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Old 09-13-2006, 06:44 PM   #1
judyuk
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discussion with Montana factory rep.

We live in the Seattle area and are planning on purchasing a fifth wheel next spring. We've checked out just about every 5th wheel in the area and always come back to the Montana.....either the 3400 or the 3650.
Last weekend, we had an opportunity to talk to Charles Wade, the factory representative who was at the Seattle RV show.
I've followed this forum for sometime....it's great,by the way, and I really appreciate all the information I've gotten here and all the nice people who are willing to share the good and the bad! Anyway, I wanted to ask Charles about some of the issues I've read about.

1. Shower leaking: Charles says the factory doesn't like to install one piece showers because if they have to be replaced, there's no way to get them out of the RV. I guess that means they'd have to cut it in pieces and that's too time consuming. He's not aware of leaks other than some problems with the drain. I think I recall a problem with the sides of the base not being cut high enough on the sides but forgot to bring that up...so if you're reading this, Charles

2. The Zenith TV's were purchased several years ago and the cabinets were engineered to fit this model. The factory should be out of stock by January. The LED's are dropping in price enough that hopefully they'll be the new standard option. Don't know if that means changes to the entertainment cabinet too.

3. The new models have all of the connections together on an outside panel and look like they're convenient to use.

There was a "prototype" of the 3400 which we really liked. They used the Cambridge birch interior and it looked sharp. Wish we were ready as I would have bought it. At this time, they have not included it in their lineup.

Thanks again to all of you. You're not only smart, but some of you are really, really funny too!

Judy Healy

 
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Old 09-13-2006, 07:05 PM   #2
jrgwdenner
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Welcome to the forum and thanks for that interesting report.

Judy
http://spaces.msn.com/bamatravelers/
http://bamatravelers.blogspot.com
Traveling with Glen and Greta in our 2004 Dodge dually and Montana 3380 RL

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Old 09-14-2006, 02:05 AM   #3
Wrenchtraveller
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Judy, Good report by you and good choice also. The Montanas are hard to beat. On the shower issue, over 100 showers taken in ours , no signs of a leak. The Zenith Dinosaur TV is down in the Family room and I am shopping for an LCD and I have a plan how to install it and I will gain a nice towel closet across the hall from the shower. It looks like a 26" is the largest I have room for and at Costco.ca I can get a 26" Daytex for 699.99 Canadian and so far this is my first choice.
I am in no hurry as I don't need the Montana until Spring but when I go out there, I hate the look of that big hole in the wall so I might get this done sooner. I will post Pics. Take care.

PS, Do your self a favor and get the fireplace. I never thought it would be my favorite option but it is and many MOCers agree with me.

Don & Donna
Vancouver Island
2005 Ford F350 V10 Lariat CC 4x4 LB SRW 11200 GVWR
2006 Montana 2955RL
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Old 09-14-2006, 02:06 AM   #4
Bill and Ann
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Thanks for sharing with us.

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Old 09-14-2006, 03:14 AM   #5
Glenn and Lorraine
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Welcome Judy to the MOC family and thank you for that fine report. As we will be looking into upgrading our Monty sometime soon this is some great info especially the birch interior part.


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Old 09-14-2006, 10:19 AM   #6
sreigle
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Good report. Thanks.

One comment on the shower. Remember that if a one-piece shower is too large to get out of the rig if it needs to be replaced, then the replacement is also too big to get INTO the rig and you sure wouldn't want to cut up that one.


See another Montana or Mountaineer on the road? Flash lights twice, it might be one of us!
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Old 09-14-2006, 10:25 AM   #7
rickfox
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Well said Steve.

Rick & Wanda
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Old 09-14-2006, 01:42 PM   #8
judyuk
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Good Point!! That's exactly why I read this forum
Who would like to come to Seattle and help me negoiate this deal???? I'm a lousy cook but I'm fun to be with!
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Old 09-14-2006, 01:54 PM   #9
judyuk
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One other thing I forgot to mention when we were talking to Charles. I'm not crazy about the recliners and wondered if I could order the 5th wheel without them. He said you can......but if you're trading in a Montana a few years down the line, having the original furniture in the unit makes a differance on trade in value. So he recommends if you really don't like their furniture, try and store it somewhere just for the trade in value.
Here I am already whining about the furniture and I don't even have a 5th wheel.
I am however a former furniture salesperson so I think that gives me a few rights
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Old 09-14-2006, 02:26 PM   #10
rickety
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Hi Judy,
We live over on the peninsula, glad you like the forum. It's great and the people are great!
I don't know who you are dealing with, but LaDonna at Tacoma RV in Fife is hard to beat.No pressure sales people, they don't work on commission and LaDonna pays them well. Their only concern is that you find the unit that you like. Their repair people seem to be aware of their responsibilities to the owners of the RV's. We bought ours from them 2 years ago and have never had a problem . Love that Monty

[IMG] http://tinypic.com/j8lbg9
.jpg[/IMG]
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Old 09-14-2006, 02:28 PM   #11
Wrenchtraveller
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Judy, You can get the Costco price from Foley's and that is a good starting place.

Don & Donna
Vancouver Island
2005 Ford F350 V10 Lariat CC 4x4 LB SRW 11200 GVWR
2006 Montana 2955RL
click on the little pic to see a big pic
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Old 09-14-2006, 02:47 PM   #12
richfaa
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Charles is a good salesperson... Nice story... Don't worry about resale value of the recliners a few years down the road.Take a good look at the recliners ..they are not going to last a "few years"

Rich& Helen N.Ridgeville,Ohio.

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Old 09-14-2006, 03:19 PM   #13
Bruce Lenhardt
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I agree with Rich. The recliners are not going to last very long. We have had to shore up some seams all ready. I like the color and texture, but they are NOT top of the line.
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Old 09-14-2006, 03:42 PM   #14
judyuk
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Hi Rick and Don,

Actually we have been to Foley's but they didn't have hardly anything on their lot. We've also been to Tacoma RV and were unlucky enough to get a "new salesperson" which means I knew more than he did, and that's not a comforting thought.
We did meet LaDonna though when I was at the show and Charles also said she's the deal maker so we probably will buy through her.
We're headed to the RV Show in Portland this weekend. I've never been but understand it's much bigger than the Seattle show.

We went to the Life on Wheels in Moscow Idaho in July. I highly recommend it for everyone but especially newcomers like us. My husband did all of the technical stuff, and I tried to cover the general classes.
We also met some really nice fellow RV'ers that we hope to meet up with some day. Most of the instructors are also fulltimers and had some great info to share.

Don, are you in Victoria? That's one of my favortie cities, although I haven't been there in a few years.
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Old 09-14-2006, 04:11 PM   #15
boat391
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Judy as far as I am concerned you met the best keystone rep in the world Charles is one very smart man and the biggest reason we bought our 3400 all though we wish we would have used a different dealer but thats a different story hope you find the best deal for you and if there is anything we can help with ask away
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Old 09-14-2006, 05:05 PM   #16
bob n pam
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Judy, great report. Nice to hear new info coming from the district rep.
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Old 09-14-2006, 05:12 PM   #17
Montana Sky
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Charles Wade is a great asset to the Keystone team! I had the pleasure of meeting Charles back in Jan of 2004. He and I sat down at the RV show in Spokane and worked out all the details for the factory order of my 3400RL.
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Old 09-14-2006, 06:49 PM   #18
Wrenchtraveller
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Judy, I live in the Cowichan Valley and I am about 40 minutes from Victoria which is my favorite city although we love travelling in the USA. Cheap Beer and Cheap wine. I always drink more when I am in the States so I can save even more money. Take care.
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Old 09-15-2006, 05:32 AM   #19
drhowell
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When we bought our 2001 used a little over a year ago we let the seller keep all the furniture except the hide a bed (which had been replaced already. Everything was worn and stained. Even let them keep the mattress.

All new furniture made the Montana almost new again.

Go for the comfort and don't worry about resale. Most people wouldn't know if the furniture was original or replaced anyway. Just interested in how worn or comfortable it is.
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Old 09-15-2006, 09:13 AM   #20
judyuk
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Thanks for the input everyone.
As I stated before, I am a retired furniture salesperson and also a tired one.....must be where the term retired came from
If you're looking to replace your recliners and want something smaller but still comfy, Lazboy sells a model 532 which is only 28 1/2" wide. Most people under 5'10" will fit in these almost perfectly. This model has open arms on the sides. For the animal lovers who like to have their pets sit with them, most animals don't like the open sides so it's not for everyone!

Don, Vancouver Island is high on my list for RVing hopefully next summer....I'll probably be asking you places to stay and things to see when the time gets closer.
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