Great West Legend Experience

Davydd,

The price sheet you refer to does list the options. Now please tell me all about the WiFi option that was not selected by looking at the price sheet.

Are you trying to say that I should make up an order with one of the few dealers and then I will be told what the options consist of that I have selected?

Barry

Yes, put down a list of desires you want in your RV and start negotiating with a dealer. That's how you are going to find out what they, the dealer and Great West Van can do for you. When Mike Ellis was there Great West was pretty much responding to the desires of the customers and finding solutions. I'm not sure how the new ownership will operate. Most RV converters other than Sportsmobile pretty much just have standard offerings. Pre-wire for wifi be it just an antenna booster for cellular or satellite is mostly an after market installation.

We just got back from a week long shakedown trip to Missouri for a B social. Now we are rethinking our storage. The front armoire is going to get an Elfa sliding drawer wire basket storage system. It will fit perfectly and I just bought it from the Container Store. We also decided we are only going to carry one table instead of the two that were provided. I'll be swapping out the dash radio for an iPod ready model. I'll add valve stem extenders and I may install that wireless tire pressure monitoring system. We have another trip scheduled for Washington DC and then we are going to drive to Alaska. Figuring out and prepping your B is a never ending process. There are a lot of things I might like in that Legend EX but am not sure I need or want the extra length. Right now I can pull into most all angle parking stalls like at McDonalds without hanging out too far and I still fit in most all parallel parking street stalls. I like the versatility of driving the B anywhere and the standard Sprinter is at about the top end dimension wise.

"Pre-wire for wifi be it just an antenna booster for cellular or satellite is mostly an after market installation."

Option 7 is $745. Hardly prewire.

Thank you so much for posting these photos. We have been in the process of buying a Sprinter and we have been particularly interested in a Great West. The photos have been very helpful.

I noticed that GWV finally updated their website. Unfortunately it is no better than the old website in providing any useful information.

Plus every page has an annoying set of pictures that takes up the entire page. I can see the set of pictures on the home page, but not on every page.

My understanding is that they are awaiting new photos that will take the place of the pictures of the smiling people. I am relieved because they are showing signs of life, even vitality. I know that they are continuing to sell customized units, some impressively so!
Paul

Re: New Great West website

It looks to me that David and company just wanted to get the new site launched even though it wasn't fully fleshed out yet. I've been checking every few days and I do see changes almost every time I visit - so they are making progress. Good to see! I'm anxious to see how the 2013 Legend pages shape up, as the bar has been set pretty high by LTV.

Paul, any update on delivery on your new rig?

--Cheers,

Tom

Re: New Great West website

PoppaD55 said:

It looks to me that David and company just wanted to get the new site launched even though it wasn't fully fleshed out yet. I've been checking every few days and I do see changes almost every time I visit - so they are making progress. Good to see! I'm anxious to see how the 2013 Legend pages shape up, as the bar has been set pretty high by LTV.

Paul, any update on delivery on your new rig?

--Cheers,

Tom

Click to expand...

We are driving our new EX home to Washington. Picked it up at the factory on the second and spent the night at a Provincial Park near Winnipeg. Back to the factory in the morning for some adjustments, and then to the border where Dave had to drive it through to clear customs. From our point of view, it was trouble free. It seems easy to drive, and I found that cruising at 60 is much more economical than 65. We were getting 18mpg, but we have run into a cold front (pleasant!) with strong westerly winds and mileage dropped to near 16. We love the unit and think she will serve us nicely as an adventure mobile.
GWV is producing about 4 units a month, and they don't seem interest in exponential growth. They are small enough to be curious and innovate and customize while staying within the allowable parameters of the MB chassis.
Paul

Like Quanyin, we have also just taken delivery of our new EX. We are new to this forum and also new to the RV world as our camping life has consisted entirely of tents, backpacks and climbing gear. We are 1 week into this new experience and already know that we made the right decision choosing the EX after a number of years of research, comparison shopping and deliberation.

Thanks to all for the priceless information in this forum. We hope we can provide experiences, insight and information in return as this adventure unfolds.

People still looking for a GWV or other Sprinter rv might be interested to know about Mike Ellis' (formerly sales manager at GWV) new company in Cleveland. It is called Advanced RV LLC, and is beginning to make RVs similar to the GWV, on the Sprinter and the EX chassis. Mike and a former customer from GWV are heading it up together. The website is www.advanced-rv.com. Mike Ellis's email there is MikeE@Advanced-Rv.com I'm sure that he would be interested to provide information to anyone; I've been in some correspondence with him since he moved to Cleveland.

We can't afford a new GWV or a new Advanced RV Stream, but are still hoping that someone else will and will have a trade-in GWV that we can afford! I've been perusing this website for months, gathering information for when we can get our own.

Thanks, Archeogal.

I posted under the comments section about this company, asking for moderators or owners to consider adding Advanced RV to the Sprinter-Based RV Brands, and it's gotten no response, though I hope a few readers visited Advanced RV's site.

Being a 'Clevelander' I was excited to find out about this company in 'my own backyard' and wrote the company asking a few questions. Mike Ellis responded and at that point I checked out his bio on the site and was glad to read about his experience with Great West, so he brings a lot of experience and know how with him.

Mr. Ellis did mention to me that they're bringing some very innovative ideas to the table in designing and producing sprinters, such as under-floor heating. They already have partnered with and become a dealer for a Japanese company that produces the pull-out sliding screen doors.

I will be watching this company with interest and of course will report after I've visited them; and hopefully they'll be added to the Sprinter-based RV Brands forum by then.

I've been on the road quite a bit this year and have just returned from Alaska. On our way up we did stop and visit the new Great West Van facilities now in Winnepeg. I suspect you will see some new thinking soon on their B. They are solely only converting Sprinters right now but are keeping an eye on the new Ford Transit that will soon go into US production.

I also stopped at Advanced RV in Willoughby, OH last May before they had anything in production or even final designs. They too are putting a lot of advanced thinking into their B. But then again I've been reading that LTV and Pleasure-way haven't been sitting on their duffs.

After our Alaska trip I am much more inclined in the KISS approach and not making a B too dependent on the technology or feature cuteness. Visiting with a German couple with a short 4WD Sprinter they brought over impressed me with some new ideas.

Davydd

How was the trip to Alaska? Did you get as far as the coast? Would you recommend the adventure to all? How were the roads.

Thanks

Shane

The Alaska trip was great. 60 days and 10,478 miles and we arrived home this afternoon. We drove up the Alaska Highway, sidetracked down to Skagway, took the ferry to Haines and returned to the highway. We covered just about every possible paved road in Alaska and returned via the Top of the World gravel road to Dawson City, Yukon and back down the Klondike Highway. We hit Banff and Jasper on the way up and down. We came back down the Cassiar Highway in British Columbia and made side trips to both Stewart, BC/Hyder, AK and Prince Rupert, BC. We re-entered the US in Idaho and spent a week in the Glacier NP area, then down to Yellowstone, across the Bighorn Mountains and the Blackhills. I'd do it again. I think it is a must trip for any self-respecting B owner.

Gravel roads are tough on vehicles. Frost heaves and potholes can be dangerous. The gravel may have prematurely wore out my tires. The stock Continental tires are ready for replacement after just 35,000 miles. On my previous Sprinter I went 61,000 miles on Michelins.

Sounds like a great trip and hope to take it one day. Glad you enjoyed it and the GWV held up to the gravel roads. You likely had a few words for some of the pot holes though. All the best on your next adventure.

Shane

We just completed an 8 week, 8,406 mile trip during March and April down in Texas, New Mexico and Louisana. Most of the travel was in Texas for nearly 6,000 across the whole state. The impetus was a Class B Social in South Padre Island. That trip came on the heels of our Alaska trip because over the winter in Minnesota you can't do a lot with your B in cold weather. We did replace our tires with Michelin LTX M/S 2s at 36,000 miles which are about the top of the line with a 70,000 mile warranty. It made a big difference to me over the OEM Continentals. In the other threads here I have chronicled all the catchup and fixups that needed to be done after 18 weeks and 19,000 miles of driving. I think I have our Great West Van Legend just about where I want it. So much so I can't wait to head out again. We are heading for Michigan's Upper Peninsula for the RV.net B10 Rally and then we are going down to Indianapolis for the Indy 500 Race. That will be a short 2 week trip. The more I travel the more I like this B.