Michigan Police say that Motorhome thieves are adept

Police say that thieves who are stealing the luxury motor homes from RV dealers of West Michigan are quite skilled, smart, & successful. This was said by WZZM TV report, Grand Rapids. They say that the thieves were from same group & they exactly knew they were doing, according to Stanley Lis, the Grand Rapids Police Sgt. @ Combined Auto Team of Theft.

In past couple of weeks, 3 motorcoaches got stolen. The 1st was taken from the Holland Motor Homes & Bus Company from East 16th Street on 28th March. 2 more motor homes were taken off on Tuesday (8th May) from the Midway RV Center at South Division at Kentwood. Sales Manager at Midway – Dave Ballast says that they are all in rude shock and this shock is slowly truning for disappointment to anger. He also said that he doesn’t know what he feels anymore.

Police say that motor coach thefts were something that they have not seen locally for a lot of years. Sgt. Lis. says that the they have been doing thefts for a long time & this is first group of such type of automobiles that they have seen stolen ever. The investigators have recognized 2 suspects for thefts courtesy of photos of surveillance that were taken from the stores close to scene of Holland theft at March.

Motorhome
Detectives say that thieves are now targeting the similar motor coaches. Sgt. Lis. says that they are pretty valuable. They are pretty similar in terms of size, color, shape & quite valuable too. Asking price when the were all new was in high $300,000′s. Value of right now (they’re couple years old now), is somewhere around $150,000 each. Hence, they are now looking for about half million dollars of stolen motorhomes.

Police believe that thieves are pretty experienced & from out side West Michigan area. Lis says that it is some kind of organized ring of theft that is coming in to this area. The thieves knew everything that they were doing. There weren’t any signs of forced entry or broken glass. Some how they managed to get in and could hot wire things & get away.

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First Middle East RV Retailer Opening in Dubai

Middle East’s 1st specialist retailer in Recreational luxury Vehicles, Gulf Coast RVs, recently opened their doors at Dubai, says a press release. Gulf Coast RVs’ 1st show room officially was opened @ VIP exclusive event in the last weekend, held along with presence of Michael H. Corbin, who is ambassador in United States to United Arab Emirates, & Khaled Salmeen, who is president & CEO at Gulf Coast RVs.

First Middle East RV Retailer Opening in DubaiIn the opening, Corbin said that United Arab Emirates, just like United States, has benefited from the cool desert scenery & wide, open roads, and this makes it ideal venue to use recreational vehicles. He was happy to be there in launch for the new show room and will be showcasing very best products of American luxury in the market for customers in Emirates & beyond.

UAE-based company is offering 7 principal types of the RVs, including, the deluxe motor homes, very well-appointed travel trailers & light weight caravans. Dealership will have service department, giving support after sales, the spare parts & the accessories for a lot of RV owners who already have imported own automobiles in to this region. With launch of the Gulf Coast RVs, rugged out doors of Arabian peninsula is well & truly opened for the fans of great outdoors who have also penchant for nice things of life.

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Elkhart Truth says Indiana Gov. Will Visit RV/MH Hall

Mitch Daniels – the Indiana Governor will be visiting Hall of Fame of RV/MH & the Museum in this week for meet with the executives of RV company & tout economic recovery of industry, according to one report composed by The Elkhart Truth.

Elkhart Truth says Indiana Gov. Will Visit RV/MH HallExecutive director @ Recreation Vehicle in Indiana Council, – Mark Bowersox had confirmed that the governor will be @ Elkhart from about 9-10 a.m. on Friday. He will first meet privately along with the company presidents and then hold press conference.

It is said that Daniels will be speaking against backdrop of the RV industry that’s rebounding after getting ravaged by recent Recession.

Bowersox says that looking at the market; it is very fair to say that industry is rebounding. Noting the market has a lot of pent-up demand. He also said that there is more interest as compared to what the numbers have to suggest and does not make factories turn out the RVs.

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RV Show shows custom craftsmanship

Marc & Janice Patton really liked what they got to see @ The Daily Sentinel’s RV annual Show at Friday morning.

Especially, they were quite impressed by 2012 Fuzion 412 which has flat-screened TVs, island like seating of kitchen & multiple bath rooms. Full-sized trailer of comfort is priced regularly @ $78,995 however, it is available for the show shoppers just at price of about $63,660.

RV Show shows custom craftsmanship

Marc says that it might be expensive but is worth all the money.

Clark was pretty impressed looking at craftsmanship of newer RVS. He says that Humphrey has carried 1 which got built by Amish and hence it is constructed very well.

The RVs are manufactured by company known as KZ RV @ Shipshewana in Indiana. This company employs a lot of Amish, says Ken Bunge, who is GM @ Humphrey RV & Trailer. Un like the other RV makers which offer typically just one year of warranty, this company is offering two-years of warranty. They got to be built really well or this wouldn’t have been possible, says Bunge.

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Camper & RV show points at rebound in the industry

20th Annual North west Michigan Camper & RV Show, which is hosted by Michigan Association of the Recreational Vehicles & Camp grounds (or MARVAC), had taken place at March 30th to April 1st at Grand Traverse Civic County Center. This event had seen average attendance as compared to the previous years, popularity of RV & industry of camping is rising through out Michigan & across country, according to Director of MARVAC – Bill Sheffer.

Camper & RV show points at rebound in the industry

More than 50 units & fifteen brands of the RVs or recreational vehicles from RV area dealerships, with travel trailers, folding campers, & 5th-wheel travel trailers got displayed at this event. The price was ranging from about $4,000 to more than $75,000, and it gave the good look at products of industry on rise, according to Sheffer.

For 2011, the RV sales increased by 11.5% from year before at Michigan, says Sheffer.

The sales are considerably less as compared to the things before nation wide recession. According to web site of MARVAC, about 17,225 motor homes & towable units got sold in the year 2003, and it dropped to about 13,973 in the year 2005 & very low at 8,718 in the year 2009. This saw rebound in sale for 2010, with the sales climbing up to about 10,877. For 2011, about 10,953 units got sold.

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Fire destroys motorhomes at Cottage Grove site of storage

4 luxury motorhomes & 2 recreational trailers recently got destroyed in fire on Friday @ Acorn Mini Storage at Cottage Grove. One passerby had reported fire @ 5:32 in the morning. First, the police had believed that the garage-like units of storage had caught fire, but blaze was just limited to motorhomes & campers pull-behind.

Fire destroys motorhomes at Cottage Grove site of storage

Cottage Grove & St. Paul Park fire fighters had responded & had fire contained with in in half-hour, according to PJ McMahon, who is fire marshal at Cottage Grove. This fire was totally extinguished with in 2 hours.

These automobiles were parked at area cold storage of property @ 8625 West Point Douglas Road. The boats & other property which was parked close to the burned automobiles sustained damage of heat. There weren’t any injuries reported. Case of this fire wasn’t known immediately, according to McMahon. The authorities weren’t about any one getting locked inside facility at time of fire.

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RV Maker’s Stock On Upward Climb

Thor Industries or THO will be grow their earnings by double digits for fiscal 2012. The are on tear for 2012 but there is some value along with ratio of price-to-book of simply 2.4.

Thor is biggest maker of RVs or recreational vehicles for United States. It manufacturers both the motor homes & towables and it includes Airstream which is very well-known. Apart from this, it also manufacturers commercial buses & ambulances.

The 2nd sales for quarter jump 13%

RV Maker's Stock On Upward ClimbFor March 8, Thor had reported their fiscal 2nd quarter results & had seen earnings go up by 150% to about 25 cents from about ten cents one year ago. But, analysts got too optimistic post preliminary results of sales got announced in the month of February, as this company missed the Consensus of Zacks by about two cents.

The sales had jumped by 13 percent to about $596.9 million from about $526.2 million on year ago. The RV sales, biggest segment, had risen to about 15 percent to about $500.9 million from about $437.1 million one year ago. The sales of towable RV are also more popular, sales are up by 22 percent to about $444.2 million. The sales of the motorized RVs went in other way, falling 21 percent to about $56.8 million.The sales of bus too rose, having 8% gain to about $96 million.

For February, Thor said that backlog fell to about $647 million in Jan 31st, 2012 from about $689 million one year ago because of fall in RV back log.

Outlook for The Fiscal 2012

Second quarter historically has been most hard on for this company (on seasonal basis.) Lesser people wish to purchase RV in winter. But this saw some “strong retailing activity” in first 2 months in the year 2012. Recreation Vehicle Industry Association saw better sales over horizon as it revised the 2012 whole sale RV shipments more to 5 percent improvement as compared to 2011. The rising prices of fuel might spoil the growing sales though. If the gas prices rise, then people will be coy over automobile purchases.

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Traveland USA RV mall to close

Traveland USA RV mall to closeTraveland USA is 1 of 1st shops in America for the RVs & the fixtures & the services which are related about them. However, according to latest reports which are coming, the momentous mall which has served a lot of RV enthusiasts for above four decades will be shutting down.

Owned & run through The Irvine Co. Traveland USA will close after this company has decided that they won’t be extending lease about this 38 acres lot. It was occupied by the Traveland USA @ Sand Canyon Avenue @ I-5 free way since the days of 1973.

There isn’t any thing heard about owners of Traveland USA, & chances of Traveland getting continued as business isn’t clear. The Traveland USA was built having theme of the frontier-days & was quite like family purpose as much as it was RV mall. Hence, we are sure that Traveland USA will be missed by RV fanatics and families who have visited there before.

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2012 Forest River Vibe 826VRB Review

For taking vacations, some times we yearn to leave really possible – simply hook up & then take off. For people who belong to this category, there is 2012 Forest River Vibe 826VRB. It makes sure that you get away fast.

Vibe comes with 9 floor plans for choosing from the 6500 & 800 Series. Recently, I got chance for taking closer look at 826VRB floor plan, which has exterior length of about 28’11″ & exterior height of about 10’4″. The dry hitch weight is 578 lbs, the unloaded automobile weight is 5,569 lbs, GVWR weight is 7,569 lbs & cargo carrying capacity is 2,000 lbs. For the water, this Vibe comes with gray water capacity of about 62 gallons, black water capacity of about 30 gallons & fresh water capacity of about 38 gallons.

2012 Forest River Vibe 826VRB

Compact & sleek, 2012 Forest River Vibe 826VRB exterior has high gloss coat of gel on sidewalls & roof, with light weight, well laminated walls & floor. Since it’s compact, this Vibe’s V-shaped design has 75 cubic feet of extra space on interior, and this means that you will get bigger bath room, bed room & kitchen, along with full interior height @ front end of travel trailer. As it is just about the aerodynamics, V-design goes through the wind, and you get better efficiency of fuel. Air flow on font & sides of this Vibe helps in deflecting bugs & road debris, and this improves the towability & also keeps your trailer clean.

Built through laminated cage of aluminum & steel powder coated frame, this Vibe has dense foam insulation for keeping every thing inside very comfortable. The one-piece full rubber roof stands to elements & repel water, & its leaf spring heavy-duty suspension system smoothes any bumps on way. After getting to the destination, the 4 stabilizer jacks make sure that you are set up safely and easily.

Other features on exterior which are handy include dual enclosed 30 lb. LP bottle, big folding entry assist handles of grab, wheel well stainless steel covers, patio light along with the amber lens & switch on interior, entry door step, radius entry & baggage oversized doors, vented enclosed LP tanks, vented enclosed compartment of  battery & safety tinted glass windows. For upgrades, you get to add on the outside shower, power or manual awning, control sway package of hitch, tongue power jack & 13.5 BTU ducted AC.

2012 Forest River Vibe 826VRB 2012 Forest River Vibe 826VRB

The compact still roomy, 826VRB is just about making most of the space available. Vibe that I took tour had Cambria Earth decor, complemented with lots of Maple Cognac glazed cabinets. I really liked the linoleum flooring which looks like hard wood – and I couldn’t tell difference. Flooring is glued & is really easy to clean, and you never need to worry regarding scuffing of floors like on the real hard wood flooring. Adding to hominess of the travel trailer are the window over valences & fabric pleated shades.

Kitchen of Vibe is really cute, it isn’t really spacious, but then, I doubt you will whip up course of 7 meals while on road. It gets job done along with oven, 3-burner cooktop & six cubic foot refrigerator. The kitchen is tiny but still you get plenty of space for the cabinetry. For sundry items, there is pantry. If you like speedy meals, there is an option to get microwave onboard.

In living area, sofa will pulls out for the extra space of sleeping. Broom closet has extra space of storage, and also under seats at dinette that is U-shaped. If there is need for entertainment, you get an option to upgrade along with 26 inches flat screen LCD TV & FM/AM/ DVD/CD/MP3 player.

2012 Forest River Vibe 826VRB 2012 Forest River Vibe 826VRB

Bedroom is separated by sliding doors from adjacent bathroom. There is some of quality ZZZ’s on queen-sized 60” x 74” bed which comes along with hypoallergenic Dual Density foam pillow top mattress & that is flanked along with wardrobe for 1 side & night stand on other.

My last stop for this tour is bath room. This bath room comes with 2 entries to give you easy access. There is also pedal-flush porcelain toilet & neo-single shower along with doors of glass & big mirrored cabinet of medicine above vanity sink.

2012 Forest River Vibe 826VRB Travel Trailer which I reviewed had selling price of $27,195. Go to the manufacturer’s Website to learn more about it.

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2012 Gulf Stream Conquest Lodge 408FLR Review

I got a chance of looking around 1 of new floor plans for models of Conquest Lodge series – 408FLR. It comes with 40’6″ length & 11’11″ height. The dry weight of the automobile is 9,570 lbs & hitch weight is around 1,360 lbs. Apart from that, the 408FL has black water capacity of tank at 37 gallons, grey water capacity of tank at 74 gallons & 6 gallons water heater. The other perks are LP tanks of gas which hold about 60 lbs, BTU 30,000 furnace & BTU 13,500 ducted AC.

2012 Gulf Stream Conquest Lodge 408FLR is built on steel powder coated chassis, 408FL’s fibre glass front cap is aero dynamic, and helps in cutting the wind resistance on drive during camping trips. Built by steel galvanized straps for increasing the roof-to-side wall & strength of side wall-to-floor, Conquest gives you & your family plenty of fun for years. The frame of tubular steel & steel full-width outriggers give the trailer some added support. To be comfortable in any kind of temperature, this Conquest is padded along with energy saver blankets of the fibreglass hand cut insulation in wall, ceiling, & floor. Seamless 1 piece roof has strong decking of wood, along with truss-style reinforced construction of roof. Floor is made through 5/8” decking of floor that’s screwed & glued to floor joists & covered along with heavy-gauge durable covering of vinyl floor. Finally, wood side walls are set along with cross dado braces to give you stiffness & it is screwed in to the floor for good strength.

2012 Gulf Stream Conquest Lodge 408FLR

 

One really nice feature which comes along with 408FL is the patio door. This addition here really you feel like you are spending summer lazy afternoon chilling at backyard. It pretty good to see that RV maker has put in some familiar concepts of home & incorporated them inside this trailer.

For getting plenty of toys & equipment for ride, there is pass-through storage on 2012 Gulf Stream Conquest Lodge 408FLR. For making most of the time outside, you get to choose add on sun room which comes along with table, 4 chairs & 3 Vista windows.

I was pretty impressed with what I saw on 2012 Conquest  408FL. Having 8’ ceilings & 6’5” room slide height, there is some spaciousness which is hard to look for in travel trailer these days. There are 3 options decor which you get to choose from, & model which I took was outfitted with Sierra Tan, light brown option that’s unoffending & pretty easy for match if you want to put your personal touches.

2012 Gulf Stream Conquest Lodge 408FLR 2012 Gulf Stream Conquest Lodge 408FLR

1 of things which caught my attention in 408FLR was the big picture windows. You’d want to waste a lot of time on the outside but you need to go in too. The windows are put through out this trailer, and it gives you good view irrespective of where you will be. One more good feature is 2 bathrooms. It is really rare to see this in a trailer & makes sure that no 1 will get stuck waiting. One bathroom is for you and one for kids. Things couldn’t get more convenient than this.

Slide out of the living area has a lot of extra rooms for relax, particularly on upholstery of leather touch that is found on big couch (you can change it to sofa Hide-A-Bed) & barrel chairs. For entertainment unit, there is TV & AM/FM/ DVD/CD Plex Touch system of stereo.

Kitchen is well-planned on the 2012 Gulf Stream Conquest Lodge 408FLR and you get everything that you need for cooking. It includes 3-burners range, oven, double-door residential refrigerator, power range hood & carousel microwave. For making life easier on road, this kitchen has 60/40 sink, high-arching faucet, & heat- & stain-resistant counter top & back splash.

2012 Gulf Stream Conquest Lodge 408FLR 2012 Gulf Stream Conquest Lodge 408FLR

There is a lot of room for every one to sleep. Kids get their bunks and mom & dad get to retreat to comfort of the master bedroom. There is room for the clothes & all other essentials, courtesy of lot of wardrobes, cabinets, & closets. If you yearn for TV in the bedroom, the manufacturer has provided cable convenient hookups & AC outlets. While sleeping, you will put the head on queen-sized bed along with adornments which are designer-coordinated.

For the extras, Conquest comes with something that you might be interested. There is electric awning, hitch electric jack, pots & pans drawer, outside shower, bike rack & Beauflor linoleum. 2012 Gulf Stream Conquest 408FL which I got for review had a cost of $32,700.

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