Montana vs Cardinal - Montana Owners Club

Montana_5621 · 03-30-2006, 08:50 AM

The house is for sale. I have 20mos to retire. When we sell the house we will buy the fiver. We have looked at many, and Montana in my opinion gives the best bang for my buck, but Cardinal has also caught my attention. Can anyone give me any "disqualification information" about Cardinal vs Montana?
Thank you
Al Viscardi
Farmington, N.M.

jrgwdenner · 03-30-2006, 09:02 AM

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have a great adventure ahead of you. The Montana and the Cardinal are both good units but you can expect a little partiality here on the forum. We have many folks who fulltime in their Montana and find them very comfortable. I'm sure they'll be along to encourage and enlighten you.

richfaa · 03-30-2006, 10:09 AM

Well you found a guy with absolutely no brand loyalty what-so -ever. Did not care what name was on the camper as long as it met ALL our needs. The last two on our list was the Montana& Cardinal . We toured both plants and to be honest saw little if any difference in the manufacturing process or Quality.We have a Montana 3400Rl on order.The determining factors were..quality of the dealer and Keystones reputation of standing behind the product.Look around this forum and you will see many owners reporting many problems, that's the way it is in the RV industry, any brand. Also note the response by Keystone in addressing and correcting the many issues. some years out of Warranty/ Keystone will not be perfect and you will find some owners not happy campers..But Keystone is far above any other manufacturer , in the price range,in customer satisfaction.Bottom line We got the best bang for our buck with the Montana..

Mac · 03-30-2006, 01:19 PM

While there might be some bias on this site I think most people are pretty honest. There are a lot of nice 5ers out there and Cardinal probably falls into that category. For us it wasn't that close and we went with our Monty which we love. That said, it really is the brand and floor plan that works for YOU, after all, even all us Monty nuts like different floor plans too!

mac

campbud · 03-30-2006, 01:37 PM

We traded our 2003 32-BHLE Cardinal in for a 2005 2955Rl Montana. I am way more satisfied with the Montana then the Cardinal. We had some problems with the Cardinal. The filon on the outside started to get wavy, the storage doors we had to drill holes in for the water to drain, our furnace was fixed a couple of times, they replaced our ladder b/c it was not on right..I do have to say they were good about fixing everything while in warranty. Just b/f trading in all the linoluem was coming up in the kitchen( they must of not of used the correct glue) It was out of warranty on this so we would of had to deal with that and the siding ourselves. They also used more tape on the walls then I have seen and the glue ozzes out and it doesnt look pretty. The Cardinal was also alot heavier than our Monty. The Monty pulls so much better.
I think that you can have problems with any unit but I think we had more than our share with the Cardinal, as I would not buy again. B/f that we had a Terry and we only a few minor problems.

stiles watson · 03-30-2006, 01:50 PM

In my opinion, both Mac and Richfaa are correct in saying that the differences are moot. The deciding factor would be simply what appeals the most. One external factor to taste in RV's is the kind of support available. This forum is an extremely valuable resource of information and support. By reading this forum consistantly, I have been able to get answers to questions I didn't even know to ask and thereby avoid issues. That has translated into significant dollars for me. I always prefer to avoid problems than to fix what has broken.

I like my Monty and I value greatly the folks on this forum. I have no idea whether Cardinal has such a forum, but all things being equal, I would choose an RV with an owner driven support team.

richfaa · 03-30-2006, 02:23 PM

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Cardinal-L/ http://www.cardinalrvclub.org/phpbb/index.php

Here are the Cardinal owners sites. Compare

Mac · 03-30-2006, 03:17 PM

Rich,

Well if that's your comparison then Montana's are far superior to Cardinal!

mac

Montana Sky · 03-30-2006, 03:45 PM

I really like my Montana, have never been in a Cardinal so I have nothing to offer in comparison. I just wanted to say welcome to the MOC. Best of luck in your purchase decision...

richfaa · 03-31-2006, 12:52 AM

Mac..we thought so that's why we ordered the 3400 RL. I think that when you look at the "big Picture" you will get more for your hard earned money with Keystone and Montana.However..Take your time do your homework Look beyond "the camper" and research the dealer you may buy from, If you get in the area go to the factory..go to both of them they are close together,Keep a eye on the Cardinal/and Montana forum. RV net open roads is another good forum,Hear what owners of campers are reporting.All of this will give you a good data base from which to make a decesion. Ours was the Montana.

Montana_5621 · 03-31-2006, 01:12 AM

Thank you all so much for the input...its funny the process is both exciting and stress filled!...lol

jrgwdenner · 03-31-2006, 01:20 AM

That's a very good observation. Just wait til you have your new rig in your driveway and start getting ready to hitch up and pull out for your first trip. Then you'll really understand the stress/fun feeling.

Kathi · 03-31-2006, 01:43 AM

We looked at every RV from trailers, motorhomes to trailers. Every brand, size, shape etc. Five years we spent going to RV shows, dealer lots etc. I can only tell you from my experience, I think I saw everything. The day we were going to purchase the Alpenlite we drove onto the lot and I looked over and saw the Montana sitting there. How we missed looking at that one I'll never know but from the minute we walked inside the 3400RL we looked at each other and said this is it...We bought it on the spot. Had them order it just the way we wanted it....That was the 2nd best feeling, the 1st being the day we pulled it off the lot home. Paid cash and ...I think we made the right decision, we have never questioned the price, the model or any faults it might be having. If you were to pull your stick house down the road at 60+ miles an hour it to would have issues. So the only thing I have to say is YOU'LL KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT! No matter what or where you see it. Enjoy it and Happy RVing!

stiles watson · 03-31-2006, 02:08 AM

What makes it stressful is the fear of making a mistake. Anxiety is a process of "awefullizing" or imagining the worst. "What if I buy the wrong one?" I choose to use my gift of imagination to focus on what I want to happen with such intensity that I facilitate its occurrance. Call it positive thinking or unreallistic optimism or whatever. This attitude keeps me joyful.

Bill DeMeulle · 03-31-2006, 04:47 AM

We traded in our 34'Cardinal single slide for our 2003 Monty 3280 RL,did not have any problems with either one just wanted a larger unit. The Monty is much lighter and easier to pull even though they were the same length.

sreigle · 03-31-2006, 09:16 AM

Al, in my honest opinion the Cardinal is also a good choice. It was on our short list. I think you need to figure out which of the two would make you happiest and most comfortable. Mentally and/or physically walk through everything you would do in the rig, and outside it. Storage, Location of everything. Etc.

Construction on both brands is good although my personal opinion is the Montana is a slight bit better in that area. But that's just an opinion and may not be correct. Look at things like attic vents to vent moisture. I know the Montana has them. The Cardinal may, too, but I don't remember.

How does the manufacturer stand behind the Cardinal? I am not sure. They may be excellent but you'll have to research that. It's important when something goes wrong. My experience with Keystone is they are superb in this area.

One thing to think about. Montana is the number one seller in North America for the last five years. There has to be a reason for that. That said, my personal opinion is the Cardinal is also a good choice and you would not be making a mistake by going with a Cardinal.

The above are reasons why we chose a Montana. Plus, there is the Montana Owners Club!! It didn't exist when we bought our Montana but MOC would have been a big positive in Montana's favor if it had been there then. Just looking at how this group rallied to help Jim and Gloria's rig from South Texas to their home in North Carolina(?) says a lot as does all the help members here have provided for many of us.

Good luck. You have the difficult situation of having to choose between two good brands.

I had to edit this to add one last comment. Our first Montana was a new 2001 2880RL. When we wanted to trade for one that could handle a washer and dryer, we looked at several good brands. We bought another Montana. And have never regretted that choice. This one has around 50,000 miles on it and we plan to have it for a long time yet. We have passed the 3 year mark of traveling and living fulltime in this Montana.

Montana_5621 · 03-31-2006, 01:51 PM

So we drove to Durango Colorado today. spent about 2hours with Montanas....we are sold, now we just need to make our deal. We fell in love with the 3475RL

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

Al, in my honest opinion the Cardinal is also a good choice. It was on our short list. I think you need to figure out which of the two would make you happiest and most comfortable. Mentally and/or physically walk through everything you would do in the rig, and outside it. Storage, Location of everything. Etc.

Construction on both brands is good although my personal opinion is the Montana is a slight bit better in that area. But that's just an opinion and may not be correct. Look at things like attic vents to vent moisture. I know the Montana has them. The Cardinal may, too, but I don't remember.

How does the manufacturer stand behind the Cardinal? I am not sure. They may be excellent but you'll have to research that. It's important when something goes wrong. My experience with Keystone is they are superb in this area.

One thing to think about. Montana is the number one seller in North America for the last five years. There has to be a reason for that. That said, my personal opinion is the Cardinal is also a good choice and you would not be making a mistake by going with a Cardinal.

The above are reasons why we chose a Montana. Plus, there is the Montana Owners Club!! It didn't exist when we bought our Montana but MOC would have been a big positive in Montana's favor if it had been there then. Just looking at how this group rallied to help Jim and Gloria's rig from South Texas to their home in North Carolina(?) says a lot as does all the help members here have provided for many of us.

Good luck. You have the difficult situation of having to choose between two good brands.

I had to edit this to add one last comment. Our first Montana was a new 2001 2880RL. When we wanted to trade for one that could handle a washer and dryer, we looked at several good brands. We bought another Montana. And have never regretted that choice. This one has around 50,000 miles on it and we plan to have it for a long time yet. We have passed the 3 year mark of traveling and living fulltime in this Montana.

richfaa · 03-31-2006, 02:25 PM

3475 is a great choice..Hope Helen does not see this but after they discontinued the 3670 the 3475 was my choice. Helen thought the extra slide in the kitchen area of the 3400 gave her more room...I did not argue the point..Never argue with a Irish Person..it hurts..we ordered the 3400RL.

Garin1 · 03-31-2006, 05:41 PM

Kathi, you are absolutely right. When you see "IT" you just know. When the DW saw the new Monty for the first time we were JUST OUT LOOKING. She said we are not buying. Well, when she saw that rear kitchen it was all over but the crying(for joy). We have never looked back.

stiles watson · 03-31-2006, 06:49 PM

Won't get any of us to argue against your choice. Here's to a good deal now!!!

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