First post - in the "discovery" stage - Montana Owners Club

JimB · 06-08-2007, 01:50 PM

Greetings!

I'm pleased to have found this site. We are long-time RVers who retired (early) last year. Since that time, we have been traveling by boat, seeing some of the country from a water perspective. We are having a ball with the boat, but both miss the RV lifestyle. We have over 250,000 miles in motorhomes, but have never owned a towable.

When we sold our last motorhome (40' diesel pusher), we took a pretty nasty beating on the depreciation. Plus, there was some frustration in dealing with service issues, since the motor, transmission, chassis, and the house on top of all that all required different service facilities. The truck service places never seemed happy to have to deal with a motorcoach, and most RV dealers are not set up to deal with the diesel chassis stuff. We have decided to go with a 5th wheel and are in the discovery stage. My initial research lead me towards Nu-Wa, Titanium, and Carriage. We had the opportunity to visit a Montana dealer and were impressed with the bang for the buck with these units. Leaning towards the 3400RL. So, the current mix is (in no particular order): Montana, Nu-Wa Discover America, and the Titanium.

Our usage will not be full-timing, but several months at a time (probably going back and forth between the boat, the house, and the RV). Of course, we'd appreciate any insight you'd like to offer regarding these brands (yes, I expect a certain bias towards one over the others - lol). We understand the Montana is less expensive than the other two, but wonder if the difference is significant. My wife is quite partial towards the Titanium (likes the bedroom arrangement with the bed over the cab of the truck), but it seems that there is less storage underneath due to that feature. The Nu-Wa has no problem with warranty issues with full-timing. We were both impressed with the livability of the Montana. Any thoughts you'd like to share would be appreciated.

Our purchase time will not be immediate, since we have plans on the boat for the next 4 months or so... we have time to search and ponder (stew over?) which 5er will best suit our needs.

Thanks for providing this forum - we look forward to participation here.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

stiles watson · 06-08-2007, 04:17 PM

First, welcome to the forum. This is the best place to get real info on Montanas. Second, based on your RVing history, I might suggest you look at the Big Sky. There is always significant wiggle room related to purchase price on Montanas.

Montana will have in its disclaimer a statement about fulltiming voiding the warranty, however, our experience with Keystone demonstrates they do back there product. Some have had effective service on warranty issues even after the warranty period has passed.

Our favorite statement is that with the Montana, you "get more bang for your buck." They is a good balance between quality, cost and responsiveness from the manufacturer.

JimB · 06-08-2007, 04:27 PM

Stiles and Dianna,
Thank you for the response. We did look at the Big Sky on the Keystone site, but my wife is focused on the floorplan of the 3400RL Montana. We have a 2006 GMC Sierra with the Duramax/Allison... how do you find your F250 does with your Big Sky?

TIA,
Jim B.

Mudchief · 06-08-2007, 04:37 PM

There are a lot of good 5th wheels out there. Some are much nicer than the Montana but we always came back to the Montana when we were looking. The reason was what Stiles stated above, "You get more bang for your buck" Like you already know when your life style changes and you decide to get rid of it you won't be taking as big a bath.

ols1932 · 06-08-2007, 04:40 PM

Welcome. I think you'll get lots of encouragement from the active participants of this forum. We've owned our Montana for over seven years now and really believe you do get more bang for your buck. Sure, you can pay a lot more and you can pay a lot less, but the Montana, I believe, is the way to go.

Orv

txkrumm · 06-08-2007, 05:54 PM

The 3400RL seems to be a great, liveable unit. My husband and I live in our 3655FL; a totally different floor plan. It works well for us. You just have to find what suites you. We have looked at almost every fifth wheel maker out there; have to agree with the rest. Definitely get your money's worth with a montana! If we bought a new one tommorow, it would be another montana.
Good luck!
t

stiles watson · 06-09-2007, 03:22 AM

Our 2003 F250 7.3L PSD does the job. When it comes to tow vehicles, you will get a lot of differing opinions. I have pulled in heavy ran, stiff cross winds, and on narrow, bumpy roads. My handling and breaking were very good under all conditions. I am sure there are tougher grades than in Arkansas or Missouri, but it pulled those grades satisfactorily. If I had the cash I wanted to spend that way, I suppose I would tow with a Volvo or a customized small Freightliner. I am satisfied that any of the big three, Ford, General Motors, or Dodge, will do the job for you.

bsmeaton · 06-09-2007, 05:42 AM

Jim - welcome to the Forum!

I would DEFINATELY go with the TITANIUM!

[IMAGE]http://www.emotihost.com/glass/4.gif[/IMAGE]

hahahaha - just thought I'd give you an answer you wouldn't expect here. We are very happy with our 3400.

We did look at the others briefly, but most of the upper end units seemed a little too "elegent" for our use. Never even shopped price. It really ends up being a very personal choice given all the factors. Some of the positive factors on the Montana were factory relations with the customer (factory - not necessarily Dealer) and a huge reference database called the MOC!

JimB · 06-09-2007, 03:10 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by bsmeaton

Jim - welcome to the Forum!

I would DEFINATELY go with the TITANIUM!

[IMAGE]http://www.emotihost.com/glass/4.gif[/IMAGE]

hahahaha - just thought I'd give you an answer you wouldn't expect here. We are very happy with our 3400.

... Some of the positive factors on the Montana were factory relations with the customer (factory - not necessarily Dealer) and a huge reference database called the MOC!

I love it! Great sense of humor!

Thanks for the positive reinforcement. I'll be lurking around here to learn as much as I can.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

sreigle · 06-16-2007, 11:16 AM

Welcome aboard. All of those brands you listed are good choices. As for the differences based on price, I think you'll find the higher priced units have nicer wood appointments and other visual attractions. I don't think you'll find the build quality any better than what the Montana provides. We've been very pleased with our three Montanas. But what brought us back to Montana each time is how the manufacturer stands behind the product. Of course, if we didn't like the floorplan and other amenities we would have bought elsewhere but we kept coming back to Montana. We've been fulltiming for over four years and have had zero problems getting warranty work done. Montana people know we are fulltimers as does our dealer. Not once has that been brought up. Not even at the Keystone service center where they also know we are fulltimers.

I don't think you could go wrong with any of the choices you mentioned. While you maybe are not true fulltimers, for those months you are in the rig you are living as fulltimers do. We find the 3400RL a very comfortable and livable model. And we find it tows beautifully and comfortably.

Good luck in your choice. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Plenty of us will be glad to answer your questions.

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