Why we chose Pleasure-Way Plateau TS

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b_smitty

Active member
Joined
Mar 8, 2006
Posts
28
Location
Illinois
This question was raised on another thread, but really belongs under Van Conversions.

Once the wife and I decided that a Class B was right for us (we didn't start out with that mindset) we stopped at a local dealer who sells Roadtrek, Great West and Pleasure-Way vans.? We had also looked at Leisure Travel, Gulf Stream, Airstream and Forest River B brochures, but didn't have a chance to try them on.

Right away we were attracted to the diesels.? We couldn't really justify the price premium for the diesels, despite their great fuel economy, but for us there is a psychological (and ecological) benefit of not having to fill the tank as often and not having to pay as much at each fuel stop.

We were also attracted to the Sprinter-base van conversions.? The Sprinter diesel is peppy and get 24-26 mpg highway.? The footprint of the Sprinter is the same as a Ford F250 longbed crewcab pickup, but with a smaller turning radius.? You can usually park it in a normal sized parking space.? We felt that the 6'-6" width of the van did not adversely affect coach livability over that of its Ford and Chevy brethren.? It some ways it was much more livable, for example, better legroom in the front seats and stand-up head room throughout.

When it came to choosing a manufacturer, the Pleasure-Way won easily over the Great West and Roadtrek Sprinters.? Our requirements included using the van as a second vehicle, so we wanted seating for 5 passengers (facing front and seat-belted).? We wanted a large kitchen and bath area (by B standards, of course).? And finally, we wanted a lot of storage space.

The P-W Plateau TS has a transverse sofa at the rear with three seatbelts.? In conjunction with a couple of ottomans, the sofa flattens out into an almost king-size bed.? The kitchen is equipped with all the standard appliances (including a 4 cf fridge in '06) and has considerable counter space as well.? The bathroom is, hands down, the nicest we saw, save the Forest River MB Cruiser which is no longer being manufactured.? Storage space is still limited, as in all Bs, but the arrangement of the floor plan helps to maximize it.? Tall wardrobe, deep drawers, and very little wasted space.? All this is provided, perhaps, at the expense of natural window lighting in the mid-section of the van, resulting in a somewhat claustrophobic feeling in that area.  The small window in the bathroom alleviates the claustrophobic feeling there, however.

The Roadtrek and Great West have their strong points, of course.? I liked the upfront table and four swivel seats of the RT.? Great for socializing with another couple.? The Westy has a tri-fold sofa that can be slid forward about 2.5' to provide some temporary cargo hauling capacity.

My only wish for the Plateau is a place for a second auxiliary battery, solid surface counter tops instead of laminate, and parabolic mirrors.? Those are really minor complaints,? however.? For the two of us, this van is just about perfect.
 
You did a good job of the most important part of choosing an RV - figuring out what is most important to you and loking for those features.  Hope it works well for you!
 
Well, we achieved a major milestone today.? Put a deposit on a new Pleasure-Way Plateau.? Delivery promised in about 6 weeks.? The dealer said it would be shipped the 1800 miles from the factory in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to the dealership in St. Louis by rail and flat-bed truck .? As such, there will be virtually no mileage on it when we take delivery.? We plan to spend a couple of nights near St. Louis and shake out any bugs before driving the 300 miles back home as was suggested by a member of this forum.? I don't expect many problems, but it's better to get any defects taken care of down there.? I don't know how responsive my local dealer will be to doing warranty service on our van, seeing as how I chose not to buy from him.? Have others found their units to be basically problem free at delivery?? Anything I should pay particular attention to?? Any DO's and DON'Ts I should be aware of?? ???
 
Congratulations on placing your order. There are some checklists in our library that might help with your pre-delivery inspection. Click the Library button above and select Checklists.
 
Thank you, Tom.  The Delivery Checklist is very extensive and will, I'm sure, help me do a thorough check of my MH when the time comes.  ;D
 
one topic that interests me very much is...how much did you pay for your Sprinter rv?
I am probably going to buy one and I am not much of a good negotiator!
 
Sorry for the delay in responding to your question, LePendule.? We bought a new 2006 Pleasure-Way Plateau TS Silver Anniversary Edition with all but a couple of options and paid 74,600 + taxes and registration.? That's a 15% discount off the MSRP.?

My original intent was to purchase from a local dealer, but ended up buying from a dealer in a neighboring state.? This is not as uncommon as you might think.? The best time to buy is in December.? One can also get a good price during RV shows in January and February because the manufacturer often offers incentive pricing during a show that the dealer can pass along to you.?

Also, not all dealers are created equal.? When production capacity limits the number of units of a popular model available for sale, some dealers get a larger allocation than others.? The larger dealers are more likely to accept a lower offer than those who have a small allocation.?

If I were planning to buy a new P-W Plateau today, and wanted to get the best price possible, I would wait till the end of the year to make an offer.? At this time of year, you should expect to pay the MSRP discounted at most 10%.

BTW, we took delivery on our Plateau this week and spend 3 nights camping already shaking out any latent "bugs."? Happy to say there were no significant defects found.? Everything about the P-W and our experience camping in it, at least so far, has exceeded our expectations.  ;D
 
The Plateau TS is very nice!  We do not sell them new, but I did get one in trade.  It was an 05, and itI sold it while it was still on the changeover lot.  That is how nice it was.  The folks switched to a Navion, same engine, heavier chassis by Itasca.  (Navion on a 3500, Plateau on 2500)  The gentleman that purchased it was coming from a 40' Prevost, not a trade in, but a downsize.  They wanted a nice travel vehicle for hotels vs. camping.  If I reacall correctly, it sold at about 58k.  Had about 6K miles.

Best of luck with yours, enjoy and happy travels.
 
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