New inventory models available now

[EscapingDan]

Just got an email from Escape about four suddenly available in late production trailers.

Since they’re already configured what’s the deal - buyers that backed out last minute? With a general 57% drop from same time last year RV sales are non unexpectedly declining, wondering if Escape is seeing the same thing. Last I checked it looked like the backlog of demand has been lightening.

[Jill]

Just looked and I'm a little surprised they are asking build sheet price. If I were to spend $60k US for an Escape I would rather wait the relatively short build time and get exactly what I wanted.

[camp4528]

Originally Posted by Jill

Just looked and I'm a little surprised they are asking build sheet price. If I were to spend $60k US for an Escape I would rather wait the relatively short build time and get exactly what I wanted.

That might be exactly the right term: asking.

You never know.. There’s some nice trailer configs this time.

[EscapingDan]

I too wondered about that - the big selling point of Escape is a customized trailer. And the prices are up there now, Escapes are middle class trailers now selling at upper middle class prices ($60k is getting into Airstream prices).

[Doug2000]

Originally Posted by EscapingDan

I too wondered about that - the big selling point of Escape is a customized trailer. And the prices are up there now, Escapes are middle class trailers now selling at upper middle class prices ($60k is getting into Airstream prices).

Pre Covid, my friend from Atlanta paid $14k for a 1999 31' Airstream off the forum. It did need new wheels and tires, brakes, matresses and a new couch at the front, but a stellar deal.

[WillyB]

$1,500 Inventory Surcharge!

[oldwave]

Ah how things have changed. In 2017 that trailer would have been 33 or 34, I paid 27 for a lightly optioned 21c. Lithium and comp freezer bumped up the price somewhat. The 1500 surcharge reminds me of “market adjustment” car dealerships customers are unhappy with. However I’m sure they’ll sell them.
I tried to wait for the 23, however I’d expect it to be more than I paid for my Bigfoot and the company still has a sole owner who gets back to you in a day or sooner with questions asked. Nor for everyone I know.

[hugh]

This thread got me interested to check current pricing, but I see the build and price tool is now locked behind a registration page! So no way to check pricing without signing up / creating an account.


Not sure who thought that was a good idea. Seems very anti consumer!

[Ooshkaboo]

Originally Posted by oldwave

Ah how things have changed. In 2017 that trailer would have been 33 or 34, I paid 27 for a lightly optioned 21c. Lithium and comp freezer bumped up the price somewhat. The 1500 surcharge reminds me of “market adjustment” car dealerships customers are unhappy with. However I’m sure they’ll sell them.
I tried to wait for the 23, however I’d expect it to be more than I paid for my Bigfoot and the company still has a sole owner who gets back to you in a day or sooner with questions asked. Nor for everyone I know.

I’m really glad to hear you are so enjoying your Bigfoot…
My experience with Escape has been completely different, I am very pleased with my camper. As far as service, Dustin has been very helpful to me, more than once.

Nothing remains the same, especially these last few years. The rising cost are affecting everyone, including businesses. It’s looking like many more hard choices will be coming for many.
To purchase any RV is a nice extra in ones life, but for most it’s optional with an understanding it’s an investment in your life, not part of financial planning. I paid more than those before me and someone paid less than you did yours, now some are paying more than I did.

I’m sorry things with Escape didn’t work out for you, most on here are very happy with their choice.

[Mike G]

Those prices make me feel very warm inside when I look out the window and see my new-to-me 2012 19. I feel like Gollum with his ring: my precious...

[Centex]

Originally Posted by hugh

This thread got me interested to check current pricing, but I see the build and price tool is now locked behind a registration page! So no way to check pricing without signing up / creating an account.

Try password "Escape2023" for access to the B&P pages.

ETI already has my contact info and I was curious to see current prices so I filled in the required access data (but yeah, IMO that's irritating / off-putting).

The pricing? Mind boggling! But it is what it is.

[Iowa Dave]

We’ve had great experiences with both of the escapes we bought from the same original owner. We had the factory add features to both and had an excellent relationship with Reace and Tammy. They are our kind of people.

Hoping that new buyers evaluate what the Escape trailer will do to better their lives through travel and camping. We’re planning a camping season that will start in a couple weeks, attend some rallies, do some fishing, eat good food, catch up with old friends, visit some new places and revisit some old favorites. That’s our goal every spring, Summer and Fall. Here’s hoping that if you have an Escape or are planning on buying one, that you keep your promise to yourself of using the Hell out of it.

To me there’s nothing much sadder than to read a for sale ad that says, “Towed home, spouse got sick, never used, trailer for sale. Keep your powder dry, baking powder that is. Happy Easter

Iowa Dave

[occer]

I always want more information, an exit interview.
When people who have paid a deposit and took the time to dream and study about what type of trailer they want, place an order and then cancel when it comes time to pay.

Did something change in their life, illness, divorce, bit coin drop, or just got nervous about the economy and circling the wagons. Maybe decided to buy a used unit.

If you follow this forum and canceled your order, tells us why. What’s the reason?

And for those of us who ordered and followed through, or buy one of these new offers, why?

I’ll go first; yes I’m nervous about the economy, it’s not headed in a good direction. I have a bucket list, I don’t want to wait till tomorrow to empty it. I’m not financing the trailer so continued owner ship is minimal. Now that the trailer order has been placed, I have started sorting through the bucket. First on the list is to take two of the grandkids camping.

When we first placed our deposit the lead time was 16 months, and we decided that we would keep shopping for a used unit to acquire one sooner, and then the lead times shortened, we stopped looking for used and are excited to this June.

[salmo7000]

Originally Posted by EscapingDan

I too wondered about that - the big selling point of Escape is a customized trailer. And the prices are up there now, Escapes are middle class trailers now selling at upper middle class prices ($60k is getting into Airstream prices).

Yeah no kidding!! If I was in the market today, I’d be looking hard at an Airstream Base Camp. I’m priced out of both though… when I bought my well-equipped 19 back in 2018, it was affordable for people like me. At the time, between the cost of the trailer and the new truck I bought to tow it, I was rolling down the highway with upwards of a $70k investment with mixed feelings that I had just spent way too much $$. It’s hard to imagine that is cheap by today’s standards, but it is.

All I can say is, if happiness is wanting what you have, and loving what you have, I’m a very happy camper!! I feel so badly for prospective RV buyers who think they want an Escape until they find out just how spendy they are. But, one thing I remember when I bought mine was someone here said a person could buy an Escape with not even 1 option, and they would be able to camp very well and very comfortably… I never forgot that. So foregoing options is definitely one way to keep costs down.

All 4 of the trailers mentioned in the original post here are pretty loaded up with options, including lithium batteries, a second solar panel, and other stuff I consider to be nice-to-haves but not have-to-haves… at least by my standards.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by salmo7000

But, one thing I remember when I bought mine was someone here said a person could buy an Escape with not even 1 option, and they would be able to camp very well and very comfortably… I never forgot that. So foregoing options is definitely one way to keep costs down.

Probably me. I've always said that. I think that there's two basic type of buyers. Those, similar to me, that have paid their dues over the years using simple low level RVs, like my "camperette" I made one time. Room to sleep and not much else. By the time I got to an Escape I considered the basic unit to be all I ever needed or ever wanted.

Then there's another group who may not be big on owning other RVs and now want to buy into the dream of the open road. I can't help but notice that, for them, the "build sheet" becomes part of the dream with endless discussions about things an experienced person might not even think very necessary.

But that's life, and there's something for everyone.

Ron

[escape artist]

Hi: All... Here's hoping you can build your "Dream Escape" without having a "Nightmare"!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[salmo7000]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Probably me. I've always said that. I think that there's two basic type of buyers. Those, similar to me, that have paid their dues over the years using simple low level RVs, like my "camperette" I made one time. Room to sleep and not much else. But the time I got to an Escape I considered the basic unit to be all I ever needed or ever wanted.

Then there's another group who may not be big on owning other RVs and now want to buy into the dream of the open road. I can't help but notice that, for them, the "build sheet" becomes part of the dream with endless discussions about things an experienced person might not even think very necessary.

But that's life, and there's something for everyone.

Ron

For sure!! My perspective is one of a lifelong tent camper. My 19 is the first and probably last RV I'll ever buy. All I really wanted when I bought it was a bed off the ground inside a hard-sided camper with a heater... so that I had protection from bears and cold, wet weather. For me, everything else has been a bonus, and ALL of those bonuses are standard... e.g. an inside toilet, running water, hot water I don't have to haul and heat on the stove, a shower, and a fridge that not only doesn't need ice, but makes it. To this day, the thrill of having these things while camping has not worn off.

That said, I camp in my 19, I don't live in it. If the plan had been to full time or spend months traveling at a time, my objectives in deciding on options would have been completely different. But then again, if this had been the plan, I probably would have gotten something other than an Escape. So yeah, all things to consider!! When people ask if they should get this option or that option, my answer is always the same... how are you planning to use it?? Is keeping costs down an objective?? For those with limited funds who are planning to camp like I do, I say get one solar panel and dual 6-volt lead acid batteries and call it good.

Hardly anyone ever does that though...

[SageRpod]

Originally Posted by occer

I always want more information, an exit interview.
When people who have paid a deposit and took the time to dream and study about what type of trailer they want, place an order and then cancel when it comes time to pay.

Did something change in their life, illness, divorce, bit coin drop, or just got nervous about the economy and circling the wagons. Maybe decided to buy a used unit.

I believe all of the above and then some. We purchased our 5.0 when they still had the lottery. Not sure if they do that now. Anyway, knowing how life can change in an instant and that it is wasted energy to do a "what-if" analysis on things you cannot control, we purchased our 5.0 even though it had more customization than we originally had in our build sheet. Hard to believe it's already been 6 months and we've never looked back. We look forward to our next trip and watch as little news as possible.

[Jeremy Kessenich]

And for those of us who ordered and followed through, or buy one of these new offers, why?


Well, we were on the 16 month wait list and we just signed the build sheet and Perry's 5.0 came up for sale a few hours from here. Yes we could have would have saved about $20k if not more over what we just spent. Why did we stick with our order? Don't get me wrong, $20k is very real money to me. It came down to it's part of the dream, wish, goal, desire, ... to have what we wanted. I respect some folks have the skill set and the desire to highly modify their Escape. I'm not so sure I have the skill set and I certainly don't have the desire to do a lot of mods. We've done 4 houses and I'm so over the remodel and modify and renovate. Including shipping and options we are about $70k+ into our 5.0 and about the same for a new truck and hitch. Perry's would have been a lot cheaper and we could have done a lot of camping with the difference in price. It's just where we are at. We bought a 300 acre farm in the late 80's for next to nothing and sold it last year for crazy $. We are very very fortunate to be in a position to be able to weather the price increase. We wanted this trailer and stuck with it. I'm not being caviler about the price increase. I feel very blessed it worked out the way it did with the sale of the farm.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by occer

... And for those of us who ordered and followed through .... why?

I got the bug to upsize from my bought new and loved 2005 Casita during the summer of covid, 2020. I knew I wanted molded fiberglass again if at all possible, found ETI and then this forum on the web. Then through this forum had the great good fortune to meet David Murphy in my area and toured his 5.0, with that the die was cast!

I placed my deposit 9/9/2020 with projected delivery August of 2021; that was the backlog situation at the time for a trailer I was sure I wanted at a price I was happy to pay, no worries about needing a bit of patience.

I wanted a very particular set of options and custom mods / deletions to build my 'dream trailer', figured this will be my last. ETI represented by Linda Fedoruk worked hard to accommodate 98% of my wants and wishes, more than a few not on any 'published' or 'un-published' mods list at the time, perhaps exhibiting more flexibility and accommodation than what may be available today.

ETI delivered my trailer as-specified, on-time, and on-budget (no $ increases between deposit and delivery). NO regrets, I'm a satisfied customer. I don't recall ever remotely contemplating cancellation.

Lots has changed in the 2-1/2 years since I placed my deposit; different specific hardware / appliances (mostly for the better, IMO) and different order / configuration / customization procedures (some for the worse, IMO), and a period of steep / rapid price increases (I've got no crystal ball, don't know if that's stabilized). So it goes, I choose to not speculate on whys and wherefores, it was what it was when I went through the process and at any moment it is what it is.

But in the 5.0 ETI still offers a ~unique~ trailer I would unquestionably want to have if buying today. I'm not sure if I could afford the same trailer today, so I'm just feeling lucky and thankful that the fluke of timing worked for me back in 2020-21.

The question was asked, FWIW that's my "ordered and followed through .... why?" story. .