Why should I NOT buy a Pleasure Way Ascent

[Luke Warmwater]

Hi all.

New member here. My wife and I are looking to purchase a class B motorhome within the next year (retiring). We plan to tow a cargo trailer containing two motorcycles (total: 3,000 lbs) with the rig and we want a smaller unit as we plan to ship the motorhome over to Europe and tour over there (without the trailer).

We have camped for years in tent trailers, travel trailers and fifth wheels, but never a motorhome.

I have visited manufacturers websites, several dealerships, read reviews, watched u-tube videos and lurked on this forum.

I have pretty much decided that I want a new or gently used (2018 or newer) Pleasure Way Ascent TS for the following reasons...

- 2018 and newer came with the Spyder Controls 7" touch screen panel.
- Truma Aquago Comfort Plus hot water heater.
- Sprinter chasis allows for towing up to 5,000 lbs.
- 19 foot 7 inch overall length makes parking and navigating European roads
easier.
- No over-length surcharge on BC ferries.
- Excellent build quality by all accounts.
- Excellent visibility out of the passenger side.
- ultra leather fabric and memory foam cushions.
- Canadian made. (Go Canada!!)
- 3 way absorption fridge ( I like having three power options)
- 5 year coach warranty to original owner. (Not transferable)

On the down side, it has a Onan LP generator (would prefer VoltStart), would prefer a microwave/convection over a microwave only and the price tag is quite high.

I am having trouble finding any used units, probably because I want 2018 or newer. Even new units are hard to come by. There are none available in BC at this time. I would have to travel to Alberta if I wanted to buy one today.

So, my questions to the forum are...."Why should I not buy a Pleasure Way Ascent?" and "Why would I be making a huge mistake by doing this?"

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Luke Warmwater

Hi all.

New member here. My wife and I are looking to purchase a class B motorhome within the next year (retiring). We plan to tow a cargo trailer containing two motorcycles (total: 3,000 lbs) with the rig and we want a smaller unit as we plan to ship the motorhome over to Europe and tour over there (without the trailer).

We have camped for years in tent trailers, travel trailers and fifth wheels, but never a motorhome.

I have visited manufacturers websites, several dealerships, read reviews, watched u-tube videos and lurked on this forum.

I have pretty much decided that I want a new or gently used (2018 or newer) Pleasure Way Ascent TS for the following reasons...

- 2018 and newer came with the Spyder Controls 7" touch screen panel.
- Truma Aquago Comfort Plus hot water heater.
- Sprinter chasis allows for towing up to 5,000 lbs.
- 19 foot 7 inch overall length makes parking and navigating European roads
easier.
- No over-length surcharge on BC ferries.
- Excellent build quality by all accounts.
- Excellent visibility out of the passenger side.
- ultra leather fabric and memory foam cushions.
- Canadian made. (Go Canada!!)
- 3 way absorption fridge ( I like having three power options)
- 5 year coach warranty to original owner. (Not transferable)

On the down side, it has a Onan LP generator (would prefer VoltStart), would prefer a microwave/convection over a microwave only and the price tag is quite high.

I am having trouble finding any used units, probably because I want 2018 or newer. Even new units are hard to come by. There are none available in BC at this time. I would have to travel to Alberta if I wanted to buy one today.

So, my questions to the forum are...."Why should I not buy a Pleasure Way Ascent?" and "Why would I be making a huge mistake by doing this?"

Welcome to the forum Luke!

It would not be a mistake at all. Your summary above matches what I've heard about Pleasure Way's. The only fault in my eyes is that Pleasure Way's come with 200ah lithium batteries which is great. But they don't offer an upgrade to 400 or 600 ah's as far as I know. If they did, you might be able to upgrade for very little by deleting the generator. And they should offer a compressor fidge. Even the base lithium package should handle such a fridge for several days. However, sounds like that is not an issue for you.

Other than those few very minor things, a Pleasure Way would certainly be on my shopping list if I intended to buy a late model class b. Check out Neil Balthaser's youtube channel "Ultramobility". He personally owns an Ascent which he has reviewed along with many other great reviews of other class b's.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHh...JuuofWw/videos

Good luck.

[Luke Warmwater]

Thanks for the input rowiebowie. The option to have more battery power would be nice for sure. During my research, I watched several of Neil's videos. He does a very good job.

I had considered the Roadtrek SS Agile as well, but then discovered that the manufacturer had gone out of business. That was a deal breaker for me.

A local Roadtrek dealer was telling me that there is a possibility that the Roadtrek line could be bought by Thor Industries and resurrected. However there would be no guarantee that they would honour previous warranties or supply parts for coaches that were built when Hymer ran the show.

[rowiebowie]

It would be kind to describe your Roadtrek dealer as uninformed. Possibly dishonest in his statement about the Thor purchase and possible honoring of Roadtrek warranties.

The Thor deal died long ago under a cloud of financial improprieties at Roadtrek. They were in receivership (bankruptcy) until recently when Westfalia purchased some of the Roadtrek assets. It's unclear how much warranty they will cover on Roadtreks sold before receivership but they've indicated they may cover some limited amount. They've also stated they will NOT cover any new Roadtrek/Hymer units on dealer lots sold after mid-February.

That being said, if you avoid Roadtrek units with the problem-plagued Ecotrek lithium option, or get a new one at a very substantial discount (I'm talking 30-40% off MSRP, then it might be worth taking a chance without the factory warranty. I'm talking about non-Ecotrek models. One the other hand, some used Roadtreks (already out of warranty and non-Ecotrek) I would consider like any other comparably used rv. However, Sprinter models built after 2011 may have non-compliant passenger seats as discovered by Westfalia. Roadtrek changed to non-approved seats which were not tested, and when tested, failed US & Canadian standards. Another big mess for Roadtrek owners.

Read this thread (and others on this forum) if you want some depressing reading.

http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f9...html#post95466

http://www.classbforum.com/forums/f5...html#post95486

[Luke Warmwater]

Wow. Depressing is right. I feel bad for the Roadtrek owners out there.

I really liked the PW Lexor TS as well. Lower cost than the Ascent and a little wider as well. Unfortunately, I had to rule it out though as PW says the Promaster chasis is only rated to tow 2,150 lbs.

[Knit]

Luke-the Ascent is a nicely done class B and it sounds like you have experience towing.

Whether or not a Sprinter 2500 can tow 5000 lb or not depends on the details of how the Sprinter and the trailer is loaded. A whole bunch of the capacity of the Sprinter is taken up by the weight of the conversion and the other stuff one might carry. When I was looking to purchase my class B this is what made me look for a Sprinter 3500 chassis so I was sure to have the capability to tow my boat safely.

You might want to get more info from Pleasureway on the Ascent’s actual weights and capacities as delivered and do the math using a calculator like http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-...eight-tt.shtml

[Knit]

BTW, as a Roadtrek owner subject to the rear seat issue I have to agree that it sucks. Luckily I have had few rear seat passengers in the past and now plan for non in the future.

[jrobe]

I was very close to buying a Pleasureway Ascent but decided against it for a few reasons. I definitely didn't want a LP generator which is loud and requires regular maintenance (including running it monthly). I also didn't like the idea of being highly dependent on propane for everything including heat, hot water, the old fashioned 3 way refrigerator and the generator. If you do the math, you can't even heat that van for very long on that propane tank capacity without refilling. It is also a hassle filling a propane tank regularly. The propane tank also removes the spare tire. I had no interest in traveling across the country and on back roads without a spare tire.

Instead I preferred having a second alternator to recharge my batteries, an Espar diesel heater and hot water system that runs off the main diesel tank and an efficient compressor refrigerator that draws very little battery power.

I really liked almost everything else about the Pleasureway but decided to have a custom van made by Sportsmobile so I could get it exactly as I wished. I basically copied their floorpan. Pleasureway makes a great van but they are about 10 years behind the times.

[Luke Warmwater]

Originally Posted by Knit

Luke-the Ascent is a nicely done class B and it sounds like you have experience towing.

Whether or not a Sprinter 2500 can tow 5000 lb or not depends on the details of how the Sprinter and the trailer is loaded. A whole bunch of the capacity of the Sprinter is taken up by the weight of the conversion and the other stuff one might carry. When I was looking to purchase my class B this is what made me look for a Sprinter 3500 chassis so I was sure to have the capability to tow my boat safely.

You might want to get more info from Pleasureway on the Ascent’s actual weights and capacities as delivered and do the math using a calculator like Travel Trailer Weight Calculator

Good advice. The 5,000 lb towing capacity comes from the spec sheet in the 2018 Pleasure Way brochure. Having said that, I will investigate further.

[Luke Warmwater]

Originally Posted by jrobe

I was very close to buying a Pleasureway Ascent but decided against it for a few reasons. I definitely didn't want a LP generator which is loud and requires regular maintenance (including running it monthly). I also didn't like the idea of being highly dependent on propane for everything including heat, hot water, the old fashioned 3 way refrigerator and the generator. If you do the math, you can't even heat that van for very long on that propane tank capacity without refilling. It is also a hassle filling a propane tank regularly. The propane tank also removes the spare tire. I had no interest in traveling across the country and on back roads without a spare tire.

Instead I preferred having a second alternator to recharge my batteries, an Espar diesel heater and hot water system that runs off the main diesel tank and an efficient compressor refrigerator that draws very little battery power.

I really liked almost everything else about the Pleasureway but decided to have a custom van made by Sportsmobile so I could get it exactly as I wished. I basically copied their floorpan. Pleasureway makes a great van but they are about 10 years behind the times.

Sounds like you got the best of both worlds. How did the cost compare to the Ascent?

[cherubtravel]

Originally Posted by Luke Warmwater

Sounds like you got the best of both worlds. How did the cost compare to the Ascent?

yeah, please sure if it is not so confidential.
i am curious too

[henknoordermeer]

Originally Posted by jrobe

....I definitely didn't want a LP generator which is loud and requires regular maintenance (including running it monthly). ...

I don't think you have to run an LP generator monthly. The main issue is the gumming up of the carburettor i believe, which only applies to Gas models?

However, i did hear about stators corroding and blowing the regulators after prolonged periods of storage. Depends a lot on in what conditions you store i suppose.?

[avanti]

Originally Posted by henknoordermeer

I don't think you have to run an LP generator monthly. The main issue is the gumming up of the carburettor i believe, which only applies to Gas models?

However, i did hear about stators corroding and blowing the regulators after prolonged periods of storage. Depends a lot on in what conditions you store i suppose.?

Count me among the "monthly" skeptics, especially with propane. My experience of many years has been that this is grossly exaggerated. Even with petrol, the only real issue in the short term is carburetor gumming, as you say. That can be prevented by turning off the fuel and running it dry before storage.

You DO need to run it once in awhile, but IMO a couple of times a year suffices.

[peteco]

Originally Posted by avanti

Count me among the "monthly" skeptics, especially with propane. My experience of many years has been that this is grossly exaggerated. Even with petrol, the only real issue in the short term is carburetor gumming, as you say. That can be prevented by turning off the fuel and running it dry before storage.

You DO need to run it once in awhile, but IMO a couple of times a year suffices.

Don't forget about preventing corrosion buildup on the slip rings ( I think that is what they are called). I don't exercise every month or for 2 hours usually, but probably 8-10 times a year. Only a couple times a year is not frequent enough IMO.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by peteco

Don't forget about preventing corrosion buildup on the slip rings ( I think that is what they are called). I don't exercise every month or for 2 hours usually, but probably 8-10 times a year. Only a couple times a year is not frequent enough IMO.

I agree that surface rust on the commutator surfaces is the biggest potential issue. That is the only real reason I believe in "exercise" at all. But I have never seen evidence that half a year is going to do any permanent damage. This is after many years experience with gensets, snow blowers, lawn mowers, and motorcycles.

OTOH, when you DO run it, be very sure that it runs long enough to get good and hot. Otherwise you are just pumping in damaging water vapor that never gets cooked away. Give it a good run, or else just let it sleep.

[Davydd]

What about other internal combustion engines such as lawn mowers that are seasonal use, Honda generators, or that gem of a classic car forgotten in a barn. They don't suggest you "exercise" them periodically do they?

Anyway, if really needed, that is why I haven't been fond of Onan generators. Anything that finicky is ill designed for RV use or not worth putting up with.

[RalphAscent]

Luke, I have a 2017 PW Ascent, very similar to the one you are considering. With the 200 watts of lithion power, 190 watts of solar, 2000 watts of pure sine wave power you have a lot of capability w/o using the LP generator or shore power. We have a 1300W toaster over, an electric grill and in winter a small 1300 watts of electric quartz heater. Can't run them together but fine alone. When you read the Forum issues of gas generators with fuel issues, the LP generators may not be a bad option. You highlighted the reasons for the PW Ascent. You left out one, my 2.1L, 4 cyl MB diesel, with a 7-spd trans gives me 22-24 MPG. Not too shabby for an 8500 GVW, It makes a great 2d vehicle and day tripper. Good luck Luke.....Ralph Ascent

[Luke Warmwater]

Originally Posted by RalphAscent

Luke, I have a 2017 PW Ascent, very similar to the one you are considering. With the 200 watts of lithion power, 190 watts of solar, 2000 watts of pure sine wave power you have a lot of capability w/o using the LP generator or shore power. We have a 1300W toaster over, an electric grill and in winter a small 1300 watts of electric quartz heater. Can't run them together but fine alone. When you read the Forum issues of gas generators with fuel issues, the LP generators may not be a bad option. You highlighted the reasons for the PW Ascent. You left out one, my 2.1L, 4 cyl MB diesel, with a 7-spd trans gives me 22-24 MPG. Not too shabby for an 8500 GVW, It makes a great 2d vehicle and day tripper. Good luck Luke.....Ralph Ascent

Thanks Ralph. Can’t argue with that fuel economy. It gets better mileage than my Chev Colorado pickup. The solar and invertor should allow me to run the fridge on 110 volt power without being plugged in. That would save me from having to run the fridge on propane when boondocking.

[jrobe]

The cost of my Sportsmobile was very similar to the Pleasureway. They have about a 1 year waiting list at Sportsmobile though so I had to plan ahead. My other advantage was that I bought my Sprinter locally at our Freightliner dealer. I got it cheaper this way and established a local service relationship. My Freightliner service facility is even open weekends for the truckers.

[StephCamp]

Hi,
Apart from the limited cargo weight, just be aware that space is very limited and that the length of 72*inches for bed could be an issue if your are a tall guy. I am 5’9 and it feels a bit cramped. We do like to travel with our 2016 Ascent since it is easy to park and maneuver. We also find ourselves to use it more often as a second vehicle. Maintenance is also less pricey without the dually. But If you plan to tow, the benefits of a short Sprinter would not be that useful.