Pleasure Way

Poindexter118 · 01-18-2009, 05:21 AM

I just found this forum this afternoon. My wife and I are considering a class "B" motor home. How does anyone feel about the Pleasure Way van conversion? It's hard to find sites that give reviews of motor homes.

Thanks in advance.

jerrygaylor · 01-18-2009, 07:08 AM

We have a 2006 pw-ts, and love it. Spent 10 weeks in Alaska, and Canada in it. love the gas mileage, 20+.

julievojo · 01-18-2009, 03:04 PM

We have a PW Plateau that we purchased new in August 2004. We've put on over 75000 miles on now and still love it. We average about 21 MPG, but can get 23 MPG if we slow down to 55 and have gotten as much as 26 MPG in the right conditions (downhill across the prairies with a tail wind)

PW has been a great company to work with. The van has been very reliable, but when we have needed to contact the company with questions they are always happy to help us. If they say they need to call us back with an answer to something, they do so, usually within an hour or two.

I don't think you can go wrong with Pleasureway, they are a quality minded company.

Poindexter118 · 01-18-2009, 05:19 PM

Thanks for the replies to my question. This gives us further reasons to purchase the Pleasure Way.

WAPITI · 01-19-2009, 03:58 AM

Hi Poindexter,

Welcome to the forum. I also own a Pleasureway van. It's a 1995 MPL. My wife and I have truely enjoyed traveling in this van. There are many different makes and models, and most are very well built. This van in my mind is at the top of the list and has not given us any problems at all in the 5 years we've owned it. It now has 120,000 Kms and has no rattles or powertrain problems. We've taken it into the back country as well as through high mountain passes. The 5.9 litre engine has plenty of power to climb any grade. I would not be afraid to take it anywhere.

Brian

Poindexter118 · 01-20-2009, 10:34 PM

Wapiti- I appreciate your comments on the Pleasure Way van. I'm looking at the Ford Traverse because of inside height. I'm 6'2" (74 inches). We had originally looked at the Roadtrek, but there's just not enough head room.

Bobbi · 01-22-2009, 07:06 PM

Hi,
We have owned 3 Pleasure-Ways, and as others have written, the company is always there for you! They care about their customers, even after they have purchased their van. All of their vans are well made, and if you were to have a problem, you can bet that someone will be there to help you. They want to make sure that you are happy with your van, and they will stay on top of your problem or question untill it is solved.
We have travelled through 47 US states and 5 provinces of Canada, and sometimes repeating our drives. The PW's are so comfortable to drive, and the front chairs are like sitting in a recliner in your home.
If you would like to talk with another Travers owner, let me know and I will contact them for you and set it up.You can email me at: Hotbobbi@aol.com.

Davydd · 01-23-2009, 07:24 PM

We have a 2005 Pleasure-Way Plateau TS Sprinter and at this time if I were in the market to buy another B Pleasure-Way would still be at the top of my list. All the Canadian converters, Pleasure-Way, Leisure Travel Vans, Roadtrek and Great West make top of the line B products. To choose between them comes down to personal needs and wants and which one satisfy you the most. In the USA I am less impressed with the converters. I sense they don't know the market as well. Sportsmobile is the one converter in the USA that could satisfy your needs because they custom outfit. However, when I bought my first B I am not sure I had enough knowledge to know my needs at the time and at that time they had a fairly long frustrating wait. It just worked out Pleasure-Way turned out to be a good and satisfying fit. But if and when I get in the market again for a second B, Sportsmobile will be added to the list to explore along with Pleasure-Way and Great West. That's my thinking right now. Next month I am going to the RV show in Minneapolis to update.

Poindexter118 · 01-27-2009, 12:40 AM

Davydd- I appreciate your comments on the Pleasure Way van. There's a dealer near us (about 30 miles) that is supposed to have a large selection of class "B's". In fact, it's McMahon's RV in Orange County, CA. My wife and I will go down there and look them over.

Thanks again for your help in this selection process.

rinkman1 · 02-13-2009, 06:58 AM

We got a 2006 Excel. Loved it. My inlaw cousin has a roadtrek but to narrow in the aisle, and I don't like the middle shower. I'm tall, (6'3") no problem in the PW.We went to all provinces no problem. If we got to parks late at night we just pull over off the hyway and snoozed til morning. But we added spacers on the rear and no veering from semis. We talked about getting a new model PW Excel. We live in Saskatoon and we snooped in the company about the updates for the new model.
Rinkman1 (Ron)

Chester T · 07-25-2009, 04:42 AM

My wife and I just bought a 2009 Pleasureway Ford excell. We put on 700Ks bringing it home. It ran good. Got 15mpg on first run. We will be going again next week to BC for a week or so.

ennaid · 10-12-2015, 02:49 AM

Husband and I are looking at a 2005 pleasure way excel Rd with a v10. We are concerned that this I a very big engine. Did they make v8s in that year and should we look for a v8? It has 94000km on it. Thanks

peteco · 10-12-2015, 02:59 AM

I assume the standard engine is the V8 for that or any year. I had a 99 Ford truck with the V10. It is a great engine especially for heavily loaded vehicles. It will likely get a little less gas mileage. If the floorplan and vehicle is what you like and the price is right, then I would not let the V10 keep you from getting it.

tbirdman · 10-12-2015, 06:47 AM

Gas is a small part of the overall cost. You'll lose more in the first year depreciation then the difference you'll pay in gas for a 10 mpg vehicle.

mlts22 · 10-12-2015, 08:58 AM

If I could find a recent (2010-2013 PW Excel) with the V-10, I'd go for it. It has been around so long, that almost all the bugs have been worked out.

Those Ford modular Triton engines had their teething problems with spark plugs, but I've read no horror stories about any vehicle with one made in the past 5-10 years.

mkguitar · 10-12-2015, 06:26 PM

I consider the ford a gas- hog...we used rental Ford 15 pass vans for a work project and they were thirsty.

so I have the Chevrolet based PW Lexor ( 2006 model).
I think the drivetrain is well sized for the weight of the van ( 8000 pounds +) and we can count on 15 MPG.
we have a 6.0L.
some other models use the 4.8L- I have that in my pick up and it is marginal for extra weight

another big driver for the GMC is that I am more familiar with the layout...I already know it;s a 15mm wrench for the sepentine belt...it uses the same oil and filters as my pick up....just easier for me.

If you are looking used, you will have no flexibility as to motor selection, but hopefully you will find a good selection of B's.

We bought our PW a year ago and I am very happy with the build quality of the coach-
we bought it at 80000 miles- about 125000 kms- and it was well taken care of by the original owner.
it is easy to drive and park- this summer we went from Phoenix to Ottawa in a big loop- about 15000 kms
my wife has done solo trips to California beaches.
easy.

Mike

tbirdman · 10-12-2015, 06:58 PM

I did my first fill up when traveling and I average 10.5. I expect to up that average if I do flatlands as this was a lot of steep,grades crossing mountain passes. But in a 23' RV no worry about going slow up a grade. Easily maintain 55-60.

Lou · 10-12-2015, 09:14 PM

I will comment about inside of Pleasure-Way.
We have a 2008 Ford Excel (not a Sprinter). I like the bathroom because it has a counter so there is someplace to put things down for a minute. It was hard to adjust to the tiny shower but if you sit down to shower it is roomier (wall slants in at top) and works much better.
We like the couch with ottomans because you can have a king size or 2 half twins which make it is easier to get in and out of bed. The couch is very relaxing place to sit and we often leave the tiny table (instead of big one) set up all day. If you are tall, whatever else you do make sure you lie down in the bed to see if you fit. My husband is only 5'11" and we almost bought a different van where he wouldn't have been able to lie flat!!
I love that the passenger seat turns around I have a comfy place to read without bothering my husband if he goes to bed early. The kitchen has more counter space than our previous Class C RV.
I don't like the under counter refrigerator. I am getting too old to easily squat down to look for something in fridge. If I am loading or cleaning fridge I pull out my folding stool which I also use as a footrest for passenger seat. Using the bathroom when the floor was wet was a problem. Now, after showering we put a carpet square back in but underneath it we put a kitchen sink mat that has holes in it to help the floor dry while keeping the carpet dry.
We added a generator which was probably a waste of money because we mostly are travelling. It can run an air conditioner but in most parks there are restricted times for using it (noisy). If you have electricity you don't need it. However, I guess it will be helpful when the earthquake comes as long as nothing lands on the van!!
We have contacted Pleasure-Way many times about confusing issues (eg baby carseats allowed) and they have always answered immediately and been very helpful.

ander · 10-12-2015, 09:24 PM

we have had our 94 pleasureway stw for about 2 years and even though it is 20+ years old and sitting at 120 thousand miles it runs and drives great and fit and finish has held up amazingly well over the years.

Maybe · 10-29-2015, 01:04 PM

I posted a longer thread (waiting for moderator approval) but since You are in CA & interested in PW - I'll share here too ........

I found a '15 Plateau @ the same dealer's other location = Sacramento, CA.
It was on-sale and since it was on the Sprinter chassis, I went to see it yesterday.
It's also a new 2015 leftover - well appointed - but the layout did not work for me. It was very tempting because of the price was so attractive = $105k

So in the spirit of Paying it Forward, just sharing in case someone is looking for a PW Plateau and have not seen this deal.

2015 PLEASURE WAY MP Stock: 60530 | Happy Daze RV's

and the Lexor TS - if you prefer that one also on sale
http://www.hdrvbayarea.com/default.a...=xallInventory

Contacts:
Really good guy I met Tues = Galen Carle - business #s in 2nd link or cell (209) 662-4817
other salesperson I met yesterday (arranged by Galen) Franceska Barker - business #s in 1st link or cell (541) 261-6431

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