What brands of mid-price 5 ers are quality and reliable?

[janegowest]

Including used as well. What brands are less prone to problems and are a good value?

We like the Shasta Phoenix for the pricing and design, but am not so sure about its quality. I have read about windows leaking and showers leaking, floor being flooded, etc. so am feeling leery about the brand now.

Would love to have some better-built brands to look for.

[GoPackGo]

Old Duck wrote:
Check out Arctic Fox made by Northwood Mfg in Oregon

I've been surfing several rv.net forums for a few years now. Whenever anyone asks the question you've asked, Arctic Fox (Northwood Manufacturing) always comes up as a recommendation. They are built in Oregon. Most others are Indiana based. Not saying there is a thing wrong with that, except that Arctic Fox appears to put more emphasis on building units that are acclimated for cooler/colder weather, which really means they will also do well in hot weather too. They also build their own frames (Considered to be good thing). They have a good reputation for quality. The biggest problem for me (in Florida) is that there are not many dealers in the SE USA so I couldn't check them out. I just looked and they show one in NC and one in Ohio. Even so, I believe I should have put forth a little more effort to get a look at them. I believe they should be seriously considered.

Jayco (family owned) also seems to get good reviews.

I believe Montana is #1 in sales so they must be doing something right.

I have a Heartland Bighorn 3010RE (35 ft). They have very good factory support and a terrific on-line owners club. Maybe the best anywhere. I was encouraged to look at Bighorns because they are '4-season' rated. Only problem is that there are no standards for 4-season. It is also rated for full time living. Same question - what does that really mean ? At any rate, I am satisfied with my rig and do recommend Bighorn.

[phillyg]

hbillsmith wrote:
My Wildcat offered the most features for the buck at the time I bought.........nothing else even came close.......I couldnt be more pleased.

See how it is. Wildcat is mid-priced. Hbillsmith is happy. DW and I couldn't get rid of ours fast enough. There is something good to be said about buying a higher quality used unit after all the kinks have been worked out.

[janegowest]

shepstone wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
From much time spent on RV forums plus my own experiences I have to say that quality control is severely lacking in the trailer industry. I found so much shoddy workmanship on my own toy hauler, which I bought new, that I'll never buy another one (Voltage). After 2 years mine is finally right. Most other brands have similar complaints. Don't buy new. Get one a few years old, like mine, that has had the bugs worked out of it. You don't want the hassles of a new one.

I do agree with you, but after ours and the problems we had in the first year I had to keep a close watch on it usually checking after any rainstorm for leaks and found that one of the windows leaked to the inside and 3 others literally had no drain holes on the outside and water built up in the window wells to the point of overflowing . If it had been a used unit kept in a storage compound, the previous owners may have missed that and now it would have water damage and out of warrantee. So I suppose in this case there is an argument for buying new.

I guess that another case scenario could be that the owner of the new unit got fed up with the problems that were never resolved and got rid of it to buy another. So then, the next owner would be taking on the problems of the first owner. I hope that a super-thorough PDI could spot these problems though....

[RollandB]

Check out Arctic Fox made by Northwood Mfg in Oregon

[shepstone]

azdryheat wrote:
From much time spent on RV forums plus my own experiences I have to say that quality control is severely lacking in the trailer industry. I found so much shoddy workmanship on my own toy hauler, which I bought new, that I'll never buy another one (Voltage). After 2 years mine is finally right. Most other brands have similar complaints. Don't buy new. Get one a few years old, like mine, that has had the bugs worked out of it. You don't want the hassles of a new one.

I do agree with you, but after ours and the problems we had in the first year I had to keep a close watch on it usually checking after any rainstorm for leaks and found that one of the windows leaked to the inside and 3 others literally had no drain holes on the outside and water built up in the window wells to the point of overflowing . If it had been a used unit kept in a storage compound, the previous owners may have missed that and now it would have water damage and out of warrantee. So I suppose in this case there is an argument for buying new.

[dbob62180]

We researched our full time rig purchase for over a year. Looked at many lines online, personally walked through many more. You really need to decide the items important to YOU, then narrow your search. For us, we need a 4 ft shower (tall husband), four seasons, and no kitchen island fixed (mine is on casters which works for us). We finally settled on an Open Range because it checked most of our boxes. We did buy new because we had a Terry before this rig we bought new, kept for 15 years and worth every penny. Again, that works for us. Good luck with your search!

[filrupmark]

We had a 2005 KZ Durango 285RLX2 for 9 years. It was a well built fifth wheel . Sure it had some issues but nothing major . I believe KZ sold out about 2 years ago so I don't know about their quality these days.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Purchased an '06 Jayco Designer new.
Never had a need for the two year warranty.

Still have it, and *If* it had a *ten* year warranty - still wouldn't have needed it.

Of course now that it has hit the ten year mark....maybe the warranty station (me) will see some activity..:@

~

[hbillsmith]

My Wildcat offered the most features for the buck at the time I bought. I started the search with OpenRange as first choice then moved onto Grand Design. A few dealers warned me to never buy a Forest River product.When I actually took the time to look at and negotiate a Wildcat, nothing else even came close. 12000 tow miles and roughly 85 camping nights, I couldnt be more pleased.

[azdryheat]

From much time spent on RV forums plus my own experiences I have to say that quality control is severely lacking in the trailer industry. I found so much shoddy workmanship on my own toy hauler, which I bought new, that I'll never buy another one (Voltage). After 2 years mine is finally right. Most other brands have similar complaints. Don't buy new. Get one a few years old, like mine, that has had the bugs worked out of it. You don't want the hassles of a new one.

[laknox]

janegowest wrote:
Including used as well. What brands are less prone to problems and are a good value?

We like the Shasta Phoenix for the pricing and design, but am not so sure about its quality. I have read about windows leaking and showers leaking, floor being flooded, etc. so am feeling leery about the brand now.

Would love to have some better-built brands to look for.

The 2 on my short list are a Jayco Eagle HT and a KZ Durango 1500. My preference is the KZ for several reasons, mostly due to larger tanks and an intangible perception of a touch better quality. The Jayco does have some features that I wish the KZ had, but you can't have everything. Both have 2 year warranties, and that's uncommon in the industry.

Lyle

[cant_remember_I]

I think you will find each brand has a few lemons from the batch. I know Keystone pumps out a lot of trailers, but we are happy with our new Cougar. The fit and finish is nice for the level of coach. We had a Laredo before and didn't have any problems.

[edroun]

janegowest wrote:
Did you buy it new?

Yes.

[TucsonJim]

I may be biased, but check out the Grand Design Reflection line. Grand Design offers superb customer support and a great quality product with a wide selection of floor plans.

Grand Design Reflection Line

Jim

[janegowest]

Did you buy it new?