Secondary Transportation Advice
In my old age I need to take my pit stop capabilities with me so I'm looking very hard at Class B's. Right now I'm focused on 2006 Sprinter's with the I5 engine as maybe having better longevity than the more modern V6. At a minimum I would like to take a scooter (less than 400#) on a receiver carrier along as a secondary form of transportation at my destinations. It would be nice, although not absolutely necessary, to tow my CJ7 to a nat'l park that's about 400 miles away, for something better to run the back roads. Your experiences - good or bad?
**BEWARE OF LA MESA RV IN DAVIE!!**
My experience with La Mesa RV in Davie as a single woman new to the RV Lifestyle has been nothing short of a nightmare and a complete disappointment, especially for the 2024 Mercedes Pleasant Way Plateau that I paid over $175,000 for! From the moment I purchased the RV in September 2024, the issues started piling up. On the drive home from taking delivery, the check engine light came on. When I called the next day, Blake, the salesman, minimized my concerns and brushed it off as “not a big deal,” suggesting I take it to Mercedes myself to get it fixed. What reputable dealership lets a customer drive off the lot with a check engine light on and then tells them to deal with it on their own? They also failed to give me all of the keys at the time of delivery. I was fortunate to figure this out prior to taking it out of town otherwise I would’ve been hundreds of miles away from home, unable to access certain areas of the RV. When I took it to Mercedes-Benz of Coconut Creek, I was told they were unaware of any pre-existing check engine light issues, and due to a shortage of lifts for Sprinter vans, it would take 5-7 days just to look at it. I was forced to reach back out to La Mesa RV, who had no problem inconveniencing me further by having me drop it off at their Davie location and Uber back home numerous times. They took the RV to Mercedes in Miami, where it stayed for several days. After getting it back, La Mesa assured me everything was taken care of, but within an hour of driving, the check engine light was on AGAIN!! I was already headed out of town for a camping trip. This time, Joseph Jaure from La Mesa had to pick up the RV from my home when I returned and bring it back to Mercedes of Miami, where it sat for another five days before being returned to me. Only now, within an hour of driving out of town for another camping trip, the air conditioning and internal appliances stopped working. I had to pull over on the side of the highway and call Pleasant Way, who informed me that I needed to reset the inverter by shutting down the entire unit, including the engine. It was an extremely hot day, and I had friends and my dog in the RV. That was the first of three times that day the inverter/charger failed. Later, Pleasant Way casually mentioned they were aware of this issue and that it required a software update only a technician could perform. They knew this could happen, yet did nothing to ensure the updates were applied before delivery. This left my friend and I stranded to figure out other accommodations on our camping trip. In the course of owning this brand new 2024 Mercedes Pleasant Way Plateau for just five weeks, it has been in the shop for three of them for various repairs and system updates. Meanwhile, I’m stuck paying monthly payments for a defective RV along with storage fees. It’s clear that La Mesa RV got their money and could care less about the consumer. They assured me they would fix the problems and communicate clearly, but they have failed miserably on both fronts. I’ve given them ample opportunity to rectify the situation, even requesting a replacement, but I’ve lost all confidence in La Mesa RV, Mercedes, and Pleasant Way. La Mesa’s customer service is beyond appalling. I’ve had to reach out to Channel 7’s "Help Me Howard" just to get attention on this issue. Beyond the initial $175,000 purchase price, the loss of usage is infuriating, and the company refuses to offer any meaningful compensation or solution. La Mesa RV is only interested in getting RV’s over the curb…. and getting their money, once they do they will leave you high and dry the moment issues arise. Do yourself a favor and avoid this dealership at all costs!!
sprinter CARGO VAN converted to a camping van
I visited Yellowstone last week. Flew to Denver and rested a car and drove. Saw so many RVs... no, I don't own one...still dreaming. I noticed a couple of Sprinter cargo work vans that had been converted over to camping vans. These were the high roof models. Both had beds, one had a sink made up of a 5 gallon holding tank a 5 gallon waste tank. This is something I would consider if I found a decent Sprinter. Nothing fancy. Something to take to the mountains when the nights are cool. Park it at a campground and use their bathhouses. Anyone here a converted van?
Has anyone owned a 2009 Ford Majestic Campervan?
We are interested in purchasing a Class B motorhome and came across a 2009 Ford Majestic Touring and cannot find any reviews or critiques for it. Has anyone had experience with that or other year models close to 2009? Any comments would be appreciated.Converting a Ram ProMaster 2500
Being unable to afford a Travato or RoadTrek Zion, we decided to try our hand at building out our own campervan. We bought a new 2014 Ram ProMaster 2500 series van, 159" wheelbase, high roof, gas model. One major thing that also prevented us from buying a factory built Class B van was the fact we need an occupied wheelchair lift in it. Once we got the van, the first step was installing the Braun Millennium 2 wheelchair lift. We got the lift second hand and saved a ton of money. Getting the lift turned out to be our first road trip... from Central Alabama to Winston-Salem, NC and back. It was a nice trip but better suited for more than 2 days. Here is a link to the part about the wheelchair lift on our personal site. OK, I guess installing the lift was actually step 2. Step 1 was installing the flooring and insulation. We put down a sheet of plastic, then a layer of UltraTouch insulation, then a layer of 1/2" plywood and then a nice linoleum that looks like hardwood floors. You can read about that part on this page. Step 3 was building the bed frames. Not only did these have to serve as beds for the wife and I, they had to hold certain items like the batteries, the converter/charger, the A/C, the refrigerator, and so on. My bed is 20" high and hers is 24" high (the fridge is under hers). We both have a nice 6" memory foam mattress. Here are the links to the parts we have completed so far: - Electrical - MaxxFan Installation - Window Unit A/C Installation We are in the planning stages for the overhead cabinets as well as the ceiling and wall coverings. The actual design has varied a little from what we envisioned simply because our minds have more room than the van does. We understand that some of you may not agree with the way we are doing the propane tank, and we appreciate your concern, but we are aware of the risks and we happy with our plan. We'll update this post as more progress is made. Here are a few pics (there are many more on our site if you are interested). Have a blessed day! Jerry and Cynthia Edit: Here is the index page for the project. This is the van when we first got it... Working on the insulation and flooring... Looking in the back doors... What it currently looks like from the outside...My Chevrolet Express van Class B- camper
I have been camping in my 1990 Chevrolet Silverado Blazer 2-door for the last 20 years. When I removed the back seat there was just enough room for a 3/4 sized (Hollywood, as some people called them) mattress to fit between the wheel wells and from the back of the console to the tailgate. After all those years with my wife and I getting older, she decided we needed a little more room so she found me a 2001 Chevrolet Express van with low mileage on the internet. After checking it out and taking it for a test drive we bought it on the spot. It was a nice passenger conversion LT model with all the bells and whistles available in 2001. I will chronicle the changes I made to transform it into my Class B- motorhome in the next few postings. I call it my Class B- (B minus) motorhome because it is just a regular van without the raised roof. Camping at Custer State Park, SD in February, 2015. Camping and visiting Scott's Bluff National Monument, NE in October, 2014.
