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Old 07-14-2006, 11:58 AM   #1
Montana_6029
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Join Date: Jul 2006
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What to buy?

Hello all. I am currently not a fifth wheel owner but will be in the future. I have been a backpack camper most of my life, then campground and no I am headed to the RV. We have been looking at several RV's and are looking for the best quality to purchase. I would sooner pay more money up front then pay more in the end with aggravation. We have heard good things about Montana's and the Jayco Designer series. This may be a foolish question to ask on a Montana website but what do you believe is the best built among the RV's? I have been researching fifth wheels for a while and its time to get moving. Are there any major problems with the Montana's? We would be looking in the area between the 2955RL and the 3000RK, mainly due to there is only two of us. Our price range fits well within any of the Montana's. Any advice would be great. We would be pulling it with on 06 Silverado, 2500 HD Duramax. Thank you for your time.
 
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Old 07-14-2006, 12:23 PM   #2
padredw
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We too have been backpackers:

http://www.dwilliamson.com/rvhist/Page.html

and have had three fifth wheel RVs: our first a used Prowler Regal with front living room, our second a new Jayco Eagle, and our present Montana 2955RL (2002 model year). The Designer is a nice trailer and we were considering it when we found our Montana (on a trip to Florida--we bought in Panama City from RV Connections).

We prefer the 2955 to larger Montana for our own use. We are not and never will be full timers. I prefer to tow and park the smaller trailer.

In short, I don't think you would go wrong with either the Montana or the Jayco Designer. I have not made a careful comparison, but that is my impression. Spend some time in the exact models of each which you are considering before making the choice. The one that "feels right" is the one you should get.

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Old 07-14-2006, 12:34 PM   #3
Glenn and Lorraine
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Lorraine and I have been full timing for the past 33 months. In that time we have only had one RV and that is our 2955RL and we pull it with a 2500HD with the D/A package. We are 150% satisfied with the Montana and the 2500. It is just about perfect for our full time lifestyle.

All I know about the Designer is what I have seen and other than it is not a Montana I don't recall seeing anything in the Jayco I didn't like.
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Old 07-14-2006, 12:51 PM   #4
vickir
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ST98 ... Welcome to the MOC! We just ordered our 3rd Montana, a 3400RL, so it's obvious where our loyalities lie. However, I did want to pass along a little tidbit we learned when we took the factory tour this week ... the 2955RL is the 2nd most popular selling model in the Montana line, so you would certainly be in some great company if you went that route.

I do urge you to go to several RV dealers and go in a variety of brands and models. I agree with PadreDW, when you find the one that feels right, you'll know it the minute you walk in the door.

Good luck in your search!
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Old 07-14-2006, 12:59 PM   #5
stiles watson
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We took the quantum leap from backpacking to Montana. We are now fulltimers (although in Hong Kong for a bit). The Montana may not be the best RV on the market. I don't know which unit that may be. But I do believe the Montanas are the "best bang for the buck." The quality has been everything we have expected. I can not comment about Jayco.
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Old 07-14-2006, 02:34 PM   #6
Cat320
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Welcome to the forum...lots of good advice and lots of good people. My wife just went through what you are going through. We agonized over the Montanas, NuWa Hitchhiker, Cameo Carriage LXI, and Sunnybrook. Narrowed it down to the Sunnybrook and the Montana, and decided on a 2007 Montana 3400RL. Bottom line was it was the most bang for the buck, with a very good and close dealer. Good luck.
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Old 07-14-2006, 04:12 PM   #7
TheCoachPotatoes
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I can give you many reason to buy a Montana. We also have done camping with tents, backpacking, canoeing and camping on islands up in Saranac, NY. We graduated over the years to bigger and better. We now have the coach we really love. It does give you bang for the buck. But one of the best features is this Forum! We have met more great people since we bought our Montana, than in all our years of camping.
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Old 07-14-2006, 06:00 PM   #8
Sunshine
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There are a lot of good RV's out there. We looked for a few years when we were considering trading in the Prowler Regal for a fifth wheel and always came back to the Montana. They just seemed to be good quality and felt right for us. We were fortunate to find a previously enjoyed 3255RL, which is a model Keystone discontinued. It fits our RV'ing style very well. If you read this forum, you'll find "the good, the bad and the ugly" about Montanas. Good luck in your search for the brand and style that is right for you.
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Old 07-14-2006, 10:34 PM   #9
labouttejr
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Montana is good bang for your buck, but what help us decide is that there are more manfacture authorized service centers for montana then any other brand.
We heard of many stories of being out in the middle of no-where needing repair and not having an "manfacture authorized" service center around having it repaied by someone and voiding the warrenty.
Something to think about.
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Old 07-15-2006, 03:39 AM   #10
Driftwoodgal
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We looked for over five years at the various makes and models. In 2004 we came close to buying the 3400RL but bought a used 2000 New Vision. We just traded the New Vision on (guess what?) a new 2006 3400RL. We liked the extra room back in 2004 and still like it. Hubby is an insurance adjuster so he will have a office and file cabinets in the Monty when he is working so space is important to us.

The weight of the Montana was something that we also looked at as well as the other models. We think we have found the one that is perfect for us. We tow it with a 2005 Silverado LB Diesel Duramax with the Allison Transmission. We haven't had any trouble pulling it with our truck.

Good luck with what every you buy. This is a great place to find out information about the Montana product.
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Old 07-26-2006, 07:31 AM   #11
richfaa
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The vast majority of Rv's are built within a 50 mile circle of Elkhart , Ind, They utilize the same workforce. They use the same vendors.Example Jayco and Montana are built just a few miles from one another.The rv industry, IMO, does not get high marks in workmanship and quality control.You will find the same type problems in all the brands. The dealer is critical in your purchase..they will correct any problem areas.The manufacturer is also critical..Do they stand behind the product. How do they hahdle warranty service..What kind of relationship do they have with the dealers. The Jayco Designer series, Forest river Cardinal and Keystone Montana are very comparable campers.We considered all of them, We toured all of the plants. We picked the Montana because we felt Keystone does back the product..In fact they go above and beyond backing the product, Check around the forum..no punches are pulled here...The good..the bad..the ugly..it is all here..and...Keystone does not seem to mind.
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