Want to Try RV'ing? Do It With Flair!
Written: Jul 04 '02 (Updated Jul 15 '02)
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Pros: Good value, great starter motor home, easy to drive.
Cons: Haven't found any
The Bottom Line: A real good Class A RV. For starters or those not wanting to spend a fortune, its a great way to go!
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| loumart's Full Review: 2000 Fleetwood Flair |
First off let me start by saying that our purchase of this motor home was completely unexpected. We went to the RV store in our neighborhood - Crystal Valley RV - just to browse the many campers they had. We had been in there several times in the past looking and pricing and always left wanting. It was a nice spring day, so we stopped in once again to look around at what they had in Class C campers. Class C campers are basically a camper riding on a van chassis. Most common are Ford Econoline V8 and V10 and Chevy V8's. As in our other visits, the base cost on these units was in excess of $32,000, which was more than what we were looking to spend. But it was still fun looking and dreaming. Then we met Helene, our wonderful saleswoman. After a few questions and a little friendly conversation, she showed us a few models and then thought that perhaps we might be interested in a small Class A motor home. At least we could compare the difference between Class A's and Class C's. Class A motor homes are not built on a van chassis but on actual truck chassis, again Ford and Chevy being the main providers until you get into the higher end stuff and the diesel varieties.
When Helene opened the door to this Class A, we were immediately impressed and interested in learning more. It took about 10 minutes in the unit and we were hooked. Since there are just the two of us, we didn't want anything real big. Most of the Class A motor homes start out at over 30 feet in length. The Flair is available in a 26-foot length, as ours is, perfect for the two of us. Included with the vehicle as standard equipment is pretty much everything a person could want, especially someone just starting out in this activity. That makes the Flair a very good entry-level motor home. Once you determine you like RV’ing and get some experience, you may find you want a larger or more well equipped motor home and you can move up the ladder. Or you could be like us and be perfectly happy with the Flair.
The 26-foot Flair is based on a Chevy Workhorse chassis with a 454 Vortec V8 engine. I'd rather have a Ford, but its just not available in this size of the Flair. It is an option on the larger Flair models. They tell me that the Chevy has plenty of power to not only move this motor home, but to tow a vehicle as well. The chassis is rated at 3500 pounds for towing. What I found out is that the Ford starts out at a 5000 pound towing capacity. There are those that like the Ford better than the Chevy and vice-versa, but from what I have learned so far, my preference would be for the Ford chassis and engine.
Here's a quick rundown on the "standard" equipment for this model.
Included is a 4KW Onan generator that feeds off the main 65 gallon gasoline fuel tank. There are daisy-chained 6volt batteries (results in 12 volt system with more power than straight 12volt battery), for powering the lights and other 12volt equipment. Propane is used for the 3-burner stove, the water heater, interior heater and the refer/freezer. This motor home carries a 100-gallon fresh water tank, and the resulting waste storage is split 50 gallon gray water and 50 gallon black water.
Feature wise, the unit is equipped with a 19" color TV up front and Panasonic VHS VCR, a 13" color TV in the bedroom, a TV antenna and satellite antenna on the roof of the vehicle with raising, lowering and pointing knobs mounted in the ceiling. You need to provide your own satellite receiver. There are electric steps into the vehicle that raise and lower as the door is opened and closed. An electric air conditioning unit is mounted on the roof. Also on the roof is a solar power panel that is used for providing a charge to the batteries during the day to keep them peaked. Also included are a microwave oven, refrigerator and freezer and 3-burner stove. Outside, a 3/4 length awning is mounted to the side of the vehicle. Storage bins for various items (lawn chairs, bbq grills, water & sewage hoses, power cords and the like) are available all around the vehicle. All of these external access storage areas have locking pull latches.
Internal Vehicle Layout
The main "bedroom" is in the rear of the unit. This one has a full size bed with two nightstands, a dresser, 13" color TV. There is additional storage under the bed. Just forward of the main bedroom is the bathroom/shower on the left and a fairly sizable wardrobe closet on the right. Continuing forward, a cabinet and the dining table is forward of the bathroom and across the aisle is the refrigerator/freezer, then the stove and microwave and finally the kitchen sink. There are additional cabinets over and under the sink and under each bench seat in the dining area. Additionally there is cabinet storage over the dining table and continuing forward around the front of the motor home, but the area over the passenger seat is filled with tv/vcr/antenna switching equipment.
Driving Impressions
Because this is a relatively short Class A motor home, driving it takes only a little bit getting used to. In my case, its not the length that is a problem, but the width of the vehicle. Motor homes, this one included, are now built to the widest size allowed, 102". On some older, two lane roads, this can provide you with a real thrill, especially when another large vehicle like a semi-truck is coming at you from the opposite direction. Just remain calm and stay in your lane and you should be fine. The Flair has massive front wraparound windshield. Visibility to the front and sides is very good and the side rearview mirrors provide excellent views. Visibility out the rear window is non-existent, so it pays to have someone outside help guide you when backing up in tight areas. The large heated outside mirrors do provide a great view on each side. If you remember that you're basically sitting over the left front wheel when driving, one can manage to stay fairly well centered in the road. Also keep in mind, you may be carrying lots of stuff inside the vehicle and when you turn a corner, its not a Ferrari or even a soft-sprung, low riding land yacht like car, but a long, tall motor home. Take a corner too fast (as I did one time) and you will have things crashing all over the inside of the vehicle. And using the same analogy, don’t expect to go from 0 to 60 in under 10 seconds or 40 to 60 to pass. Your best bet is to just be patient and enjoy the drive, knowing that you can be right at home pretty much stop anywhere you stop and can legally park.
As for gas mileage, its been between 8 and 9 mpg thus far. Not bad for hauling a small house around with you.
Summary
The Flair is a great starter motor home. It’s the first step in the Fleetwood line of Class A motor homes as well. There are limited additional options on this unit. Even though its considered “basic”, its still a fine vehicle worthy of consideration by anyone looking to try camping and or RV’ing.
Notes
The Flair comes in two color schemes, a white and blue (as shown in the illustration for this category) and a white and brown. Interior colors match the exteriors.
The 26 foot model does not have a sofa/couch across from the dining table. That is only available on the 31 foot version as the couch would fit with the extra length.
As of this date, we have not been able to find any Flair owner’s clubs as you will find with other models such as Bounder or Pace Arrows. This may or may not be of concern to you. In our case, it hasn’t been a problem at all.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 42.500
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: Flair 25Y
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Epinions.com ID:
loumart
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Member: Lou Prevost
Location: Cary, Illinois
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 1 member
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