New 1st time buyer. 5th wheel

[oscarvan]

Originally Posted by rourkeh

Any other product and these ass clowns would have been litigated out of existence.

Well, I think that with social media we can line up enough abused customers to show a pattern and get a class action going..... All we need now is a young, strapping, top of his class no retainer attorney.....

[careh]

Take your time, look at floorplans ...Some models have a walk through bathroom...which is fine if there are just 2 of you.. but if you have guests...well you likely want an enclosed bath with door .... and a door to your bedroom.

Buying used from a private seller allows you to see how they took care of their unit and how they take care of their other possessions (like a workshop where you could eat off the floor is going to be better than some barn).

You also have the advantage that they have gone through the headaches of getting the unit debugged when they first bought it..

Your discussions with the seller and your subsequent offer to purchase can have statements that 'Seller warrants that everything works on the unit with the following exceptions....'

You can do checking yourself for some items as in testing that the microwave works and a repair shop you can hire to check the unit out...with that as part of the offer.. can look for other items as in checking for wheel bearings, rot, improper roof patching, signs of mice and so on.

DRV ...to my knowledge has the highest wall insulation so if 4 season is a priority then you may be swayed towards them. But THOR took over DRV and word is quality went ....umm... Somewhere...a few years after the takeover.

Mind you the above was true . For me . Back when I bought my used unit back in 2015. Things may have changed since then... But then again .. every year a bunch of used units will come available as the owners run into sickness issues.

[Syberwizard]

While you may not consider them "luxury," take a look at Alliance. New company. What makes them different is the support from the manufacturer. If you have a Facebook account, you will find that there are multiple Alliance groups. Some buyers get great units, some buyers get units with issues. What makes Alliance different is that if the dealer isn't moving quick enough, they will take care of things directly. You will find a ton of comments from folks that Alliance has taken care of directly. And making special orders from the factory are common, so get it the way you want it!

[rourkeh]

Does anyone have first hand experience with a newer brand called Alliance Paradigm. Seems to be new and an independent manufacturer.
They talk a gd game on their web site just wondering what the reality is.

[johncriddle]

Originally Posted by rourkeh

HELP
I am a new to the market and am looking for a high quality, luxury??, 4 season 5th wheel. Around 38' - 41'.
I have been doing some looking and it is somewhat confusing with all the brands.
I am also somewhat concerned at the fact that the industry is unregulated, and there are so many forums with people who have had terrible experiences with their new purchase, bad quality control, and horrible customer service.
I feel my best bet is to talk to actual owners and get their feedback. These things are a lot of money and the last thing I want is t buy a pretty lemon.
Can I get some help please.

i have a 2016 42 ft heartland with 2012 ram 3500 it tows fantastic. they are ,because of medical issues, up for sale. i do not want to get rid of them but i have no choice

[TReno]

Look at the Northwood manufacturing Arctic Fox 5th Wheels. They are built to last from the frame up!
I've had mine for eight years and have Never had it in for a repair.
They may not have all the pretty Ginger Bread things but the quality is far and above many of the other options out there.

[Taz4570]

We've had our 2004 Arctic Fox 5R for going on 15 years. This trailer has been down hundreds of miles of very bad Rocky Mtn dirt roads and through 3' of snow. Outside of a couple of flat tires, no major repairs to the trailer. I have upgraded the running gear this past year and renovated the interior. Northwood is not much for luxury or bling, but the stuff lasts! Your 4 season requirement really trims the field. The Tiffin/Van Leigh product is not a 4 season coach. We love Tiffin, we sold our Tiffin motor coach in July of 2020. We certainly have impeccable timing! Definitely greatly appreciated talking to Bob a couple of times when looking for parts. Just don't think their product is a true 4 season rig.

We've been looking closely at Lux, DRV, and equivalents and recently the Alliance products. The Alliance are built well, have many very interesting efficiencies and come in typically below your $150K price point. They are definitely worth a close look.

As far as the truck, the F350 is built for payload, the F450 is built for towing, as Ford says. We ordered a 2022 F450 last June and took delivery late August. If equally equipped, the 450 has a lower payload because the front axle assembly adds 1,000#. Our King Ranch+ (actually Platinum equipped) F450 has a 5,000# payload. I can dispute the ride statements that may have been true back in 2017. The new 450s have at least as good ride quality as the 350. The big difference, a pointed out earlier is the turning radius, at least 10 tighter than the 350. That got us into some very tight state camp sites that we couldn't have accessed otherwise. In the current full campground situation, that may be the difference between electrical hook ups and BLM boon docking. We will be boon docking south of Alamogordo, NM for an aoudad hunt with our generator in a couple of weeks because of that. In that case, the advantages of the 450 are nullified.

[Bobbeckfeath]

We bought a used 2012 F-450 lariat & 40 ft Landmark Mesa 40 ft. in 2015. We put over 40,000 miles on the RV.

We searched floor plans & DW wanted a half bath floor plan. That and exceptional storage were for us.

That lead us to the Solitude by grand Design with rear bedroom. It is ideal but we found a 2021 Beacon 41FLB which is 2.5 feet longer than the Landmark.

The 2012 F-450 & Beacon are almost 2,000 miles from AZ to FL. It is working fine & we are enjoying it.

I am always amazed when anything works as pulling RV on I-10 from Eloy AZ to Lake City FL since it is like an earthquake every mile!

Enjoy!

[Bob n Kat]

Originally Posted by rourkeh

Does anyone have first hand experience with a newer brand called Alliance Paradigm. Seems to be new and an independent manufacturer.
They talk a gd game on their web site just wondering what the reality is.

We fulltime in a 2021 Alliance Paradigm 385FL. Dealer was marginal, which is often the case. We have a few issues, some I have or will fix my self, but no show stoppers. I read the Fakebook Alliance forums almost every day and see a number of troubling issues folks are having. I will say the Alliance service and support team responds to the issues! How many brands post their phone numbers and say "call me we will make it right", and then do?



Some of the issues should have never left the factory, some should have been fixed by the dealer, but I have a high degree of trust Alliance will do the right thing. They send parts, and reimburse mobile tech cost when owners can't get to dealers, or the dealers just flake.


So far, in spite of our rigs QC issues, I would buy again because of the after sales support. As they say, "Your mileage may vary"!

[live today]

We bought a new 2014 New Horizons and love it! We are full timers

First of all, they are awesome to work with. You design exactly what you want or describe to them what you want, and they will build it. Right down to custom made furniture if that's what you need. You can tour the shop and see them building the units. They only build about 3 a month. We stopped in a couple times to drop something off we wanted in it, and were able to see exactly what they were doing on our unit at that time.

You do want to talk to them about what size truck you need. We had to buy a bigger one, but we knew that going in.

We wanted a tri axle but not a toy hauler. We wanted a custom end table that was actually a file cabinet. We didn't want an oven - we needed more file cabinet space. We got to choose the layout, the cabinets, the lights, the sink, the counter tops, the flooring, the colors, everything - just like building a house.

When they finished it, they ask you to stay in the 5th wheel on their property in Junction City, KS for three days. If you see anything that needs to be changed or fixed, they take care of right there. Then they go over everything with you.

When you screw up and make a rookie mistake (because you're a rookie), you can call them and talk to Ken, guy who runs the shop. Tell him your problem and he walks you through what you need to do. He is looking at the blueprints of your rig. This is a guy you've met, you've spent some time with and he knows you! Not some one who doesn't have a clue about you or your rig. Their customer service is fantastic!

It comes with a two year warranty that covers everything! You call them and make an appointment a month or so in advance and come with your list. We stop in about once a year and they always take good care of us. You stay on their lot, hooked up to their electric and water, and you talk to Ken and he gets everything fixed in 4 - 5 days.

We have never had any major problems. Just the regular things that happen bouncing down these wonderful roads of ours for 8 years.

If I wanted another rig, I would buy a New Horizons without hesitation.

If you have more questions, just let me know! We are ambassadors for them, which means we are willing to let someone tour our rig or if they have questions, we are more than happy to help.

[beerdude]

Originally Posted by Taz4570

...The Tiffin/Van Leigh product is not a 4 season coach....

The Vanleigh line is indeed a 4 season coach, built and warrantied for fulltime use.

I recommend the OP give it a look.

[Paradigm5er]

Check out Alliance RV
We have one of the first serial #'s of the 370FB and we love it. As with everything I had expectations since it was my first 5th wheel and we went big, towing with a 2021 Ford 350 Dually. Any service issues were handled by the dealer we purchased from and on top of that, the Company was on top of any and all issues regardless of how small. Put my mind at ease. We love it and are "Most Timers" not ready for full-time yet. Best of luck, and enjoy the journey.

[Billiam59]

If you plan on taking your trailer “off-road” which actually means off highway, you need to confirm the unit is warranted for that, Even a county road that is gravel can void the warranty. Frame issues have become a big problem in the last year or so with the “light” And “ultralight” showing problems. You do not need to look at those designs with your towing capacity.
I would look at alliance, Northwood, and outdoors RV. I know that Northwood and Outdoors are true 4 season With 1/2 inch thicker walls the most other RVs. They may not have the most fancy amenities but are built with heavier frames, thicker walls, and are warranted for off-road use which tells you how hearty they are.
Many people have never heard of any of those three because they are not produced in the quantity of other name brands. That says a lot in and of it’s self.
Wish you the best of luck on your purchase

[rourkeh]

Thank you for all the good responses. I am starting to narrow down the choices for my purchase. I like a couple of models manufactured by Forest River and Thor
industries but their horrible construction quality and even worse customer service
has made me rule them out. I really like some off the high end luxury brands such as DRV, Luxe, Crossroads, and Grand design. But I would be paying a $100K
plus premium to buy one of these and their warranty, quality control, and customer service is not much better than the big companies. So maybe a used high end luxury unit, I'll look at some and decide. It seems if you go back to 2016 - 2018 the quality was better.
I am impressed with the Alliance Company and their Paradigm models. From all I have read this company is trying to overcome the terrible reputation of most RV manufacturers by standing behind their warranty and working hard with customers to make service a less painful process. It is a smaller company with better intentions. I would like something more luxurious but I think the extra money is just a crap shoot. So that is where I have ended up in my search.