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Old 01-16-2015, 11:56 AM   #1
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Location: Bay Area, CA by necessity - Sun Valley, ID if I had a choice.
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"New to us" van

I’ve been a long time lurker and I am a huge fan of all things SMB but am not yet an owner. Raising two young kids in the SF Bay area, where property prices are $1,000/sq/ft, doesn’t leave me with much disposable income.
Sadly my wife’s grandfather recently passed away but prior to his passing he expressed to the extended family that he was planning on leaving his 1998 Pleasure Way (with only 30k miles on it) for our family to enjoy. My hope is that this van will become the “gateway drug” for our family to get into an SMB. Understanding that this is not a Class B forum, this will be my only post here on this subject until we’re, eventually, full-fledged SMB owners.

The knowledge and education I’ve gained from this forum have been priceless when it comes to figuring out heating, cooling, water etc. in our van. To show my appreciating I have decided to make a small donation to the forum.

First thing I had to do was to get rid of most of the RV striping. I used a 3M rubber stripping wheel and then polish, swirl remover and wax. I also had to replace the Fiamma awning ends and the ageing hub caps. I have not yet touched the yellowing top.

The plan now is to start taking short weekend trips to Santa Cruz, Tahoe, etc. to get the family hooked without spending too much $$ (gotta save for that SMB).

If you have any questions on the stripe removal please let me know.

Once again, thanks to all forum members! Your combined knowledge is immense.
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Old 01-16-2015, 12:09 PM   #2
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Re: "New to us" van

Sorry to hear about your wife's grandfather, but the van looks great.. And we don't mind if you hang around, no need to have a full fledged SMB!
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Old 01-16-2015, 12:12 PM   #3
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Re: "New to us" van

Sorry to hear about your wife's grandfather. My wife recently lost hers as well and its been an adjustment period, especially since she was so close to him. At least you guys have something to remember him by, by taking his rig on more adventures!

That thing cleaned up pretty nice! I wouldn't worry about not being an SMB owner and posting on this forum or asking questions. Everyone is helpful and doesn't have a "holier than thou" attitude against people with other class b's or even home builds. It's all about the van life!
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Old 01-16-2015, 12:44 PM   #4
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Re: "New to us" van

Quote:
Originally Posted by mikracer
... It's all about the van life!
bingo! well said

lets see some interior pix. ive never even seen a rig like that before.
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Old 01-16-2015, 01:50 PM   #5
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Re: "New to us" van

Congrats on the new van! Pleasure-way makes one of the nicer class B vans, and is known for their quality. Some of us will be jealous of you, as I'm sure you have a nice toilet and shower in that rig.

Most of the PW units I've seen only sleep/seat two: how will it work for your family?

BTW, if you haven't seen one, Pleasure-Way also makes a very nice SMB-type van, the Traverse, with a pop-top and an interior layout like the RB50.

We'll be offended if you don't keep on posting... a forum only works if people participate! Lurkers are welcome, but at some point you gotta get involved.
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Old 01-16-2015, 02:24 PM   #6
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Re: "New to us" van

Nice van!

Jut keep your eye on the ball: the vehicle (of whatever type) is just the means to an end. The more you and the family create fun and memorable experiences, the more they'll want to keep going and exploring. You may even find that with more experience, your priorities in a vehicle might change. Who knows?

To every thing there is a season. Enjoy whatever season you're in, rather than pining for the next season!
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Old 01-16-2015, 02:32 PM   #7
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Re: "New to us" van

Thanks for the encouraging words.

Mikracer: Yes, we will remember him by using his van but also his amazing stories. He grew up on the streets of Fort Worth, TX (mother left and father was an alcoholic) and live to be 94 years old. You can imagine the stories...

Shenrie: Van is parked on grandpa's property for now but I will put up interior pics as soon as I can.

BrianW: Yes, unfortunately this is a two seater but Pleasure Way also made this with a front-facing bench in the back. For now my wife will follow us in the car and we all fit in the bed in the back van. If we're keeping this van for a while then we will look into installing a front-facing bench with seatbelts in the back and also make a cot-style bed across the front seats for our youngest daughter. Yes, I have seen the Traverse. There was one for sale locally a couple of years ago for $18k and I'm kicking myself for not actively pursuing that van.

Cheers for now.
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Old 01-17-2015, 07:01 PM   #8
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Re: "New to us" van

I am just about ready to start the decal removal and a forum member sent me to your post. Great jop on the removal!!
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