Gulfstream BT Cruiser Quality

ron.dittmer wrote:
Over-all it appears to be a nicely constructed rig....with one exception. The walls do not rest on the floor. They are bolted against the side of it. This means the weight of the walls, roof, and everything attached to them, are resting on the fasteners. You can see the practice in the framing picture.

I have heard of manufactures building that way, but never understood the logic behind it.

Ron ... a very good point about how the walls might be attached!

Now I'm scratching my head re my Itasca. Guess I'll have to crawl down underneath and take a look. :h

Over-all it appears to be a nicely constructed rig....with one exception. The walls do not rest on the floor. They are bolted against the side of it. This means the weight of the walls, roof, and everything attached to them, are resting on the fasteners. You can see the practice in the framing picture.

I have heard of manufactures building that way, but never understood the logic behind it.

Today, people fly and drive across the country to buy a dog. If you are really considering the rv then drive the 300 miles to see and drive one.

Its 50/50 in buying any rv liking the floorplan is the important part.
** A good mechanic can make an inexpensive rv a good workable reliable unit. Find yourself an independent mechanic who you can trust and work with on a recurring basis. .

They are all pushed off the assembly extra fast in this good economy and covid sales boom. They leave it up to the dealers to tweak them up. If you are lucky , you'll find a good dealer and you will have less return trips to repair things. If not , expect to be making a 600 mile round trip often while waiting a long time between appointments. That might mean non use of the rv.
**i would sleep / camp at the dealership or nearby CG for two or 3 nights so you see how that dealer actually took care of things before he sold it to you. Many dealerships dont even touch them. They let it be your problem.

General reviews from the owners are full spectrum from ‘hate it’ to ‘love it’ .

Gulfstream Forum, where you're more likely to find owners:
https://www.gsowners.com/forums/

My current trailer is a Gulfstream. Generally speaking, they're a low cost producer, but the actual fit is usually okay. If you're handy, they're a generally good choice. E.g. You're likely to need to tighten up the plumbing yourself, and other relatively minor things of that nature that are generally easy for someone that knows they need to do that, to do. The cabinet framing is pressboard, but well put together. My trailer arrived with a bad water pump. I replaced it myself with a variable speed, much quieter, one.

After my initial fixes of loosely assembled plumbing, replacing the water pump, and fixing the power cord holder, I've been happy with my trailer and it's served me and my family well.

How happy you are with a GS is likely to depend on how willing and able you are to fix relatively minor issues yourself after you get it.

Look at the advertised prices for 8-12 year old used models and you have an idea of what owners think of them. Folks seem to keep them.

Gjac wrote:
I was interested in these also. I will be following your thread. I could not find WB or any weight ratings on their web site. FW is only 33 gals on the 5240 but 41 gals on the 5210. Like the low profile, front and rear caps, 7.3 engine, smaller doghouse and 7500 tow capacity. Like to know the OCC. Looks a lot better on paper than the sprinters. Have you test drove any yet?

No there is no dealer here in Vegas that sells the BT cruiser, have never been in one, I have to drive over 300 miles just to go see one in person.

The 33 gals is small but found out most class B+ have a small water tanks, I could easy install another tank under the RV or carry some water tanks on a cargo carrier on back when dry camping beyond 3 days.

Most class B+ are about $100,000 or more, the BT cruiser seems far better price and its on the V-8 ford van chassis vs the V-6, its better to have extra HP in the mountains..

I was on anther forum and its hard to find any owners with the BT cruiser and if its worth the money before I make a 2 day trip just to walk in one..

I was interested in these also. I will be following your thread. I could not find WB or any weight ratings on their web site. FW is only 33 gals on the 5240 but 41 gals on the 5210. Like the low profile, front and rear caps, 7.3 engine, smaller doghouse and 7500 tow capacity. Like to know the OCC. Looks a lot better on paper than the sprinters. Have you test drove any yet?

I like this model the best.

https://youtu.be/kaRsSLUqQD8