Hopeful New Owner

[tag9147]

Hi Everyone, 

My husband and I are working on possibly getting one of the shiny new Ignite Toy Haulers. We have a local dealer right around the corner from us that stocks the 5th Wheels and QuickSilvers. The plan is to order through them as the next closet dealer is more than an hour away. 

Has anyone ordered sight-unseen, especially with such a new model? We have been talking to LL directly and the wait time is around 12 weeks.

Very unsure on what options to get as some don't even come with a microwave. Hoping for the patio rails and second AC as this will be used for dogs in the toy hauler section along with factory gen-prep. For some reason hubby wants the oven combo, as if we would be cooking in it in July, but it seems to be cheaper than the convection/microwave combo.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We are not new to campers/trailers in general we have had a another brand for some time, but have never towed. 

Thanks to the members who posted the pictures from the Tampa show of the Ignite. We had pretty much already settled on a LL and this one has stole our hearts. 

Trish

[david]

Trish:

Make sure that you have a big enough tow vehicle. I couldn't find the Ignite model on the LL website. But some toy haulers are heavy, even in aluminum.

David

[tag9147]

Thanks, I drive a Tacoma crew cab 4x4 and hubby has an Expedition, so my vehicle is the questionable one. Not even sure I am going to try it with mine as it is older, a 2009.

The Ignite is in the new brochure under the Polaris floor Plans.

[spot1]

Welcome & please let us know what you buy!

[leslie]

My husband and I ordered a custom Camplite 21-BHS, and we had some items on our list that weren't even offered by Livin Lite at that time. The factory said they could do everything we wanted, and we paid a premium to get exactly what we wanted.

12 weeks seems to be the wait time on orders. We are very happy with our camper. We knew how we wanted to use it, and it is good to work with a company who will customize.

Someone else on this board wanted a sauna, washer and dryer, and all-electric heat. Livin Lite did it for them, and none of this is on Livin Lite's list of options, but the factory did it. If you decide to order the Ignite with options, I think that the factory will work with you to get you what you want.

Enjoy the process, and keep us informed!

[peislander]

We ordered our Camplite trailer without ever seeing any Livinlite product in person.  I understand that most people would never do that. What made us different? The first thing is we have no dealers within a reasonable distance. The second is we found confidence in reading online practically everything ever written about Livinlite products. Heck, I even read [span style="font-size:13.3333330154419px;"]the then [/span]Livinlite owner's wife's personal blog and it helped me better appreciate the man and his values. The hours of research helped me understand both the strengths and weaknesses, and eventually I satisfied myself that it wasn't a big risk to order our first trailer from Livinlite. The info you can find in this forum along with various reviews found online can certainly provide a more detailed understanding of what the product is (good and bad) than a simple walkthrough at a dealer ever could. I relayed what I had learned, & my conclusions, to my wife and she too found that the Camplite was the right choice for us. Together we decided to proceed and get one.

Like Leslie we had some ideas for a 'custom' unit and worked through them with Scott Tuttle & his team. In our case that took some back & forth with email correspondence - over several weeks. Like Leslie, we were willing to pay for the work it took them to implement our customizations - nothing is for free. I must say I found Livinlite good to work with and I appreciated the effort they gave. We've been very happy with our trailer -- it was what we expected.

 

[daplumbr]

Don't hesitate to ask specific questions here. I assume you've found the mods threads; there's lots of good ideas on there for things you may want to consider both before and after purchase. My wife and I took many trips to dealers and RV shows before we made up our minds on which CL to get. After just one RV show, however, it was obvious we were going to get a LL product. If I had to do it over, I would work directly with LL to get just what we wanted. I'm spending a lot of time on mods this spring that could have been done at the factory if we had known how flexible LL is on construction. And our dealer was ignorant and no help at all. Sounds like your dogs will have it made in the shade with their own A/C 

[tincan]

Welcome. I am like many and no dealer close. I am driving 7.5 hours to pick ours up tomorrow.  I have seen one, but not the one I am buying.  I would in fact order one sight unseen.  I like them that much.

[tag9147]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. We talked to the local dealer last night who had of course never even heard of the Ignite. He is going to make some calls for us and see what they can do.

Since we have a trade, we are pretty much forced to work with a dealer, don't think we can get as much if we sell it ourselves. In addition to it taking more time with an already long wait for delivery.

We looked around on the lot for sometime and nothing compares. We found 1 other and it was used one that we even remotely liked. We did get to look at 2 of the Camp Lites and while very nice just not big enough to fit 4 dogs and crates.

[tag9147]

Tincan,

Which options did you decide to go with? There seems to be many and it's hard to choose from.

[pinstriper]

[quote timestamp="1430441225" source="/post/10184/thread" author="@sandroad"]Don't hesitate to ask specific questions here. I assume you've found the mods threads; there's lots of good ideas on there for things you may want to consider both before and after purchase. My wife and I took many trips to dealers and RV shows before we made up our minds on which CL to get. After just one RV show, however, it was obvious we were going to get a LL product. If I had to do it over, I would work directly with LL to get just what we wanted. I'm spending a lot of time on mods this spring that could have been done at the factory if we had known how flexible LL is on construction. And our dealer was ignorant and no help at all. Sounds like your dogs will have it made in the shade with their own A/C  [/quote]The dealer was no help at all because they have a strong incentive to make you give up and take something off their lot.

[daplumbr]

Normally true, but in our case we special ordered through the dealer (they didn't even have a CL on the lot). They were still no help and not interested in helping. Just handed us the standard list of available options and said what do you want. We had no idea LL would do custom work like a double rear bumper, etc. Lesson learned for me is to find a good dealer through reviews/ratings first, then work on purchase with them and LL for factory mods. 

[ammobob]

I think you are more than safe ordering a LL trailer sight unseen. No LL dealers in Nevada so not like we had a choice. We purchased a 2013 16DBS in September 2013 through HW Motorhomes and drove 2000 miles to pick it up. We had it customized and enjoyed it for 2 years. No issues with the entire process including LL making the changes we wanted. Sold it for what we bought it for in March and ordered a custom 21BHS through SIRV. Will be picking up that camper in June ( it's done so our choice to delay the pick-up as we will be camping in Yellowstone on our way back from dealer). Both purchases were done sight unseen with the first successful and full expectations of the 2nd being the same. With all the issue identified on this forum we know what we will inspect at the dealer and make sure it is right before we take off.

[pinstriper]

[quote source="/post/10239/thread" timestamp="1430533426" author="@sandroad"]Normally true, but in our case we special ordered through the dealer (they didn't even have a CL on the lot). They were still no help and not interested in helping. Just handed us the standard list of available options and said what do you want. We had no idea LL would do custom work like a double rear bumper, etc. Lesson learned for me is to find a good dealer through reviews/ratings first, then work on purchase with them and LL for factory mods. [/quote][p]The point isn't whether they had any other CL's to show you. Their only interest is in moving what's on the lot. A less expensive unit from another manufacturer that is already on their lot is better FOR THEM to move, than helping with your special order. The less they help, the more trouble you have, the more frustrated you might get with the whole special order or insistence on a brand they don't have in stock and hey, let me show you this really nice rig that would meet all your needs, and it's right over there, no waiting or uncertainty. This is the way it always goes with these special orders, you know ? Let's go take a look. We can make you a great deal on this one, too.[/p][p]
[/p]

[peislander]

I agree with what pinstriper has written although I think he meant to say "the more they help" and not less. They are in sales -- they want to move their inventory with the least amount of work possible. Understandably, rv salespeople don't want a customer to leave without signing a purchase contract. Career salespeople will size the potential purchaser very quickly -- determining how much potential for a sale there is and deciding how much effort they should put into trying to make the sale. If you go in talking "custom" they know a purchase agreement isn't likely to be signed today. As pinstriper noted, there is the real possibility that during the process of coordinating a custom order the buyer will waste the salesperson's time and not proceed to a purchase. While they waste time with that customer the commission-driven salesperson misses the opportunity to sell to others who actually brought their checkbook.

My theory is that the majority of RV sales are a kind of impulse purchase. Potential buyers get the idea in their head that they want an rv. They may have an idea about the size or general type that might suit them. In my theory they do little research beyond that. They head over to the local rv sales centre and tell the salesperson "I'm just looking". The salesperson digs to size them up and in that process learns they are interested in, say, a trailer about 21-feet long. They are shown units about that size and bigger. Impulse takes over and it is for practical purposes a done deal. The conversation goes like this:

Pumpkin:[span]    [/span][span]    [/span]"Look Honey, this one has a exterior pull-out tv and a exterior fridge for our BudLites!"
Honeybunch:[span]    [/span]"But Pumpkin, this one has the same plus a big interior tv that lift up out of a counter at the flick of a switch and solid surface countertops!"
Salesperson:[span]    [/span]"With our financing you really can afford all these great features - the monthly cost difference of this luxury unit relative to a basic no-frills unit will be negligible".
 Pumpkin: [span]    [/span][span]    [/span]"Sweetheart, you'll be Queen in this 27-foot palace-on-wheels and I'll be King. Let's do it!"[span]    [/span][span]    [/span]


RV manufacturers & the rv dealers know 'luxury' features result in quick efficient impulse purchases. The industry has become focused on that kind of market.

When LivinLite started they saw an opportunity of stepping out from that trend. They felt there was a market for smaller, lighter, more functional rv designs that could be what they called "multi-generational". Designs that would not fall apart or decay and that could eventually be passed onto your kids to enjoy with the grandkids. LivinLite was correct - there is a niche market for their kind of RV designs. To sell them properly took dealers who understand & appreciate what LivinLite products offer the consumer. Unfortunately there are some dealers who just don't get it. They might have some inventory but they really don't seem to know how to sell it. On the other hand there are LivinLite dealers that really do get it. The dealer who participates in these forums comes to mind. It is clear they really love the product & understand the kinds of customers who they appeal to. If I were interested in buying another Camplite I'd seek out one of those dealers even if they were far away. I'd call them up and discuss my goals -- discuss custom features and options. I'd order through them (sight unseen) and then either pick up my new unit at the factory, have it shipped to me, or pick it up at the dealer and make a cool adventure of the road trip home. When my son & I picked up our Camplite at the factory it was 2384 kilometers ( 1,481 miles) trip to get it back home. That was really fun & I'd happily do it again if I bought another trailer -- but I won't need to because the one I have will last more than my lifetime.