GWV/Sterling RV shuttered...

[booster]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Any warranty issues or has everyone lucked out on that score? By the time I sold my Great West Van Legend I was pretty much out of warranty and had to replace my rarely used air conditioner on my nickel. It was probably dead while still in warranty. I sold it in October 2014 and see it is still for sale at Lake Region RVs. That is an awful long time to sit. Granted I put a lot of miles on it in a short period of time but they were mostly easy highway miles (over 45 mph total average), had new Michelin LTX MS/2 tires and it was clean and in excellent condition. I wonder what the effects of a bankrupt company and orphaned brand has contributed to seemingly resistant resale.

Lake Region still has several new GW units, I think, also. They must be trying to hold the prices up and not making any real discounts for being an "orphan".

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Any warranty issues or has everyone lucked out on that score? By the time I sold my Great West Van Legend I was pretty much out of warranty and had to replace my rarely used air conditioner on my nickel. It was probably dead while still in warranty. I sold it in October 2014 and see it is still for sale at Lake Region RVs. That is an awful long time to sit. Granted I put a lot of miles on it in a short period of time but they were mostly easy highway miles (over 45 mph total average), had new Michelin LTX MS/2 tires and it was clean and in excellent condition. I wonder what the effects of a bankrupt company and orphaned brand has contributed to seemingly resistant resale.

I'll say this, the video Lake Region has posted of your old van is one of the creepiest things I have seen in awhile, looks like it was shot by someone making a very low budget horror film, the soundtrack music portends a slasher popping out of the bathroom at any minute...

[wincrasher]

Have they actually filed bankruptcy, or is this just the locals clearing out and selling off the contents?

[Davydd]

Bankruptcy was more a word I used for no longer in business and it seems with the auction that is now permanent. Technically, I don't know.

Greg, I haven't seen the video. I guess with my curiosity I should check it out.

I haven't been following the status of my old Great West Van and until about a month ago I didn't know it was still there. Then some friends looked at it but decided on a used 2005 Sprinter Class B similar to what they used to own before making an ill-fated temporary upsize to a Class A bus.

I traded in my old 2005 Pleasure-way Plateau to Lake Region RVs in 2011 with even more miles in a short period of time and it was snapped up in about two weeks. That is why I wonder about Great West Van orphan resale. Either it is hurting or the overall market for them or it has gotten tougher to sell used Sprinters.

[gregmchugh]

I just took a look at the Lake Region inventory out of curiosity, they have 1 new and 3 used. The new Great West Promaster they list as "Rare", quite an understatement...

[wincrasher]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

I just took a look at the Lake Region inventory out of curiosity, they have 1 new and 3 used. The new Great West Promaster they list as "Rare", quite an understatement...

Wow. A "new" 2015 model. LOL.

[SiennaGuy]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

I'll say this, the video Lake Region has posted of your old van is one of the creepiest things I have seen in awhile, looks like it was shot by someone making a very low budget horror film, the soundtrack music portends a slasher popping out of the bathroom at any minute...

I used Shazam on my phone to find out what that haunted house music was. It's called "Echoes of Time, v2" and it's by Kevin MacLeod. It's from an album titled, "Madness and Paranoia."

A screenshot from the iTunes store is attached.

Um… who would think that music from an album called "Madness and Paranoia" was good to use to sell an RV? Am I missing something?

[gregmchugh]

Maybe they have a local high school student working part time who has aspirations of being a director of low budget horror flicks...

[booster]

They have also done a very poor job of taking and choosing the pictures they use in the listings. They often have stuff all over inside, dirty footprints, etc so they just don't look as nice and detailed as many other dealers listings. That has always surprised me.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Maybe they have a local high school student working part time who has aspirations of being a director of low budget horror flicks...

I wonder where PO kept the chain saw?

[Shacktee15]

Any idea where the Ledgend parts may have ended up?

[markopolo]

That basically sucks. The stuff will probably go for a fraction of what it was worth to a functioning company. It's really too bad that there wasn't some way to keep it operating.

I saw a Power Tech diesel generator in the photos. I didn't see any travel trailer molds. It will be interesting to find out where the molds end up.

[wincrasher]

It is an interesting course of action.

I had assumed that Great West has not filed for bankruptcy, so they feel strongly they have a strong case for breach of contract by the bank and local government. If the bank or local gov't. seized the factory are in fact selling off the assest on their own, that may put them in a very actionable position. Recovery by Great West could be the value of that property and not what is gained at auction.

Lots of assumptions on my part, but it is quite interesting to watch it unfold. I suppose if you want some bargains on machine tools and such, drive down there next weekend. I'd go, but I have plans to attend the B-13 Rally in NC.

[avanti]

If anybody does want to go down, there is great camping at Bankhead National Forest, not far from Winfield.

It is interesting that there were no pictures of half-assembled vehicles (either vans or trailers). I would have expected some of both. I guess maybe they were dealt with separately.

Not a lot of subassemblies in the pictures either. There is a pile of bathroom doors and random cabinetry. Not much, though. They used mostly pretty traditional construction techniques, so I suspect that most of the cabinetry was done on an as-needed basis for each van.

The most valuable items (from the perspective of somebody who wanted to restart production) were probably the molds for the bathroom, and the mechanisms for the trifold bed. Both of these items are unique and particularly nice. They would be difficult to reproduce. Most everything else is either catalog stuff or carpentry.

[booster]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

I just took a look at the Lake Region inventory out of curiosity, they have 1 new and 3 used. The new Great West Promaster they list as "Rare", quite an understatement...

I think one of the new ones shows up as used in the search function. If you do all the Great West vans, you get a 2015 Promaster and a 2015 Sprinter that are new, and two used ones.

[mumkin]

You can't really trust the new/used info on Lake Region's website. Also they are slow to update. Only limited tech support there.

[BBQ]

.


Sad

[bobojay]

You guys know that Tiffin, the maker of class A's has bought the Great West Alabama plant with the intent to get into the class C market?

[mumkin]

I had heard about it... either here or on Facebook RT/Hymer Owners. Good luck to them finding suitable employees...

[bobojay]

Agree mumkin