New Escape Lead Times

[Escape_19]

Originally Posted by YakRV

The biggest variable to that equation is the price of the 23. I suspect it’s going to be quite a bit higher than the other Escape models.

The aluminum frame of the 23 is certainly appealing. If you asked us before we bought our 21C (our first RV) we would have said the dry bath on the 23 is also a major upgrade. Having traveled with the 21C, though, we’ve found the wet bath isn’t the negative we thought it might be for us.

We’re very happy with our 21C, but we are curious to see the final product and price for the 23.

Last I saw from Karl's video updates, the dry bath or separate shower is not fitting into the footprint. Looks like it may be another wet bath.

[RF Paul]

We have a deposit on a 5.0 with a completion date of April 2024. In December, we received an email asking if we’d like to move our completion date up to January 2024. We declined…driving from Wisconsin to BC in January didn’t sound very appealing. I was very surprised to see the email yesterday regarding June completion dates, which does sound appealing. I’ve responded but haven’t heard back yet. IF it does turn out to be a possibility, I’ll soon become a forum junkie again getting prepped for my build sheet. I’ll also be listing my 21 much sooner than anticipated.

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by Escape_19

How many people on here would actually sell their trailer for a 23?

Back when the first molds for the E23 were announced, I put my name on their want-list. In the interim we got our pre-owned 2019 E21C (thanks to this Forum). Coming from a Casita, it's plenty roomy enough for the two of us, tows easily behind our 2013 Ford Expedition, and actually fits under the 10x20 canopy I put up for the Casita. I could doubtless get a good price for our 21, but aside from the dry bath I'm not sure spending more for two extra feet would be worth it.

[7Gentex]

Originally Posted by Escape_19

Last I saw from Karl's video updates, the dry bath or separate shower is not fitting into the footprint. Looks like it may be another wet bath.

I think the bath floorplan for the twin bed layout (hall doors) would work, but use a E/W queen layout at the very front, like an E19/21NE. Would also leave alot of room for some outboard full height wardrobe type cabs between the bed and the bath areas on both sides. A queen with cut corners doesn't do my 6' frame much good with the wife there. Granted, not a walk-around queen - but maybe include "zip-sheets" with the purchase!

To me, the proposed queen 23 bath layout is just..........odd.

[DanK]

Originally Posted by 7Gentex

Why would they have "limited slots" that were not filled by existing orders moving up in time...............?

Some people are happy with their original delivery date and have chosen not to move up opening production spots . ETI can either produce a stock trailer with that space or offer the date to a new customer. Why they have openings is the question, canceled orders ?

[mlowther]

Originally Posted by DanK

Some people are happy with their original delivery date and have chosen not to move up opening production spots . ETI can either produce a stock trailer with that space or offer the date to a new customer. Why they have openings is the question, canceled orders ?

We are one of those people who cancelled our order - we did so on the date our build sheet was due, earlier this month. Why? Because we found a 2017 21C that was $20K cheaper than what we were building - and included some of the perks we had taken off our build sheet due to the cost of the trailer (e.g. front storage box). If we hadn't found that deal (Kijiji find - wasn't posted anywhere else), we would still have gladly paid the new trailer price to get our trailer. But we are just as happy to have kept that $20K in our bank account...LOL

When they raised the base price last year, we figured that our build would move up as people dropped off, and our date did move 2x. Wonder if there will come a time when Escape lowers the base price? Probably not....

[Fender]

Originally Posted by 7Gentex

Why would they have "limited slots" that were not filled by existing orders moving up in time...............?

I wondered the same thing. I know in the past there have been people who for various reasons did not opt to move their date ahead. Vacation timing, etc.

[Selkirk]

Originally Posted by Fender

I wondered the same thing. I know in the past there have been people who for various reasons did not opt to move their date ahead. Vacation timing, etc.

I am probably a typical example of someone who declined an early completion date.

For various reasons, the ideal timeframe available for me to travel to Chilliwack and pick up my trailer is in the early spring.

When I placed my deposit in late-October 2021, I was given an initial completion date of mid-May 2023. I opted into Escape's early completion program shortly afterwards with the hope of securing a build date about a month or so earlier.

In April 2022, I was offered a revised completion date in early-November 2022 (resulting in about one year total lead). I declined the new date, as the original worked much better (though I did incur a price increase as a result...ugh). Somebody else who placed their deposit sooner than me received that November production slot. I stayed enrolled in the early completion program, hoping that a slighter earlier date would be available.

Eventually, I was offered (and accepted) a completion date for early-May, then just recently accepted a further revised date for mid-April. This is the ideal timeline for my particular situation.

The RV industry as a whole is in decline and it's very likely that manufacturing capacities have increased at ETI in recent months. It is understandable to me that if enough people in the queue opted to retain their original completion dates, that a few short-lead production slots may now be available for the taking.

I've also noticed that ETI has recently launched a series of YouTube ads. They must now have sufficient capacity and/or a small enough backlog in order to justify investing in a marketing campaign.