Fleetwood Expedition: A Little Shack On Wheels?
Written: Sep 09 '00 (Updated Sep 09 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good use of storage, powerful engine, decorated elegantly, lighter than earlier models.
Cons: Low fuel mileage, towing car for side trips
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| djgeiger's Full Review: 2000 Fleetwood Expedition |
The last time I used an RV, or a Class A motor home I wasn't impressed. It didn't have enough power to get out of it's own way if it had too! The wind resistance was like driving a brick. Back in those days motor homes were very heavy. Now motor homes are built with much lighter material and have larger power houses. For the last couple years we have pondered buying a motor home. We have also thought about fifth-wheels. We have looked at several RV's comparing fifth wheels and class A motor homes, there is much more to take into consideration than I first expected.
If we buy a fifth wheel we'd be towing it with a truck. We wouldn't have a car with us, so we'd be forced to unhook the truck from the fifth wheel frequently. The price of a truck and a nice fifth wheel come pretty close to the price of a class A motor home. When we were shopping for trucks we found that the fifth wheel packages were extra! If we buy a motor home we can tow a car with us.
While looking at the first motor home we quickly discovered that buying a motor home is like buying a car, but much worse. I think we'll start with Fleetwood's Expedition
The Expedition comes in two different lengths, a 34 foot and a 36 foot. There isn't a tremendous amount of difference between the two, wheel base 209' compare to 229', some external storage capacity, no difference in liquid capacities, but there IS one primary difference why I would choose the 36 footer over the 34 footer. The 36 footer has a washer and dry package. I must have a washer and dryer! When we first started looking at motor homes I saw that it did have a washer and dryer. My first thoughts were how and where? Looking through the motor home, finally opening what looked like a storage cupboard, walla, a washer and dryer!
The primary difference in the Expedition Motor Home is the fact that it is powered by a 260 HP 5.9L Diesel, Freightliner. Most of the other Fleetwood's had V10 Ford Gas engines 6.8 L.. Both decent power houses. The gas engine's fuel tank holds 75 gallons of fuel. It will go approximately 450 miles which is 6 miles per gallon. The price we paid for fuel yesterday was $2.15 a gallon. $161.92 to fill up the gas tank, and you want to go how far each day? But look at the things you don't have to do, hotel rooms, depending on what part of the country your in are $40. on up. RV parks and campgrounds with electric hookups and sewer (or at least sewer dump station) are $9. a day on up. With a RV you don't have to go out for a couple meals a day. In restaurants that really adds up. Even at coffee shops that's $15.-$20 per meal, a person, at least twice a day. So maybe filling up the fuel tank won't be that bad! Diesel prices in the state we are in now is more expensive than regular gas prices. But in most every other state we have been in, diesel prices have been at least 10 cents a gallon cheaper.
We drive my father's diesel Cummings quite often. It is a noisy ride, a constant rumble. In the Expedition the diesel is on a platform and has a higher suspension, making for a comfortable and quiet ride.
Other considerations when buying a motor home, especially considerations for us since we usually find some pretty remote places is liquid capacities. The fresh water tank is 100 gallons. One thing to remember before filling up our tank in different places you visit, is check the quality of the water before you fill your fresh water tank and possible contaminate the remainder of the water supply that you have. This happened to me once, we ended up with yellow, sulfuring, smelling water for several hundred miles before we found good, clean water again. The body waste tank on the Expedition is 50 gallons, the gray water tank is 50 gallons. Take very short showers, the water heater only holds 6 gallons. The liquid petroleum tank is 25 gallons.
When we first walked into the Expedition we were slightly awed over the space. The manufacturers are great illusionist when it comes to making the motor home look spacious. The Expedition also has pullouts. The living room area has a pull out where the dinette and optional sofa sleeper go. The pull out in the living room is 12 ft 1 inches long with overhead storage. The pull outs really adds space to these motor homes. In the bedroom there is a wardrobe slide out. Adding to the space availability, over the drivers console is a 27 inch Panasonic TV, a Panasonic DVD, VCR, Stereo, digital sound control system with a CD changer. All clearly visible to the living room area.
The galley area was pretty impressive. Everything you could possibly want in a kitchen and very well organized. They use the space available to the best possible advantage. 3 burner stove, double door, 8 cubic foot refrigerator and freezer, convection microwave and a double porcelain sink. There is vinyl flooring in both the galley and the bath. The storage space is pretty generous, overhead cabinets with adjustable shelves, wood drawers (roller guides) with cabinet doors with clip-like locks to keep things secure when driving.
The bedroom has a comfortable, queen size bed. Through out the entire living quarters is day and night shades. The pull out wardrobe in the bedroom is cedar lined. In the bedroom is a 20 inch Panasonic TV and a optional stereo system.
The bath room is small, but certainly not overly small. The skylight in the shower gave the bathroom a less claustrophobic feeling. The shower has a glass door with a pretty brass frame.
The driver's area was very nice. I just loved the big, reclining captain's chairs. As an option you can also order the leather heated power chairs. Also as a standard feature is the cruise control, a must for long trips. The steering wheel is a telescoping tilt wheel. The windshield wipers had intermittent controls. The drivers area was very comfortable and roomy. All the Fleetwoods that we saw have the option for rear video camera with a dash or over head monitor. This safety feature is a great tool for backing up and keeping an eye on blind spots.
The Expedition is loaded with safety features. There is a LP leak detector, smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector and a fire extinguisher. All the cabinets are mounted to the floor before the walls are constructed making them much more secure and safe in case of an accident.
We will be towing a car so we can park and then go on side trips. How much can we tow? The trailer hitch has a 5000 pound capacity. You could basically tow any size car. or light to medium duty utility trailer. The electrical hook up is 7 pin.
All Fleetwood's have a limited one-year/three year warranty through Ownercare which includes construction, systems and applications. There is no deductible nor service charge. Best yet, many people buy these motor homes thinking they will have many years of happy use. Just a short time down the road something happens and they find they must sell it. The warranty is fully transferable for the first 12 months.
The dealership we visited was Geweke Ford RV, in Lodi CA. The price with options came to $134,736.05
There is so many extras that truly made this a beautiful, durable and useful motor home. One of these little extras is that the plumbing system can withstand temperatures as low a -40F. The exterior has no wood products, so no more worrying about swelling and rotting. We will certainly, strongly consider this to be our little shack on wheels. There are a few more motor homes we want to look at and we do want to investigate fifth wheels more completely. We will inform you of our findings!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
djgeiger
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Member: Diana Geiger
Location: Huron, South Dakota USA
Reviews written: 164
Trusted by: 350 members
About Me:
I am a writer and the Exotic Pets Editor for BellaOnline.com.
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