Wife doesn't like floorplans March 25, 2001, 12:21:35 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2841For a year I've been searching via internet, going to 2 major RV shows, talking with owners and had just about (reluctantly) decided to NOT buy an RV because of lack of industry quality, when I heard about LazyDaze and discovered this Club and reviewed every post last night, was really impressed with all of your positive comments and experiences, and thought, "I may have discovered an RV I could purchase...my wife and I were already discussing times we could visit the factory. THEN, upon seeing the downloaded floorplans, she said, "No way, I could never be happy with those floorplans...the bathroom is not seperate from the living area or sleeping area...except possibly in the 30!...and that doesn't have enough carrying capacity (about 750#)!" We understand that other manufacturers sell product by having the appealing floor plans, but because of their reputations for lack of quality, I'm not interested in them. Do you have any comments about her concerns? Thanks.
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #1 – March 25, 2001, 12:59:29 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2842Don't really understand your wife's concerns. Many Lazy Daze floorplans seem similar to those offered by most other manufacturers, and LD seems to be even more innovative than most in that respect. For example, I haven't seen very many rear lounge layouts in U.S.-made coaches.As for baths, don't know how much more separate LD could make them from the living area, especially in the 23.5 front lounge and 26.5 rear bath. Regardless of the model, all baths appear to have four walls. Could something be misleading your wife in the way that she views the floorplan drawings? A much more substantial separation of bath space would only seem possible in a monster of a class A.I've drooled over motorhomes at the biggest RV shows in the world, here and abroad, for over five years now. And although I do plan to make the pilgrimage to the Lazy Daze factory before ordering, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one sight unseen.Good luck and have fun in your search for your first RV.Bruce B Bradenton FL 2002 26.5 MB owner-wannabe
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #2 – March 25, 2001, 05:24:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2844It sounds as though you and your wife may have not yet agreed on a Class C rig, vs. a Class A or bus conversion. Many of these larger units (but not all) offer the separation of living, sleeping and bath areas that seems to be the sticking point.From my and my wife's perspective (4 years of looking at dozens of used rigs, going to shows, visiting dealers, and renting various types of RVs), the Lazy Daze Class C models offer the best of all worlds.We felt comfortable enough with the couple of Lazy Daze rigs we've seen in person and the Lazy Daze reputation to order one without having visited the factory. But that's probably not for everyone.Perhaps a factory visit will help you and your wife to come closer to agreement on what will be the "best" RV choice for you. (I say "best" because they're ALL a compromise in one way or another.) If that doesn't do it, a few more years, a few more shows, and then, maybe ... :-)Good luck, Bob
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #3 – March 25, 2001, 05:36:33 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2846You know it all depends upon how many will be with you on your trips, if separation and privacy are high priorities. I have a rear bath that has the folding door that closes to completely seal off the bathroom, the shower and dressing area away from the living space forward. This works for me as there are not three couples trying to be comfortable. I chose this because after living on two types of boat, I became aware that living spaces, rather than sleeping spaces were what we enjoyed the most. The sleeping accomodations were comfortable and separated as well. My suggestion would be to take a walk through...the construction quality and the ambience of the LD can't be imagined without visiting the real thing (IMO). Before I bought my used model I had looked at floor plans and pictures. Two things sold me my LD (for the full asking price) and those are (1) quality throughout; and (2) mileage and durability that was obvious from a used rig. Good luck and happy hunting. I am in Michigan if that is any help to you. Mari S.
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #4 – March 25, 2001, 06:13:42 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2847It is pretty hard to judge the feel or a coach based on floorplans. I don't know what separation your wife is referring to, but all models have doors of some sort to close off the bath. Our 22' (23.5') front lounge has a locking door. About 90% of the time, we have the door open, concealed in its wall recess, since my wife and I have no secrets from each other. This allows the attractive bath decor to extend the feel of the interior.If you have patience, attend the Fall RV show in Pomona at the L.A. County Fairgrounds. Lazy Daze and just about all other RV manufacturers will be represented. This gives you a chance to directly compare, and if you decide to buy LD, the factory is just around the corner. Of course, that would place your pickup in the late Spring of 2002...Steve
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #5 – March 25, 2001, 06:28:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2849If you and your spouse are uncomfortable with the selections out there (including Lazy Daze), you are making the right decision, wait until you find what you really want.Part of the fun for me was going to RV shows and dealers and thinking over the trade offs. This happened over several years. This was not an impulse buy for us, we spent several years shopping.There is not a perfect RV, there are numerous trade-offs.If our recently purchased 26.5 MB was perfect, it would have a few more feet of interior space, get at least double the gas mileage and be shorter to fit in a single parking spot. I can think of other desirables, but you get the idea, the combination of perfect choices is impossible. You will have to make trade offs.While you are shopping and visiting the RV shows, motorhomes start looking the same. That is because there are only three spaces to put the shower-toilet area; in the back, in the center or in the front. The front is out, so that leaves the other two choices. The manufacturers want to keep the kitchen close to the bathroom for practical plumbing reasons, so you are now stuck with the kitchen being close to the bathroom.If you don't find what you like, I suggest continuing going to RV shows. Also, rent. Renting really helped us decide what we wanted and also made us decide that we really wanted to buy a motorhome. If you drop off the rental unit and don't say - I wish we could keep this - maybe this isn't for you.
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #6 – March 25, 2001, 10:28:56 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2854IMHO (In MY Humble Opinion), the ONLY way one can evaluate the interior of a Lazy Daze is to walk through one. The floor plan just does not provide the three dimensional environment that is needed for an evaluation.That said, you just cannot get the bathroom very far from the living area in a motorhome of 26.5 feet in overall length. However, if you can be happy with separating it from the living area by one folding door and one panel door, you can do so in the 26.5 ft mid-bath model.Is it possible that you have not traveled in a motorhome? If that is the case, consider renting one of the "non Lazy Daze" models for a week and staying in one of the deluxe RV parks about 100 miles away from your permanent home. You should find out quickly whether it is the floor plan or the overall RV that you either like or dislike.Our last RV was 24 ft long and had a large rear bath. We like our 26.5 mid-bath Lazy Daze much better because it has a much better living area and overall, provides a better balance of living areas.May your dust bunnies never move with purpose, Don McG
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #7 – March 26, 2001, 05:10:26 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2856Thanks to everyone who responded to my post. I thought your responses were extremely insightful and helpful. It is a "non-issue"...seeing your responses enabled my wife to rethink the issue...we haven't agreed on the type of motorhome and definitely plan to visit the factory (live in northern Wisconsin and have never seen one around here)...agree that every rec vehicle (like a boat) is a compromise...my ideal rec vehicle would be a diesel pusher Class A about 36 to 38 feet with MSRP up to 200k...they exist, but apparently without the quality guarantee that virtually comes with a Lazy Daze...my understanding is that even with the manufacturers with the best reputation (such as it is), an indivdual unit can still be a "lemon" and a purchaser is "rolling the dice"...while realizing that this is a Lazy Daze site, does anybody have any feedback on the best Class A diesel pushers in that price range? In the meantime, I will be a regular monitor and participant in this site from now on because I am very much interested in Lazy Daze. Great site here! Thanks much!
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #8 – March 26, 2001, 07:28:16 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2858You might want to check out http://escapees.com/webx/forum.asp?forum_id=7&forum_title=General+RV+Information . Something like a used Monaco Dynasty might meet your wants.Gary
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #9 – March 26, 2001, 07:28:32 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2859Check out the Lower lines of Country Coach. Countrycoach.com.We've been run off of their parking pads at their factory with our Lazy Daze. Have not seen one in some years, and they do exhibit your occasional lemon; but they are/were hugely impressive.I just got their updated brochure this afternoon, and the Allure line lists just above your price range.It is informative to compare standard and optional equipment lists (and prices) to those of the Lazy Daze.bob phillips MI
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #10 – March 26, 2001, 07:29:15 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2860"...does anybody have any feedback on the best Class A diesel pushers in that price range?"OK, if you insist on looking at something other than a Lazy Daze...Check out the Alpine motorhome by Alpenlite. I believe it's wrv.com (Western Recreational Vehicle). Maybe someone else knows something about them.Chris
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #11 – March 26, 2001, 07:59:56 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2862Seen three Alpincoaches: First at Hatrwick Pines State Park in Mi.It looked very nice. Looked them up at the next local RV show. There were two. Both were offered at like 20% discount -made confusing by the "options" included.The construction paled in comparison to my 86 LD.no nobob
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #12 – March 26, 2001, 09:23:35 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2865Dear Sierra North: You may want to do the big Class A thing but I don't think I would do it again.I (we) have just come from the 37-38 ft. Class A Diesel Pusher experience. Ours stickered about $220K and we paid about $180K. It was a 1998 Winnebago Luxor on a raised rail Freightliner chassis with 325 HP Cummins out back and a QD Onan(Quiet Diesel) generator in the front. Nice coach with Corian counters, white soft leather seats, big bathroom, sink/vanity in the bedroom, huge refrigerator, outside refrigerator/freezer, Bose theatre system, satellite dish, rear camera,custom paint, etc. You get the idea.We had it for two years and put 20,000 miles on it. At least 2000 of those miles, no exaggeration, were to the dealer. I bought a tow dolly expressly for the purpose of getting home from the dealer in my car. We had at least 25 significant problems that were eventually resolved, more or less, to our satisfaction. No knock on Winnebago, our experience was about normal for coaches in this price range.With the big Class A's, we found that we could not stay at our kid's homes in Ann Arbor or Columbus because they both lived in residential areas where the trees across the streets were too low to get under with a 12' height plus we took up about 30% of the width of the street. Nor could we keep it here at our house. The neighbors didn't say anything cause we're on a lake and everybody has a boat or two in the yard but it was just in the way.Insurance wasn't too bad but a Michigan license plate is $1000 per year. Anyway, when we decided to sell, the best we could get for it was $104,000. The two year depreciation exceeded the cost of a well equipped Lazy Daze.The moral of this tale is that big Class A's cost a lot of money, quality is a relative thing and none too good, and 15 to 25% first year depreciation on an expensive thing is a lot of money. There is a Blue Bird Wanderlodge and Prevost dealer here in Holland and his repair facilities are always full. Those Blue Bird coaches start at $500,000 and an all singing all dancing Prevost will sell for $1.25 million and when they have their problems, warranty or no, only a few highly skilled people are available to work on them.One more thing about floor plans---The more you spend, the fewer they will sleep. The more expensive units will generally be designed for two people, with 2nd class accomodations for a 2nd couple.In painful summary--In the last 5 years, we have had three new Class A's because I thought if I spent a bit more I would finally get to a quality level that was adequate. We started with a gas 1996 34' Winnebago Vectra on a Chevy P-30 chassis, a really poorly built unit whose tranny lasted 2 weeks, and replaced that with a 1997 37' Holiday Rambler Endeavor diesel with a slide-out on a Freightliner/Cummins setup. Not a good move as the slide-out was the source of much grief and had to be rebuilt at the factory. So it was replaced by the 98 Winnebago Luxor which was certainly the best of the three but still alot of problems.I imagine that LD order #7466, which should be available for pickup around the end of the 3rd week in April, will have a few problems too but hopefully not to the extent experienced during our ownership of the overpriced underbuilt Class A coaches mentioned above.Hope springs eternal.Regards.Pat Nowak
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #13 – March 26, 2001, 10:44:56 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2866Let me chime in and echo what several others have said. Go to every RV lot and show you can find. Take time to set in each unit. Visualize what it would be like to cook a meal in it. Go in the bathroom and shut the door Think about what you are going to be doing in the evening after dinner. Try to see if it feels like home!I am a firm believer in floor space. Most of the time you are going to be awake and being active. For that reason an always down bed, like in the 26.5 rear bed and the 30 footer loose lots of usable living space. I think the 26.5 footers with out the rear bed are the most practical floor plan. I think they have the living space of a 34 to 36 foot class A.My personal choice, and the choice of lots of other folks in this club is the Mid Bath. The rear lounge is just breath taking with nature on three sides of you. With the rear bath you have a little larger bathroom and to some folks, that is important.The bottom line, is look at all the others and then go see LD at the factory. You wont buy anything else.Sterling in Bend, OR
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #14 – March 26, 2001, 11:10:03 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2867Sierra North---Where are you in northern Wisconsin? We are up in the northeastern part of the state. Are you anywhere near? We have ordered an LD 26.5 MB due in September. Let us know where you are. Lee Grota
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #15 – March 27, 2001, 04:37:31 am Yahoo Message Number: 2868Superior, WI, so it's Northwest WI (as north and as west as one can get and still be in Wisconsin).
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #16 – March 27, 2001, 11:20:55 am Yahoo Message Number: 2874These comments are meant for newbees like me. I agree with previous comments about other RVs. We have gone to many RV shows and went through hundreds of models. Should we buy an A or C class. I feel one should start to look for common denominators such as the size, the price, the chassis and the appliances first. Is the size right. Is it to small to long, will it fit in my driveway or at the campsite. This is a big investment, am I goes use it, how often. Is the chassis strong enough. Is the weight ratio in a safe range. Is the engine and transmission strong enough to get you up the hill. Are the appliances and other mechanicals of good quality.I feel one should try to discount all the frilly looking stuff even though they may look great to the eye but can the be maintained for long. From there, I look at the quality, size and number of cabinets, furniture, lighting and other materials used and workmanship.I then look at RVs each layouts. Do the layouts meet my planned life style and my family use. For example LD mid-bath does not have the optional entertainment center so that was something I wanted.I go home look at materials of the ones I like. I look up the model in the RV Consumers guide for its ratings. Look for comments about the RV on the internet. If you can visit the company and see how they are made. Try to take any of your emotions out of the choice. Now I feel you can made good educated choice.This site and all other information available from other sources helped my husband and I to choose the LD rear kitchen.I hope that this will be of help and some food for thought to newbees.Bobbie
Wife doesn't like floorplans Reply #17 – March 27, 2001, 08:00:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 2888An observation: At the RV shows, one walks into class A's with slide(s) extended, side-aisles brightly illuminated and thinks, "Is this not a nice place to visit?"It takes a lot of imagination to move from those "Apartment House Open-House displays" to key parts of the RV experience. Like driving on those winding "blue" roads that you should be traveling in an open roadster; like slipping into a little gravel road down by the stream; like coming back to the rig with muddy boots and two soaked dogs; like parking on the lake shore with fresh oatmeal-raisen cookies and watching the rain squalls scatter across the water.I think that it is really difficult to shop for an RV.Fortunately, our "little" '86 22-foot multi-plan was agile enough to take us where we discovered our real needs.bob phillips
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