Community Forums

Ivory34 · 11-22-2017, 10:08 PM

Thank you for the reply

No offense taken at all. I appreciate your honesty and welcome it. Just looking to learn and don't mind some objective feedback from those more experienced than me.

Yes, the sale is done but any info I can gather will help me be more prepared in the future, perhaps on my next unit or find a way better set myself up with this current one.

Now just having been there last week, I think their new "gold" series addressed this exact issue. I'm almost positive that it has extra storage space some how. But I will be honest in that I mainly focused on my unit and how it came out, so not sure how the two compare side by side . And while I was there, two other customers were on site checking in on their production who had purchased gold units and they both specifically mentioned extra storage. So maybe that's the diff? As I learn more, I will post back.

CDWatkins · 11-22-2017, 10:26 PM

Good luck on your new purchase they are beautiful RVs, we looked at them real hard and went with New Horizons because of there frames, and getting exactly what we wanted.

Ivory34 · 11-23-2017, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDWatkins

Good luck on your new purchase they are beautiful RVs, we looked at them real hard and went with New Horizons because of there frames, and getting exactly what we wanted.

Thank you

which NH model did you get ?

CDWatkins · 11-23-2017, 11:11 PM

2018 New Horizons Majestic M41RL3S W/ MC Hydralift

mocarski · 11-25-2017, 08:46 AM

I've owned a Luxe for a little over a year and would buy another one. Ours was made before the RV Factory acquisition and we talk to a lot of Luxe and Ambition owners because of our involvement with the Augusta owners group. We've had some problems but the company definitely stands behind their product. Everything was fixed without any issues and they added in a few upgrades for us for our troubles.

From talking to other owners and dealing directly with the company they've made major improvements to the product, build, and customer service. They still have some work to do but they are near the top in customer service. I was a little concerned about getting work done without a dealer network but we recently had work done at one of their service dealers and it was great.

We have modified our unit quite a bit for boondocking and we regularly hear how much better the quality is from techs who work on our unit and the service center we used mentioned several times how good the company was about taking care of warranty charges for them.

A few months ago we were in Elkhart and did the DRV tour. There are some things that are nicer about the DRV, like their frame, plumbing manifold, and hydraulic slides, but the Luxe blows them away when it comes to cabinetry, interior fit and finish, and ability to customize. We've seen some awesome modifications that Augusta/RVF did to customer units.

The DRV frame is better but was told during the tour that they get them from Lippert. We went with a Luxe over the Ambition primarily because of the frame and thickness of the walls/insulation. Saw another thread asking for proof that Thor is negatively affecting the quality. In the DRV it is starting with the plumbing hardware. The shower faucet is a cheap plastic RV faucet and they don't offer an upgrade. Was told that Thor dictated that they had to use it.

Interior cabinetry and finish is far better in the Luxe. RVF uses dovetail drawers and you can't even find them in home cabinetry anymore. The DRV cabinetry is poor in my opinion. The Luxe soft vinyl interior walls are awesome but it's hard to hang things. Originally I thought it wasn't a big deal but after spending some time in it, I love them. Really makes it feel like you aren't in an RV compared to the normal wall panels you find out there.

Price has risen pretty quickly for RVF. A year ago you could get a well appointed Luxe for around $150. Now they are over $200. They are beautiful units.

There is an owners group out there for Augusta/RVF. They are independent of the company. I'd post the address but have been warned by the mods here in the past for doing that. If you want more info about our experience with Augusta/RV Factory, feel free to contact us directly.

mocarski · 11-25-2017, 08:49 AM

From what I know I'd put the Luxe in a slightly lower class than New Horizons. But the New Horizons are heavier and last I checked cost a bit more. Our Luxe is 21,000 lbs and I feel like we're at our limit with a Ford F350 dually. Anything more and I'd want a bigger tow vehicle.

For what it's worth the CCC in a Luxe seems to be substantially more than it seems from their website. We can carry a lot more than we expected and we've heard from many owners that when they got their unit they found they could carry a lot more than they were expecting from the published numbers for their floorplans. Not sure why the discrepancy.

HighDesert · 11-25-2017, 09:18 AM

Never seen one of these units anywhere. My measuring stick, for 5th wheel units has always been Alpenlites (made under the fathers supervision, not the son). These were always well made, higher end units that I rarely had issues with and I have owned 3 of them - a 25+2, a 29RK, and an Augusta 31RL. After having these, I was always disappointed when looking at new units.

Elkfarmer · 11-27-2017, 09:39 AM

I agree about Alpenlite. If someone understood how those trailers were made there would never be a discussion. A mass produced manufacturer will never be able to put that kind of quality into a unit anymore. To cost prohibitive. They pioneered many manufacturing processes. The aircraft grade aluminum for the whole superstructure was a very high grade. Completely cost prohibitive today. They made there own slide frames, used skids instead of rollers, made all there own fiberglass including showers, caps, etc. The skin on the walls and caps were 3/16 thick. I could go on for a while but I will quit. I considered Luxe/Ambition before the merger but it was the logistics and lack of dealer network at the time that kept me from buying one. As far as fit/finish and attention to detail I found nothing better other than the customs. The amount of customization they would perform was amazing. They reminded me at the time of when Newmar was building 5th's. The process was so slow and lethargic one would think the coach would never be built. When it was done though, it was the best they could do.

42willys · 11-27-2017, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDWatkins

2018 New Horizons Majestic M41RL3S W/ MC Hydralift

Is NH caught up on production?Early 2017 they were way behind on promised orders, one of the reasons I did not place an order with them.

CDWatkins · 11-28-2017, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 42willys

Is NH caught up on production?Early 2017 they were way behind on promised orders, one of the reasons I did not place an order with them.

Not yet, but getting closer.

Ivory34 · 11-30-2017, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mocarski

From what I know I'd put the Luxe in a slightly lower class than New Horizons. But the New Horizons are heavier and last I checked cost a bit more. Our Luxe is 21,000 lbs and I feel like we're at our limit with a Ford F350 dually. Anything more and I'd want a bigger tow vehicle.

For what it's worth the CCC in a Luxe seems to be substantially more than it seems from their website. We can carry a lot more than we expected and we've heard from many owners that when they got their unit they found they could carry a lot more than they were expecting from the published numbers for their floorplans. Not sure why the discrepancy.

Do you mind if I ask you specifics on your truck? Engine? Bed size? Etc.

I'm currently in the market for a tow vehicle for my luxe and have considered a 350/450 but am on the fence about which to get, or look at a different make all together (my unit will be about 40ft so a little shorter than yours)

shill · 12-03-2017, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ivory34

Do you mind if I ask you specifics on your truck? Engine? Bed size? Etc.

I'm currently in the market for a tow vehicle for my luxe and have considered a 350/450 but am on the fence about which to get, or look at a different make all together (my unit will be about 40ft so a little shorter than yours)

Hope you don't mind my jumping in here. The reason I did is that I just went through the research and purchase process for a tow vehicle and after driving lots of trucks and beating all the specs to death, I bought a 2017 F450 drw with 8 foot bed, 4.30 gear ratio, much larger brakes than the 350 and a much better turning radius. Both are excellent tow vehicles in my opinion. I was concerned about interstate highway driving without a load (70-80 mph) with the 450, but after test driving numerous times I discovered that the 4.30 doesn't bother me (maybe because I'm used to pulling a boat with the transmission locked out of O/D) and the effect of the 4.30 on fuel economy also was a point of concern to me. I have put almost 2000 miles on my truck (none towing yet) and am getting 14.5-15.9 mpg. That's the same if not a little better than I did with my old F150. The 450 is a little rougher ride than the 350 I think but I have not adjusted the tire pressure to help that and I may at some.
My wife and I will be attending the Tampa RV Supershow in January (again) and now that we have a tow vehicle, we'll be trying to narrow our search for a full timing fifth wheel to a couple units. Then we'll do factory visits and pull the trigger on whatever we decide on. Luxe and DRV are both on our radar. Looked at the New Horizons before and while it's a beautiful unit and undoubtedly well built, the price is extremely high. One thing is for sure, if I can't safely(within specs) pull and stop any particular fifth wheel that we look at with this 450, it will be off the table for us. Driving a semi is definitely not of interest to me. Good luck and it will be interesting to hear how the rest of your experience goes with the Luxe. There are many very satisfied owners out there as evidenced by their owner's group, however, they are definitely not a high production company so clearly you will see very few of them on the road compared to many other brands.

wingnut60 · 12-03-2017, 11:44 AM

shill,
Very similar experience with my '17 450 (11500miles so far)---pulls the 19k Suites very well. The turning radius is very helpful backing into campsites. It does ride a little rough, but I don't have a 350 to compare it to. Now if I could only figure out the gadgets.....

shill · 12-03-2017, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wingnut60

shill,
Very similar experience with my '17 450 (11500miles so far)---pulls the 19k Suites very well. The turning radius is very helpful backing into campsites. It does ride a little rough, but I don't have a 350 to compare it to. Now if I could only figure out the gadgets.....

The technology is definitely a little daunting. I have the owner's manual on my nightstand for nightly reading and I still remain totally confused about some of the systems. There are so many switches, buttons and controls, it's unreal. I was driving on I-95 one night and had the moonroof cover open....decided to close it so I reached up and pushed a switch.The roof opened up to the outside air so now I'm freezing and have no idea how to close it. Started just pushing switches and eventually got it closed but it was pretty funny. I'm actually pretty technology proficient so maybe it's the memory issues that go along with my age??????.....