2018 Axis or Vegas

[croused]

And solar ready wiring

[croused]

Mine is on a 2017 E-350 frame

[TexAxis]

Since they're going with euro style cabinets I wonder if they'll be similar to what's already in the Gemini / Compass?

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by croused

from General RV in St Clemons.

You mean Mt. Clemens? (There is neither a city in Michigan nor a location on the General's website as "St. Clemons" LOL)
Yeah I was excited too when we picked ours up (got our's from the Brownstown location of the General).

When you pick it up: Try to remain calm and take your time... LOL.

[Chance]

That's a great price for a 2018.

I spoke with sales at MHSRV and was told they wouldn't actually get theirs, promised the first 2018s according to him, until mid to late April. Of course the salesman wanted to get me interested in a 2017 which he claimed were essentially identical, just $15k cheaper. When I informed him of changes published on his own website he then looked them up.

He said 2017s were $69,995 minus $2,000 rebate from Thor (I thought rebate had ended, but he claimed it had been extended). It's hard in casual phone conversation to know where BS ends and truth starts.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by croused

Mine is on a 2017 E-350 frame

That's very interesting, and expected at same time.

The Ford 2017 MY is expected because Ford won't start producing 2018 chassis until May if I recall correctly (would have to look up schedule again).

What's interesting to me is how Thor is able to use the E-350 stripped chassis now when they couldn't before. Either emissions regulations changed already, or the revised front cap allows the Axis to meet aerodynamic requirements using the E-350. Only the E-450 has no size or aero-shape restrictions which is why the E-450 was used in the first place.

[TexAxis]

Originally Posted by Chance

That's a great price for a 2018.

I spoke with sales at MHSRV and was told they wouldn't actually get theirs, promised the first 2018s according to him, until mid to late April. Of course the salesman wanted to get me interested in a 2017 which he claimed were essentially identical, just $15k cheaper. When I informed him of changes published on his own website he then looked them up.

He said 2017s were $69,995 minus $2,000 rebate from Thor (I thought rebate had ended, but he claimed it had been extended). It's hard in casual phone conversation to know where BS ends and truth starts.

Thor extended the $2k rebate another month to 3/31. We learned after multiple trips to MHSRV it depends on the salesman as to how reliable the info is. Some are definitely more versed on the models & pricing than others. One tried to tell us the $2k rebate was factored in to the $69,999 they've advertised since last Nov. On another trip out there we talked to a different salesman and he escalated to the owner who said the website is wrong, fix it and honor the rebate. We made a deal and by the time we got home they had updated the website with the correct pricing & verbiage.

If you're close enough to go out there I highly recommend it. They give you a golf cart and let you spend as much time as you want on their massive lot. Salesmen occasionally ask if you need help, but aren't pushy at all.

[SuperD]

We bought our Windsport at MSHRV, super nice people! I kinda gather some salesmen are more versed on certain models which might lead to some misinformation. Owner is a very honest person and demands the same from his staff. No pressure from the staff at all.

[croused]

Good advise, I have Ed's PDI to beat them with. As I read this Forum more I am somewhat surprised at all the problems folks have had right out of the box but glad to see you diehards still make the Vegas/Axis RUV sound like the right rig for us. Thanks for the roof photo also! David

[croused]

Yup I started with that 2017 rebate price then took it to General RV in Mt. Clemens and was able to get them to match the price for the 2018 so Im pretty happy. Now just need to get through the PDI - seems like there are a lot of QA/QC issues on these units on delivery!

[TexAxis]

Sounds like a great deal Croused. Congrats!
So far all our issues were minor, mostly cosmetic and resolved quickly by the assigned tech.
This forum has been a fantastic resource, both before sale and now as we stock it with all the "stuff" we need. 👍🏻

[Chance]

For those of you who like reading about upcoming industry trends, the following short article about a Ford contingent visiting Elkhart manufacturers, and interview with Ford's general fleet marketing manager, may be of interest:

Ford Contingent Launches Elkhart Trade Mission | RV Business

Based on this and other articles, it appears there is industry interest in, and expectation of, continued motorhome downsizing.

The Ford manager states the E-Series Cutaway is the industry's #1 chassis at present, but I get the feeling Ford would like to see that downsized towards the Transit chassis.

If indeed they all expect significant downsizing, what Class A chassis will Ford offer other than the E-Series stripped chassis (which is suppose to be phased out eventually)?

[croused]

Attached are the new 2018 Vegas 24.1 features

[Baddad53]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Yeah if that line is indeed the seam between the front and the side. I'd call that a big improvement--reducing the likelihood of the front side windows leaking (which seems to be a common thing in Axis/Vegas units given my experience). I think it makes it look a little cleaner too.

I would speculate that the front taper will still be there. On our Axis the side starts to taper right in front of the door--well behind the seam between the front and the wall (which is right above the front wheel). The floorplan diagrams also show the taper starting at that point.

That diagram also hints at some significant changes on the front as well.

Note that the text SuperD posted included "Larger Kitchen Window" which could be the reason for the kitchen window in the drawing being larger--I would welcome that as the little peephole window we have is kind of useless! LOL This kind of makes sense: If you move the microwave down below the stove (like described above) you could make the bottom of the top cabinets slightly higher (e.g. shorten the cabinets) allowing for a larger window there (at the sacrifice of storage space).

All of the above means the 24.1 could have a nice big kitchen window like the 25.3 does (pic from Thor's website):

Probably more like the 25.2: (also a Thor image)

The picture of the 25.3 does not show the pantry on the left side of the lower cabinets (mine is the larger width but is not a hinged door). But I have a 2016 not a 2017 they may have changed it.

[croused]

2018 Vegas 24.1 Features

[Baddad53]

Originally Posted by croused

2018 Vegas 24.1 Features

please post pictures of the new interior scheme.

[croused]

will do as soon as unit arrives in two weeks...

[David1912]

Look forward to seeing pictures of the new Euro cabinets.....we are interested in a 2018 ACE 29.3 and are very interested in what new features will be offered on these...any info from those knowing would be appreciated....seems the ACE 2018s will begin arriving in mid may.

Btw, is it true Winnebago may begin to offer 3 year warranties on gas units? Seems this would be a good differentiating point from Thor and others. Winnebago has been offering (i think) a 3 year limited warrany vs. one on their diesel units on a limited time and/Or promotional basis.

[Chance]

Thanks to sage providing name of dealer with a new prototype of a Vegas 24.1, we can now see what the revision looks like. It appears more evolutionary than revolutionary.

I can only post one picture at a time.

[Chance]

Rear compartment looks the same to me.