Help! Looking for Quality 5th Wheel 4 Full Time Living

[20_characters_m]

I am looking to buy a quality 5th wheel that I will use to live in full time. I am looking to buy new. I have been a few places and everyone tells me that the brand they sell is the best, everybody else's RV's/5th Wheels are crap. Trying to cut through all the hype and hear from peoples real world experience.

Can you tell me your experience with your 5th wheel and what your opinion is the best high quality 5th wheel currently on the market.

So far I am personally liking the Evergreen Bay Hill FL379 and the Grand Design Solitude 375RE.

Thanks in advance.

[Veebyes]

WOW, you are looking at some monster sized rigs for just one person!!!

No, I would not suggest a little <30'er either. How you expect to use it short term is important but how you may want to use it longterm should be considered as well. Those big ones are...well...BIG. The dry weights are heavy. The fresh water capacity, MS excepted, is small. If real traveling with NPs, SPs & such are in your future those monsters are not going to do it.

Think about when the time comes to sell it too. If you paid new you take the biggest hit in depreciation. Also, the bigger they are the less demand for them it seems.

Given your budget I'd be looking for a lightly used as top of the line as I can find unit with a LOA under 36' & freshwater capacity exceeding 80gal.

I'm thinking something with a new MSRP well over the $100k mark but only a little 'pre enjoyed'time on it. In 2006 our 2006 Alpenlite 34RLR Ltd had a MSRP of $110k (found the paperwork). We picked it up from the first owner at 6 months off the lot, factory ordered, 2006 sig truck with 16,000 miles included, for under $85,000k.

This was their first & RVing turned out to be NOT for them. They want OUT real bad & the fall is no time to be selling summer toys.

Our research was done. We were down to 3 possible models between Mobile Suite, Carriage & Alpenlite. The Alpenlite popped up first.

They are out there. Short list the possibles & be prepared to travel when the right one pops up. Buying a mistake, especially a new one, is costly.

[20_characters_m]

rmalik1 wrote:

20 characters maximu wrote:

rmalik1 wrote:

20 characters maximu wrote:
I am looking to spend around $90k to $100k.

Remember ask for about 1/3 off asking price and get something close to that off.

What do you mean? If I was looking to purchase a new RV and the dealer is asking $90k I should offer $60k???

Yup thats correct!

How I found this out was that I traveled from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati (Holman's) just to look at a bunch of Keystone Alpines and I didn't know that Holmans was a wholesaler. Alpine's were being advertised around 75k and theirs were shown in the 50's. Came back to a Pittsburgh dealer and said that Holman's price was x amount, Pittsburgh dealer said he would match it without any hesitation.

Was not ready to buy as I was still gathering info, but when I picked Cedar Creek for my trailer I went to Detroit area (National RV Detroit)because they had a unit that was what I wanted. Talked w/ the salesman did my PDI and offered 30% less than they wanted. They took the deal,I had some ad on's like onan genset, b&w hitch install started paper work and then added my trade in which shocked them. But business is business This time the little guy got the fair deal!

Nice! I watched a video or two on YouTube saying to do just what you did with used trailers but not new. Definitely will now though. In fact I am going to try and get a big reduction when I go to get my new truck as well.

Thanks!

[RustyJC]

20 characters maximu wrote:

rmalik1 wrote:

20 characters maximu wrote:
I am looking to spend around $90k to $100k.

Remember ask for about 1/3 off asking price and get something close to that off.

What do you mean? If I was looking to purchase a new RV and the dealer is asking $90k I should offer $60k???

If you look at my post at the top of page 4, it's not realistic to offer the dealer $60,000 when their $95,000 asking price has already been reduced from a MSRP of $138,800. $60,000 would be a discount of 66.8% off of list price. If you can get over 30% off of list, you're in the ballpark. Note that the $95,000 asking price for a $138,800 MSRP represents a discount of more than 31.5%. I guess you could try for more, but as a comparison, a local DRV dealer was advertising a selling price of $134,500 against the $138,800 list and playing hardball about coming off of their asking price - obviously, they didn't get MY business, but their target market was inexperienced RVers who were buying 5th wheels to live in while working in the Eagle Ford shale play (south Texas oilfield) where no other housing was available.

Rusty

[lj_cox]

20 characters maximu wrote:
What do you mean? If I was looking to purchase a new RV and the dealer is asking $90k I should offer $60k???

Note that this does vary by brand. New Horizons gives about 10-15% off list flat, but they sell factory direct (no dealers, afaik.) But it's always a good starting point! The steep discounts date from the days when financers would take list price as the "value" of the unit, so they'd consider that you were financing 70% of the total value of the unit and give you a loan for the full amount. I don't know if that's still true these days.

[northmeck0255]

lj_cox wrote:

northmeck0255 wrote:
I keep hearing all this talk about how this or that fiver is "full time" quality or more "road worthy" than lesser brands.

There are plenty of Airstreams on the road from the 1960's and 1970's. Is there a fifth wheel out there with that kind of longevity and road-worthiness???

That may well be, but I don't want to live in an Airstream.

Thirding the recommendations to look at Excel, Mobile Suites, and New Horizons.

I didn't ask whether you wanted to live in an Airstream. I asked whether any of the much-vaunted "high end" fifth wheels will last like one. I'll take your answer as a "No" and move on.

High end plastic is still plastic.......

[rmalik1]

20 characters maximu wrote:

rmalik1 wrote:

20 characters maximu wrote:
I am looking to spend around $90k to $100k.

Remember ask for about 1/3 off asking price and get something close to that off.

What do you mean? If I was looking to purchase a new RV and the dealer is asking $90k I should offer $60k???

Yup thats correct!

How I found this out was that I traveled from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati (Holman's) just to look at a bunch of Keystone Alpines and I didn't know that Holmans was a wholesaler. Alpine's were being advertised around 75k and theirs were shown in the 50's. Came back to a Pittsburgh dealer and said that Holman's price was x amount, Pittsburgh dealer said he would match it without any hesitation.

Was not ready to buy as I was still gathering info, but when I picked Cedar Creek for my trailer I went to Detroit area (National RV Detroit)because they had a unit that was what I wanted. Talked w/ the salesman did my PDI and offered 30% less than they wanted. They took the deal,I had some ad on's like onan genset, b&w hitch install started paper work and then added my trade in which shocked them. But business is business This time the little guy got the fair deal!

[Gsport]

If you're going to be living in it, I'd definitely get a wide-body. It does make a BIG difference. Check out any of the Grand Design RV's. I've got a 39' GD Solitude, perfect for full timing.

[lj_cox]

campinghut wrote:
Just curious I see these lists all the time and while I do agree with Excel, MS, New Horizons. Is there a reason Spacecraft is not mentioned?

TBH when we've looked at Spacecraft units (once or twice) in person, they're not to our taste. Though it's been a while and we should take another look. Also (and probably the more correct reason) Spacecraft is a smaller builder than the other three - I think a lot of people haven't heard of them.

[hone_eagle]

campinghut wrote:
Just curious I see these lists all the time and while I do agree with Excel, MS, New Horizons. Is there a reason Spacecraft is not mentioned?

Might be outside the op budget?

$90,000 - $100,000

[campinghut]

Just curious I see these lists all the time and while I do agree with Excel, MS, New Horizons. Is there a reason Spacecraft is not mentioned?

[lj_cox]

northmeck0255 wrote:
I keep hearing all this talk about how this or that fiver is "full time" quality or more "road worthy" than lesser brands.

There are plenty of Airstreams on the road from the 1960's and 1970's. Is there a fifth wheel out there with that kind of longevity and road-worthiness???

That may well be, but I don't want to live in an Airstream.

Thirding the recommendations to look at Excel, Mobile Suites, and New Horizons.

[northmeck0255]

I keep hearing all this talk about how this or that fiver is "full time" quality or more "road worthy" than lesser brands.

There are plenty of Airstreams on the road from the 1960's and 1970's. Is there a fifth wheel out there with that kind of longevity and road-worthiness???

[neal10a]

TXiceman wrote:
For true full time units, you need to step up to Life Style, Excel, Mobile/Elite Suites, New Horizons, Custom Coach or Spacecraft.

Getting into a full-time 5er, you will need a 1 ton diesel dually as a minimum. Some will require a MDT or medium duty truck. Forget about pulling a full time 5er with a single rear wheel truck.

We have a NuWa HitchHiker Champagne and love it, but they are no longer in production.

Ken

Agree. Some mfg's claim full time, but so does the Army claim that with tents 🙂

[RustyJC]

20 characters maximu wrote:
I am looking to spend around $90k to $100k.

You can pick up a nicely equipped new Mobile Suites for that amount. Take a look at RVs for Less. In early 2014 ours listed for $138,800 (the black price). The advertised price was $108,000 (the red price). The price when I called was $95,000. Your final price will depend on your state - they don't charge Tennessee sales tax, but rather give you a bill of sale, the manufacturer's Certificate of Origin and 30 day temporary tags; it's then up to you to register it in your home state or state of domicile. If your state doesn't charge sales tax, then you're home free.

They also do an excellent job of prepping the unit and are very ethical people to deal with. I highly recommend them.

Rusty