Currently we don t own a trailer, but it s certainly not from lack of trying. [:)] We are, however, avid campers (been tenting for over 10 years now). Time marches on and catches up to you eventually, so it s become apparent that it s now time to get up off the ground. What *I* really want is a 12 PU, because to me that s still camping at least, but with a wife and 3 daughters who seem to feel less like I do we ve been thinking about skipping over the PU and going right to a hybrid. [: (]
I ve been doing research on the web, reading forums and going to RV shows so I think I have a handle on what we want and what to look for. During the cold winter months we re going to start making some visits to local dealers (wonder how they re gonna feel about setting up a hybrid outside in the middle of a New Jersey winter? [:D]). While gathering information about what we want to see, and where we can see it, we have been using the Dealer Locator feature of their web pages. Except for 1; R-Vision. Seems they don t HAVE that feature, even though they prominently display the line " Test drive and review a current model on your local dealer s lot today" on the bottom of just about every page you go to (floorplans, interior pictures, etc). AAMOF, there isn t even a Contact Us link anywhere, so you can t even call them on the phone or send an email to ask where a dealer is! [:o]
Is this some type of a sign I should be paying attention to? Are they such a poor company that they actually need to hide? In going over past posts I seem to have run into strong love/hate feelings about them. Has anyone heard if they re in financial trouble or something? I know they have inexplicably stopped some of there internet push to go back to the 1980 s way of doing business, but this is ridiculous. Seems to me that if you were proud of your products that you d WANT people to know where they are.
So, is it just my perception, or is intuition telling me something I should be listening to?
jawilsonActually, R-Vision and the Trail Lite series invented the Hybrid camper! And they make one of the best products out there. I ve only heard of a handful of people that had anything negative to say about their units. They came highly recommended to me from the editor of RV-News magazine, and he doesn t do that unless he s sure about things.
What you re running into on their website is a two pronged problem with them. First of all, the head honcho over at R-Vision is still living under a rock or in a cave or something. He hates the internet, and from what I ve heard he d rather the internet just disapear. For a while he tried to shut down wholesale dealers that used the internet to sell their product, and took tremendous heat for doing that. So much in fact, that not only did he reverse that policy, they even wound up redesigning and updating their website (previous website was terrible compared what the have today).
They do however, not list their dealer network on purpose. They d rather you contact them directly, so they can then have the dealer contact you, or tell you where you can find the nearest dealer. If you fill in the info field for " request a brochure" the ll either send you the brochure or have a dealer contact you.
This is just poor marketing on their part, but rest assured the trailers are first rate!!! I know, I have an R-Vision " Trail Cruiser" C-23B and just love it!
Another thing you can do, is visit www.rvwholesalers.com and price some units out there. They have the best prices around on these trailers, and what they post on their website is EXACTLY what you pay (I bought mine from them, they are in Columbus Oh and I live in coastal Virginia). They might even be able to tell you who your local dealer is.
The other thing you could do is contact R-Vision by phone, they are located in Warsaw Indiana. Hope this helps!
Again, I highly recommend their trailers!
jawilsonHere is some interesting reading on Denny Bailey of R-Vision and his idiodic approach to the internet...
[link=http://www.rv-news.com/aug2003/editorial.cfm]CLICK HERE[/link]
jawilsonThey used to have a " Contact Us" dropdown. They also used to list weights. I am not happy with the new web site and hope it is just growing pains.
I love my Bantam.
There is a Trail-lite Yahoo group
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/traillitetraveltrailers/
you have to join the group (thanks to the Spamers you also have to be accepted).
I think someone there has R-visions phone number. I may have it somewhere in my trailer, as I do have the owner s manual (if you think the web site is sparse, try reading the owner s manual...about 20 minutes of reading). The product is great. The problems I have had were basically self inflicted and easy to self remedy, even for a woman.
jawilsonGREAT products -- POOR internet policies. Don t let their internet policies steer you away from their campers. They were the original creators of the Hybrid, but I believe the Rockwood line of Hybrids was also designed by the Original Hybrid designer at R-Vision, so take a look at them, if you can.
We loved our Dealer (Indian Valley in Souderton, PA). We bought our Coleman Pop up there and bought our Trail Cruiser there too. If we didn t like the dealership, we probably would have bought another camper.
We ve had no problems with our camper in the past year that we ve owned it. WE LOVE the floor plan and it s lighter than most it s size.
Good luck in your search this winter!
jawilsonGoneCamping, I d be interested in hearing your experience with RV Wholsalers? I ve been directing my questions about R-Vision s Trail Lite line and have found them so helpful, I feel I " owe" them the sale if it comes to that. My concern is it s a long ways from Central Vermont to Lakeview, OH!!! You can email me directly if you d prefer to keep any comments off the board. Thanks!
jawilsonWell, so far it seems all the " love" part of the love/hate people have been chiming in. Wonder when the " hate" people will show up. [:D]
I must say that I m a bit surprised by how strongly you all feel about these trailers. It has eased my fears somewhat, knowing that those who have them seem so passionate in there defense of them.
Another thing you can do, is visit www.rvwholesalers.com and price some units out there.
Yes, I ve seen their web site. I do, however, consider it a terribly odd coincidence that a company which chooses to hide it s identity on the internet (R-Vision) is sold by a distributor that ALSO doesn t list there address or phone number (rvwholesalers.com). [:o] Twilight Zone anyone? [;)]
Here is some interesting reading on Denny Bailey of R-Vision and his idiodic approach to the internet...
This is what I was referring to when I made mention of the " 1980 s way of doing business" . While I didn t know the depths that imbecile had gone to, I did know he was pretty clueless.
The writer of that article also left no gray area as to how he felt. Talk about getting ripped a new @sshole! [&:] What a scathing report. Think the author wasn t too pleased with his new policy? [:D]
We loved our Dealer (Indian Valley in Souderton, PA)
Are they on, or close to, 309? I think I looked at a PU there the beginning of this year.
jawilsonRV Wholesalers is in Lakeview, OH. Their info is:
RV Wholesalers
10601 SR 235
Lakeview, Ohio 43331
David Durnell is the sales person who has answered every question I ve had!
RVWholesalers.com
(937) 843-9000 - Phone
(937) 843-9300 - Fax
I think the lack of address info MAY be to protect themselves from the Company honchos like R-Visiion has! Remember they didn t want R-Vision dealers selling outside their physical territories. HOWEVER, My sister would say I was wrong, that it HAS to be a conspiracy!!
My advice is to go with a trailer and a dealer that you are comfortable with!
As a footnote, I visited a Trailer Lite dealer in Massachusetts, I won t mention the name here, but if you want it, send me an email. Anyway, we are interested in the 8263S. The dealer in Mass. said the Mfr Suggested Retail was $25,200. HOWEVER, go to RV Wholesalers, choose that model and check EVERY available option and you cannot get the MSRP up over $22,000.00. Who s hiding what? I HATE dealers that don t put prices on the trailers! AND it seems MOST don t! To me that s hiding far more than any internet dealer trying to protect their territory!
(note to self- stop ranting!)
Again I would restate that it is very important that you go with a MFR and Dealer that YOU trust. What the rst of us feel isn t as important as what YOU feel. We did that when we bought our Pop-up, then the dealership was sold, and I wouldn t buy a set of Tacky Lights from the new owners!!! Good Luck!
jawilsonI think they refrain from listing their physical address to prevent initial fear of some buyers to bypass them because of their location, which could be very far from them. Howver, the money saved over the long run tends to convince a lot of people to buy from them.
As for their phone number, it s listed at the very top of every page...I know, they did that after I said something to Dave Durnell about it. I just checked, and it s still there plain as day!
They are operating under the rvwholesalers.com address and as such are relatively new, but under their primary trade name Durnell s RV they ve actually been around quite a while.
I have abosolutely nothing but praise for Durnell s/RVWholesalers, and have no problems posting that here! They have gone out of their way to make sure I was happy, satisfied, and fully informed. The prices they post on their design & build pages are EXACTLY what you pay, no hidden charges, and no Sales Tax if you re from out of Ohio. They set you up with a temp tag, and when you get to your home state, your own DMV will stick you with a sales tax there!!!
They can be a little slow getting back to you sometimes, but they are actually a small family run dealership, and have limited personel. Dave & Mike pretty much run the show, and Molly handles the office work.
They do ask for $125 deposit (via credit card or send them a check) in order to get the process started. This fee is applied toward your purchase, but they need to have something from you before they contact the factory for a custom built trailer. They also keep a few units in stock, and usually have them equipped with the most requested options, so ask them about units already to go. If you custom order, it takes six weeks.
Yes, Vermont may be a long way from Columbus, but so isn t Va Beach!!! It was worth the drive for me, I saved $3700 from what the local dealer wanted for the same trailer (Same unit with less options than my has...)!!! For me it was just another opportunity to go camping, and a nice long trip coming home with my new trailer!
I ll recommend these guys to anyone!
jawilsonWe bought our TrailCruiser Expandable from a dealer 2.5 hrs away. We bypassed two closer dealers who sold Kiwis because we really liked the TrailCruiser. The Kiwi, by the way, was our second choice. We have found nothing about our camper that would make us change our minds about buying it again. I think the quality of our camper is wonderful (in comparison). Our dealer shipped the unit in from Indiana as they did not have one on their lot. I would not hesitate to buy from R-Vision. I have called them directly no less than 10 times for various questions, etc. I also cornered an R-Vision rep at an RV show with a lot of questions before we bought ours. I have read of one owner with problems with his R-Vision product and he has posted on several forums. His posts have been referred to many times as well. I think his was an isolated incident, all brands have a lemon now and then. A lot has to do with your dealership as far as repairs go. R-Vision replaced a cracked fresh water tank with no questions asked under our warranty. This is the only problem we ve had.
jawilsonjawilson,
Indian Valley is right off of 309 north of Montgomeryville. Our salesman at Indian Valley was a young red head named Dan. The owner s son, I believe. REALLY nice guy. No pressure sales. You can walk around their lot and walk in any camper.
Fretz Enterprises is just past Indian Valley on the same road (Bethlehem Pike, I believe). They sell Jayco s.
Media RV (Starcraft) is directly on 309 before you get to Souderton. You are " escorted" to each unit by a salesman who used HIGH pressure tactics and HORRIBLE prices (a price quoted to us was $4,000 more than the price they had (on the EXACT unit we wanted) at the Harrisburg RV show).
I liked some of the other hybrids out there (Jayco, Rockwoods, etc. ), but the Trail Cruiser had the layout we liked best, was lightest and because the dealer we liked sold these units, it was a no brainer for us.
campingboaters
QuoteORIGINAL: campingboaters
Indian Valley is right off of 309 north of Montgomeryville. Our salesman at Indian Valley was a young red head named Dan. The owner s son, I believe. REALLY nice guy. No pressure sales. You can walk around their lot and walk in any camper.
Then I do indeed know where it is. AAMOF, if that guy Dan s office is immediately to your left as you walk in the door then that s probably the same kid who we spoke with. And you re right, he did seem like a decent guy.
QuoteORIGINAL: campingboaters
Fretz Enterprises is just past Indian Valley on the same road (Bethlehem Pike, I believe). They sell Jayco s.
Yup, went there too. They didn t have hardly any of the Jayco PU s unfortunately, and the salesman was a lunkhead. Got a bad feeling from this place.
QuoteORIGINAL: campingboaters
Media RV (Starcraft) is directly on 309 before you get to Souderton. You are " escorted" to each unit by a salesman who used HIGH pressure tactics and HORRIBLE prices (a price quoted to us was $4,000 more than the price they had (on the EXACT unit we wanted) at the Harrisburg RV show).
Man, is THAT ever bad news. Seems like these folks sell 3 or 4 different brands of hybrids that we wanted to check out. Thanks for the warning.
Gone-Camping
QuoteORIGINAL: Gone-Camping
As for their phone number, it s listed at the very top of every page...I know, they did that after I said something to Dave Durnell about it. I just checked, and it s still there plain as day!
Man, maybe it s time for glasses! [:o] Seems I couldn t see the forest because all those darn trees where in my way. Talks about humiliating... [&:]
jawilsonI am currently getting prices on the Bantam 23S. My best deal so far has been thru [link=http://www.campersfactoryoutlet.com]Campers Factory Outlet [/link] in Wisconsin. I got their price and asked rvwholesalers if they could meet or beat the price from CFO. They responded with a price of $600 more than the CFO initial price even while knowing the CFO price. CFO gave me a price without anything to compete against. I guess it may be another road trip to Wisconsin[:D].
Any other dealers have been at least $2000 more.
jawilsonI checked out the site from a previous post and I ve been pretty impressed with both places pricing. Would you eat up the $600.00 in savings travelling to Wisc. as opposed to Ohio? I don t know, but may be something to think about.
jawilsonThey would deliver the camper to rvwholesalers lot for about $360. If you want the real price from CFO, you need to click on the CID guy and fill in any options you want. Ohio to Wisconsin is only about 360 miles, not even close to the $600.
Part of the deep discount is dependant on me buying in October, It only becomes a $200 difference after that and not worth the extra miles
The deal they quoted me is as follows:
2004 Bantam B-23S with ALL of your requested options is $13,875
There is another $400 off if purchased in Oct.
Make: Bantam
Model: B823S
Options: Color: Bianca Confetti
Electric Tongue Jack
Air Conditioning 13,500 BTU
Stereo Prep
AM/FM CD Player
Awning
Microwave Oven
Oven
Spare Tire, Wheel, Carrier
Safety Glass
Stabilizing Jacks
Systems Monitor Panel
TV Antenna w/Cable
Outside Shower
RVQ Grill
Ext. Storage Drawer
2 Door Refrigerator
DSI Water Heater
Sink Cover
Stove Cover
jawilsonSounds like a pretty good deal! I think the drive would be nice this time of year!
jawilsonWhen I first started looking, I had got a quote from Barry at CFO on the Trail Cruiser C-23B, but found I could get the same trailer from RVWholesalers with additional options on it for $200 less. Guess it depends on what you re getting. My phone conversations with Barry led me to believe he was genuine good-guy and was ready to do business. My decision to buy from RVW instead of CFO was based more on location than the price, though the quote from RVW did beat that from CFO. Ultimately, I d have had to drive a lot further out, and back... I d have paid a few hundred more than CFO s price to keep from making that long of a trip. Have to figure in what MY TIME is worth, and that s quite a bit!
Dave Durnell at RVW (Durnell s RV) is just as genuine as Barry and works with you through the entire transaction. I had an enjoyable experience with these people!
BTW, Durnell tells me that the Safety Glass option is only there because it s a required item in New Jersey only. I opted not to get the safety glass after he told me that, because I know for a fact I ll never move to NJ... [: (]
jawilsonGreat info Cliff,
I spoke with someone from RVW today and he did seem very sincere. I think the competitive nature of the web does bring out the more sincere people, less sincere won t last long due to boards like these.
I may be a little biased because I bought my 2001 Viking from CFO in May of 2001. First popup and I bought it sight unseen, even sent a check to a guy in WI without being real sure who he was.
BTW I did order the Bantam 23S from CFO and will hopefully pick it up in 6-8 weeks!!![:(] (excitement for ordering and sorrow to have to wait so long)
Looking forward to performing some of your mods, even in winter because I won t have to " pop it up"
I gotta give both of these dealers an A+, anybody else around my area wanted $2-4k more.
Charlie
Gone-Camping
QuoteORIGINAL: Gone-Camping
I opted not to get the safety glass after he told me that, because I know for a fact I ll never move to NJ... [: (]
That s because you need to be a REAL man to survive in these parts! [:D]
jawilsonWe were told the safety glass option was available because in some states, it is legal to ride in a travel trailer. The safety glass is required in case of an accident. Not sure what states are legal, but not Texas.