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Old 01-08-2025, 12:57 AM   #1
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Advice on New RV Purchase

My wife and I have been planning to buy an RV for a few years. I think we're going to finally get one this year before Summer. I wanted to share some of the makes and models we're looking at to see if anyone has any feedback on them to consider while making our decision. I'm mainly interested in learning more about the reliability, build quality, and customer service of different RV makers, but any insights would be helpful.

For some context, we're mainly looking at new RVs, but would consider a lightly used one if we happened to find one that fits our needs. We are in central Texas and will be living in the RV for 2-3 months out of the year (during the Summer, mostly in Michigan). We will be driving maybe 5K to 8K miles with it each year. We have 2 very young kids and 2 dogs, so we're mainly looking at units with bunk rooms or at least a loft.

Here are some that we've seen and liked so far, in no particular order:

- Prime Time Sanibel 3952FBWB
- Keystone Montana High Country 377FL and 385BR
- Brinkley Z 3610
- Alliance Paradigm 380MP
- KZ RV Durango Gold G382MBF

Price -wise, we wouldn't want to go any higher than the Brinkley. We saw one of those for sale at Fun Town for 115K.

Also, does anyone have opinions on the RV dealers along I-35 between Waco and San Antonio? So far we have visited Crestview in Georgetown and Buda, Blue Compass in Buda, and Fun Town in Cibolo. We plan to visit more. I was wondering if anyone has had any especially positive or negative experiences with any of the dealers in this part of the country.

Thanks and Best Regards
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Old 01-08-2025, 09:01 AM   #2
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Also consider a toy hauler. We have a toy hauler, and it is good for carrying bikes, Spyder motorcycle, extra gear.

Friends of ours with their toy hauler, have turned the garage area into their bedroom and the front bedroom into a bunk room for the kids. Once their bed goes up they can still carry bikes in the garage and other items.

Give it a thought.
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Old 01-08-2025, 10:05 AM   #3
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Just make sure that the truck is the correct size to pull a 5er as large as these are.

Thats all I have to say only you can decide that the truck is the correct size for your needs. Everything else is just noise from the internet.
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Old 01-08-2025, 10:18 AM   #4
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Just remember when it comes to towing……..


“I bought too much truck!” said no one ever.
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Old 01-08-2025, 12:15 PM   #5
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Not really advice but I just traded in a Rockwood Windjammer bumper pull for an Alliance Padadigm 310 rl 5th wheel. Haven't actually spent the night in it yet..sorting out hitch, bed changes and so forth.
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Old 01-08-2025, 12:37 PM   #6
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Planning to drive-tow 5 to 8K miles per year is a significant plan. With frequent driving why are you looking at a trailer and not a motorhome? Will you always be at RV parks with hook ups or are planning on providing own utilities? Generator, heat, cooling, etc. If you want AC all summer without hook ups you need significant generator capacity and fuel supply. Portable generators and fuel cans are not a good plan. Do you have a truck or will that also be needed? Your intended usage indicates motorhome and probably Diesel.
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Old 01-08-2025, 01:28 PM   #7
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Have you ruled out a motor home? Lots of good used ones for your budget. Our 16 year old Winnebago has been very solid (bunk model). I have no dealer advice or experience with any of the trailers listed but if that's what you get stay away from anything with a Lippert frame- especially something built in the last 6 years or so. Good luck and have a great time with the boys and your dogs!
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Old 01-08-2025, 05:31 PM   #8
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I have owned 3 bunkhouse RV's. one bumper pull and 2-5th wheels all where a least 36' long.
If you have young kids recommend a unit with a separate dedicated bunk room for the kids. It gives the kids their own space with storage for their clothes toys and gear.

As the units have evolved, I've come to prefer mid bunk floorplans. It gives you a large rear lounge kitchen area (pseudo great room) a space for the kids and a bedroom in the front for the adults.
By having the lounge area in the back you get to take full advantage of the views surrounding the campsite.
I prefer only one bathroom. The 1/2 bath for the kids is a huge deal breaker for me.
Having additional tanks to deal with requires a lot more effort than simply sharing the bathroom with the kids. In addition to keeping the 1/2 bathroom clean and tidy you have to keep the additional waste tanks clean and tidy!
I also prefer a unit with dedicated beds vs. folding out a sofa or something, a loft area is OK for dedicated beds. You do not want to set up and break down beds the entire camping trip.
Toy haulers are OK if you have toys and they can provide flexible space for lots of large stuff. But they are generally not as homely as a true bunkhouse. They also generally require more set up to make that flexible space into what you want it to be.
Versatility is nice if you want to be flexible, but it keeps things in flux vs. a permanent set up.
You want a large fresh tank at least 75 gallons and at least 40 gallon grey and black tanks. I would try to have close to 3000# cargo capacity and at least 2 A/C units.
Lastly the units you listed a large and all are in the 16K GVW range.
They will require a diesel dually pickup to haul them.
Some mentioned going with a class A which is a viable option, however class A may have a bunks but generally they don't have a bunk room. A fiver will give you more separated and dedicated interior space. Back to giving the kids a space the can call their own
These are my thoughts. You don't have to agree with them, but hopefully they will give you some insight from someone who has owned bunkhouse RV's.
I made my comments on the floorplans I prefer. I won't get into choosing actual model from your list.
I'm always torn between buying from a new innovative brand vs. a legacy brand.
I like the ideas and innovation the new guys offer however it seems only a matter time before the new guys are bought out by a large legacy brand and things quickly gravitate to mediocrity! That is the brand gamble that I have seen playout more than once. Good Luck. The search and research is 1/2 the fun.
.Be patient try to go to large RV show like Hershey, PA or Tampa.
There is no substitute for seeing a floorplan in person
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Old 01-08-2025, 07:55 PM   #9
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My advice is to get the model with the floor plan that you like the most.

And, having owned a few of each kind of RV (TT, MH, 5ver), the trailers are, by far, less expensive to buy and maintain than a motorized rigs. After sitting a a few months all they have to do is roll (no worry about a motor and chassis that have been left sitting for too long).

Advise a on a BIG truck should be well headed.

As for the floor plans..
  • + The Sanibel has 2 bath rooms - nice for kids
  • - The Sanibel doesn't have a dinette
  • Everything else seems equal

An advertised 41' trailer is more like 42 feet if not 43. So choose where you expect to stay wisely. Although it looks like it will just be more of a summer cottage in Michigan than a traveling home.
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Old 01-09-2025, 11:54 AM   #10
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In January We took delivery of a 2024 Durango Gold G358RPQ, a factory order, the smaller version you list. Sitting in it right now. Love it, except for a few minor issues so far.

Randomly……

Depending on the type of site you tend to use, the deployed rear deck (which we LOVE!) adds 8ft to your length needs. We haven’t had any issues so far, as back-ins have been clear at the end of the pad. But, we prefer to boondock.

On that. Factory ordered the installed ONAN 6.5 genset.

Factory ordered the smaller solar/lithium package. Swapped the 200ah battery pack for 460ah and added 200 watts solar mainly because the residential fridge is a big user, but it has been more reliable than anything in the past, even in the SW desert. Very happy with the upgrade.

The One Touch digital pad is wonky. The phone app tends to be more reliable than anything.

Warranty replaced a slide controller.

The 50amp cable Morryde reel is at the dealer awaiting warranty replacement as it fried.

Neither the cable or sat coax was connected at the wet bay connection. Once I found that, easy.

Factory swapped the dinette for their ‘work’ desk. Love it.

DW said she wouldn’t use the dishwasher. Wrong! ��

The rig is 14in taller than our last rig. Ripped off the OTA antenna leaving a boondock spot. Easy replacement.

No hitch on the rear as it’s only a bumper, not a frame piece. I added one to carry our bikes and given the deck “legs” I add straps from the hard points to the carrier to reduce bouncing.

Feel free to IM me if you have questions.

Jim
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Old 01-09-2025, 11:57 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kenandterry View Post
Just remember when it comes to towing……..


“I bought too much truck!” said no one ever.
I’ve had a few folks ask me why I bought an F450 v the F350.

The only answer I have been able to come up with is “because I can”. 😎
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Old 01-13-2025, 12:09 AM   #12
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If you're completely new to RVing, rent first!


RVShare, Airbnb and similar can rent a huge variety of types so you can try them out. The big rental companies and most dealer/rentals only have a few available. Renting seems expensive but it's far cheaper than buying the wrong type.
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Old 01-13-2025, 10:33 PM   #13
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Thanks for all the great advice.

We were looking at class A RVs for about 2 years and then this year decided to go for a fifth wheel instead. My wife really liked the extra room in fifth wheels that we looked at vs motorhomes, especially since we'll be living in it parked for 2 months every summer. I didn't really care much either way except I was either going to be daily driving a tow car for a motorhome or a truck for pulling a FW since we didn't want to have an extra car that we only use for RVing. Now I get to drive a big nice truck instead of a little tow behind car every day. Parking is harder, but driving is more fun.

I think all mid bunk models kind of look and feel roughly the same and I'm just trying to figure out which one will give the best quality, reliability, and customer service if we run into any issues. We've been researching a ton and we've been to the Houston RV show twice. We'll be going to the Austin RV show this year. We were planning to go to Tampa, but got invited to a wedding the same weekend as the Tampa show. I've seen people report good and bad experiences for most RV brands. The only one I've never heard anything bad about is Brinkley. I'm wondering if the purported quality is too good to be true. You certainly pay more for it though. Good to hear someone's experience with the Durango in here too. That's the only one I had never even heard of until we saw one at Fun Town a few weeks ago. That's one of my wife's favorites along with the Sanibel. She likes the rear patio. I'm leaning towards the Brinkley I think. We saw one in person and it was very nice. If I'm being honest, I'll probably just let the wife choose the one she wants the most; getting an RV sounds fun to me, but this is her dream. I'm just trying to figure out if there are any bad brands or dealers I should tell her are out of the question.
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Old 01-14-2025, 12:57 AM   #14
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A couple of thoughts for you:


You might look at "flat 5th wheels" which are standard trailers built better, so more like 5ers. It's a funny concept to me, but if you're not towing a lot then daily life is better without stairs. We drive 10k+ for months and rarely stay even a week in one place, so towing is a huge factor.


Second, Brinkley is only has 2 years of products, and sold very few the first year. Naturally you won't hear much bad, or much from actual use, compared to a company with decades in the business. Alliance is also very new, only a 2-3 years longer, so same story. I'm looking at both myself, but knowing the risks is key.
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