Help...confused shopper

kerrlakeRoo wrote:
You hear a lot of positives in here on GD, and some on K-Z, Forest River seems to get a somewhat lower level of praise when it comes to factory support.

Doesn't matter what brand you buy they are all built like well, junk.

However Forest River, at least their Wildcat division has been excellent to us. We had our fifth wheel replaced a year ago under warranty and now we have an issue with our awning fabric that needs replacing and it's been good dealing with them.

You always hear the horror stories across all the brands and we haven't experienced them. A good dealer is worth its weight in gold too.


Dan

memtb wrote:

laknox wrote:

jsparks12 wrote:
We did ask...the dealer said they bought a larger coach...Durango Gold. One concern my husband has is the 15 in wheels. Do you know what size wheels the new ones have? Also, does your unit have auto level? The one we looked at did not, but I sure liked the king size bed!!

Pretty much anything under about 15k GVW is likely to come with 15" wheels, though 16" may be an option. Saw a KZ Sportsmen 3-axle TH at Discount tire yesterday with 15" wheels (had new GY Endurance installed), and I thought that was just dumb. Having the 16" option on the Jayco we were looking at before we got our KZ was a big plus in my book. Our KZ did come with the 4-point leveling system and I like it. Frankly, its biggest attraction for me isn't the convenience, but the stability. Even without the JT Strongarms locked down, it's 100% more stable than our old Komfort. Surprisingly, in the bedroom, when someone's walking around, you can feel the "tail" wag just a bit.

Lyle

Well over 20 years ago, once we learned a bit about rv’s, if t did “not” have 16” wheels/tires.....” Move along, there’s nothing to see here”!

Within the last 10 years....that became 17.5”

My thought is that 16" wheels give you so many =more= options than 15's. If you want to stay with STs, there are a lot of choices, and if you want to move into LTs, that gives you a lot more choices.

Lyle

laknox wrote:

jsparks12 wrote:
We did ask...the dealer said they bought a larger coach...Durango Gold. One concern my husband has is the 15 in wheels. Do you know what size wheels the new ones have? Also, does your unit have auto level? The one we looked at did not, but I sure liked the king size bed!!

Pretty much anything under about 15k GVW is likely to come with 15" wheels, though 16" may be an option. Saw a KZ Sportsmen 3-axle TH at Discount tire yesterday with 15" wheels (had new GY Endurance installed), and I thought that was just dumb. Having the 16" option on the Jayco we were looking at before we got our KZ was a big plus in my book. Our KZ did come with the 4-point leveling system and I like it. Frankly, its biggest attraction for me isn't the convenience, but the stability. Even without the JT Strongarms locked down, it's 100% more stable than our old Komfort. Surprisingly, in the bedroom, when someone's walking around, you can feel the "tail" wag just a bit.

Lyle

Well over 20 years ago, once we learned a bit about rv’s, if t did “not” have 16” wheels/tires.....” Move along, there’s nothing to see here”!

Within the last 10 years....that became 17.5”

Thanks everyone! We still haven't made a decision. Today I looked at a Montana High Country. Now I have to throw it into the mix!!

jsparks12 wrote:
We did ask...the dealer said they bought a larger coach...Durango Gold. One concern my husband has is the 15 in wheels. Do you know what size wheels the new ones have? Also, does your unit have auto level? The one we looked at did not, but I sure liked the king size bed!!

Pretty much anything under about 15k GVW is likely to come with 15" wheels, though 16" may be an option. Saw a KZ Sportsmen 3-axle TH at Discount tire yesterday with 15" wheels (had new GY Endurance installed), and I thought that was just dumb. Having the 16" option on the Jayco we were looking at before we got our KZ was a big plus in my book. Our KZ did come with the 4-point leveling system and I like it. Frankly, its biggest attraction for me isn't the convenience, but the stability. Even without the JT Strongarms locked down, it's 100% more stable than our old Komfort. Surprisingly, in the bedroom, when someone's walking around, you can feel the "tail" wag just a bit.

Lyle

If you want quality ( at least RV quality), and you want a smaller 5er........Arctic Fox!

laknox wrote:
If the FR is a used unit, it likely has had a lot of the factory-induced issues already fixed. If by a dealer, you might be able to get a list of things done. A conscientious previous owner might have given the dealer a list of things =they= fixed.

Concur !

If buying from a dealer, see if you can get some kind of a warranty. Shoot for 1 year, but settle for 90 days, bumper-to-bumper.

This is ours26.5RLS Jayco

We had a 2004 Forest River Flagstaff bunkhouse model. It served us well when our two daughters were going with us. It seemed that age finally caught up with it and everything started to fail and I mean everything. Refrigerator, AC, hot water, floor needed replaced on the entire lower level, furnace and the finish was looking worn out. I repaired the frig with a new cooling unit but took ill and just couldn't keep up with everything else.

I had done considerable research and what I found in reading multiple forums and blogs etc. is that Grand Design does have issues like the others BUT they seem to stand behind their units a lot better than the others. We purchased a new 2017 GD Reflection 27RL last June and we love it. Only issue is latch on bathroom door needed adjusted and I have a small area of caulking that needs touched up and that has been it. One thing to note is GD has been bought by Winnebago. I do not know how this will impact the customer service as of yet.

Since you mention automatic leveling I will tell you I love it. We actually looked at a 2015 used GD 27RL and the new one. There was not a huge difference in price BUT the 2015 did not have auto leveling, convection oven skylight and a host of other small things. We went with the new mainly because of the auto leveling.

I agree with the other poster regarding the used unit should have all the kinks worked etc. BUT the flip side is that it could have issues that can not be fixed easily as well. If you do go the route of used make sure the dealer will stand behind the unit. I would insist on a shakedown right at the dealer making sure all systems are functional. HVAC plumbing frig jacks etc. If they are not willing to do this I would move on.

Good luck and I wish you well on whatever unit you choose!

Dave

We just upgraded to a 2014. We felt very overwhelmed by our shopping choices. Sit down and make a list of "non-negotiable" features. The GD was ruled out by us because of the bathroom, that itty-bitty sink.