George and Lisa interview with their friends Chris and Tracy Hawkins about the likes and dislikes of the Coaches and campers that we toured the first day of the Tampa RV Supershow. Pros and cons of different models, and more.
Chris and Tracy recently going FULL-TIME in their RV and just traded in their Tiffin Phaeton for a new Newmar Dutch Star.
www.RViewPodcast.com for all our details, photos, videos and contact info.
George and Lisa interview with their friends Chris and Tracy Hawkins about the likes and dislikes of the Coaches and campers that we toured the first day of the Tampa RV Supershow. Pros and cons of different models, and more.
Chris and Tracy recently going FULL-TIME in their RV and just traded in their Tiffin Phaeton for a new Newmar Dutch Star.
www.RViewPodcast.com for all our details, photos, videos and contact info.
intro
Welcome to RView podcast where we talk about life travel and real estate. Join George and Lisa Hernandez each week as they share insights and parenting tips about their life as a blended family with fourteens their crazy travel and adventures and get Lisa's input about real estate as she juggles it all while still managing her Top Producing real estate brokerage View Properties.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Hi, welcome back to RView. I'm Lisa RichartHernandez.
George
And I'm George Hernandez.
Lisa RichartHernandez
And we are here this week at the 2021 Rv Super Show in Tampa, Florida. And we have our good friends Tracy and Chris Hawkins with us. And they're here in their brand new Newmar that they just bought. And we're camping with the ame group. That's the all inclusive motorhome group. It's our first time and so we were just gonna give you like kind of a review today of what we accomplished and what we saw. We're here for five days, five days?
George
Five days. And today's day one day one,
Lisa RichartHernandez
we've already put 12,000 steps on our on my Apple Watch and have only seen maybe a quarter of everything that's available.
George
Yes. This is a very large show.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yes. Probably one of the biggest in the country. I think it is the biggest in the country. Yes. Yeah, as a matter of fact, a couple little information about the RV Super Show in Tampa. The public days are Wednesday, January 13 to Sunday, January 17. They're open from 9am to 5pm. I'm sorry 6pm. Everyday but Sunday there they close at five. And it's held at the Florida State Fairgrounds right across from the Hard Rock casino, which we found out turns out to be extremely convenient. The past attendance for the shows been around 70 to 75,000 people. I don't know what it's going to be like this year for COVID I don't feel like it was overly crowded, but it's also freezing cold here.
George
We've also never been here so it's hard to gauge but that every parking lot is full.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah. So freezing to us is what is this? 55? of 60?
George
Yeah, and it's it's it's cold. Yeah, yeah.
Lisa RichartHernandez
So say hello, Tracy and Chris and tell us a little bit about where you're from and about your big, big big plans from going from sticks and bricks to full time RV years.
Tracy
Well, we like to call ourselves full time RViers but really, we are going to be full timing in our RV but probably not full time traveling as we would like because we both still work and both still have jobs. So we are going to just be basing out of our motorhome.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Gotcha. So big little plug for Tracy here she is our lead salesperson for Hilton Head RV lots for sale. And they're going to be full time in the Hilton Head Island motorcoach resort, which is a beautiful place in South Carolina. And if anybody wants more information on that, it'll be in our show notes and you can contact her directly for that.
George
All right, let's get going.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah, so let's let's let's talk about some of the like, we just like I said just hit the tip of the iceberg today. But we did see some luxury things. Let's start with a Tiffin and we we own a 2018 Tiffin Phaeton 40?..
George
IH
Lisa RichartHernandez
40 IH. That's the model of our Tiffin. So it's a Class A x,
George
h s extra
Lisa RichartHernandez
high storage. No x extra store type,
George
extra shithouse
Tracy
that's not what it means. I got in trouble for saying that.
Lisa RichartHernandez
It's not extra shithouse it's extra store height.
George
Oh, yeah. Just kidding. Of course, I knew that. Alright, let's carry on.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Alright, let's talk about the tins that we saw first, tell me what Did anybody see anything that you felt like was really different or better, and the new the new tiffins that we thought out?
Chris
I liked the European cabinetry in the in the Zephyr. I understand that it's not available in any other model in the Zephyrs at the top top end of the Tiffin class. But I would I would like to see them offer those type cabinets maybe in a Phaeton in our last coach was a Phaeton and we recently jumped ship or jump brands to a Newmar but I liked the way it looked. I liked the contemporary style. And I see a lot of other motorhome people going in that direction, but yet, tiffin and Newmar both tend to be a little more traditional with the raised panel door.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah, yeah, I personally love the new white cabinets. And even while we were there, I heard a lot of like, I don't like the white. I like the white. I don't like the white. I love the white Tracy doesn't love the white.
Tracy
I didn't love the white one we looked at what had the gray and it was they were real glossy, glossy cabinets if they had been more of them kind of a more matte finish and I don't know my cabin tree give
Chris
more of a satin finish yeah somewhere between matte and glossy
Tracy
seem like it was going to be dated at some point you know or very quickly it would like you might get tired out real quick although I do believe the lighter colors make it feel more open.
Lisa RichartHernandez
I felt like that too. I felt like it and I don't think that the white was a glossy white and I think that's why I liked it a little bit more but the gray to me was really like like you said like high gloss and it felt a little almost like almost cheesy a little bit I hate to use that word cheesy but they
Tracy
also they also paired it with the real white white interior the white not tan interior but really polar white and I believe that might be their their color is polar white. And I think that with the white makes it too much like there needs to be some sort of contrast or something.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah.
George
I think the bottom line is you got to customed do it.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah, yeah. Or just you know,
George
cuz then you can pick and choose the colors and get the right combo. I personally liked the the gray glossy ones. But Chris brought up a point that glossy could be out of style next week. Yeah. And then you're stuck with gray, glossy cabinets and everything for you know, however long you're on the RV, but I liked it. I liked it.
Lisa RichartHernandez
The one thing I really did love about the newer tiffin we have the 2018 and in the kitchen behind on the backsplash, there's no window. And the newer models, I think must be the 2019 and newer have that big window and it just brings in so much more natural light in the kitchen. I really liked that
George
That was nice. I like that too. But overall, to answer your question that you started with, I didn't really see any major changes that anybody see. I mean, you know that there's some new things but nothing that made me go wow, I gotta get a new one. Because of this. There was nothing on any any of the lines.
Tracy
I feel like there's only so much you can do with this space. Very true. I'm sure these may leak when you look at the grand scheme of things. We've only been in this very short time compared to ever a lot of other people I've met they've exhausted every possibility.
George
Right But even what Lisa said before you walk into an RV and there's six people in there and all six have a different opinion. One likes the cabinets one doesn't like the cabinets one likes the booth. One doesn't like the booth. So imagine if you're a manufacturer and that's all you're getting all day long. Oh, I love this. I hate it. I love this. I hate it. I love this. I hate that.
Lisa RichartHernandez
I think the biggest controversy for like of interior design is whether people want the table with the chairs or the booth. And I see the pros and cons to both of them. We have the table and chairs in our tiffin and I just the world want the booth. I really want.
George
Yeah, but I think there's more people that don't like the workspace than there is that like it?
Tracy
Talking about the work base being the table?
George
Yeah.
Tracy
Well, those are so we had that on our last one. And then we just went to a booth. I love the booth. I didn't see the workspace that I mean it wasn't functional that one. I mean, there's one drawer that has some file folder capacity there. But I it wasn't enough to make it It wasn't a deal breaker for me. That deal breaker was on our last one was the booth.
George
The booth is just it's the way to go. You can work on the booth. Yeah, you can work a lot more comfortable than on this workstation that really, it's not functional. It has the drawers for files, it has a drawer for printer. But you only have one seating arrayed in from an option if that makes sense. Right? Yes. So you can't sit facing the printer you can't face facing the file cabinet. You have to sit
Lisa RichartHernandez
first and I don't like it because it's on the slide. So when they're on this tile and two legs are on the court that
Tracy
that was our biggest complaint. Yeah, when we have the table and chairs that just that when we did sit there it just felt like one of us we're always rocking back and forth kind of thing. Yeah. And I think it's a little bit like red wine. You like what you like? Yeah,
George
that's true. Leave us some comments. Let us know what you people out there think.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah, definitely. I
George
think there's more people like the booth and yeah, I'd love to take a poll tiffin pay attention
Lisa RichartHernandez
here. Well, it's not even just different. Every everybody. As a matter of fact, the next place we went to was the new Mars right? The way they were right close.
Tracy
We went to Integra. Next.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Oh Integra.
Chris
That's right. But the one I'm sorry, the one thing on the TIF and I really don't understand why they don't change the design is doing away with the carpet on the slides. Yes. You know, we're Newmar has done that they've done it tile from wall to wall doesn't matter whether it's a slide or whatever. And tiffin seems to resist it. You know, we have some another friends that are talking about ordering one, they have a little dog that likes to maybe urinate more than it should. And they've got a 2019 and the carpets ruined, you know?
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah. And it's only a tiny bit of carpet. So it would probably be a pain to even just, ours is not even a year and a half old. And it's already stained in front of the in the frigerator and stuff in when we walk into your new one with the all tile floor. Even the visual, it looks so much bigger. Because it's it's a visual of consistent open flooring, right?
George
Yes, nice lines. Yeah,
Lisa RichartHernandez
the carpet sort of makes sort of a dividing line that makes it seem a little bit smaller.
George
And it's ironic because it's only, I don't know, a couple of square feet of carpet. Yeah, but everything that's dirty seems to land on the carpet. Not on all this tile flooring that we have it lands on the damn carpet.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yes. Yeah, that's true.
George
That's why we haven't taken the plastic off of half of our RV.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yes, we're like those old people that give the blessing.
George
If I can find that plastic, I'd put it on the other side to light now
Lisa RichartHernandez
with some saran wrap down.
George
So let's talk about
Lisa RichartHernandez
the Entegra's Next.
George
Yeah, no, not Entegras. Let's go back to Yeah, it wasn't Entegra.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Entegras are the ones
George
that was really really looking forward to looking at the new cornerstone. That's that's the one that I've been keeping an eye on
Lisa RichartHernandez
the top of the line Entegra
George
I've say I was a little disappointed. I hate to say that. But the layout I don't even know it just did not. Wow me the way I thought it was gonna wow me.
Tracy
I gotta say I was hoping for much more to because the outside of the Entegras are so sexy. Oh, yeah, they are. I mean, they just the front of them and the back of them the outside but I've never been in one before. And yeah, I was a little underwhelmed to.
George
Yeah. The cabinet tree the headboard on the bed.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Oh, that was the headboard.
George
That was Yeah, it was I was like,
Lisa RichartHernandez
it was like leather with what do they call those? tufted leather? headboard headboard but it looked like grandma's bed. Would you? Ah, it was very
Chris
nice. It was very out of place. Absolutely.
Lisa RichartHernandez
If there was a mirror on the ceiling would have been better.
George
Twice. No,
Lisa RichartHernandez
I don't feel I asked.
George
No, it was it was very very, very disappointing. Just didn't.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah.
Chris
I think what to validate what Tracy said is, you see this incredible paint incredible detail incredible design on the outside of this coach and you come in it. I don't want to say it's a bad coach or anything like that because I don't know anything about it. But its appearance. Its appointment to detail. Just doesn't the the inside doesn't match the outside.
Tracy
Can I just say when we entered the Entegra I noticed the very first thing and I'm sure I'm not going to get my word right here. So when you entered the Integra there was some cheesiness on the step area. That is so dumb that was the first thing I noticed.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah, didn't notice
Tracy
just look cheap or didn't look like what it should cost you know or just didn't look
Chris
seem very tight right there too. I mean, coming in past that passenger seat to the console seem very, very tight.
Tracy
And then my next eyes went to the cabinetry, which was probably fine but then they they use the worst possible cheapest, like polls on the cabinet. And then it's like, oh, my gosh, you know, this,
Lisa RichartHernandez
we're talking about what's the price tag on it. Hi end or whatever
George
Well, the price tag was seven something on sale for 525 599 Yeah, it was right.
Tracy
There half million dollars. I think we can spring for the 299 pool on the cabinets instead of the 50 cent pole on the cabinets.
George
Just saying it's weird, and I'm sure there's a bunch of people out there right now saying that was the most incredible RV that I ever saw. It is what it is it just it didn't float our boat.
Lisa RichartHernandez
I have to say like just like we were talking about the outside of the Entegra is when we came in with our aim group. The Entegra group. came in before us. And they just look so cool. Like all of them. They've got the coolest outside lights, like then they're all lined up. There's a whole lines of two whole lines of 40 foot Tigers beautiful.
George
It's a beautiful coach is very well made. And I've seen a ton of videos of integrals, especially the cornerstone because like I said, I've been keeping an eye on them. And I have not seen that layout that we saw today. And it could just be that that's their new model. And boy, I'll that's a hard pass for me. I rather buy an older one with you know what I want? Yeah, just very disappointed.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah. Alright, so we're not buying a new Entegra, which we didn't need one. So Alright, let's go to the Newmar because choosing Chris and Tracy just bought their brand new Newmar tell us tell us why you chose the Newmar tell us what your favorite features are, give us some inside scoop.
Chris
Well, for me, I know being a little more intrigued mechanically and all the component tree a big piece for me is the new more or our Newmar is a side radiator versus a rear radiator. Not that I'm going to get in there and work on the engine a whole lot. But I can at least get to it a funding to put a belt on or or a sensor or just general maintenance I can do it if I wanted to. And with the rear radiator on the tiffin was not a was not a good. Let's say it wasn't a good fit for us. There was a you know, I think for us the fit and finish on the Newmar was a little better because we we stopped at North Trail RV in Fort Myers and, and we had a tiffin Phaeton and we put them side by side. And the biggest reason we stopped there is they are the only dealer that has both both brands. And we put them side by side. And you know, there's some storage hiccups that we've had to work through and are working through, I think we have more storage, it's just different storage. And that's been an adjustment for us. And I'm sure we're going to continue to adjust and I'm going to continue to ask her Hey, where the where the hell do you put this? Or do you put that and she's gonna continue to yell back at me right where I right where you left it so
Tracy
well in let me let me just say that we were when we were stopped there to compare them. We were comparing the Allegro bus with the Dutch star, that's the kind of the
Lisa RichartHernandez
same level?
Tracy
the same level. Okay, um, I think as my understanding of it, maybe there'll be some people that disagree with it. But um, that that's the kind of the same level so my I always thought our next level our next step would be the Allegro bus and seeing them next to each other. This the Dutch star Newmar Dutch star just fit our needs better. I can't say enough good things about our tiffin. We had very we didn't have any issues with that. Of course, we didn't have it long enough. But we had it what a year and a half. Yeah,
Lisa RichartHernandez
yeah. you're in your third coach.
Tracy
We're in our third coach in three years, so but I think we're here for a while. Okay, famous last word.
Lisa RichartHernandez
What else about the new Mar? Did you like I think there was some I love
Tracy
I love the the what feels like the quality of especially my cabinetry, just the door the way the doors when you pull open the doors, or in the cabinet or anything, it just, they just feel more solid,
Lisa RichartHernandez
Right.
Tracy
There are some things in the Dutch star that I kind of miss out of my fate and I missed that we don't when I'm laying in bed, the the Allegro or the tiffins all have like the little What do they call it? spider wire. Do the little control panel, the control panel right next to you on both sides of the bed. I could turn on the generator. I could lock the front door. I could turn off all the lights. I could control everything. Right there from your bed. We get in our bed now. And it's like oh god, did we lock the door? Did we do this? Did we do that? You know there's there's no controls there other than this, the lights in the bedroom? Pretty much.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah. See, that would almost be a deal breaker for me.
George
Yeah, that's true. Are you are you sure you can't do it through your phone? It doesn't have an app or anything?
Tracy
No, I'm not. I'm not sure about any of that. You
George
I talked to one guy today who said yeah, they're not there because you can do it through your phone
Lisa RichartHernandez
was American coach I think
George
American Yeah,
Chris
ours are still where the tiffin was almost Bluetooth compatible with this is just a switch and wire. Okay. Alright, it's hardwired in. But there are still, you know, there are some things that I like on the tiffen better. I mean, I, Tracy and I, she does the inside, I do the outside. I like the big monster slide when I'm inside, but when I got to come outside, it's over the wet Bay, so I have to crawl underneath the slide to get to the wet Bay. So that's, you know, that's something I didn't think about when we're looking at buying it. Not that that's a deal breaker for us, because we globally like the coach better. But it just it's one of those things. It's you know, now you got to readjust.
George
Yeah. Do all of that before you do the pile. Right? That's right. We do with ours. Yeah. As much as we can.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah. Yeah,
Tracy
I do like that I can put my slides out without having the key on. And then we would have to listen to the key, you know, everything would be before you could put the slide down and everything. So I do like that. That's kind of nice.
George
Yeah. All right. The million dollar question. This is another one that's always on the internet. Do you guys drop your Jacks first and pop out or pop out and then drop your Jacks?
Tracy
So numerous suggests that you put the slides up first, and then the jack and then level?
Chris
Up level? The exact opposite of what Tiffany tells you?
George
Yeah, that's so funny, because I've actually googled that and there's
Chris
no right answer!
George
million different opinions on why you should do the pop outs first and then level. And then there's a million on why you should level first and then do the pop outs. So
Tracy
And they both make sense.
George
Absolutely. They both make sense. So just do whatever your manufacturer says people.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah, yep. So this was the first time I'd ever been in any winnebagos as always curious to know kind of, you know, what they look like on the inside? Because people who say like, Oh, we have a Winnebago. That was like the, the generic term for a camper. You know what I mean? Like when I was growing up anyways, you'd be like, Oh, we've got a Winnebago. And I'd be like, it's, it's like a camper. Kind of, like we call everything
Tracy
kind of like, do you have a Rolex on or do you have a Timex on?
Chris
Do you have to watch?
Lisa RichartHernandez
crescent wrench? But um, yeah, so the, the winnebagos that it seemed a little bit more entry level than some of the Newmars and tiffin that we looked at.
Tracy
I gotta tell you, I don't remember the one.
George
Yeah, it was kind of nice.
Chris
I think they're great value for what they are. They're not a $500,000 price. They're under 200,000. And they're there. They're, they're, I think they're good value.
George
Yeah, like Lisa said, it's a great entry level class that and Fleetwood and I'll say this much. I was very impressed with Fleetwood. I think they're they're they've realized that the market has grown tremendously and they're stepping up their game because I was very impressed with all aboard I saw
Lisa RichartHernandez
So of all of this quote surprises I guess for today, I would say my biggest brand that surprised me the most was the fleet woods. I mean, they had some new floor plans that we've never seen before like they had a Class A with an island in the kitchen.
Tracy
And I shocked about that I still can't wrap my head around how that comes in. I need to see that no, I
Lisa RichartHernandez
yeah, I mean, I thought it looked really really cool.
George
They actually had a lot of nice new features they they like I said they stepped up their game. Yeah, they want to be competitors and because fleet has always been the entry level RV.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Well, they've also got some great floor plans as far as I'm concerned for people that aren't me have a family so that they absolutely have bunk house options they have, you know, I still miss the queen size bed that comes over the the driver's compartment that drops down because not a number was also good for storage. But you know, it was it was great to throw, you know, a couple kids up there, you know, when we have them or whatever. It's almost easier than the pullout couch.
George
We had our
Lisa RichartHernandez
take up any space in the coach.
George
When we had ours. We physically slept 10 people in that thing one time. And it was it was fine. I mean, it was all our kids. Yeah. And our kids love the Fleetwood bounder, but it was just it was totally entry level. Yeah.
Tracy
Are our coaches only sleep two?
George
Yes, that's Yes. That's where we're up to now.
Tracy
Maybe a small grandchild every now and then only two
Lisa RichartHernandez
a Labradoodle. That's funny, because when we bought this what we were worried about, like I was like, where are we going to sleep all the kids and George's like, it doesn't matter. We're not sleeping.
Chris
campton ends for
George
exactly. Thank you. All right, which one did we go to next?
Lisa RichartHernandez
Okay, so then, oh, we did go to the American that was a one coat. Is that I saw it was American is what the brand is right? That I did see it remember that gray one with Yeah, that was really, really nice. And I really liked that one. The price point was what 600,000 on that,
Chris
like 574
Lisa RichartHernandez
six. So the interior had very, very modern sleek. cabinetry and
George
interior was beautiful. You're right.
Tracy
That one probably caught my eye more than anything we saw all day today. Yeah, and that one like please my eye more than anything.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yes. Yeah, total, especially for the price point. Yeah, I mean, if you're putting it up against a Primo or whatever,
Tracy
you know, that's apples and oranges.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Right, exactly. But but for that for that level coach, that was my favorite. The biggest thing that I did notice like, Well, I didn't notice it right away. But you saw the second which always if you're shopping for a coach go with somebody else that RVs to like you have to be like oh yeah, by the way, there's no hanging closet space Harley is very small amount of hanging closet space in that one. Lots of drawers which I loved and I love drawers but we hang a lot of things.
George
I know but again it's one of those damned if you do damned if you don't if they start putting in a lot of closets and a lot of drawers and a lot of stuff then people go oh my god this thing feels so tight. There's no room there's everything's used up with closets and
Tracy
you got to give up something
George
right so it's
Tracy
whatever's in everything's everything's doable.
George
You just got to make it work like Fleetwood with the with the bunk beds. They made it so that the bunk the top bunk bed fold, and you can convert that into a giant closet.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah, we used to use the bunk thing for a lot of store in our old coach when we had the bunk, bunk house, you know, so then we went inside into the fancy, Prevost, and Rome for travel. Coaches
Tracy
still underwhelmed with space
Lisa RichartHernandez
for $2 million. Okay,
Tracy
Which one is 2 million there but which one was 2 million?
Lisa RichartHernandez
Because those are all brand new ones are two
Chris
artists are between one eight and two five. Yeah,
Tracy
even the previous
George
that we sold Yeah. All the brand new ones are over two. Yeah, so just below to some
Lisa RichartHernandez
of them they wouldn't let you go inside you could only like why appointment only on the front window. You can look in the front window, they had like little steps to look up which I mean, you can see in there and they're beautiful in the thing. It's weird. Like, a lot of the Prevost don't even have slides on one side, you know, there really so we talked to the salesperson there before and he's like, I was like, Who's your primary customer for that? Turns out it's like rock stars, NASCAR drivers, you know people that need to stay on site and wanna live in luxury, I guess
Chris
We'll remember previous is a chassis builder. And then you have coachbuilders those were both married. We saw two marathons a featherlight for travel, even though they're all on previous chassis. These are different coachbuilders for travels aren't on Prevost for you are correct for travels on a Spartan chassis. Sorry.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Oh, okay. Well, again, I'm always on the inside interior of what it looks like you guys
Tracy
are still under me know, they may have like lots of glass cabinets and stuff. But I To me, that's
Chris
tchotchke it's,
Tracy
it's not what I'm looking for. I need to I need it to be livable and right. And it's beautiful. They're gorgeous. And I'm sure driving it down the road. Well, there's got to be those things don't move and I'm sure driving that thing it's gonna be and I think driving our Dutch star in our Phaeton was wonderful, and I can't even imagine how wonderful those things are to dry.
George
I betcha Prevost is like driving on a cloud. But I just I can't see a $2 million cloud. I just
Tracy
I can't see $2 million on my clothes being in there.
George
It you know, and they sell like hotcakes. So there's a market for them. Obviously, it's just that's that's a big
Tracy
That'd $2 million. That $2 million. So when are you start looking underneath of it. And I'm not in that that's Chris's department that even impresses me though. No, no, you start looking at
Lisa RichartHernandez
the the last. Gosh,
George
I look at a previous like a Rolls Royce. That thing is made by hand meticulously like Chris said, Every wire is laid out precisely where it's supposed to be. Everything underneath is stainless steel and it looks perfect. And you open it up and you're like oh my god. This has been Beautiful, even though this is where the, you know, black water tank is and this is where this is. It is just made with such great detail. It should be for $2 million.
Chris
It's craftsmanship. Newell, and Newell was one of my customers once upon a time and my boss sent me a call on Newell. And we sold a product that they were going to basically buy a sheet of our material for every one of their coaches. And I told him, I called him on the phone and said, they're gonna buy sheet. He's like, Oh, that's awesome. What is the volume 26. They sell 26 coaches, they build
Tracy
26 a year. But most people when they build one, they're already putting their order in for the next one, because it takes two years to build. Wow.
Chris
So they've if you want to go buy a two year old one with minimal miles, they literally there's, they've got almost their customer lists. They pick one up, they order their next one. And they trade them right back in and they you know, and it's the part that you look across their lot, and they're all black. It's like this sea of black limousine coaches sitting there. I'm like, okay,
Tracy
and they're just waiting to
Chris
use those rather used ones when I was up there. That's all they had were used once they had no new ones. They don't build any among speculation. They're all custom built.
Tracy
Well, I guess that's lottery money.
Lisa RichartHernandez
We still haven't won that. 600,000 and 200
Chris
million 600 million.
George
I'm working on it.
Tracy
I tell Chris every week he's just not trying hard enough.
Lisa RichartHernandez
So the Rome that was the last big one that we really looked at. for travel more important for travel realm is the model.
George
Yeah, it was very nice. I liked Yeah,
Lisa RichartHernandez
that was on sale for like 980.
George
Again. I think Chris and I talked about this yesterday, after the 500,000 mark, that's where they lose me. Because there's such a big jump. You got all these other RVs that start at 100,000 to 500,000 you got every range in between. Then all sudden, it's weird because you hit that 500,000 mark and it jumps to 900 right? There's there there's very few or I didn't see too many 600 700 800 it just went five to nine or five to a million then we saw a couple of 600,000 but it just it the jump is so big. And I don't see what I'm getting the amount right that's what I'm trying to say I don't see what I'm getting for double the money that junk and
Tracy
I think there's just so much you can do with one. Yeah. And then and then the rest is just
George
and I I totally agree with you. But where is the difference? I don't know. They should you know, in my opinion, they should be able to say hey, this is happening Italian marble on the on the counters and and I know a lot of it as the driver as you know, I think a lot of the engine drive train to the ride all of that I know a lot of that technology and that money goes into that super comfortable ride. But it's still such a big jump.
Lisa RichartHernandez
I know. No, I think we're gonna have to drive one of those just so we can like
Tracy
Goerge I'll let you drive mine. So
Chris
yes, the Essex Newmar Essex stickers at $880,000 and it has the exact same drive line is my touchstar exact
George
yeah see that's what I mean. So okay, so where's the difference?
Chris
Well, in the in the essence there is some will say some embellishment in the detail they cabinets, more glass more crystal more, you know, but is there $300,000 more? I'm with you, George I don't see it. I you got to sell me a little bit on where the 300 grand juices are. I'm with you. I'd rather have a class B as a toad and that becomes my guest house or the pool. I drag that out for another 300 grand,
George
you know, maybe we tomorrow our mission should be to talk to a salesperson and see if if they can enlighten us on why your coach is $800,000 and this one is 500 and they both look kind of alike pretty close. Sell me on why you're? Yeah.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Well after we looked at all these coaches, what we'll definitely talk to us more sales people tomorrow and report on some more things. We went into the exhibitors Hall and that was good information. There was a lot of different resorts that sell lots there. A lot of things that were you could buy stuff for your RV, and there was a couple of things that I thought were really cool and one of the things was the gardens RV community that is in crossville, Tennessee. I would love to check it out sometime. But it is a whole community of basically houses that have giant RV garages. So that's like it. And the whole neighborhood is that it's it's not even like, you know, like a pet parking bed and a goat. I
Tracy
don't think this is I think it's becoming more and more popular all the time. Even if you don't have an RV people want those big garages. I mean selling real estate. Lisa, you and I both know, yeah, that people they want garage space, that guy wants garages, he don't care what the house looks like, and she just wants a nice house.
George
But if you're an RV owner that I mean the layout and the floor plans are beautiful. And the pictures that we saw the ones that were ready
Lisa RichartHernandez
for regular garage and RV garage, and then the workshop that they can make into like a man cave or whatever. And so the garage is 20 by 70. That's so long.
Tracy
twice, you need to have room to to put your slides out even in your garage, you want to put you know have it opened up be able to work around it that kind of thing.
Lisa RichartHernandez
And then it's got like a big master bedroom with a big giant closet and I love this. The closet from the master bedroom opens out into the garage so you can load your coat. So easy. I love that. Yes. And then there's also a big laundry that that opens up in there and those only just like one other bedroom. So like it's our gardens, RV village calm. If you want to check that out. We've never been there. But next time we go to Tennessee, I want to drive by there.
George
Yeah, definitely want to do it
Chris
again. It goes back to Tracy's point. How many does it sleep one grandkid occasionally.
Lisa RichartHernandez
And that's Yeah, they're on big houses. No, they're, they're about 1500 square feet houses and I think they start around 300 and go up to like 600,000 or something.
George
Yeah, that's nice. I like it. I definitely want to check it out. Yeah. And then we're close to Nashville.
Lisa RichartHernandez
It was like an hour. It was between Nashville and Knoxville an hour from Nashville. So he's kind of in the middle of nowhere but have a great golfing there. Oh, tons of golf. Yes.
George
Often lots of retirement.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Speaking of tons of golf and new RV Resort that's being built on Hilton Head. We did. They did have a booth here. So we got some information from them. They're not going to be for sale. So I think that's a great opportunity for us to get some RV sale RV lots because people come to Hilton that in their motorcoach. And then they can buy a place at Hilton and motorcoach resort but you can only rent it the new resort that's being built. We'll do a podcast with them so we can learn more about that resort in Hilton Head. Anything to promote promote the Hilton Head area but
Tracy
like I got to admit, that resort does look a lot better than I thought. I didn't think it was gonna be that many slick spots that many spots available. Yeah. And I didn't realize they were gonna have like a pool
Lisa RichartHernandez
and lazy river and barn Tiki Bar.
George
Yeah, it looks like they're doing it up, right?
Lisa RichartHernandez
Yeah. We can have a swim up bar at home that motorcoach resort we
George
can get a Nevermind. Let's not get into that. Yeah. Let's move on. So
Lisa RichartHernandez
that's about it for Do we need to wrap this up because we got a report on day two and day three,
George
we got happy hour right now.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Happy Hour will tell you more about the all inclusive motorcoach group. I'm gonna get a chance.
Tracy
I have one more thing to say I do want to say I want you guys to talk about at some point about all the all the fifth wheels.
Lisa RichartHernandez
Oh God, and maybe even today, I want to talk about them
Tracy
the amazing fifth wheels.
George
I mean, that'll be our next podcast. We'll do another one.
Lisa RichartHernandez
We'll talk tomorrow again about day two, and we definitely need to go over the fifth wheels. The camper trailers, everything from like $10,000 up to 130,000 for a toy hauler that has a giant kitchen and dining room and
Chris
two story
George
two story one and they
Tracy
Oh, in the container house.
George
Oh, yeah,
Lisa RichartHernandez
we've got we've got interviewed for those container homes. So lots more to talk about on day two at the Tampa RV. Thank you so much, Chris, and Tracy hopefully talk to you again tomorrow. And Over and out. Bye Bye, everybody.
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