Cruisers Forum
Main Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: bobojay on March 23, 2015, 02:18:46 pm
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Finally! got to see a PC in person last week. We made a quick overnight stop at LazyDays RV in Tampa and I took a little stroll around the lot. Actually saw 2 of them but one was locked.
I was really impressed with the wood work quality and the Ultraleather chairs and couch, (desert sand, cherry wood), not my optimal color combo but still beautiful nonetheless.
As a side note, while walking I noticed a noise coming from a Coach House class C sitting there, it was running and was HOT, not overheated but obviously had been running awhile. Told the security guard who acted like, no big deal, and she said she'd been there for 6 hours on her shift and that it had probably been running since that morning. It was 730pm.....nice. Lazydays impressed us as a huge out of control RV superstore. Employees that couldn't care less. We ran into a couple of them that when asked a simple question, looked like deer staring into headlights :beg
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If you have any interest in PC you should take the time and go to the factory. You will find that it is an experience like no other in the RV world.
No "deer in the headlights" there. All the employees are extremely knowledgeable and will take time to talk to you and explain anything you are curious about.
Well worth the trip to Indiana.
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Idjit, when PC starts building on the Transit or F series chassis, we'll be there....it'll be awhile
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Wonder who will be buying up every E450 they can get their hands on?
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Ford says they will keep making the E Series cutaways for as long as there is a market for them. Only the actual Econoline vans will no longer produced.
Don
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Yep, Ford says. The market is dwindling for the E series as the Transit takes over some duties and a lot of public safety entities are adopting to the new F-series chassis cabs and Chevy/GMC 4500's.
The Econoline vans haven't been produced for over a year now....
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Is there a reason the F series couldn't be used? Allows for heavier load and the higher displacement V10.
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I bet Kermit is working on something despite his claim to the contrary. The F series would be a super option for a little longer PC. I would be interested in such a model. Wait and see I guess.
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Ford says they will keep making the E Series cutaways for as long as there is a market for them. Only the actual Econoline vans will no longer produced.
Don
I would imagine this to be true, but as the tooling gets worn and demand drops, those two factors in combination could prematurely end E350/E450 cut-away production. It seems the motor home industry could revert back to the 70's, forced to offer smaller B+/C rigs than currently offered.
I grew up in Chicago in the 70's with our neighbor's motor home always parked across the street. It was built on a long step van, I assume because the cut-away back then could not handle the weight. The typical class C back then were all made very short, most common on the Dodge, but some on Fords and Chevys too. Then came the tag axle to make them longer. Eventually the industry migrated into what we have today, soon to revert back due to fuel economy.
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The Lincoln town car is an example of how things can change. They were going to stop production of this model and announced the last years production for any company wanting them. However the Livery services went nuts. Ford motor CEO Alan Mulally and the BOD's were convinced, they shut down production for one year, moved the line and updated the tooling. One never knows!
The F series has some perks, one being they can use the higher performance V10 or a Power stroke Diesel. The Diesel wouldn't be as loud in the F series so that's a plus as well for Diesel fans. It also has drawbacks, one being length. With the F series the over all length changes on all models of any brand using it.
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Don
[/quote]I would imagine this to be true, but as the tooling gets worn and demand drops, those two factors in combination could prematurely end E350/E450 cut-away production. It seems the motor home industry could revert back to the 70's, forced to offer smaller B+/C rigs than currently offered..
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I'm not so sure going smaller is a bad thing. Its one of the reasons I went with the PC. Everywhere I go I see monster rigs. In most cases its hard for me to imagine they are really needed by most. That aside we have ways of justifying why we do things. At the last campground we hit on our way back from Canada we were the smallest unit there. Every rv there was over 36 feet. One 5th wheel was a 38 footer with 5 slides. Beautiful but HUGE. I was the runt of the litter and kind of liked it.
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Oh yes. . . . I really like being the "runt of the litter" in our PC 2350. Dale and I still have our 35 foot fifth wheel, but we have it planted permanently as a vacation home at a camping resort about an hours drive from our home. I loved our "big rig" fifth wheel, it was like a traveling apartment, but I hated towing it. I was always a nervous wreck because towing something that long requires a lot of work figuring out and knowing what gas stations can accommodate your size. Also, you can't just pull off the highway and explore, or stop at a restaurant, or visit a grocery store. You always need to know where you are going. I learned really fast that our Fifth Wheel did not allow for a lot of flexibility. I love the flexibility of our PC and couldn't be happier!
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Dale and Cindy, we have gotten rid of all our properties other than our retirement home in La Quinta / Indio (Palm Springs). I'm coming up on retirement soon. I've spent so much time over seas it will be nice to spend some time seeing this beautiful country. After all that time in foreign lands I learned first hand bigger is not better and not required. Well except for all the time I spent in the middle Eastern countries. That's an entirely different world.
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For us, we made a decision 30 years ago to build our primary home/house in a vacation-like setting to get away to home so-to-speak. We built it with a small motor home in-mind. So getting away from the get-away, our 2350 has been just the right means for road trips. We also enjoy 7 day cruises to mix it up.
If we went "huge", we'd be cashing in everything and call that our permanent residence. But I don't see that happening. Yet never say never.
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Ron, I'm on the same page. However out of all of my friends that have bought RVs I'm the only one. They all went 34 to 40 plus with three plus slides. Mind you none of them full time, just weekends and a week or two here and there. And most of them have the footer illness. They wish they had a foot or two more. It's ok and their choice isn't wrong by any means. It's just wrong for us.
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I hear you Joseph. Two-Foot-Eyetis is a hard addition to control. I can't say for sure if we'd really consider a bigger rig, but our garage does keep that addiction at bay because our 2350 just makes it inside in length & height. In the places we travel, smaller is better, so that too helps to think smaller. Actually, there has been a time or two when I felt we went too big with a 2350. But the conveniences and comfort always pull me back into feeling good about our decision.
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We used to have a 31' 5th wheel and quickly learned the bigger is not better idea. Also as someone stated above, very nervous towing it and wife and I dreaded parking it. So in 3 years of owning it, we only used it twice for 1k+ mile 2 weeks trips each time. Frustrated and nervous the whole time. Not worth it.
An RV about 23-25 feet is just the right size for us, which means a small class C or a Class B van that we have now. Much, much more relaxed driving and parking it. It's 24' long and on our recent Florida trip, I drove it all over Key West with no problem.
Also, we don't need to take a bunch of junk with us that gets used once a year, or less. Anything we carry that hasn't been used in the last year in the RV gets tossed. Works for us...
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We started looing for the 2350 but couldn't find a later model used at the right price. When we located the one we bought we thought we were buying a 2551 only to find out after its a 2552. At just under 28 foot its the most we will ever need, being we don't full time. Now the search is on for toad, (a wee one).
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Joseph......
You might want to take a look at the new little Jeep Renegade. They are starting to show up at dealers now. I looked at a Trailhawk model yesterday and they are very cool looking and I bet they will tow nicely. The automatic transmission models can not be towed four down but the 6 speed manuels can be towed four down.
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We have had our 2350 for about 18 months now. We go some pretty off the beaten path places and it really works well for those boondocking experiences, mostly in the National Forests. We slapped two hundred watts of solar on the roof and we are happy little campers! This summer, we will escape the Oklahoma heat and head for the Northern New Mexico mountains back in the forest campgrounds. The 2350 is like incredible luxury space wise for us, except for the limited exterior storage. We came from the Class B world having had three Bs: two Roadtreks and many years ago a Horizon which was made by Intervec, a company with a very close relationship and heritage to Phoenix Cruiser.
When you come from Class Bs to a 2350, you have gone big time interior space wise! From a wet to a dry bath, from a narrow aisle of 30 inches to a nice slide, from small twin beds that my 5' 8" body was really too tall for to a corner bed that is essentially a full size bed. So, we love our 2350 and have no desire for something bigger after all those years of Bs. The last B we owned was a Roadtrek 210P and it was a beauty, 22 feet long, totally tricked out and only 8' 4" high. It had more inside and outside storage than the 2350 and got about 14 honest mpg. It drove just like what it was: a big van. Our traveling style has changed from mostly touring to mostly camping for a couple of weeks in one spot and seeing the area with our toad, a Jeep Cherokee. For this stage of our life, the PC is perfect. We solved the camping gear storage problem by just flipping down the back seat in the Jeep and filling that baby full of "stuff", most of which we will never or very seldom use, but we got it if we need it. Incidentally, our Cherokee Trailhawk is automatic and tows nicely four down. The PC handles it just fine and it weighs about 4100 pounds with our stuff in it.
We have had two close friend couples sell their big Class A motorhomes in the last few months. Just toooo much hassle and, although they wouldn't openly surrender the truth, scary to drive. The Phoenix Cruiser products are a perfect compromise between too big and too small. Like Goldilocks, just about right. We couldn't be more pleased with our rig.
I congratulate anyone with the courage to have a large or small trailer. I could never have one because my wife's screams when I tried to back up that puppy would probably eliminate
what little hearing I have left (exactly)!!
Paul
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Ragood.. Unless I come across an older jeep wrangler at the right price I won't go with a Jeep. No offence to those that really like them but I'm not fond of the newer models. Too much Chrysler not enough Jeep. Well that and I have only bought one new vehicle since 1988. And that was recently with a new Fusion. I really dislike buying new when so many buys are out there. IE in 2009 I bought a 2001 Lexus LS430 with 25,000 miles for 7,400. I'd still have it if that goof ball in front of me had notice I was asleep and not stopped in front of me. Some peoples kids, sheesh
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joseph....I hear you on purchasing new vehicles..... but with that said I have to say the new Jeep products are getting better and better in my opinion. Having owned 8 Jeep's I can honestly say the two 14's I own now are both super vehicles. The problem is many of the new vehicles are no longer able to be towed four down or you have to pull fuses, start the vehicles up every couple hundred miles, or use transmission pumps. Jeep products are with out a doubt still very easy to tow with no specials requirements. A used Wrangler would be super but I would make sure it has the 3.6L and not the 3.8L engine. Best of luck.
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We are a Jeep family. We have owned six jeeps over the years and yes there have been some problems, the same as any brand. We have owned several other brand and did not fined them much different as far as problems. I think it is how you care for them and the luck of the draw when you buy one.
We towed a 2004 Liberty for ten years before getting our new 2015 Cherokee Trailhawk. Have now towed it for about 2K miles behind the PC. When I get back home, I will hop into my 2014 Grand Cherokee and be very happy. We love both our Jeeps.
heartshower
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Tom....you are right on! You have the exact same (model and year)Jeep's as I do. I find the Cherokee Trailhawk tows much better compared to my old 06 Liberty diesel. How do you find them in comparison?
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I like the new one better. The Liberty did not have aux. brakes while the Trailhawk has SMI plug and play brakes. The tow bars are spread a little wider on the Trailhawk but it does not seen to make much difference when towing it just doesn't sway as much.
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Tom, no doubt I see more jeeps towed behind rv's over any other vehicle. I'm glad you have good such a experience with them. There just not right for me at this time.
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Ragood, I'll keep that in mind should I come across one, Thanks. Unless one drops from the heavens at a super can't pass it up price it probably won't come into play. However stranger things have happened.