Looking for a 2012 - Montana Owners Club

donr827 · 12-31-2011, 07:19 AM

Me and my wife are looking to buy a new fifth wheel in the near future. We had a Carriage Cameo on order but as everyone knows they have ceased operations and are liquidating. We are now looking at the Montana 3100 or 3150 floor plans or a Jayco Pinnacle. Will be asking a few questions of Montana owners to help educate me about the Montana.
Don

HOOK · 12-31-2011, 07:29 AM

There is a 2011 on the MOC MARKET PLACE. We also looked at Jayco and everything else, two years. After alot of research we decided Montana was the most for the money, especially when you take resale into consideration. We have owned some kind of RV for last 40 years. So far Montana is our favorite. Larry

**DQDick** · 12-31-2011, 07:54 AM

That's what we're here for, so ask away. We looked at Jayco, but for us it was an easy decision to go with the Montana.

maximo · 12-31-2011, 10:14 AM

We also looked at Jayco but went with the 2011 Montana 3580RL Big Sky. Our Big Sky came off the production line one week to early to be dated as a 2012 model.

Frank

CORattler · 12-31-2011, 01:07 PM

Well, I'm a bit biased since I own a Montana but we did look and comparison shop for over 2 years and selected the Montana as the best RV with the biggest "WOW" factor. I'm happy with our 3150RL and look forward to many years of camping with it.
Good luck in your hunt for the best RV for you and welcome to the forum.

PapaBeav · 12-31-2011, 01:17 PM

We have had our 2012 3100RL since May and just love it. We have put about 7K miles on it since then and have finally got all the bugs worked out. With any rig there will be problems for awhile until you get them all worked out. We to looked at Jayco and a lot of other brands back in 04 and 05 but settled on the Montana. This is our second Montana but plan on keeping this one longer than the other. Good luck in whatever you choose.

JnSWells · 01-29-2012, 09:04 AM

We have a 3100RL ordered, we did have a 2005 Cedar Creek by Forest River we were extremely happy with.. There are few Cedar Creek dealers out here but abundance of Montana dealers, so we decided to give it a try. I would recommend checking on the Cedar Creek too. We had superior service from them and had little extras on our Creek..( Lazy Susan, rolling drawers,a very substantial pantry and loads of storage). The Montana seems to be better insulated and very nice interior.. I am hoping the Montana is just as much or more, as we will be picking her up on Wednesday.. Good Luck

CATCRAW · 01-30-2012, 05:03 AM

We got our 3150RL in May and couldn't be happier. The floor plan is very functional for us. I believe there is a member who has a slightly used 3150RL for sale on this site. We had to order ours to get it with the equipment that we wanted but worth the wait. We have had only a couple of minor issues that were fixed by the dealer to our satisfaction.

swanny · 01-30-2012, 08:21 AM

We own a 2012 3625RE. This floor plan is perfect for us, especially the kitchen lots of counter space and it opens to the living room. this is our second Montana, we also looked at many other brands.

enjoy your search

kevin

Bill-N-Donna · 01-30-2012, 09:51 AM

You’ve come to the right place!
We’re on our 2nd Montana and we are very happy with our purchase. We have had other brands over the years including one M/H and I must say that we enjoy the Montana fifth wheel very much that we have now.

LuckyNichol · 01-31-2012, 12:29 AM

We like our Montana High Country. More features-Less weight.

richfaa · 02-02-2012, 02:51 AM

We are also looking at a new Rv. We do lean toward the Montana 3402 but as before will go with the best bang for the buck.

denandannie · 02-04-2012, 07:53 PM

By the time you read this you probably already bought your new Montana. However, for what its worth. We purchased our 3150RL in Sept 2011. Its like living in heaven. I am tempted to live in the Monty and camp in my house. hahahaha. The only option ours does not have is auto levelers. But, I guess I can do at least one thing the old fashioned way. Ya think?
You will not regret going to a Montana.

mrtgraz · 02-18-2012, 01:35 AM

The only things I would tell you are . #1. See if they are still coming thru with Goodyear Monarch tires, If they are see if you can get them to supply something else, these tire's are garbage. #2 the corrion counter tops are so sensitive to scrathes, you really have to be very carefull. Other then that #3 the water pump is super loud. And if you boondock #4 the battery dose'nt last very long. not that the battery is bad, the unit just uses alot of power. I have a 2011 3455SA and we love it. BIG TIME. Oh yea one other thing.#5 the radio only plays on AC power so if ur boondocking no radio. TNT

BrokenElbow · 02-18-2012, 02:36 PM

We got our 2011 3455 last Feb and love it. A few minor issues that were taken care of by the dealer...no issue. Sometimes I just go to the storage yard, open the slides and just spend time in the unit...I love it. I agree with mrtgraz, if you go with a Montana, negotiate a change from the Goodyear Marathon tires with your dealer (if it comes with Marathons). There are several tires recommended on this forum depending on the unit you get. I changed my Marathons to Goodyear G614's which is touted as a great tire for the heavier rigs. Good luck with your decision. Search on a forum member Lonnie B. He's a tire dealer and knows his stuff. His recommendations for tires on these units is good.

woodman · 02-29-2012, 02:07 PM

We have been seriously looking at a 3610RE Bighorn over the last year and a half, but negative commentaries from 2 Bighorn dealers towards Heartland's response time on service and warranty issues has moved us toward another brand. I do think the Bighorn has better features and I like their solid styrofoam surround insulation versus batted fiberglass. We once had a motorhome where mice got into the fiberglass insulation and they went everywhere at will which resulted in mega damage, especially to the wiring. Mice can't burrow as well through solid insulation, that's a fact. We do like many of the features in the Montana over and above any of the other competitors like Cedar Creek, KZ, and DRV, plus Montana has a better resale value. We have found a great dealer about an hour and a half away. I've been tempted on a number of occasions to purchase from a wholesale dealer in Michigan and save significant money, but feel I will alienate the service dealer that has all the expenses of servicing to the public. Still the Montana 3625RE has many of the Bighorn 3610RE features and has a better reputation in its ownership, but that could change in a moments notice and in some circles, it already has.

southern thunder · 03-01-2012, 01:00 AM

We have friends who traded a bighorn because of unresolved problems. That might be the dealer. When you make a purchase like this you are buying a dealer as well as a RV.

CamillaMichael · 03-01-2012, 10:09 AM

When shopping for our current fifth wheel, we were down to three manufacturers, including Jayco and Montana. While we really liked the Jayco, it seemed really flimsy in comparison to the Montana...the Montana was an easy choice. Of course, picking your fifth wheel will have to depend on what your priorities are...hope you make the best pick for you.

1retired06 · 03-04-2012, 12:43 AM

We have had three and happy with all of them

**DQDick** · 03-04-2012, 01:35 AM

We have found Keystone customer service generally easy to work with. If another brand is giving the dealers problems, I wouldn't go there. We are not anywhere near a dealer and are working on going full time so when we have issues we have to call Keystone to find a dealer near us to fix whatever it is. So far that's worked great, even to the point of Keystone authorizing warranty repairs at a non authorized dealer when no dealer was near where we were. Just my thoughts.

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