Suncoast RV in Pinellas Park CLOSED

[Craig A]

Found out this morning that Suncoast RV in Pinellas Park has closed its doors and laid off all employees. I guess this is another casualty of the weak economy.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Say What????
That's my dealer. That's where I bought my 3485.

But to be honest I was not totally surprised since Lazy Days now handles the Montana line. In fact I was already laying the ground work to switch dealers. I had CW, which is located at Lazy Days, install a DirectTV roof top satellite and while waiting I scoped out a few of the lazy Days salesmen.

[stiles watson]

Sounds like the fortunes of the business world and strategic alliances rather than the economy.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Some MOCers may recall that I did work for Suncoast - Pinellas a couple years ago. Although I was only there for less than a week (YES, less than a week) I did make a number of friendships and stayed in touch with many of them.
The handwriting was on the wall. Suncoast RV - Pinellas was down overall on RV sales. This included the Keystone line. Besides the Montana lines they also handled Copper Canyon, Passport, Hornet and a few other Keystone products.
In the past year and a half the general manager quit along with the service manager, parts manager and a couple of techs and sales people. When I got back to Florida last fall I stopped in and could not believe the number of new faces.
At the RV show last January I found Lazy Days also displaying the Montana lines. They have been handling other Keystone's for years. They also handled the now defunct Cambridge which was never offered to Suncoast.
There are a number of MOCers that bought at the Pinellas location and one member that was given the run around when he attempted to have a slide topper replaced. Thanks to a number of MOCers, He ended up getting that slide topper replaced at the 07 Branson Rally.

BTW-Suncoast RV is a big dealer wth 8 stores in Florida, 2 in Georgia, 1 in Tennessee, 1 in Alabama and 1 in Elkhart, Indiana. I'll be very interested in what happens to the other locations.

[deerrahn]

Yes they are closed. So is the Jacksonville Store and the New Symernia Store. According, the bosses come by the Pinellas Park Store on Friday morning and told the employees that everyone except Brian (in charge of repair and parts) and Bill (in charge of repairing everything) that the store was closing friday evening. Apparently Suncoast RV was out of money. So far no-one has received their last paychecks. This is what happens when the upper echelon gets to big for its pants. The bottom cannot support the top and the top is to D--- to figure that out. Someday maybe, those that are in the authorative position will realize that they have to take a cut in pay also to save their busines instead of running a company in the ground and ruining the economy. Just a little sarcasm on my part. To show you the spirit of the Company, when I ask Brian what we should do if we have problems and are supposed to go through the dealer first, his response in answer to that was "probably have to go to "Lazy Days". Maybe I should have bought our trailer from them. It is a sunny day so "Have a Good Day"

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Rich, I wonder if Jim Fisher saw what was coming? Then place just wasn't the same without Jim.

[Craig A]

Didn't Jim go to Trail Manor? Given the gas prices, that is probably the only type of RV business that will possibly maintain current business levels. Did Suncoast in Lake Park close also? I know they had a lot of the building cleaned up and for lease. Did they also close both of the Jacksonville stores? I thought that was their main office.

[Ruth]

We bought our Montana from Lazy Days this past spring. The BEST salesperson there is Dana Philps -- been there since they opened. If you talk with her tell her the Forgans sent you!

[William O. Phillips]

Whew! That was close. We have been wheeling and dealing on a new 3000RK for months. Best prices came from Suncoast - we had previously bought from them a few years ago - and Lazydays. Suncoast actually came in with the best price at one point and then pulled it back due to an error on my trade - so they said. We ordered from Lazydays in the end and are very please with the deal - just waiting for delivery.....we'll see how they do at that point.

I still have good things to say about the Suncoast Macon store and last I heard they were expanding into the lot next door.

I hate to see all of the economic woes in this industry - I know that Newmar is only building 20 units per week and just laid off 40% of their workforce.

Does Keystone shut down for two weeks as of this week?

Thanks -

Bill

[Exnavydiver]

deerrahn, a quick question, did they close both stores in JAX? One was primarily towables and the other primarily motorhomes. Although each lot had some of the others rigs.. Dave and Betsy