2018 Forest River Forester

[bodacious]

Looking at a 2018 Forest River Forester 2400w with 2300 miles. Would appreciate any comments positive or negative about this unit. Thanks in advance.

[63Timbo]

Merry Christmas All....
I have owned this exact model since new. My wife and I have truly enjoyed this unit so far. My hobby interest include tinkering with my vehicles. I have enjoyed modifying this platform. The 3500 Sprinter platform is a solid piece. Mechanically it has been flawless so far...(15k miles). Came with Hellwig rear sway bar. Installed: Sumo springs, custom Fox rear and Koni FSD front shocks, Bigfoot auto leveling system, AGM coach batteries, RV Armor roof coating, Oxygenics shower head, and Dimple oil drain. Removed (silly) chrome wheel covers. They're noisy, add unneeded weight, and unbalance the wheels. Will add Alcoa's soon... The full wall slide really opens up the floor plan. I keep the seals and rails clean, protected and lubed. Silicone spray lube and 303 Aerospace Protectant have served me well. For a big square shape, it drives relatively well. With the suspension modes the road isolation is much improved from stock. Our toad is a '05 Wrangler Unlimited. We use Blue Ox base plate and Alpha tow bar with Patriot II brake system. Towmate brake lights complete the tow setup. The Sprinter tows very well. Fuel mileage is "OK" for the size, shape and weight of this setup. By the time we need to fill-up, it's time to stretch. Sprinter wise, oil changes are a breeze and keep the EGR clean for flawless running. River Forrest wise, for the investment this platform has been perfect for us. Have had zero RF issues. Being an "actual" owner of this coach I have no regrets. We are part time RV'ers living in SE Louisiana. Have been all along the gulf coast, up through the mountains and down to the Keys. Using forums, being open minded, and common sense we have learned a lot about this Class C motor coach. Best of luck and enjoy your experience with the Sprinter.

[vjstangelo]

Check out Forest River Forums, plenty of good information there on the FR Class C’s.

[klutchdust]

MDKMDK wrote:

klutchdust wrote:
Was said
" Don't fear the 3500 Sprinter chassis. You'll like the fuel economy, if nothing else. "

until you go in for repairs. Having owned and worked on vehicles that have the MB emblem on the front be prepared to pay top dollar AND search a little to get those repairs. The fuel savings will quickly be depleted once a MB mechanic gets under the hood, and parts are ridiculously costly.

A Ford V-10 can be worked on just about anywhere and costs are reasonable.

A Ford V10 mounted IN A PICKUP TRUCK can be worked on just about anywhere.
Put it in a 27 foot long, or longer, 10+ foot tall, 8+ foot wide Class A or C motorhome, and "just about anywhere" becomes a lot harder to find. I know because I owned a 27' Class A Sunstar and couldn't get it worked on by any Ford dealers or qualified service centers within 60 miles of where I live. Not even the local big truck shop could get me in, in a reasonable amount of time. Only truck stops were able to get me in and out quickly, assuming they had big truck repair shops attached.
Add the lousy fuel economy to the cost of driving the distance required for service, and the "cheaper parts" advantage gets whittled down pretty quickly, too. You might pay $40 for an oil and filter in the V10? At $2.50 a gallon for regular, you'd easily spend that much in gas, just finding and getting to a service center, if you only had to drive 100 miles round trip. That $40 oil change just doubled in price.
I've got 25,000 miles on my 3500 Sprinter and it's only had one oil/filter change. That's it.
Like I said, I've owned both, and there's no reason to fear the Sprinter. Merry Christmas.

25k and only one oil change? Good luck with that. My diesel had an oil analysis at 35k and it was recommended it be done every 6500. Now that’s a Duramax in my pickup. MB suggests that long intervals ?
There was a good post showing the cost of the diesel vs gas, you should read it .

[MDKMDK]

klutchdust wrote:
Was said
" Don't fear the 3500 Sprinter chassis. You'll like the fuel economy, if nothing else. "

until you go in for repairs. Having owned and worked on vehicles that have the MB emblem on the front be prepared to pay top dollar AND search a little to get those repairs. The fuel savings will quickly be depleted once a MB mechanic gets under the hood, and parts are ridiculously costly.

A Ford V-10 can be worked on just about anywhere and costs are reasonable.

A Ford V10 mounted IN A PICKUP TRUCK can be worked on just about anywhere.
Put it in a 27 foot long, or longer, 10+ foot tall, 8+ foot wide Class A or C motorhome, and "just about anywhere" becomes a lot harder to find. I know because I owned a 27' Class A Sunstar and couldn't get it worked on by any Ford dealers or qualified service centers within 60 miles of where I live. Not even the local big truck shop could get me in, in a reasonable amount of time. Only truck stops were able to get me in and out quickly, assuming they had big truck repair shops attached.
Add the lousy fuel economy to the cost of driving the distance required for service, and the "cheaper parts" advantage gets whittled down pretty quickly, too. You might pay $40 for an oil and filter in the V10? At $2.50 a gallon for regular, you'd easily spend that much in gas, just finding and getting to a service center, if you only had to drive 100 miles round trip. That $40 oil change just doubled in price.
I've got 25,000 miles on my 3500 Sprinter and it's only had one oil/filter change. That's it.
Like I said, I've owned both, and there's no reason to fear the Sprinter. Merry Christmas.

[klutchdust]

Was said
" Don't fear the 3500 Sprinter chassis. You'll like the fuel economy, if nothing else. "

until you go in for repairs. Having owned and worked on vehicles that have the MB emblem on the front be prepared to pay top dollar AND search a little to get those repairs. The fuel savings will quickly be depleted once a MB mechanic gets under the hood, and parts are ridiculously costly.

A Ford V-10 can be worked on just about anywhere and costs are reasonable.

[MDKMDK]

As has been mentioned, full wall slides can be problematic. Weight, balance, failures, being the biggest three. Leaks too. If it had hydraulic leveling jacks, that might help with the first two, the third and fourth will need help/practise dealing with.
If the price is right, the mileage is reasonable for a 3 year old motorhome, and you like it, check it out thoroughly, then decide. Like anything on 4 or 6 wheels, it could be a lemon or it could be the best vehicle you'll ever own.
If it's on the MB chassis, and unless there are any prior unresolved problems with it, it will serve you well. Don't fear the 3500 Sprinter chassis. You'll like the fuel economy, if nothing else.

[bobndot]

I have a 2018 FR.
I guess it depends on what chassis its on. There are pros n cons to all of them. You need to find a floorplan that will work for you, then find the right chassis to fit your needs. All the rest are things that you can work out and wiggle around.

I have a Ford 450 chassis and I had to spend some money on aftermarket items to make it ride better to handle crosswinds and bow waves. I'm very happy now since I just added F/R sway bars in addition to steering stabilizer, rear track bars and FSD/Bils shocks. I think GM and M/Benz might handle better but not really sure, look into that.
Sprinters seem to have a smaller network of dealers for service and repairs but offer a little better fuel economy which might end up getting eaten up with more expensive repair costs ? Its all a trade off.

My unit is a FR 2018 Sunseeker 2350 non slide unit and I'm happy with it although its considered an 'entry level unit' by some. I watched as my dealer took some things apart that allowed me to view a few warranty repairs on my unit and things looked very neat and assembled nicely, I was pleasantly surprised at the care that was taken during assembly. FR stood behind the product and worked with my dealer in Vermont who was great, even after the sale.
My friends who have spent $500k to $750k for rvs have more problem than I do regarding break downs and service. So much for quality and entry level rvs right ? That's why I always say 'buy the floorplan' then deal with all the other issues that they all have.
Compared to my many previous rvs that I had the pleasure of opening up and making repairs, I found this FR to be put together as a very neat package.

If you ever get caught in a place where the temps dip.
All my water lines run within the heated rv incl my shower which is plumbed thru an interior wall where the fixtures are mounted. That plus having a heat duct blowing directly on my water pump allows me to have an extended season. I really do not worry about freeze ups as the temps dip.

On the 2400W floorplan, the shower plumbing looks like it might be on an exterior wall and that might prematurely freeze if that's an issue for you or not. Your bathroom and kitchen sink lines should be ok as long as they are not touching the outside wall. You might have to insulate those lines . Not a big deal for you to do, insulated pipe foam works.

I'm not a fan of full wall slides due to the larger cutout they require and weight. You have to pay attention when you load the rv with supplies because that slide 'might' put your balance off a little.
Due to its large size, if that slide binds or the slide motor fails, its going to take some muscle to push it back in. Know how to take care of that.
I would make sure that floorplan is usable with that slide 'IN', just in case, because you might not get an rv appt for 4 or 5 weeks.
The main queen bed is a folding model queen mattress and that slide might need to be deployed in order to fully use it. Maybe you are ok with that and that's fine . I personally do not like my sleeping head to be out in a very thin walled slideout because I sleep in a lot of rest areas and don't like the idea of overtired truckers passing my head sticking out into the lane where they drive.
If you choose this floorplan and use rest areas you should try to find an open spot where you can protect yourself from passing traffic on that drivers side. The last thing you need is a Kenworth imprint on your forehead at 3 A.M.
Other than that I think its a very nice rv. Good luck in your decision.

[midnightsadie]

well there known for bldg junk.

[bodacious]

Oops, make that Forest River sun seeker 2400w