About all I can say is why we have a Montana. This is our fourth fifthwheel. The third one was a 2001 Montana. When we decided to fulltime we traded for a larger 2003 Montana (same model you're considering). We've been to both coasts a couple times in our 15 months of fulltiming, so we don't park it in one place and stay there for months. Our Montana gets all the abuse of being on the road. It has held up very well. Also, if you peruse this forum closely you'll see how Keystone stands behind the product, a major consideration in my book. You also mentioned the Everest. That's another good product from Keystone and is a good looking rig. I asked a Keystone rep whether the Everest is a step up or down from the Montana. He said 'neither'. He told me Everest and Montana have essentially the same budget but Everest puts a larger percentage into eye candy while Montana puts more into structural quality. Since we're fulltiming, that's an important difference to me. You can buy a higher quality rig but for considerably more money. For my money, the Montana is plenty good construction at a cost I can afford. Most bang for the buck, in other words. Montana has been the number one seller in North America for the past two years. I think, but am not positive, it's in the lead this year, as well. That speaks well of Montana. There must be a reason for that.
That said, there are other good brands out there that might just better fit your needs, wants, and budget. Just keep the Montana in mind when you compare and pick whichever brand works best for you. Good luck. Hope you end up happy, Montana or otherwise.
--edited-- Meant to add that Holiday Rambler and Newmar are high in my book. Good products.
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