Holiday Rambler or Forester. Both class C. Any thoughts??

Are you asking about new, or back a decade when Holiday Rambler was still something other than ordinary?

When you look at any RV: FLOOR PLAN RULES!!!It can be technologically exquisite, but if the flow doesn't go your way, you won't be happy with it. I wish I could find the construction details on the HR coach. I found the floor plan for the 2011 HR Augusta 29PBD and there was a lot to like. I saw full front and rear fiberglass end caps and that's a premium feature. Why? Less parts is less seams so less leaks. An aluminum or fiberglass roof would round that out. PBD was listed as "B+" which doesn't officially exist. It's really a C, but without the cabover bed, and B+ units are often 8-ft wide instead of 8-1/2 ft, sometimes also lower. They seem to be on Ford E450, and comparing the 2011 to 2016 chassis, you don't get much on a 2016 that the 2011 doesn't have. In 2007, Ford made big changes, so THAT chassis is nicer than 2006.Holiday (as Tom tactfully pointed out) at least WAS a premium brand. The Forester is an upgraded version of Sunseeker, an entry level brand, both from Forest River. That does NOT make them a bad machine! We have many many members here with Sunseekers and Foresters. HR is a much lower volume outfit, but every once in awhile, one shows up, and the pictures/features are really nice.I'd like to know the Length and Wheelbase of coaches you consider. If wheelbase is too short relative to length, rear axle can be overloaded with inadequate weight on the front axle.If you get to the tire-kicking stage, look at the Weight Sticker (usually inside a cabinet) and see if it'll allow you to carry Who and What you want to take on your trips. Coaches with slides are inherently heavier than those without or one slide vs. three.But DRIVE it! Ideally in a variety of conditions. Go far enough to get to a Travel Center (politically correct for Truck Stop). Pay the $10 to have it WEIGHED. Bring Michelin's RV Tire Pressure Chart with you. Adjust Tire Pressure to the numbers on the Chart. See how it handles and tracks on the road. Obviously you want the two or four tires front and rear inflated to the same pressure. But Ford chassis is sensitive to FRONT tire pressure. It'll drive far better within a few PSI of the chart.That 29PBD I found, has "opposing" front slides. That'll make the coach feel like it has a "great room" forward, but brings weight forward. The wheelbase has to allow for that. Coach is beautiful, but watch the weight factor. Winnebago has a 29B, design I love, but it's as heavy as most 31-footers. The empty weight of the coach from the CAT Scale, plus everything/everybody traveling, has to come out to less than 14500-lb. 5000-front and 9500-rear, max.

Found the HR Brochures for 2011! Historically, the Alumalite was their entry level brand. They used various names for the higher line(s). Alumalite shows a "rubber" roof, where Augusta shows "one piece" which could well be fiberglass. ROOF STILL REQUIRES MAINTENANCE, but Fiberglass (or Aluminum) is the more durable choice.

Cherilanet wrote:2011 rambler 2016 foresterIn that case, I can't choose because I haven't seen a Holiday Rambler of that era. Prior to Monaco Corp shutting down the H-R plant and moving production, the H-R, Monaco and Safari C's were special, built up with framed walls. From then until the Monaco bankruptcy, with H-R brands being built by R-Vision, they were assembled from laminated panels, nothing special and not particularly better than Forest River C's. Whatever is being built with that brand by the re-emerged Monaco, I've not yet seen. They've reopened the Holiday Rambler plant, but that doesn't mean they've gone back to H-R construction methods. 2011 brochures don't discuss construction, the Alumalite line looks like laminated panel construction, but it is hard to tell from photos.

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tatest
Explorer II
Dec 05, 2016
Cherilanet wrote:
I really appreciate all the great information and your time. One is a 2016 FR Forster 3011DS with 32,600 miles on it. The second is a 2011 HR Alumalite 31SFD with 12,500 miles. They are asking $79,700 for each.....

I think both of those prices are way too high. But I haven't been shopping since 2011, so maybe there has been some drastic drop in the value of the dollar that we've not been told about, since official measures claim almost zero inflation since 2008 (my social security inflation adjustment for the whole period has been less than a third of a percentage point).

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