Comments on Westwind limos

[Adventure Limousine]

I am looking for a 12 to 14 passenger stretch is westwind a good builder ? any comments ?

Thanks

[Wade Randolph]

Originally posted by Adventure Limousine:
I am looking for a 12 to 14 passenger stretch is westwind a good builder ? any comments ?

Thanks

Stay away. They don't build their cars. A company in Missouri called Merkle builds them. They tend to fall apart after a few years.

[Alimo]

Hey Wade, is that the same company Aladdin use ?

[Wade Randolph]

Originally posted by Alimo:
Hey Wade, is that the same company Aladdin use ?

I'm not sure about Aladdin.

[Adventure Limousine]

Originally posted by Wade Randolph:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Adventure Limousine:
I am looking for a 12 to 14 passenger stretch is westwind a good builder ? any comments ?

Thanks

Stay away. They don't build their cars. A company in Missouri called Merkle builds them. They tend to fall apart after a few years. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


How about an ultra as a builder ?

[Rupert]

Ultra's gone. Sorry.

[Wade Randolph]

I would recommend a good QVM builder with the Excursion or Navigator chassis. If you want non-QVM go with Craftsmen Limousine. You get the great warranty with the reputable QVM builders.

[Adventure Limousine]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Wade Randolph:
I would recommend a good QVM builder with the Excursion or Navigator chassis. If you want non-QVM go with Craftsmen Limousine. You get the great warranty with the reputable QVM builders.[/QU


I understand what you are saying. I was just starting to look for a decent used stretch for the fleet. I had considered a stretch suv like a navigator, but i am in a rural area and i dont get very many requests for one. I do get a lot of requests for a 12 to 14 pax stretch, and this will round out my fleet also. I also have considered another limo bus, which probally makes more sense in the long run. I have two 120`s now and moving one step larger would help with larger bridal parties.

I fiqured i`d ask around before purchasing one
from a bad coachbuilder and then having the headaches to go with it. I have read about some Qvm vehicles on here that were not up to par either.

[Wade Randolph]

Originally posted by Adventure Limousine:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Wade Randolph:
I would recommend a good QVM builder with the Excursion or Navigator chassis. If you want non-QVM go with Craftsmen Limousine. You get the great warranty with the reputable QVM builders.[/QU


I understand what you are saying. I was just starting to look for a decent used stretch for the fleet. I had considered a stretch suv like a navigator, but i am in a rural area and i dont get very many requests for one. I do get a lot of requests for a 12 to 14 pax stretch, and this will round out my fleet also. I also have considered another limo bus, which probally makes more sense in the long run. I have two 120`s now and moving one step larger would help with larger bridal parties.

I fiqured i`d ask around before purchasing one
from a bad coachbuilder and then having the headaches to go with it. I have read about some Qvm vehicles on here that were not up to par either.

Jim those 12-14 passenger car based chassis limousines aren't going to hold up with the added weight. Did you know that the turning radius is less with a 14-passenger SUV than the Towncar based 14-passenger limousine? Did you know that the 14-passenger SUV is actually shorter than the 14-passenger Towncar? To me it's a no brainer the 14-passenger SUV, specifically the Excursion is really comfortable for 12-14 people. Those so-called 14-passenger Towncar based limousines are like sardine cans with a full load. If you buy one of those 14-passenger Towncar based limousines you are going to have terrible brake, tire and front end problems. Those chassis were simply not made for that kind of weight.

[BirmLimo - Michael Birmingham]

I have a 2001 westwind 175" and have never had a problem. The car is beautiful , has killer AC and is for sale. I am getting a black 140" Navigator done.

If you are interested , I can email you pics and price.

[Wade Randolph]

Originally posted by BirmLimo - Michael Birmingham:
I have a 2001 westwind 175" and have never had a problem. The car is beautiful , has killer AC and is for sale. I am getting a black 140" Navigator done.

If you are interested , I can email you pics and price.

I had a friend buy one of those also. The a/c was a killer alright up in Ohio till it got down here with 60 straight days of 100 degree plus heat. And it was a killer when the entire front end collapsed. Thank goodness nobody was killed.

[BirmLimo - Michael Birmingham]

Well Wade , that's why I am in Ohio. I can't stand the humidity down south. Never had a front end problem. I'm not saying it doesn't happen , but we stay on top of maintainance. I always look at the front end and have it inspected every oil change( 2500 miles )

[Alimo]

Wade, does that apply to 418 pack cars and what about the tandem rear axle ones ? ( of which we see fewer and fewer )

[Wade Randolph]

Originally posted by Alimo:
Wade, does that apply to 418 pack cars and what about the tandem rear axle ones ? ( of which we see fewer and fewer )

Sorry I don't understand the question.

[Alimo]

O.K. Wade, most all of the over 120" builders can't get a hold of 418's ( but I also understand a small few do ) so most long cars are built on standard or basic Livery cars.
So my question was, were you refering to the cars built on standard sedans being the ones that fell to bits OR does the size of stretch ( even on a 418 pack car ) still fall to bits ? AND what about the dual axle cars ( as they then have extra braking and suspension on the dual axles ) ?

[Wade Randolph]

Originally posted by Alimo:
O.K. Wade, most all of the over 120" builders can't get a hold of 418's ( but I also understand a small few do ) so most long cars are built on standard or basic Livery cars.
So my question was, were you refering to the cars built on standard sedans being the ones that fell to bits OR does the size of stretch ( even on a 418 pack car ) still fall to bits ? AND what about the dual axle cars ( as they then have extra braking and suspension on the dual axles ) ?

I can't speak for dual axle cars don't have enough knowledge about those. I personally don't think the 418 package is really going to make much of a difference when you start putting 14-passengers in a body originally built for 6 maximum. The turning radius of a Towncar over 140" stretch is ridiculous.

[Alimo]

Wade, over here we have different types of roads than you are used to, we have lots of quaint churches on narrow winding roads and some hills that would put the streets of Frisco to shame, our city centres are all based around the historic times when they were villages that expanded, so for us anyone who buys a longer than 140" stretch of any type of vehicle shows that they do not have the experience of operating them in a restricted environment, its a case of "Bling" overiding common sense, until customers find out that they have to walk some distance due to the vehicle not being able to get to a venue. Having driven many miles in the States I know that your freeways have a lot more room and the reason for my question was that I assumed the longer Limo's were more suited to the roads and that there would be more of them as a consquence, I was interested in the running costs and pitfalls of those as opposed to 120"'s and above.

[Limo Bus Lord]

I have owned a Westwind 175 Lincoln Town Car Limousine. Jim builds a great car. His builder is near Springfield Missouri. Jim does stand behind is product 100%. I was haveing some problems with my stretch and was even going to fly one of his mechanics out if I couldn't find someone to fix the problem here. He subs all of his cars out to be stretched to Murgel Limousine they build all of his cars. Murgel Limousine doesn't stretch any other cars other than his. Jim does have all of his tires and suspension upgraded to handle the extra weight. If I still bought non-QVM cars he would be at the top of my list to do business with. Jim is a very fair and honest person to deal with.