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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With John Jujuga

Aired September 01, 2002 - 11:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Perhaps you want to hit the road this fall now that summer's just about over. Why not step on board to one of these fine set of wheels here. This is your very new and updated, not your RV like grandma and grandpa had. This one is $800,000. And we talked about how seven million of them are on the roads now. Well, not all of them look like this, but we wanted to look to ourselves. And you know, look right up close and find out why it is, John -- John, Jujuga. I'm so out of breath because I had to run. Anyway, why is it that, you know, folks are hitting the roads with these RVs? And they're really stepping it up. They're making these very serious investments, just like a second home, as we talked about.
JOHN JUJUGA, MOTORCOACH SALESMAN: The RV industry is very family-oriented. The Bluebird Wonder Lodge is probably the oldest and safest motor home on the road.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, let's look at it. As soon as you step on board, you see the furniture is very plush.

JUJUGA: This is your living room area. This is your kitchen area. You have all the finest of cabinetries, your finest craftsmanship, materials used in the Wonder Lodge. You've got your side-by-side refrigerators. It's powered by a 500-horsepower Detroit Diesel.

WHITFIELD: And you got leather seating up front, so you're going to be comfortable.

JUJUGA: Leather seating up front. Your cockpit features are -- it's very innovative. You -- from your cruise control to your heats to your handling on your suspensions, just all those sorts of things. I mean it's really innovative. It would take me all day to explain all of...

WHITFIELD: So this is a vehicle not designed just to park it and feel comfortable once you have met your destination, but you're going to be comfortable during the drive as well.

JUJUGA: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: And that's what's different about these RVs now, right?

JUJUGA: Air ride suspension, I mean, one of the finest coaches on the road. It's built by Wonder Lodge. It's an all -- it's not a conversion. It's all one piece.

WHITFIELD: You got a kitchen here, pretty fancy schmansy.

JUJUGA: Yes, some of your finest in your plumbing -- kitchen area.

WHITFIELD: Now, does all this stuff work while you're driving or do you have to be parked and set up somewhere?

JUJUGA: Absolutely...

WHITFIELD: Is that new and different?

JUJUGA: Fully functional. It's -- this motor home, you can park it in no facilities and stay just as long as you have fuel, as long as you have fuel you can.

WHITFIELD: Now, this is the top of the line...

JUJUGA: Top of the line...

WHITFIELD: ... that also includes a little bedroom back here, too. And you've got lots of compartments here in this very beautiful finish. I feel like Vanna White here.

JUJUGA: That's OK. It's quite all right. I'm a little nervous, too. This is...

WHITFIELD: All right, washer and dryer.

JUJUGA: This is your washer and dryer. It's all one piece and you also -- you can separate them and you can put the dryer up top. The manufacturer does not allow the installation of both.

WHITFIELD: So how many of your customers look at these RVs, perhaps not just as vacation, but maybe they even want to live in one of these, you know, just pick up and move to a new city. They're tired of the area and move on.

JUJUGA: Completely livable. This coach is equipped with what's called aqua hot, and that's 24 hours a day hot water. It's a diesel fired, three burner. And it also provides radiant heat for the coach and an unlimited supply of hot water. As long as you have a water source, you have hot water. As long as you have fuel, you have all of these.

WHITFIELD: Are you noticing that the buyer is much younger, that families are looking at this as an investment, as a way in which to spend more family time together on the road and vacationing?

JUJUGA: Absolutely, they're all staying on the ground and they're all family oriented.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, now we stepped into the boudoir, right? JUJUGA: Right. The bedroom. This is the queen-sized bed. And also, under here, you have access to all of your -- whatever's going on in your coach. You got a panic button where you can light up all four corners of the coach at nighttime, in case something -- you know, you hear a sound outside or whatever. It's a panic button. And you can start your generator. It preheats your engine. Underneath the bed, you have a safe.

WHITFIELD: Oh, wow!

JUJUGA: You have a safe in the corner. You have storage under the bed. I mean storage is limitless in the Bluebird Wonder Lodge. Makeup mirror for the wife, you know, if she wants to pretty up and things like that.

WHITFIELD: Are you finding that there are certain regions of the country where the RV is -- or the sales of RV really seems to be taking off?

JUJUGA: In Georgia. In Georgia. See, the Bluebird's built in Fort Valley, Georgia and that now -- this unit is built in one place. It's not a conversion. Twenty different companies didn't work on it. Bluebird built it from the ground up. And Bluebird is the oldest and best well known, and the safest motor home on the road. There is no known record of any fatalities in the Bluebird Wonder Lodge.

WHITFIELD: All right, very good. Good news. Well, John Jujuga of Motorcoach, thank you very much. And thanks for giving us this personal tour of this very cool ride. I think I'm ready. I'm ready to invest maybe. Yeah, I'm going to have to talk to the hubby about this. I'm ready to hit the road. All right, we're going to take a short break and maybe if I'm lucky enough and I can run fast enough, I'll meet you back on inside.

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