Keystone, Grand Design or Vanleigh

[Marty J]

We are looking to purchase a new 5th wheel. Any opinions on the best made brand?
We currently own a 2014 Montana 3100

[jdpm]

That's a loaded question. Quality in all brands has gone right down the drain. I don't think I would buy a new rig.
Also, in your case, what size and price range are you looking at?
Vanleigh does not impress me. Many things that should be standard on the highest line model should be standard yet are not even optional. Beautiful exterior paint options and I like their white interior option. But there is nothing stand-out in their build quality. In fact, I think its inferior to many due to the Lippert axles, frame and cheap tires.
Montana is offering an optional Legacy package that at least is including disc bakes and a moulded rear fiberglass cap as well as some other goodies.
IMO, the best built, best equipped fivers in the mass produced arena is the FR Riverstone. Floor plans are limited but they have a lot of things standard like disc brakes and they have thicker sidewalls.
Grab a chair, a soda and some popcorn as this will get interesting. Have fun and good luck.

[Marty J]

Thanks JDPM. Looking at around 40 ft and under $150K. Has anyone been around a Luxe?

[tuffr2]

Go look at the Forest River RiverStone 5th wheels. Like mentioned prior they do have great features standard. These can be bought with $85,000 after discount. They are better than the Vanleigh Beacon IMHO.

The Luxe is maybe in a class of its own.

If I had $150,000 for a 5th wheel I would look real hard at a used New Horizon or maybe a used Space Craft. These are custom built.

[jdpm]

In your budget, then hands down New Horizons.

[Tdave]

Originally Posted by jdpm

In your budget, then hands down New Horizons.

Ditto. $150k buys you a new Summit, or a used Majestic.

Luxe is a pretty coach, I like the decor a touch more than New Horizons (I’m more into the clean lines of modern design), but I trust the engineering and workmanship a ton more with New Horizons. A Majestic is probably our next rig when we are empty nesters.

[jacknife]

Originally Posted by Marty J

Thanks JDPM. Looking at around 40 ft and under $150K. Has anyone been around a Luxe?

I have not seen one person complain about the quality of their Riverstone . Can be had for less the a hundet . Go on their forum along with any other brand and talk to people that own what you are interested in .

[dblr]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Go look at the Forest River RiverStone 5th wheels. Like mentioned prior they do have great features standard. These can be bought with $85,000 after discount. They are better than the Vanleigh Beacon IMHO.

Originally Posted by jacknife

I have not seen one person complain about the quality of their Riverstone . Can be had for less the a hundet . Go on their forum along with any other brand and talk to people that own what you are interested in .

As a River Stone Legacy owner I would agree with these two posters, ours is a 2017 and only had a couple of minor issues that were quickly taken care of. Good luck on your search.

[jlsr]

Originally Posted by jdpm

In your budget, then hands down New Horizons.

Yes this ! New Horizons would be top of our list by a huge margin if we ever had to replace our RV.

[Supercharged]

We love our Riverstone Legacy 38RE, Has everything you could want in a rv,Solar panel,Wine cooler,dishwasher, washer & drier,Hydraullic leveling system,LP Generator,disc brakes And you can program your smart phone to control your RV so when you pull up to it you can turn on lighs put awning out or what ever else you want to do and beautiful full body paint,outside tv and awning covers on all slides and under 100K. We camped in cold weather in Ohio and only used the 2 fireplaces to heat it and never used the furnace. Well built coach look them up.

[schrod]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Go look at the Forest River RiverStone 5th wheels. Like mentioned prior they do have great features standard. These can be bought with $85,000 after discount. They are better than the Vanleigh Beacon IMHO.

The Luxe is maybe in a class of its own.

If I had $150,000 for a 5th wheel I would look real hard at a used New Horizon or maybe a used Space Craft. These are custom built.

I have a 2016 BayHill 375RE and just a few spots down from me is a Space Craft.
It looks far inferior to mine on the outside. My fiberglass is nice and smooth. The Space Craft shows ripples everywhere. I hazard to guess what is on the inside.

[n0mad]

Our next rig will be a New Horizons. Right now, we're in a Keystone Alpine and have modified it to the extent that it doesn't make sense to get rid of for many more years.

I think most of your "luxury" lines - that's Montana, Vanleigh, RiverStone, etc are similar in quality assuming that you get one that was built the right day of the week by the right shift. It's all a gamble until you get into the super-premium brands like NH and SpaceCraft that take pride in their quality control. Luxe is one of the brands that I'd seriously look at, being that they have smaller production numbers and probably roll down the line a little slower - so in theory their construction is less rushed.

We've had a lot better luck out of our Keystone units than others would have you believe based on the name, but we've also been adamant about maintenance and are constantly improving the units we've owned with improved aftermarket parts. The one Crossroads we had, we had constant issues with. Both brands are owned by Thor.

[whiskeybravo]

We went with a Vanleigh Beacon. We were looking for something under 100k, best build we could get, and of course the floor plan played a major role.



We have taken it out a few times since purchase and happy so far. Would I have loved for it to have a better frame and not have Lippert axles and suspension components? Of course. We will see in the long run how it does. We do plan on a few axle and suspension upgrades. Also tires as we did not order so got the westlake tires instead of Goodyear.



In the end we have to purchase what we are willing to pay, and what we are willing to live with as far as fit, finish, and floor plan are concerned.



Brad
Vanleigh Beacon 42RDB