32 - Korth Shore News - Friday, June 23, 2000

enroad

ae rr re

Renting a room with a new view every day

NEWS photo Mike Waketield

OWNER irene Sturzenegger (left) and front office manager Jutta Wegener of Go West are too busy to celebrate

7 the 20th Birthday of their RV e centre — the e only one of its kind on the North Shore..

Martin Millerchip

Road Editor
mumillerchip@nsnews.com
CUSTOMERS rent
more than.-recreational _
Vehicles from'Go West.
They get award-winning
sérvice and first-hand
knowledge of where to

zine is Beautiful B.C.

Despite 20 years of touring
the province, and often as far
afield as the Baja Peninsula, she
stil} loves the varied and some-
times majestic scenery that
British Columbia offers.

“I love to talk to the cus-
tomers about where they. are
going and 1 always wish I was
going too. The machines are
just the tool to help them expe-

rience this beautiful province.”

The machines in question

~ number. 150 — and there are

‘another+130_javailable at Go
West's Calgaty. office (operated

and owned by Irene’s brother,
Willy Hiusermann) should you
want to take the tain one way

» Over the Rockies.

oo) For Foreign é &:
Domestic Cars, 4X4's,..
SUV's + Light Trucks

Manitoba.

‘Agostine ° i
Aavistont PRIVATE & INSURANCE REPAIRS * Quality Workmanship _
_ +. @ Trustworthy Service
© Froe Estimates
7 Alternative transportation arranged.
TALKING .« ESTIMATES x

sia (foreign & Domestic). lait CONSULTATION
exen. 7425 |

— 3.252 205hp V6 ENGINE

77 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Limite sup. ~ j ie
DIFFERENTIAL —-—— ELECTRONIC

. immigrated to Canada.

SHIFT-ON-THE-FLY 4WD

They range in size . from
deluxe vans that sleep two
adults to 31-foot RVs that sleep
two adults and two children
and come complete with a gen-
erator.’

The company now dacs so

“much business in rentals and

sales that the Regal line: of
motorhomes is built exclusively
for Go West by Triple E ‘in

roud of

Sturzenegger is
les_ office

the fact thar- her

‘handles Canadian-made’ vchi-

cles only.

In 1966, Irene and her hus- ©

band, Victor Sturzenegger,

onal

_.. Switzerland.

orld. AY landed; in

they” were:

overwhelmed by the beauty of
Canadas ands kindness of

Canadians amid the hutbub of

Expo °67.

Although frene and Victor
had their fun in Montreal,
many of their friends, who had
been working at the Expe exhi-
bition, lost their jobs at the end
of the fair and were keen to dis-
cover more of Canada.

So nine Swiss friends packed
their bags, and started a new
journey. The goal was to “go
west,” which they did — end-
ing up in Vancouver’s Stanley
Park on a rainy October day.

“Undeterred by our weather,
the” Sturzeneggers eventually

“bought a home in North

Nancouver and Irene gor her
zwet in the RV business
rking for a rental company
tino longer exists.

In_1980 Irene and Victor
decided to start a motorhome
rental company out of their
own home, using their Western
journey as the key to the com-
pany name: Go West.

Says Irene, “I wanted a
challenge: to be better, to do
better.”

Initially they used 13 units,
leased from owners who want-
ed income from RV rentals
without the hassle and expense
of advertising, bookings, main-
tenance and higher insurance
premiums.

They expanded and moved

to their present Lloyd Avenue
location in 1982 and by 1992
began to grow what has
become a large sales arm.

“Ie was amazing how many
customers would rent from us
two or three dimes and then
ouy from us,” says Irene.

Besides offering competitive

Prices on new RVs, all of their.

rental units are now sold within
two to three years resulting in a
ficet of
motorhomes.

‘The same year Go West, got
into sales ic opened a id

from

late- ‘model 7

repair shop to continue to ser-
vice their customers.

“It made us the complete
RV centre on the North
Shore,” says Irene proudly.

Go West is now the only RV
rental company approved by
BCAA and members of the
automobile club get a 10% dis-
count on rental rates.

One of the carrvevers from
a home-based operation is the
way the rental units are. ser-
viced. Victor used to get the
work- done before he headed
off to his job at Grouse
Mountain. Now, unlike many -
other companies, Go West will
not take a unit back in the
morning and rent it out in the
afternoon. RVs that come back
one day do not go out again
until the next after a thorough
clean and mechanical service.

_ Irene says that one of the
benefits of this thorough ser-
vice is that customers can hit
the road carly in the morning
and get out of Vancouver
before the afternoon rush hour.

And she doesn’t just hand
over the keys with an instruc-
tion booklet. New. customers
are given an intensive walk ..
through their unit and its: sys-
tems that can take anywhere.’
from onc to two hours.

Of course, the bigger rigs
are still a different driving expe-
rience — one Saturday two™.
units in a row came back as -

‘convertibles. And Sturzenegger |": :

remembers selling a new RV to -
an older North Vancouver man
who was going to lease it back~. -.:
to Go West as a rental unit. He :
took it round the’ block for a.”
test. drive and when he came.
back he had opened .up. one.
side¥of the unit to the point: :

that you could see the. entire’

interior. :

THE rental units at Go. West RV. get a 12-hour
makeover between bookings that includes athesough
~ Cleaning and mechanical s service *

The Isuzu Rodeo could very well be the Sport unity
Vehicle you've been tooking for. It's crammed full of
features you might not find anywhere else. Like”
powerful 205 hp V6 engine, electronic shift-on-the-fly
that lets you swing into 4-wheel drive at up to 100
km/hr. Not to mention all the cargo space a person

(or persons) could possible want. Now, if you feel
you've been missing out even a tiny bit, come check

out a Rodeo and do something about it.

“MAP of a aden 150i $32 355 $37 Aimonth os 36 months, tase on 22.9% ese, including freight, si taiana POL Lae emt 0 2 way i Lease based on 60.000 km with 12¢ per excess im,

inl insurance and faxes are extra, Lease end volume $16, 755. Total kease obligation equals $16,392. Otter applies to qualified retail customers

EY Isuzu

He may sel Or fease fr less, Rates

Watch for our new location
in the North Shore Auta Mall!

subject io change withoul eolice. See retailer for further conditions and desis.

4451 Lougheed Hwy, Burnaby 294-1831

www.morreyautogroup.com