06 Carriage Cameo

[jlscjs]

looking at an 06 cameo 35ks3 to buy, can anyone give me pros and cons on this unit, is Carriage still in business or can one get parts for it if needed, are they top, middle, or bottom of the line of 5th wheels, thanks

[rajones19]

We owned a 2003 Cameo 31KS3 for 10 years; bought it when it was a year old. We spent 5-6 months per year in it, and it was fantastic. Had to replace the Carrier AC unit (put in a Coleman), and also the water heater. That was it, other than caulking and routine maintenance. Nicely built, strong, and well thought-out. What others have said is correct; the Carriage and Cameo names went to Thor/Crossroads RV, and have been reintroduced in trailers that are NOT even close to the quality the name would imply. The original Carriage/Cameo floor plans, frame design, everything else was ressurected as Lifestyle RV. On November 1 we traded our Cameo in for a 37-foot Lifestyle 5th wheel, which is parked until Spring. This is destined to be the longest winter of our lives LOL.

[Cummins12V98]

They are quality built units. Friends had their springs go bad and the axles were beating radiused spots on the bottom of the frame where the axles were hitting. New heavier duty springs and all is well.

[TXiceman]

In the 2005 to 2010, watch for slide motor problems. It is a common problem and can be fixed. Make sure the slide run smoothly and no weird noises. Look at the Lifestyle-carriage forums.

Ken

[Mile_High]

The original company is defunct and liquidated. Some of the employees started the Lifestyle brand which has some similar construction features as the original, and the "Carriage" and "Cameo" names were bought by Crossroads RV and were just reintroduced this year:

Carriage
Cameo.

As with the "Wilderness" name sold by Fleetwood to Dutchman, they carry on by name only. You won't see any other similarities to these new re-branded units to the old ones other than just the common RV industry similarities. They are totally different units and companies than what they were originally, good or bad.

[8ntw8tn]

We own an '06 35CKQ and have had very few issues with it. I could only repeat what "retispcsi" and "kennethwooster" have posted. Carriage built their own double-box frames on site. We believe it's a very well built unit. Are their better built/expensive units? Yes, but this is still a high quality unit. The only real issue I've had with the trailer was the Tow-Max tires that came on it. I've known other owners of the same year trailer that had some pretty damaging failures with those tires. I didn't take a chance and replaced all of them within a couple years of buying the trailer new. You might see if you can tell if the trailer you're looking at had the grey/black tanks upgrade. They were originally supposed to be 50+gallon tanks (each). Carriage discovered that somewhere between design and manufacture they were closer to 45 gallons each. Carriage offered to upgrade the tanks to 62 gallon (each) tanks if the owner brought the trailer to the plant in Millersburg, IN. We took them up on it. Near as I can tell the only way to check this is to look under the trailer forward of the axles. IIRC the upgrade has about 6 inches of the tank protection/insulation protruding below the floor; non-upgrade won't. Maybe someone else on here can confirm that. I just don't remember for sure what it looked like before the upgrade. Hope this helps.

[kennethwooster]

If it has been treated well it should be a great unit. I bought a 2011 Cameo which we love. best built trailer we ever owned. They built their own frame. Thor is getting ready to produce a Cameo which will not be the same thing. They are not noted for quality. Lifestyle is building the old style Carriage with improvements. They are going to the 101" frame. If the trailer looks good and fits your style then go for it. Should treat you good.

[retispcsi]

Carriage went out of business about four years ago. Run into financial difficulties. They built a fine coach. They built different trim level. The Carrie Lite which was not light was built on a 101" width chassis and then then they had the Royal International which was built on a 101 in chassis and was the top of the line. The Cameo was built on a 96" chassis and was a trim level down. Thor bought the name rights to Carriage at auction and has said they plan to resurrect the name. Lifestyle bought the important stuff and built the coach with the same great frame as Carriage. They units looked even better then the original. If the unit was maintained it should be ok. If you can find someone who can inspect it for you if you are not capable that would be a plus.

[George_H]

Quality unit. Probably consider it a lower level premium grade. Components are from standard manufacturers, other than Carriage made their own frames, better than the competition. There is a Carriage-Lifestyle forum where lots of information and help are available.

[chevyman2]

The old Carriage Cameo is a wonderful unit. Very well built. Nowadays, the name has been sold and quality is not nearly as good. I "think" sleepy is right in "Lifestyle RV". If I was at work, I would confer with my warranty guy, but I "THINK" it is now ultimetaly owned by THOR, maybe Forest River, but I think Thor.
Consider, almost every RV name is either owned by Thor or Forest River.

[sleepyT]

I think I read some where the name of the company that used to be carraige is now LIFESTYLE RV...

[Dannyabear1]

Several of the old Carriage group started another company and produce a couple different models; Also the rights to the Cameo/Carriage name has been sold to another group

[SH]

Carriage built a fine coach. I too own an "orphan." If the rig has been well maintained don't worry about that issue. The majority of items (appliances etc.)are pretty generic from brand to brand. The only things I have had a difficult time finding for our Alpenlite are specialty trims and some hardware items. Most parts I have been able to find even the fender skirts and the fiberglass slide caps.

Good luck with your decision!

[Me_Again]

Company is long gone. It should be a quality unit if well maintained.