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Old 04-10-2014, 12:25 PM   #1
kiltedpig
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Purchasing used

Are there any issues I should be aware of and is there a year of manufacture that has shown to be too old to purchase? My dealer said that pretty much Montana after 2010 had a lot of upgrades. Any opinions?
 
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Old 04-10-2014, 01:01 PM   #2
richfaa
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The only started to make the Montana in 1999.Don't know what he means by after 2010.Montana upgrades every year and sometime more than once. You don't see many early year Models. I would not buy any brands 10 years old however.
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Old 04-10-2014, 01:42 PM   #3
Hooker
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You'll get much better information here than from the dealer. We aren't trying to sell you something.
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Old 04-10-2014, 01:59 PM   #4
kiltedpig
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I think the biggest selling point for Montana is this forum.
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Old 04-10-2014, 02:16 PM   #5
sambam
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I bought a 2010 last March. I didn't want to go too old, 3-4 years. The one we found was very clean in and out. We've been happy with it, but have spent a bit of money adding safety features. We added an electronic monitoring system, tire pressure monitors, and just recently upgraded the tires to G614's. There were other less-expensive things along the way. Now, going into our 2nd season of camping with this trailer, I feel we are in a good position to add the creature comfort type stuff, rather than the must-have things we addressed in the past year.
Good luck in your search. There are some nice used ones around, if you decide to go that way.
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Old 04-10-2014, 02:32 PM   #6
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After they are 10 yrs old, financial institutions aren't interested. Someone said that Montana upgraded regularly and often, I agree. If your dealer will do a PDI on the used unit, you should be good. I was looking for a used one when I bought my first new one. There were none to be found. Wish you were here on the east coast, as we have 10 very nice used Montanas in stock at present.
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Old 04-10-2014, 03:05 PM   #7
Rondo
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I have to disagree with Rich on the older units. There are many out there that are 10 years old and older but they have been kept up well by the owner. At the present time we own a 2004 2980 and I know there are numerous units out there like ours and older.

It all depends on how the unit was kept up. If it was just out there to be camped in and not taken care of it can be a real problem but a good PDI on the unit can find things like possible water leaks and other problems it may have. The older units do tend to require more upkeep than the newer ones but that is to be expected.

Larry (Hook) has a good point on the financing of the unit IF you are going to finance an older (unit 10 years or older) it will be quite difficult to find a bank, credit union or any other financial institution to loan you money on the unit. These are best bought by cash if possible.

If a dealer has an older unit on his lot and wants to sell it to you, ask him/her if you can have the name of the previous owner and phone number so you can call them and find out why exactly they traded it in and also if there were any problems with it when they traded it in.

Welcome aboard MOC and we hope you find one that you can live with, whether new or used, and you can enjoy your Montana as much as all of us do!



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Old 04-10-2014, 03:33 PM   #8
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The dealer failed to mention that some of the upgrades done since 2010 have been on older units by the owners. In our case, if we were to sell our unit you would be the proud owner of a 2010 with a number of substantial modifications both large and small not available on a new model. For instance, disk brakes and solar.
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Old 04-10-2014, 03:39 PM   #9
WaltBennett
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We bought our '10 last spring this month. We weren't actually looking for a Montana, but LOML really liked the floorplan and the unit inspected very well (I used a modified RV Consumer's Group checklist). We've put about 6k miles and two months worth of camping on it thus far with nothing adverse happening.Our inspection brought out the old Marabomb tires and an un-vented second battery case that we fixed in the first month or so of ownership. The only issues I had to correct that were not found in PDI were a corroded rear top marker light and some dried 'stuff' in the black tank. Overall, I really don't think the previous owners used it more than a few times as there was very little wear and tear anywhere.

I don't know as anything's better in earlier or later models, although I've seen some 'features' I personally don't like on the newest ones. I really do believe that ANY brand and model should be thoroughly inspected before buying, just as anyone should inspecting a house before buying it.
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Old 04-10-2014, 03:43 PM   #10
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We have a 2002 3295rk that we bought in 2008. I was lucky to fine a clean unit that had been sitting for a couple of years as the people that owned it were building a house and had used it to live in. I guess you would have to see what suits you best as for cost verses model year and how long you plan to keep the unit. All of the units have problems and yes I had to replace the fridge a couple of years back to the tune of $900 but that is a lot cheaper than $2500/$3000 for one of the new fangled 4 door models. I did replace my tires with the Goodyear G614 last year but that was a safety concern for me,some folks are even changing tires before they take delivery of new trailers. So for me $17,500 verses $40-$60,000 was a no brainier and I like my older trailer just as much as the next guy.. I am sure you will figure out what is best for you and just go for it... And we hope to meet you down the road very soon with what ever you choose..
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Old 04-10-2014, 07:30 PM   #11
kiltedpig
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I was told that they went to 12" frames and all wood cabinets n 2010.
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Old 04-11-2014, 01:03 AM   #12
HOOK
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Our 2010 had all wood cabinets. I think you will find that the 12 inch frame came in 13.
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Old 04-11-2014, 04:50 AM   #13
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The only thing I can think of, and my memory is fuzzy on the subject, but in the early years, 99 and a few years beyond, there was a problem with the frames, and Lippert had a recall and an expansion joint installation resolved the issue, so if you are looking at one of those years (dealer or Lippert should be able to tell you specific years), make sure if there was an issue, the expansion joint was installed. Only Montana specific issue I can think of to be aware of. As indicated above, competent PDI is the key.
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Old 04-11-2014, 05:54 AM   #14
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A good unit is a good unit no matter the age . But I would look at the marketplace here at this site first. There are some nice ones listed. I especially like the 3750FL listed . If we were looking that would be in the running for us. $.02
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Old 04-11-2014, 06:36 PM   #15
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I bought my 2005 2955RL last year and am very happy with it. It is a personal decision, that depends on finances, repair know how, and being patient to find the right unit that meets your needs. I have not had any problems with mine so far.
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Old 04-12-2014, 01:38 AM   #16
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IMHO, the reason we buy Montes is that they are the most trouble free units out there. We sell several brands of 5ers and see fewer Montes return for Ser. It also seems that some of the SOBs live in our service. Our 2010 and our 2014 have been virtually trouble free. Among our used inventory are, Bingo's 2011 3750, my 2010 3455, our Ser mgrs 2013 3750, George Persons 3400, all like new and with loads of mods.
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