2955RL price and questions

[Tom Jr]

I have been looking at a new 2955RL. This would be our first 5th wheel and would like some imput from anyone that has experience with this model.
The best price I have been able to get from my dealer is $37500.00 for a 2009 with 10 Anniversary package and a few other options. Is this a good price and would the resale suffer from only being a 2 slide model?
Thanks in advance.
Tom

[jsnip42]

I had a 2004 model. My only complaint was having to look through the kitchen to see the TV. That is why we just ordered the 3000RK. It has 3 seperate area's. Other than that we loved the floorplan. I don't think the 2 slides will hurt resale.

I guess your price is on a 2008 model? I think it is a little high unless it is loaded up on options. That is about the price I got for a 2009 model 3000RK. You might can deal a little more. A 2008 is already a year old.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

As every area of the US is different so is the selling price of Montanas in every area. To me 37,5 seems to be a reasonable price BUT I don't necessarily feel it is the bottomline.
I am a firm believer in negotiations. I will accept no price as the final price until I have negotiated to the very end. These negotioations do not just include the price of the from the factory trailer but it also includes every aftermarket accessory you can think of. Don't be afraid to ask for MaxAir vent covers, new sewer hose and all connections you feel you may possibly be needing in your travels. New fresh water hose and it's various adapters. Leave your old hoses in your old trailer. 50AMP to 30AMP adapters. You will be surprised how often that adapter comes into play. Sun screens for the awning and the windows. Anything and everything you feel you may need can and should be included in the negotiations and included in the final figure that you will be financing.
You said this is your 1st 5th wheel. Do you have a hitch for your truck as yet? If not negotiate it into the deal as well. If you have a ShortBed truck, negotiate for a Pullrite Superglide automatic sliding hitch. That's how I got my Superglide.
Do not accept the dealer saying "That's the bottomline. I can go no further". Do not be afraid to walk away as the dealers are all hungry and they will not let you walk.
Everytime the dealer throws something into the deal ask for more afterall the worst that the dealer can say is "no". You will know deep down when you have reached the bottom and than is when you make the deal.

Today more and more RVers are moving up to 3 and 4 slide rigs. In fact just last year we traded our 04 2955RL in for a more roomyer 3 slide BUT that does not mean a 2 slide suffers at trade-in time. Our 2955 sure didn't. There are many many RVers out there that are just starting out and just as many that have no need for anything bigger than a 2955. In fact, for many years the 2955RL was and maybe still is the biggest seller in the smaller Montanas. Any used Montana has a reputation, among RV dealers, of being able to resell without a lot of effort.

Good luck and remember---negotiate, negotiate, negotiate, and negotiate some more.

[richfaa]

If you do a google you can come up with some benchmark prices. I see prices from the high 50's to the low 60's for a 2009 Model. I would google around and come up with a average MSRP price then take 30/33% off that to see where your price comes in... This is a buyers market and the 2009's are out.

[hookman]

I went between 33% and 23% off MSP and they will deal Check with a couple of dealers and work them against one another because when they know they are not the only one you are dealing with they get more aggressive for your business. Also include very thing you want in it and get 2 A/C not one. We ended up putting the second one in after.

[boylanag]

Al of the above and also welcome to the MOC Forum. When you do get your new Monty, bring it to the 2008 MOC Fall Rally in Goshen so we can all see it.

[jsmitfl]

Tom I would check Tiara RV Sales in Elkhart. I thought I saw one on their web page the other night for 32,000
By the way we have a 2001 and love it. The new ones are nice BUT we'll stay with what we have till we wear it out.

[bsmeaton]

At one time the 2955RL was one of the top 2 floorplans in sales, so I don't think you'll get hurt on resale because of the model.

We had the 2955RL and it did well for us coming from a travel trailer with no slides. Our only complaint was we had to crawl over the sofa bed to get to the door when the kids were sleeping, but that's hardly a complaint.

I will say our 2955 fit more places than our 3400, just because of the slides coming out on one side only.

Enjoy shopping!

[padredw]

Just to add another former owner of a 2955 along with Brad, Glenn, and Jsnip42. We had our 2955 for 5 years and traveled with it over 50,000 miles. We had nothing but good experiences with it and made an excellent trade when we found a larger model of another brand that fit our needs. Even now we note a few things we preferred about the 2955 over our present SOB fifth wheel. We considered ourselves fortunate that our 2002 year model had the wooden sliding doors separating the bedroom entirely from the bathroom. For us that is a feature we require. I do not know whether that is available in the latest Montana models.

[Bob Pasternak]

In '03 we went from an '01 Gulfstream class A to an '03 2955RL. About our only problem was placement of the door. It was sometimes hard to get the door in a convienient place on your site with it being at the rear. In '06 we got this 3000RK that we like very well. Two slides are enough for us and we've been in places that if we'd had 3 slides, we'd not have gotten in.

[Illini Trekker]

We bought our 2955RL new with no trade and gave $29000.00. The dealer can down off MSRP 25%. I like the floor plan. We gave away the two recliners and put one Lazy boy in its place, the wife likes the couch. this gave the entry way much more room for shoes coats and a place in the future for a freezer. With just two slides the trailer is much lighter and much easyer to set up around trees electric hook ups and other obstacles. Bed a bath work out great! One Ac has worked fine for us unless you like desert camping, Las Vagis in the summer. With fuel prices like they are smaller is BETTER!

[Bruce Lenhardt]

There is a 2006 for sale on this forum in the for sale threads.

[daneboy]

Tom Jr.
Welcome to the forum. We bought a new 06 2955RL & we are happy with it. So far we have about 35,000 miles on it without any major problems. For the two of us it is large enough. It tows very well. So far one AC has been fine for us, however we havmn't been camping in 100 plus degree weather. We got the king size bed and like that very much. The Queen bed allows for a little more leg room, while sitting on the reading stool.
Have Fun,
Jerry

[bsmeaton]

Jerry,

That is a ton of miles! Congratulations. Only wish I could put that kind of miles on mine.

[cdaniels]

We have a 2955RL 2005. Bought it used about a year ago in almost perfect condition. They are around if you look, if used is an option. We just love it. Coming from a motorhome and no slides, it is the best. We did consider trading up to a 3 slide once, (you tend to always want bigger and better), but honestly we don't need the extra room or the bill. With gas the way it is, our model is one of the smaller ones and less costly to pull hopefully. We have camped in some campgrounds that are pretty tight for our model so there are pro's and con's to the larger ones. The main issue is if it works for you. We have decided there is no perfect RV out there. Our motorhome worked great for many years but when you got somewhere no vehicle, our 5th wheel we love but the boat stays in the driveway. We could not be happier with ours. Whatever you decide I hope you are as happy.

[daneboy]

Brad,
You are working too hard. You'll reach old poop status soon enough.
We are headed for Garden of the Gods, Creed and Lake city in a couple of weeks. We won't burn too much fuel, staying close to home.
Jerry

[bsmeaton]

I'm jealous Jerry! That's my favorite territory. Enjoy your trip and be safe.

[mtofell]

I love my 04 2955rl... the interior finish and quality is great. The floorplan is super nice, too.

As for price it seems like the change from 1 slide to 2 is much greater than from 2 to 3. At least with 5th wheels in general, that is. I haven't seen a lot of Montanas with only one slide.

I'm actually selling mine due to work being slow and a baby on the way. It looks and smells like new. If you're anywere near the Pacific NW send me a message if you're interested.

[clarkandsheila]

We too have a 2955RL, '08 purchased last fall. It is our first RV and it suits us just fine. We were aboard for 3.5 months in Ar & Ca.
Dealers are going to be hungrier now than last year.
Good Luck

[mobrownies]

Lots of good info in the responses here. Ours is the Mountaineer version of the 2955RL, which we were told were the same thing in 04. Anyway, you might want to consider ordering a new trailer and getting it equiped the way you want it instead of the way they have it. For example, we went with the jack knife sofa to avoid having to step over the fold out bed. We also went with tinted glass and the 15,000 BTU AC to avoid having a second AC unit. By the way, the tinted glass is a nice privacy feature as you can't hardly see in the trailer in the daylight.

Everybodies wants and needs are different (which is why there are so many manufacturers and models), but we like our layout as well or better than any we have seen (and boy have we looked at a lot cause that is half the fun). There have been a number of times we wished it was smaller, but never bigger. I am glad that I don't have the extra weight of a bigger rig to haul around and we have enough trouble finding campsites with enough room as it is. Like the car industry, I look for the RV industry to start making smaller trailers.

I can't speak for the new ones, but they seem to be nose heavy. The pin weight on ours was way over the brochure (2,400 vs 1,900#) making it tough to stay within the specs of a 3/4 ton truck.

Good luck and we wish you many moons of happy camping.