My new Lifestyle extenda

[Jogitin]

Hi everyone,

Now  I'm not one who can sit around so trips to Fiji are not my cup of tea but are the wife's perfect holiday,so we decided to try camping and I really had a a great time with the kids and I found myself enjoying sitting around.

So after we saw a few Ct's at the camp site we decided we would look at purchasing one as we were using borrowed camp gear.

Off we went to the rosehill show and wow there were so many and what a price difference! We had in mind spending around 7k but found we really liked the ones around the 15-20k mark. We got brochures  from everyone that day and came home more confused. After another camping show we decided to spend a little more and found we liked three in particular lifestyle, customline and camel.

Finally we went of to the penrith show with cash in hand to purchase our new ct. After looking at the three we narrowed it to two, lifestyle an customline .John from lifestyle was there and we found him great, plenty of advice and nothing bad to say about customline. I must have spent an hour talking to him about various options that would suit our needs and was ready to buy but he adviced me to go home an consider all my requirements and email him so he could work out a deal for us this was a big surprise as normally they can't wait to take your money.

I must have sent him the biggest list he has ever seen. After a week of emails and conversations I settled on the extenda. Order placed today.

Specs are.

12 ft tent
Full annex walls
Sand floor to annex
Gas struts to tent bows
Large front box
Led tail lights
Lockable sides for batteries and gas bottles ( got all alloy sides powder coated with the trailer so they blend in)
16" Alloy wheels
Inner spring mattress
Slide out timber draw
Utensil draw
12v system
High flow water pump with trigger tap
Smev 2 burner stove
Boat rack mounts
Hyland hitch
Led lighting
Tropical roof
Extra large tonneau cover

What started out as a 7k Exercise has end up well over double that but it's all Australian made and has everything I could ever need.

Thanks to all the great information on this site in which I spent hours looking at to help make my decision to go with all Aussie made and lifestyle.

Cheers,
Tim

[D4D]

Welcome to myswag Tim, sounds like a great camper, now you need to start a mod list

[LB]

Hi Tim,

Welcome

You are not alone on blowing the budget, we have just ordered our first camper and we may now have to sell one of the kids

LB

[aquadux]

Hi Tim welcombe to the forum. Congratulation on the new camper

[bunyip]

Hi Tim,

Welcome to the madhouse.

It really does give a sense of confidence in a product that they did not have their hand out grabbing at your cash. He knows he has a good product and is confident that you will go with him so take your time and make sure you get what you want.

Congrats on the order, how long is the wait?

Bunyip

[xmasbaby67]

Congrats on you new purchase Tim!!!!!

The worst part now is the waiting..

We also went a little over our budget to get what we wanted & congrats for buying Aussie made 

Hey LB .....what is the going rate for kids these days hahahahaha 

 

[GGV8Cruza]

Welcome to the Forum Tim, a great lot of additions to a great camper. How longs the wait?

GG

[bunyip]

xmasbaby67,

Hey LB .....what is the going rate for kids these days hahahahaha 

 

The kids will go cheap, particularly to 20 year old (going on 4). We can talk about the other two.

Bunyip (Because LB wouldn't really sell them )

[Jogitin]

Thanks..... Only a 4 week wait but I told him to take 6 as I'm extremely fussy and want perfection for which I'm happy to wait a little extra for. I will be picking it up from Brisbane so  i can go over it before i tow it away. I will also need to look into the process for NSW registration.

Lifestyle seem to be popular choice and from what I have seen for good reason.

I have 3 young daughters but would sell the mrs first.

[xmasbaby67]

Hahaha....I have two teenage daughters still at home   ......and this week I would sell them at a bargain basement price!!!!!!!  (hahahaha only kidding....life would be boring without them, but poor hubby with three of us in one house!!!!!)    Batten down the hatches in a few years Jogitin as selling the wife might be a serious error on your part (go and see your mother question)......hahahahaha

Bunyip I have a 20yo but he has left home so he has to be a grown up now!!!! heehee

The pics icon was for Jogitin for the new Lifestyle not the kids...... 

Not a long wait Jogitin which is great.  We also came down to the same top three companies. 

[bunyip]

xmasbaby67,

Sorry, my bad on the pictures thing, still getting used to the quotes method :-(

Out 20 year old is quite happy to tell us he has no intention of moving out of home until he can afford to buy himself a house. Not sure how long that will be but it is not looking promising in the near to mid future!

Bunyip

[Heiny]

Hi Tim and welcome to My Swag

  Brett

[steve sh]

Hi Tim ,
I'm just looking to buy a new CT myself and the two currently on my shortlist are the Lifestyle Extenda and the MDC off road step through.  Trying to make up my mind at the moment.
One has some good points and the other has some good points.  Can't find one that just suits perfectly and in budget, I suppose that's like most things in life.
Cheers
Steve

[Jogitin]

Had an update from the lifestyle team today camper will be ready next week! Won't be able to pick it up until the second week in November when I can get up to Brisbane.

Steve, I spent a lot of time looking at every camper available from 5 to 17k and MDC offer a good budget trailer under 10k. If I was spending anymore than 10k I would not even consider them myself
Especially when it comes in at 15k to get the dynaproof  tent upgrade. They turn there trailer over so quick and from what I seen there finish reflects this.
Lifestyles finish is immaculate in comparison from the welding to the nuts and bolts.
The tent was also put together extremely well. One of lifestyles long time employees works for MDC so I think that is why it's a very close copy.
I would speak to lifestyle about your requirements as I received a substantial discount of the rrp which is what made going with lifestyle a no contest for myself.
I can't also speak more highly of there service and the time they take to make sure you are happy with everything.
This is my experience and is only my opinion.
Good luck with your search.

[steve sh]

Jogitin,
I hear you on this.  I have counted MDC out of the equation. At the moment trying to choose btn the Lifestyle and the Customline CT.
Steve

[xmasbaby67]

Getting close now Jogitin!!!!!!

Looking forward to seeing the pics of it all set-up.  Sounds great!!

[spargo]

Jogitin,
I hear you on this.  I have counted MDC out of the equation. At the moment trying to choose btn the Lifestyle and the Customline CT.
Steve

Yep, having towed (and loved) a Lifestyle Extenda for 2+ years, these are the two that I'd be choosing from.  Good luck!

Must take photos of and post up my completed 12v electrical lights/sockets/fuses/wiring overhaul in our L.Extenda for other (especially new) owners to see. Came up a treat!

[Jogitin]

Steve,

These were the two we narrowed it done two as well, a lot of people on this site had the same two when deciding.

The main reason for me was that lifestyle had an extenda between the price of customline non extenda and their extenda which fit in the budget. If your budget is closer to 20k it will be a much harder decision in which i think you can't go wrong either way. Both the lifestyle and cusomline teams had nothing bad to say about each others product.
I 'm really impressed with the service from lifestyle i have received if that helps any.

Good luck.

[steve sh]

Jogitin, Spargo,
Thanks for your advices here.  My budget is closer to $20,000 and thus I'm having some difficulty deciding. Looking at the Lifestyle Extenda Elite now as well which takes you to the equivalent look of the Customline.  I have 3 on my short list the other being Vacation Campers 'Passage' which I studied today.  It's very nice, has all the gear but going up towards $24000.  I reckon it is very well made by experts in their field.
I wasn't intending to go that high initially but you tend to get trapped with the goodies.  What started as a $10000 budget has more than doubled.
Steve

[spargo]

I understand your dillema. The Extenda Elite certainly has the extras, and of course the price reflects. What we did was look at what the Elite had, chose those couple of things that we wanted on a normal Extenda (DO35 hitch, extra lockable side panel, etc), added them on as extras, and it was still closer to the Extenda $price than the Elite price, so we went with the standard Extenda.. Put simply, there were things like the stove on the Elite that we already had and didn't need. Budget wise (originaly $10-$13K) we were always stretching ourselves to get the Extenda just to get a walkway camper, rather than the fancy bits on the Elite.

Even on the E.Elite, the electrical system is only just basic - and while it will do the job, you'll always be tweaking it - so for us, compared like-for-like, we couldn't justify the extra between the standard and the Elite. I just couldn't see the value in the Elite - you might be the same, or not.

Details of our purchase and early trips are here: http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=8420

That thread needs an update now that we've overhauled the 12v system & added a 2nd battery, done a few more trips, and tweaked a few other things to suit our personal needs.

My vote is for a tweaked standard Extenda, or the Customline..

[Jogitin]

Spargo,

How did you find the Kitchen tap? I have ordered the standard tap but think i should get the flick mixer installed before i pick it up.
I got just about every option lifestyle had and it still come in $2000 cheaper than the elite without the extra option i got which are not standard in the elite, but i do like the sides on the elite.
I think i might get a fridge and hot water setup before our first trip to make it as easy as i can with 3 young kids.
Any idea on which hot water system is better new companion aqua logic or Coleman?

[BJ76]

Hi Steve.

Butting in here but am selling our Lifestyle extenda!  Not sure if you are after brand new but ours is 2010 model and is in next to new condition.  If you are interested there are pics in the Camper Classified section.  I'll pull my head in now.

BJ

[spargo]

Spargo,

How did you find the Kitchen tap? I have ordered the standard tap but think i should get the flick mixer installed before i pick it up.
I got just about every option lifestyle had and it still come in $2000 cheaper than the elite without the extra option i got which are not standard in the elite, but i do like the sides on the elite.
I think i might get a fridge and hot water setup before our first trip to make it as easy as i can with 3 young kids.
Any idea on which hot water system is better new companion aqua logic or Coleman?

We got the standard tap on the hose. Have always been in two minds about it. It's temperamental and shoots out way too fast for filing a cup etc, so its either on flat out, or not, no in-between. But being on the retractable hose, we use it a bit to shoot water over the back of the kitchen to wash off filthy kids or feet, wash a surfboard, or wash off the numberplate, etc. So balancing that out, I've stuck with it. With lots of trips coming up, we might consider fitting a flix-mixer on the other side of the sink using the same pump, so we have both.

One option would be to get a flick mixer, then a 2nd connection for a hose later. Talk to the Lifestyle guys if you're worried.

[Jogitin]

Thanks Spargo.... Took your advice, rang lifestyle and got the flick mixer installed. Ask the to supply me the trigger tap and ill install it of the pump for a better purpose like washing the kids off.