FROM STAFF REPORTS

CALERA – Suncoast RV will celebrate the grand opening of its new dealership in Calera this weekend, making it Alabama’s largest RV Dealership.

“We are proud of our reputation among the RVing public and attribute our growth to the value of our RV products, as well as the excellence in RV sales and RV service that we provide our customers,” said Fred Hassan, president of Suncoast RV, in a press release.

Hassan said Suncoast’s reputation has grown out of his company’s enjoyment of the “RV lifestyle and the people that participate in it.”

The Calera dealership, located on George Roy Parkway off Interstate 65, is Suncoast’s 15th location nationwide.

It will feature a free dump station, one free night of overnight camping, a fully stocked RV parts and RV accessories store and a large selection of new travel trailers, fifth wheels, motor homes and toy haulers by Fleetwood, Winnebago and Ameri-Camp. They will also stock a selection of pre-owned RVs.

The additional location comes on the heels of a study conducted by PKF Consulting that concluded an RV is the least expensive way to go on vacation, despite gas prices being high.

The study said, “Typical RV family vacations are on average 26 to 74 percent less expensive than other types of vacations studied.”

One of the trips in the study compared using an RV to take a family of four from Atlanta to Orlando instead of by airline and car rental. The study said the RV vacation would save $1,658, or 53 percent, by staying in campgrounds averaging $27 per night instead of hotels averaging $127 per night, buying airline tickets and renting a car.

Suncoast is looking to use this study to drum up business, offering special prices during its Calera grand opening.

The grand opening event will be Feb. 22-24. There will be a barbecue lunch scheduled each day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., door prizes, a moon bounce for kids and give-aways