Community Forums

Sunnytwo · 07-06-2005, 02:53 AM

I have been looking at and wonder if anyone can give me some pros or cons on this type of 5er, or can tell me where to positive or negative comments

Sunnytwo · 07-06-2005, 02:53 AM

I have been looking at and wonder if anyone can give me some pros or cons on this type of 5er, or can tell me where to positive or negative comments

Rick A · 07-06-2005, 03:16 AM

I have looked at Cardinal at the RV shows and liked the quality I saw. We are now on our second Forest River 5th wheel. The first was a Rockwood Ultra Lite 5ver, and just picked up our new Wildcat a little over a week ago. I have been very happy with the quality of both units, and Forest River's customer service has been outstanding. The Cardinal line is their more upscale line than my Wildcat, so the quality and qorkmanship would be even better. My personal opinion from my experiance, is you won't go wrong with any Forest River product.

Lynnvt · 07-06-2005, 04:35 AM

As you can see from our signature, we have a Cardinal. We really like our Cardinal and plan to keep it for quite a few years. I would considerate it a medium quality unit although the quality is fine and we have had no problems (except for yesterday when we blew a tire). I would recommend Cardinal to anyone. We have not had to deal with any problems so cannot speak to customer service from the company. I do know that there is a forum for Cardinal owners and there is a Forest River representative on the forum who attempts to answer questions and facilitate customer service.

JC2 · 07-06-2005, 05:13 AM

Before u even consider anything made by Forest River, u might want to read this entire post from another forum about their lack of quality and dealer service>>>>>>>>>>&gt ;>>>>>>>>>
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...d/15751896.cfm
We made the mistake of buying a Forest River product but won't happen again.

germanbrave · 07-20-2005, 05:19 AM

My father-in-law bought a new forest river and the livingroom slide out leaves marks on the carpet so he took it back to the dealer and they said it was bringing in dirt when opened and closed but the track marks cant be removed and it is cleaned everyday but the marks wont come off the carpet and they were not able to cure this problem.
Also as far as appearance they droped the ball also if you look were the slide is over the tires instead of putting a spacer on the molding that goes around the tire that bolts onto the unit so when the slide is closed the molding is even between the slide and the unit itself they didnt so one piece is higher than the other and it looks real funny and cheap.
Look at the little things real close...

BigBob · 07-20-2005, 02:31 PM

Amazing how many different viewpoints we can get on a particular RV product...That thread which was referenced by JC2 in his posting provides some very serious food for thought for any potential Forest River buyer. Just for fun I asked my local Forest River dealer if buying a Cardinal meant I would be getting any better quality in the construction..he said "NO" only different features and options! He openly admitted a Cardinal would be no better built that any other of the Forest River line. Makes me wonder..

BigBob

allendp · 07-20-2005, 04:10 PM

After a really bad experience of owning a Forest River MH we would never buy another Forest River product nor wouls we advise anyone else to do so. We have been extremely happy with our Everest by Keystone and would recommend that product to any prospective buyer.

Lynnvt · 07-21-2005, 05:02 AM

When we were looking for a 5th wheel, I did a lot of research on the net. What I found was a variety of opinions on each and every make and model. One variable is that some people are more particular than others. This is not a negative, just a fact of life. All manufacturers seem to produce lemons once in awhile. There were a few manufacturers that seem to have more complaints than others and those we avoided. So it's great to ask the question but take all the responses with a grain of salt.

robertsonthego · 07-21-2005, 05:36 AM

I am extremely satisfied with my 05 Wildcat (Forest River) and would HIGHLY recommend this manufacturer to anyone. Just make sure that you do a thorough PDI before you take delivery. If there are items you want repaired, don't take the trailer until they are. It's cheaper to rent a hotel room on vacation than take a trailer that you end up hating because the dealer's next service appointment is 2 months out. JMHO John

RDG · 07-21-2005, 04:59 PM

Check this out. Forest River has a new owner.
http://www.wsbt.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=52&ArticleID=281 8

CyberVet65 · 07-22-2005, 02:49 PM

We purchased a 2000 Cardinal 5th wheel and ordered it from the factory. We had zero problems with the unit. We never experienced a single quality issue and the factory was very supportive in answering any questions that we had. I purchased my Cardinal based on an (now extinct) web site that polled RV owners after purchase. The Cardinal was one of the best.
WE no longer have that unit as we have "downsized". The current owner loves the unit and is very pleased with the quality and build of the Cardinal.
Chet

rehcuobbob · 07-27-2005, 04:33 AM

Like CyberVet, we purchased our 2000 Salem new and five years of snowbirding later we have nothing bad to say about this low end unit. I still feel it provided us with the best bang for the buck.

I have read horror stories on just about every brand in every price range, so maybe it's a question of luck or doing a real thourough pre delivery inspection to correct any flaws.

As to Forest River, we found them more than fair to deal with on warranty issues and if Buffett is buying the Company, can it be all that bad?

Bob

07-27-2005, 04:31 PM

We are happy with the quality and performance of our Cardinal. The dealer was not helpfull on some minor items when we took delivery. We then bypassed the dealer and talked to Forest River directly. They were responsive, and provided the answers and solutions.