreeing to a price for the van, we were ushered to the office of the “Paperwork Guy”. Ron was business like in our signing of all of the paper work; he explained things well. Ron was an active Marine for 21 years and he has examples of his pen making and scroll saw work in his office. The only “extra” Ron mentioned was that if we gave him our e-mail address, RV America Insurance would send us an insurance quote. Jim said that they did not have time to prep the vehicle for us that afternoon, so we agreed to return after our planned camping trip to Emma Wood State Beach, which started the next day; to a favorite camping site there next to a spur of the actual 1927 concrete Coast Highway. When stopping by home, we had a request about registration and e-mailed both Jim and Ron at the addresses printed on their McMahon RV business cards. Both messages bounced; address not known. Remember that McMahon RV file?
Costs in addition of the agreed upon selling price were:
Excel preparation, safety check, detailing, demo, and RV Starter Kit - $995.00
Documentation Preparation Fee – $55.
Use / Sales Tax – 7.75% Santa Barbara County sales tax rate on agreed sales price plus prep ($995.), and document prep fee ($55.)
DMV License - California DMV calculator
Many State Registration Fees - $88.
Tire disposal fee - $12.25
After our camping trip, our son, Clint, ferried us down to Westminster to pick up our Excel. The demonstration of features was good; not that we remember all of the fine points. They took pictures of a bent / loose trim strip on top of one of the ottomans and told us that another would be mailed to us; with adhesive. Jim promised us a copy of the pre-delivery preps and inspection. Paperwork to start the delayed warrantees for both the Ford and coach were filled out. Back to Ron’s office to finish paperwork. Ron did tell us about an extended warrantee from Portfolio; 7 year, 85,000 miles for just over $3000. The promised inspection / safety check list still was not offered. Looking back, I should have had this listed on the Due Bill, near the “Full tank of fuel”, that was listed. The Due Bill states the only things left that McMahon RV is contracted to perform; any verbal or other writings do not count. I suspect that the Due Bill is what you could take to the BBB so that McMahon RV would resolve the disconnect; to keep its rating as a BBB Accredited Business.
We signed a “Bought As Is” form as McMahon RV is not responsible for any of the warrantee work; that is through Ford, Pleasure Way, and the many component manufacturers. The Pleasure Way Warranty for the parts that they built for us is 36 months / 36,000 miles for the original purchaser. But, a sub set of items has only a 90 day warranty and another group of things has a warrantee of 12 months / 12,000 miles.
Then our long anticipated event took place. We adjusted mirror type things and drove off of the McMahon RV lot to head home using our full tank of gas. It cost 6.0% less than the Pleasure Way Sub Total M.S.R.P. to get the Excel on the road; including insurance. Because of the many variables and compromises experienced by each person, comparison to what others have paid loses some of its value. I am pretty sure that Mr. McMahon did not go hungry from our visit. You know about Rescue Dogs? As the miles passed, we felt better that we were doing right by rescuing this Pleasure Way from McMahon RV. Approaching Carpinteria, we decided to stop and celebrate with one of the great hot dogs from Surf Dog. Bill Connell has been bringing his mobile stand to the Carpinteria Bluffs for many years. Bill’s claim to fame is that he finally beat California State Attorney General Jerry Brown who did not like that Bill was not charging sales tax or paying any to the State. An 1872 law on the books exempts Disabled Veterans who are street peddlers from “paying any license, tax, or fee whatsoever.” It took Bill 16 years of testifying before the Board of Equalization to teach bureaucrats how to read the above words in quotes. The Pleasure Way connection in all of this is that while we were enjoying our sweet Polish dogs, a jogger was stopped by the sight our van and commented with ”Wow. What is this? I have never seen one; it is great!” Things had come full circle; the jogger’s reaction was the same as ours when we started our quest long ago. Now we are answering the questions.
When we arrived at home, and started exploring our van, we found that we had been sent off with a full propane tank and the water heater on. The full tank of water we had carried from McMahon RV turned out to smell and foam like dishwashing detergent. Flushing of the water tank produced soft and hard manufacturing debris. The 3 problems we identified were minor. But, McMahon RV sure did not earn their preparation fee; still no related report or Due Bill trim strip for us.
RV America Insurance works with five, or so, insurance companies to find the “best” policy for you. Our promised quote was from Progressive. They included Total Loss Replacement / Purchase Price insurance similar to the Good Sam option, along with campsite / RV liability insurance, and a combined total medical / death coverage of $1000 for any cats or dogs traveling in the RV. I went on line to Progressive’s site to get a quote for the same coverage as provided through RV America; on line, it was a little higher. Both Progressive quotes were about $500 for 30 days of use per year.
AAA wants a little less money than Progressive for their insurance; higher liability limits for 2500 miles per year use, but none of the desirable RV coverage.
The Excel contained:
10’ light duty sewer hose
25’ electric hook up 30-amp cable
TV stand to be used if TV removed from van; found in kitchen drawer
Dometic thank you of jelly, shaped candy; found in refrigerator
8 oz Aqua- Kem Liquid; found in bathroom
Along with the Excel came a Pleasure Way satchel containing:
Ford owner’s manual, warrantee, and related literature
Appliance literature; lots of them
DVD remote
TV remote
Firestone suspension remote
120 VAC to 12 VDC converter to power TV if taken out of van
4 awning pole stakes
Shower curtain for bathroom window shade
Some unknown leftover parts
The Excel Owner’s Manual; at least 2 years out of date; have asked for a newer one
Identifying Ford options and appliance model numbers has taken some time
The RV Starter Kit was made up of:
Four rolls RV toilet tissue
Travel checklist
10’ light duty sewer drain hose
Inlet fitting and clamp for above hose
40-50 psi water pressure regulator
25’ drinking water hose
30-amp to 20-amp electrical cord adaptor
Bubble level
Two packages of Aqua-Kem Dri
One concern that I have is that as Pleasure Way adds features to their vans, corners are cut on exiting things to keep price rise down. I have lost my kitchen window and Pleasure Way tells me that those two small pillows that are shown in their Sofa Demonstration video and still pictures are now an option; available from my dealer. Pleasure Way has been very responsive to our questions.
One recent new feature is the addition of RV-ID, a GPS and wireless network vehicle tracking and alert service. On line, we can view the routes of our trips on top of Google Earth satellite images and receive e-mail alerts, such as “The battery in your Ford may be running low.” The related video on Pleasure Way’s web site tells of a test ride driver taking off in an Excel from McMahon RV; she was apprehended just short of the Nevada state line; in part due to RV-ID.
Our first camping trip was to Morro Bay State Park; dry camping for 3 nights; similar to our trailer use. Everything we used, worked. After 3 full days and nights, the refrigerator, which was running on propane, cried uncle; the Ford and generator were not started during our stay and the battery voltage was down to 11.0 Volts. We had not used the TV or furnace. At the end of our stay, the waste and fresh water tanks each registered 1/3 full; mostly from a total of six showers. The Ford computer calculated 13.4 miles per gallon for our 157-mile trip powered by the V-8. This is more than twice the mileage of our previous rig.
Now it was time to sell our 25-year-old Fire Ball 5th wheel trailer and 25-year-old Ford pickup tow vehicle. Even with the 34 camping trips taken during this reported saga, I never got the knack for backing into the desired spot in a reasonable amount of time. We also look forward to traveling outside of our AAA towing radius.
We are finally enjoying being Pleasure Way owners; appreciation of the design and craftsmanship of the Excel is a large part of that. We have joined PWRVCW and we look forward to being shown the secret handshake during a future gathering.
This has been our experience –
Chuck & Vickie Sorensen
Buellton, California
2012 Excel TS
We will later post how our Excel was used in its first year.
