Best 5ER quality for extended use

[FirstRodeo]

Originally Posted by Freqz

There won't be very many DRVs or other top end units close to anywhere...there just aren't that many $100k plus FWs sold.

I'm seeing that for sure.

I see you have a new ORV on order. Are they related to NW? Was there a reason you chose ORV over NW?

[Freqz]

Originally Posted by FirstRodeo

I'm seeing that for sure.



I see you have a new ORV on order. Are they related to NW? Was there a reason you chose ORV over NW?

The same guy started both companies but they're otherwise distinct. So they're similar in all the important ways and subtly different in some smaller ways.

Floor plan was the deciding factor. For various reasons a TT is a better fit for me and the just under 30' rear kitchen floor plan is a little better with the ORV over the Arctic Fox, IMO. Bigger tanks too: to get larger tanks in a bumper pull I was going to have to go toy hauler. I'd happily call either one home.

[Don & Pat]

New Horizon and I am a DRV owner. I think our next coach will be a NH.

Check their inventory list of gently used units. Sometimes you can find a great deal.

Make sure you have a pickup, MDT or HDT that can tow it.

Don

[Wundertaker]

Originally Posted by FirstRodeo

I wasn't indicating NW's were custom units, I was referring to the Spacecraft and New Horizon type units.

NW's, DRV's and Excel are more in line of what I'm looking for. Unfortunately here in the Northeast coast most of what I'd like to see are no where near me in a volume that makes it easy to look at multiple units.

For instance there are only 6 DRV units within 150 or 200 miles from me with only one or 2 I'd go look at vs 250 units nationwide. Zero Excel units in that same distance and only 1 2005 Nash.

I'll need to travel quite far to see them and the DW can't even speak to a given unit without stepping inside it.

I'm really not the type that will buy one sight unseen.

This one is 71 miles away but I'm thinking it is not the top of line DRV.
https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/201...KSB3-119522078
The other 5 are in CT dealer lot which is close to me, but again not the models I'm interested in.

Only NW's for sale are 700 plus miles away from here.

Time for a road trip

I also would not purchase without seeing any unit I buy. I live in Michigan and would do whatever I need to do to get the unit that I "want". Of course, that's "after" I do all my research and feel very confident on my decision.

After all...I'm looking at having this 5er for a number of years, Good Lord Willing, and plan to put many many miles on her. For me, I want the best unit that I can find for the budget I have. But that's just me....

Good luck in your search and "don't just settle" for something just because it's closer to where you live. Best of Travels my friend...

[bddadles]

Originally Posted by Duoglide1

All of the above plus NuWa HitchHiker (Champagne) or Holiday Rambler (Presidential). I 2nd Kansas RV center in Chanute KS. Also the New Horizons factory in Kansas gets quite a few of the Excels.

I agree with all of the above plus HitchHiker. You never know what Kansas RV center will have plus I believe that they refurbish rigs.

Brad

[rarebear.nm]

I would name the top three to be: New Horizons, DRV and Excel. Excel was a top rated 5th for many years prior to having money problems. I have a 2007 Excel and only problems have been with third party components. All three are true four season units and well made.

[Don & Pat]

The CEO from Excel went to New Horizons went Excel went out of business.

Don

[rarebear.nm]

That's part of the reason New Horizon's quality has been improving in the past couple of years. If I would add a forth entry on my list above it would be Aritic Fox.

[nuffsaid]

Having recently purchased a Grand Design Solitude (June 17) I can honestly say I looked at almost every brand out there. At some point you have to ask yourself about bang for the buck. Used might be a little better than new, but some brands are so proud of their product that they aren't willing to deal much. When Artic Fox was in the running, I was going to have to drive to Washington State to get any kind of a deal. In the end, the Grand design I purchased ended up being close to 5k cheaper than the best deal I could find on the AF that I was interested in. Is the GD perfect? No, but neither is any other brand I have seen either. Quality control is an issue with any assembly line product. I had to replace my brakes on my brand new Solitude because they were contaminated with grease. Was this a big deal? Not really, I ended up doing the work and getting paid my normal shop rate to make the repairs. The parts weren't defective, the way the parts were assembled was. This was a big enough problem that GD switched from Lippert axles to Dexter. Believe it or not, but Artic Fox had some of the same issues several years ago. How this new 5er will hold up in the long run, who knows. It has a lot of proving to be as solid as my old Holiday Rambler Alumascape has been, and it has had some problems too, mostly caused by me dragging a heavy tag trailer behind it. I think all of these RV manufacturers use marketing to make their units look good. Most of them claim insulation claims that can't be backed up by engineering, like reflective foil that they claim has an R-15 insulation value. If you really want to feel good about a higher end RV, go look at an entry level unit and compare! No one here has mentioned Jayco, they still have some very nice units also. Teton Homes were made in Wyoming and they built some great units, but they were heavy and a lot of them had tripple axles. I recently saw one while I was elk hunting and they spent two weeks in very cold temps with a bundle of solar panels on the roof and didn't seem to have any issues boon docking. I plan on spending some time camping this winter in the Solitude and we will see if I have issues with the water lines freezing or not. Below zero Wyoming winters are the equalizers of construction quality.

[FirstRodeo]

Originally Posted by nuffsaid

Having recently purchased a Grand Design Solitude (June 17) I can honestly say I looked at almost every brand out there. At some point you have to ask yourself about bang for the buck. Used might be a little better than new, but some brands are so proud of their product that they aren't willing to deal much. When Artic Fox was in the running, I was going to have to drive to Washington State to get any kind of a deal. In the end, the Grand design I purchased ended up being close to 5k cheaper than the best deal I could find on the AF that I was interested in. Is the GD perfect? No, but neither is any other brand I have seen either. Quality control is an issue with any assembly line product. I had to replace my brakes on my brand new Solitude because they were contaminated with grease. Was this a big deal? Not really, I ended up doing the work and getting paid my normal shop rate to make the repairs. The parts weren't defective, the way the parts were assembled was. This was a big enough problem that GD switched from Lippert axles to Dexter. Believe it or not, but Artic Fox had some of the same issues several years ago. How this new 5er will hold up in the long run, who knows. It has a lot of proving to be as solid as my old Holiday Rambler Alumascape has been, and it has had some problems too, mostly caused by me dragging a heavy tag trailer behind it. I think all of these RV manufacturers use marketing to make their units look good. Most of them claim insulation claims that can't be backed up by engineering, like reflective foil that they claim has an R-15 insulation value. If you really want to feel good about a higher end RV, go look at an entry level unit and compare! No one here has mentioned Jayco, they still have some very nice units also. Teton Homes were made in Wyoming and they built some great units, but they were heavy and a lot of them had tripple axles. I recently saw one while I was elk hunting and they spent two weeks in very cold temps with a bundle of solar panels on the roof and didn't seem to have any issues boon docking. I plan on spending some time camping this winter in the Solitude and we will see if I have issues with the water lines freezing or not. Below zero Wyoming winters are the equalizers of construction quality.

Thanks for the reply nuffsaid. I'm looking used at this time and so far from what I see is Artic Fox and ORV are very similar and make solid products with a good history behind them. Also DRV, Excel and NU-WA are on the list.

I am searching all 5 of these. Location has also been an issue for me.

Kansas RV center was mentioned here for these brands and they are a reputable dealer that does go over used units and they are the manufactures of NU-WA.

I'm trying to balance higher end units with cost and dealer relationship as a package together within a reasonable distance, in my case from Boston to Texas as my best case search area.

Some of these were over 100k new and a few years later have lost significant value and are selling for less than 50% of new after just 5 years.

Not something I find appealing if buying new.

This being my first RV and not knowing how long I'll keep it I want to keep my losses to a minimum.

I find myself looking at older units to help minimize the amount of depreciation.

I did look at Jayco and they "look" nice and the company has been around. Not sure they are up to DRV type four season units.

Bottom line is I'd feel better buying a used 120k rv for 60k than a new 60k unit and that's where I'm leaning.

From the research I've done and the amount of available units on the market if I had to buy my RV today I think I'd get a 5 to 8 year old DRV luxury suite model in Kansas. I have time though, so watching for the right RV to show up in the right dealer is important to me.

[42willys]

Check out rolling retreats in Oklahoma,they have a good selection of used drv's.You can view them on their website.

[nuffsaid]

I have always been a fan of buying used for good value and mostly because that was all that my budget would allow. This last year is the first time in my life that I have bought new. There are some advantages to both. New is new, no wear and tear from bouncing down roads and vibration, appliances have no run time to be worn out, new smell. Used, if well taken care of and maintained, great value. No idea of the condition of structural components that are hidden behind walls or covered above or below. Hard to tell if water damage is present. Appliances will be worn and could have a lot of life left or could be in need of repair or replacement. Fatigued frame could be hidden and left up to hoping catastrophic failure isn't around the corner. Knowing the previous owner is a plus if they were maintenance minded and proactive with repairs and preventive maintenance.

[Bamaman]

Check with RVsForLess.net in Knoxville, TN. They are a small fifth wheel only dealership and DRV's largest single location dealer in sales. The owner is of the highest integrity and he really takes care of his customers.

Online, they show to have 5 used luxury fifth wheel trades that might fit your needs.

[ALLOY]

Originally Posted by FirstRodeo

Thanks for the reply nuffsaid. I'm looking used at this time and so far from what I see is Artic Fox and ORV are very similar and make solid products with a good history behind them. Also DRV, Excel and NU-WA are on the list.

Kansas RV center was mentioned here for these brands and they are a reputable dealer that does go over used units and they are the manufactures of NU-WA.


This being my first RV and not knowing how long I'll keep it I want to keep my losses to a minimum.

I find myself looking at older units to help minimize the amount of depreciation.

From the research I've done and the amount of available units on the market if I had to buy my RV today I think I'd get a 5 to 8 year old DRV luxury suite model in Kansas. I have time though, so watching for the right RV to show up in the right dealer is important to me.

DRV----Don't know the model years but there was a 1-2 years that had issues with the slides
NUWA----make sure to check the frames on the lite(r) units with Lippert frames
Grand Design Solitude line is Arctic Fox but with more bling
Lots of Monata out there...buy as such
ORV = modern interior vs. Arctic Fox = better equipment and construction
A 4-5 year old Carriage is better (bigger tanks, hyd leveling) outfitted than the same vintage of Arctic Fox
DRV is No.3 for quality. No.1&2 is either New $$$$ Horizons or Spacecraft $$$.
For used and less than $50k it is hard to go wrong with Excel (Limited) or Newmar