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Old 03-31-2007, 05:11 PM   #1
Walt Gonna to Buy
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Trying to decide

Now I am trying to figure out how to reply ... how this works drives me nuts..http://[)]
 
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Old 03-31-2007, 05:34 PM   #2
Tom Gina 06
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Walt,

Welcome to the MOC you will find a great group of 1st class people here happy to answer all your questions.

I believe many people here will say go with your heart and what fits you the best. One thing about the MOC is you will find an answer to about any question, that you can come up with, concerning the ownership of a Montana. Not to mention the people here come from all walks of life and very knowledgeble. You can about name any problem and the MOC will be happy to give you positive imput.

One thing that we considered when we purchased our 3400RL was the amount of kitchen counter space and storage. The 3295RK is also another model that is very good for that reason. Either way you will be very happy. As far as the TV (tow vehical) I would recomend a 1 Ton or as some here a very heavy duty 3/4 ton minimum. Since you are planning on fulltiming/living in it the biggest TV you can afford would be advised.

Enjoy the forum and remember to read past posts to get a feel for what the Montana gives to all of us good and bad. Just remember the bad goes with all brands on the market today, at least the MOC will help find solutions where many other brands do not.

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Old 04-01-2007, 01:24 AM   #3
richfaa
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Alpha See Ya/Montana 3400/3295.Oh Boy... Since the camper may be your home take a real good look at Quality, workmanship, fit and finish on both of them. Then choose. Since we knew that we would be spending a lot of time in our camper and doing a lot of traveling we purchased the biggest truck and camper we could afford..That is working for us..it may or may not work for you. Take your time, do your home work, Sign on to different forums, gather information but do not allow your self to be directed by what others say.
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Old 04-01-2007, 01:43 AM   #4
rvfirefighter
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I listened to veterans on traveling before I bought my first rig. We toured the RV shows for two years.
My first thought was money, I could afford just so much. Most of the big motorhomes were over my head in price, the lower units did not appeal to me. I would have to buy a tow unit because I did not have one to pull.

Everyone told us that we would probably trade up and go bigger within a few years, they were right. I bought a truck that would handle a bigger unit without having to trade. I also went with a diesel unit for better performance when pulling and MPG. At the time diesel was cheaper than gas, but MPG is still more in a diesel, so this is probably a wash.

There are times now when traveling that I wish had a smaller unit, but when I am set-up for a period of time I am very satisfied with my unit.
This is my second Montana, I feel they are good units, but I feel that they have slipped down the ladder on quality and workmanship the past few years. I feel this is part to the original owners selling and trying to produce too many units per day.
One thing for sure is, we are happy living the life on the road.
Safe Travels.
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Old 04-01-2007, 02:11 AM   #5
tcorbitt
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Walt,

Sounds like you are in for a lot of fun... We purchased our first Montana last year. In our case, we were looking for a good family RV for the next 10 years. We travel 10K or so a year, usually 1-2 weeks at a shot, 6-7 times a year. We were upgrading from a 32' TT; durability, over-the-road handling and safety, floor plans key factors for us. We planned to go with a Titinum, Holiday Rambler, or Alpha when started looking. We started noticing a lot of Montana's on the road (since learned it is the #1 5th on the Market) and decided to look at them just for kicks, the day we decided on the Titinum. So, on the way to the dealership to finalize the sale on the Titinum, we took a little detour.... We planned on spending $50-60K when we started out and almost settled in at $58K for the Titinum. During this little detour, we walked into a Montana Mountianeer that had the perfect floorplan (bunkhouse model). The value factor closed the deal. We were in the $60K range for the above rigs. We ended up spending $38K (List $48,500) on the Mountianeer and couldn't be happier with our decision. Sure, a fireplace, hi-gloss gel coat, etc, would be great some day. But for us, spending a lot less was a bonus. In the future, when the kids are grown up and we are in a situation to start full timing, I fully exect we will move up the Montana line (Montana, Everest, Big Sky), give up the bunks in favor of the recliners and fireplace ...

Good luck, and have a lot of fun... Tim
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Old 04-01-2007, 04:07 AM   #6
illapah
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We traded our 2955RL for our present 3295. For some reason we like the 3295 better than the 3400. Just personal choice. We travel with a German Shepherd and 3 ferrets.
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Old 04-01-2007, 04:10 AM   #7
illapah
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BTW, we also traded 3/4 ton Dodge Ram diesel for the 1 ton Ford. The increased towing ability and payload that Ford provides made me feel better towing than the 3/4 ton. Also I don't care for dual rear wheels.
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Old 04-01-2007, 11:26 AM   #8
Montana Sky
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Alfa and Montana both make great 5th wheels. Each one has different things that they do better than the other, but overall, you would be happy with either one. As far as tow vehicle? Any of the top 3 diesel 1 tons will do the job. Test drive them all and find the one that feels best to you. I personally am a GM guy and just love my Duramax. Happy shopping.... =)
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Old 04-01-2007, 11:52 AM   #9
SKOOBDO
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Alpha See Ya/Montana 3400/3295.Oh Boy... Since the camper may be your home take a real good look at Quality, workmanship, fit and finish on both of them. Then choose. Since we knew that we would be spending a lot of time in our camper and doing a lot of traveling we purchased the biggest truck and camper we could afford..That is working for us..it may or may not work for you. Take your time, do your home work, Sign on to different forums, gather information but do not allow your self to be directed by what others say.
what he said
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Old 04-01-2007, 12:09 PM   #10
Garin1
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I agree completely with Richfaa and Scoobdo. Our personal tastes have put us in a 3650RK and a Ford F-350 Suderduty single rear wheel. The 3650RK is one of the biggest Montana's and very comfortable. The Ford,,well,,again a personal choice.

Good luck and have fun
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Old 04-01-2007, 01:48 PM   #11
BillyRay
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I've had both ford and chevy...been happy with both. The hard part is comparing the differances from year to year. Some years one will offer something the other wouldn't. When I bought mine in 2002, there was a huge difference in towing capacity....now they are quite similiar.
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Old 04-01-2007, 05:09 PM   #12
Okie Guy
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When you walk in the trailer which your supposed to purchase you will know it instantly. I was looking at some off brand when the salesman said lets go look at this Montana that just came in. The second we walked inside we looked around and knew this was built for us. I hope you have the same luck in your hunt for the prefect RV.
Phil
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Old 04-02-2007, 03:08 PM   #13
sreigle
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Welcome aboard! You came to the right place to ask about Montanas.

The Alpha is an excellent choice. It would be hard to go wrong with that one. But I have to say the same thing about the Montanas. Montana has been the number one selling trailer in North America for six years in a row. That says a lot. I'm not sure I'd put it in the same class as an Alpha but if you're looking for bang for the buck, I think Montana is tough to beat.

We fulltimed in our 2003 Montana 3295RK for 3 1/2 years and loved it. We traded last August for a 3400RL and love it, too. They each have their strong points and weaknesses. But either would be an excellent choice. The 3400RL is slightly heavier. In our case, 360 lbs heavier. The 3295RK has the heavier pinweight, however. In ours, the 3295RK pinweight was about 440 lbs heavier.

As for tow vehicles, all three manufacturers make trucks that will do a fine job for you, if you go diesel or one of the big gas engines (Ford V10 or GM 8.1L V8). You can check the signatures to see who is towing what with which truck. Each of us naturally thinks ours is the best but the bottom line is all three brands do a good job. I'd recommend you keep that in mind and make your final choice based on your other preferences.

Good luck. Don't hesitate with the questions.
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Old 04-02-2007, 05:16 PM   #14
Rocky2
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We are fulltimers and have the 3400 and love it. We live with 3 dogs and there is still room for us.

As for tow vehicle - my husband loves his Chevy diesel with the allison transmission, he has added an Edge chip, air bags, etc.

Good luck with your decision.
Laura

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Old 04-03-2007, 07:24 AM   #15
ftrvin4me
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Question-- does anyone know what the use classification is for the "Montana". We started a thread "Why a Monty?" and have received some great replys but no mention of how it is rated for full time use. Still stuck between 2 units but must say the MOC group has given the most testimonials and is definetly swaying us that way.
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Old 04-03-2007, 05:08 PM   #16
richfaa
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They are not certified or rated for full time use.. The brochure says..zero degree tested and approved features "enhance" four season living. I will go as far as to say that no camper in the Montana price range is Certified/rated for full timer living. There are many folks on this forum who do live in them full time in the worst weather and have made the modifications to do so..there is much to be learned from them.
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Old 04-04-2007, 06:55 AM   #17
simonsrf
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Alpha See Ya/Montana 3400/3295.Oh Boy... Since the camper may be your home take a real good look at Quality, workmanship, fit and finish on both of them.
Rich,
Are you serious? I would think that of all the people on this forum, you would NOT make a statement like that one.....

Most people look at the functionality of the floor plan...fit and finish have little merit in a "moving-box-on-wheels". If quality and workmanship were part of the decision making process, we would not be sinking money into a box on wheels. IMHO.

Walt Gonna to Buy,
Spend plenty of time looking at the floor plan, the storage space and the way you live (eat at the table, outside, cook outside/inside). Ask yourself questions about the placement of the furniture etc. Will your computer fit? will you need to carry bicycles and/or golf clubs and carts? Is the storage area in the basement big enough?.....Will you be carrying anything that is not necessarily easy to fit in the trailer? Like I said earlier, we fell for the floorplan....then we found the MOC forum to help us endure our mistakes. Living in an RV fulltime is different than parttime, and your decisions now will make huge differences in the way you will be living in your new home in the future.

Like said above, buy the biggest best truck you can afford. I will not get into the "my truck is better than your truck", but do get one big enough to handle more than you think you will need. Add-ons like overload springs, and air bags etc. are expensive. The trade-in value will be well worth the diffence in cost later.

Good luck! Happy motoring, and hope to see you down the road.
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Old 04-04-2007, 07:25 AM   #18
jretz
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We looked for over a year. First 5th wheel we looked at was a Montana but I had others in mind. We originally decided on the Lakota and the Medallion. These were the ones that we used as a comparison for other units. After a year of comparing and reading we went with the Montana. Reasons: Tow Weight, Storage, Kitchen size (counter space in the 3400), ventilation (condensation and roof venting), insulation (roof, walls and floor), livability of the floor plan. Quality of construction seemed to be the same in most units we looked at except maybe the Travel Supreme (but high priced and heavy). Once you find a 5th wheel you like look some more and compare, we are glad we did.

For a tow vehicle, like others have said buy biggest you can afford. But keep in mind it may also be your primary vehicle. We started looking a short bed one tons but decided that for easy of towing we would get a long bed, the little extra length was easy to get use to. For the easy of driving reason, we went with the single rear wheels rather than the dually. With the Medallion and others we looked at we would have had to go with the dually to tow them, another reason for our choices.

Good Luck in your search for your new home. The looking is almost as fun as the using so take your time and compare well, as mentioned the decisions you make now will affect your livability in the future.
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Old 04-04-2007, 07:50 AM   #19
rvfirefighter
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Rich, where did all the praise for the Montana go? Look back at your past comments on all your posts. Where did the love go?
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Old 04-04-2007, 09:31 AM   #20
sreigle
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As said above, Montanas are not rated for fulltime living. There are only a handful of brands rated for fulltime living that I've seen and they're all in the higher dollar range. However, you'll find many of us here who are fulltiming (four years and counting for us) in Montanas and doing fine. Keystone is aware we are fulltiming and it has never been questioned for any kind of warranty work. Not even by the factory where we have had some work done.
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