Background info: we have had 2 Cardinals 5er a 29 an 33. Had the 33 for thirteen years. Had a few minor things with it, nothing major. in 2015 we purchased a 2016 Forest River Palomino Columbus. We love the inside layout an look. We have had the refrigerator fell over while traveling, shower faucet fell out of the wall, kitchen faucet leak, etc. Had it in to the dealer for two weeks. They didn't fix anything they charged us for. Ask after we got home.($250 later refunded) It’s a five hour round trip drive for us. disappointed with dealership. Decided to purchase a better RV for more semi full timing it. After reading about different rv’s. How do you know which one to buy. I understand they all have a few minor problems. We like the 3-4 season ones not bigger then 33ft. Just the two of us. Sorry for the long explaination. Any direction to look at. We feel RV dealers only want to see you drive off the lot, then the service seems to stop. Another question: Does Artic Fox also do well in hot summer places?

You'll get a lot of recommendations for Arctic Fox and Grand Design as they make really nice shorter FWs. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Have heard of a lot of problems with Columbus line. Looks can be real decieving for sure. We had a Cedar Creek for 13 years and never had a Warranty issue. I understand ALL new trailers are hqving issues. All mfgs are pumping out rigs so fast there is now no quality control. Northwood seems to be one of the better mfgs. They are a regional builder family owned. Their built on in house frames, so they are more stout than some of the mass marketed units. Their sister company Outdoor RV is also getting good reviews.At least give them a look. They may not have the glitz and glitter, but are better built.

Although we owned a Forest River travel trailer and thought the build quality was fine, I've read a lot of complaints about their more recent products. As Njmurvin said, we are very happy with our Grand Design Reflection fifth wheel.Rob

Seems none of the newer models across all the brands have the quality of years past. And they were not all that great back then. But better.

BB_TX wrote:Seems none of the newer models across all the brands have the quality of years past. And they were not all that great back then. But better.Ditto on newer models. We have been extremely pleased with our unit. in 2014 the dealership we purchased ours from quit carrying them due to quality issues with that year's models (2014). If we ever had to purchase another one, it would be used and older, but that's how we feel.

Fifth Wheeler Question | Good Sam Community

27 Replies

Super_Dave
Explorer
Aug 07, 2018
My unit is great when it is sitting in the campsite. It's towing it down the road when everything starts rattling and falling off. Terrible road conditions and poor trailer construction don't go well together.
larry_barnhart
Explorer
Aug 07, 2018
donn0128 wrote:
Have heard of a lot of problems with Columbus line. Looks can be real decieving for sure. We had a Cedar Creek for 13 years and never had a Warranty issue. I understand ALL new trailers are hqving issues. All mfgs are pumping out rigs so fast there is now no quality control. Northwood seems to be one of the better mfgs. They are a regional builder family owned. Their built on in house frames, so they are more stout than some of the mass marketed units. Their sister company Outdoor RV is also getting good reviews.
At least give them a look. They may not have the glitz and glitter, but are better built.

We had a neighbor in Az that bought a Columbus and I thought he was lying when he told me how bad it was but after going in to look it was a nightmare and continued to be the next couple of winters and then I talked to another owner with the same model and his issues were the same.

No help from the CW seller or the manufacturer. Bad tires were another issue will both owners.

chevman
ReneeG
Explorer
Aug 07, 2018
BB_TX wrote:
Seems none of the newer models across all the brands have the quality of years past. And they were not all that great back then. But better.

Ditto on newer models. We have been extremely pleased with our unit. in 2014 the dealership we purchased ours from quit carrying them due to quality issues with that year's models (2014). If we ever had to purchase another one, it would be used and older, but that's how we feel.
BB_TX
Nomad
Aug 07, 2018
Seems none of the newer models across all the brands have the quality of years past. And they were not all that great back then. But better.
Second_Chance
Explorer II
Aug 07, 2018
Although we owned a Forest River travel trailer and thought the build quality was fine, I've read a lot of complaints about their more recent products. As Njmurvin said, we are very happy with our Grand Design Reflection fifth wheel.

Rob
donn0128
Explorer II
Aug 07, 2018
Have heard of a lot of problems with Columbus line. Looks can be real decieving for sure. We had a Cedar Creek for 13 years and never had a Warranty issue. I understand ALL new trailers are hqving issues. All mfgs are pumping out rigs so fast there is now no quality control. Northwood seems to be one of the better mfgs. They are a regional builder family owned. Their built on in house frames, so they are more stout than some of the mass marketed units. Their sister company Outdoor RV is also getting good reviews.
At least give them a look. They may not have the glitz and glitter, but are better built.
Njmurvin
Explorer II
Aug 07, 2018
You'll get a lot of recommendations for Arctic Fox and Grand Design as they make really nice shorter FWs. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

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