Alliance 5th Wheels

2012Coleman wrote:


Call me a kool-aid drinker - I don't care - that's a term usually given to someone who is very happy with something that is given by someone who isn't very happy with what they have, so all they can do is tell others how crappy the thing they don't have is.

Unfortunately you have to pay your dues to get the moniker lol.

You have to go to the Goshen rally and spend a couple days with your entire family wearing matching GD T shirts and hats. Then you have to sit through listening to the factory big wigs feed a line of BS a few times, while you clap and cheer loudly. Finally each morning you have to get up early and walk out in the road in front of your rig, then let loose with the GD company song. This year its the Darrel Waltrip version of the Kenny Rogers classic " You picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel".

goducks10 wrote:

FlatBroke wrote:
Three ACs and no seat in the shower. :h

3 AC's because there's no ducting.

I believe Alliance uses 3 AC's because someone there recognized that 2 AC's may not be adequate in hot weather. I have a 2019 GD Solitude with 2 15K ducted AC units and we have problems getting it cool in hot and humid weather. That is with awnings deployed and sun shades on all windows exposed to direct sun.

Grand Design should at least pre wire for a 3AC unit on their larger 5th wheels so the owner could easily add a 3rd AC if desired.

minnow wrote:
I'll bet a fast food dinner deluxe that the selling price on the much drooled on Lifestyle was way, way more then any similar sized offering from Alliance or Grand Design.
Funny how many people want the build quality of a $200,000 RV and complain when they don't see it in an RV with and MSRP of $80,000. Hmm, wonder why that is?

Because, if the mfrs took a bit longer building an RV, it would most likely be built much better, so they'd have many less warranty claims, so less overhead built in. I'd be willing to be that if they dropped the piece-pay and went to a decent hourly pay, and cut production #s by 5% and spread that time out to the rigs built, they'd have a =much= better product for not a lot much more.

Lyle

neal10a wrote:
At the Tampa RV show I found the Redwood, Cedar Creek champagne, and Grand Design Solitude to offer more than the Alliance if one considers the 10k difference in full body paint. The the others suspensions were more robust, appliance seletion, wire sizing, plumbing and fixtures were either the same or better. Alliance was rather silent on A/C ducting and insulation as compared to others. No data on temperature variations in the living and storage areas. Allience offer heavy 4K springs, but the axles and brakes were still 7Ks. The others had 8K axels and brakes. I am glad to see more competition in the RV industry, but this new commer needs to climb the moutain a little more aggressively and I am not sure if they are RVIA certified. I am somewhat concerned that the managment credentials are not engineering oriented.

Thats because they ARE NOT.... they BOTH have backgrounds in finance,,, They are bean counters... Read their story....

At the Tampa RV show I found the Redwood, Cedar Creek champagne, and Grand Design Solitude to offer more than the Alliance if one considers the 10k difference in full body paint. The the others suspensions were more robust, appliance seletion, wire sizing, plumbing and fixtures were either the same or better. Alliance was rather silent on A/C ducting and insulation as compared to others. No data on temperature variations in the living and storage areas. Allience offer heavy 4K springs, but the axles and brakes were still 7Ks. The others had 8K axels and brakes. I am glad to see more competition in the RV industry, but this new commer needs to climb the moutain a little more aggressively and I am not sure if they are RVIA certified. I am somewhat concerned that the managment credentials are not engineering oriented.

2012Coleman wrote:

minnow wrote:


And now their build quality is no better or worse the FR, Thor or Keystone. Seems GD spends most of their resources on keepin’ the kool-aid vats well filled for the thirsty faithful.

Well, as an owner of a previous Thor product and now a GD product - and also as someone who tried to contact Thor customer support (and was ignored) and also my interactions with GD customer support which solved an out of warranty issue at no expense to me, all I can say is your comment is made out of ignorance.

Call me a kool-aid drinker - I don't care - that's a term usually given to someone who is very happy with something that is given by someone who isn't very happy with what they have, so all they can do is tell others how crappy the thing they don't have is.

All I have to do is walk into my GD and compare the still new smelling interior to the off-gassing chemical smelling Coleman TT I happily sold. And that's only the first thing on the comparison list.

I am finding that GD owners seem to be happier overall with their experiences dealing with the manufacturer than other brands that are largely similar in construction. In our search for a 5th wheel I have joined a few FB groups and GD owners in general seem more satisfied. I also like that GD has a repair facility where owners can opt out of the dealer experience for repairs if they so choose to travel to GD. I would much rather have a factory tech fixing something like a slide over the "techs" I have seen at most dealers.

minnow wrote:


And now their build quality is no better or worse the FR, Thor or Keystone. Seems GD spends most of their resources on keepin’ the kool-aid vats well filled for the thirsty faithful.

Well, as an owner of a previous Thor product and now a GD product - and also as someone who tried to contact Thor customer support (and was ignored) and also my interactions with GD customer support which solved an out of warranty issue at no expense to me, all I can say is your comment is made out of ignorance.

Call me a kool-aid drinker - I don't care - that's a term usually given to someone who is very happy with something that is given by someone who isn't very happy with what they have, so all they can do is tell others how crappy the thing they don't have is.

All I have to do is walk into my GD and compare the still new smelling interior to the off-gassing chemical smelling Coleman TT I happily sold. And that's only the first thing on the comparison list.

FlatBroke wrote:
Three ACs and no seat in the shower. :h

3 AC's because there's no ducting.

True Story!!! thats funny:B

minnow wrote:

Hammerboy wrote:


Just think Grand Design was a small start up just a few years ago. Grew big, cashed out and now they have a cult like following.

Dan

And now their build quality is no better or worse the FR, Thor or Keystone. Seems GD spends most of their resources on keepin’ the kool-aid vats well filled for the thirsty faithful.

Three ACs and no seat in the shower. :h