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Old 01-13-2019, 09:23 AM   #21
dsttexas
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Dealer choice is next - important

You've picked you RV, now look for a local-as-possible dealer with a good reputation. From a service perspective, many dealers will put you last or not even accept you if you did not buy from them.
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Old 01-13-2019, 09:38 AM   #22
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Nice choice and a quality unit, We are a Grand Designs dealer. Your more than welcome to stay here and participate, and Grand Designs has their own forum too.
That was my thought, if you need info on Grand Design rvs you should check GD or Winnebago forums. You are welcome here but are comparing 2 totally seperate rv manufacturers. Both will share the majority of the same vendors for various parts & appliances, but one or the other may, or may not, have a better QC control at the factory.
I've got several friends with Grand Design 5ers & just like most of us Keystone owners they also have had their share of issues, after all they are both thrown together at the factory & rolled out the door just as fast as possible just like every other rv, regardless of price, on the planet.
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Old 01-13-2019, 10:16 AM   #23
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If you’re into quality, you should check out the Vanleigh Virano built by the TIFFIN family, which is known for its excellent customer service.
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Old 01-13-2019, 10:54 AM   #24
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Buy used. Let someone else cover the depreciation and fix all the problems. Doesn't matter what brand you get. They all have issues.

Consider canceling your TV order and get a dually.
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Old 01-13-2019, 11:13 AM   #25
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Buy used. Let someone else cover the depreciation and fix all the problems. Doesn't matter what brand you get. They all have issues.

Consider canceling your TV order and get a dually.
There are several listed in the " Classified" section on this forum.
Hopefully this isn't considered "SPAM"!
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Old 01-13-2019, 11:30 AM   #26
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If you’re into quality, you should check out the Vanleigh Virano built by the TIFFIN family, which is known for its excellent customer service.
If their trailers refelct thier CURRENT motorhome quality, it isnt what it was thats for sure!!
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Old 01-13-2019, 05:19 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by IguanaDon View Post
We have made a decision but I want to walk through how we got there

The Chapparal was not the quality we wanted

The High Country was a good contender

We looked at the Grand Design Reflection 337rls and found the Solitude S Class at the cleveland rv show. We knew we did not want to pay solitude price, but the S class was between the reflection and solitude. We ended up selecting the 3350rl Solitude S class.

I know this is a keystone forum but wanted to relate our experience


We have others that don’t own a Keystone product on here too. We’d love to hear about your experiences with your rig when you get it. Have fun.
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Old 01-14-2019, 03:05 AM   #28
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For the last year I have been reading forums and Facebook groups comparing Montana, Bighorn, and Grand Design. Without question Grand Design owners seems to be the most satisfied. I compared all the products up close and personal and this weekend we also bought a Grand Design Solitude 377MBS-R at the Cleveland RV show. Congrats on your decision and I agree with you 100%. Grand Design customers Rave about the customer service and that was a big one for me. Other factors include all the slide out walls are fully laminated along with the back wall same as the side walls. This is not true of Montana or bighorn. Not to mention Solitude now includes a 3000 lb receiver hitch on the back. I really like the Bighorn too but the local dealer has a horrible reputation, and I purchased from them before and I honestly can't stand them. We ordered and we have a couple of months before it comes in. I'll probably hang around for a little while longer but I will be slowly migrating over to The Grand Design forums. I've owned three Keystone's and I honestly don't have anything bad to say about them. I would have bought a Montana but they didn't offer a floorplan that I liked. In the end Solitude had both the floorplan that I liked and I really liked the reputation they are building for customer service. Of the three I would say they were the most expensive but not by much.
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Old 01-14-2019, 07:48 AM   #29
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See, I couldnt be happier with my Keystone product. Yes, we only own a TT, and its a Outback. But we love it. Getting rid of our current TV and buying a F250 when spring hits, and will be buying another Outback come 2020. Grand Design makes a great trailer/5th wheel, but the others wouldnt be in business if they made sub par equipment.
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Old 01-14-2019, 05:10 PM   #30
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I have to agree with the statements regarding dealers. We were replacing our Fuzion with a more full time style fifth wheel. Wanted either Solitude or Montana, both in rear den. Tried to deal with Grand Design dealer (cash deal) and they droppd the ball a couple of times and it didnt even get ordered. Found that out, went to a dealer in anther state for Montana and had the best experience i could have expected. Love our new Legacy 3790RD. River City RV Grants Pass Oregon.
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Old 01-14-2019, 05:29 PM   #31
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Originally Posted by larry337 View Post
For the last year I have been reading forums and Facebook groups comparing Montana, Bighorn, and Grand Design. Without question Grand Design owners seems to be the most satisfied. I compared all the products up close and personal and this weekend we also bought a Grand Design Solitude 377MBS-R at the Cleveland RV show. Congrats on your decision and I agree with you 100%. Grand Design customers Rave about the customer service and that was a big one for me. Other factors include all the slide out walls are fully laminated along with the back wall same as the side walls. This is not true of Montana or bighorn. Not to mention Solitude now includes a 3000 lb receiver hitch on the back. I really like the Bighorn too but the local dealer has a horrible reputation, and I purchased from them before and I honestly can't stand them. We ordered and we have a couple of months before it comes in. I'll probably hang around for a little while longer but I will be slowly migrating over to The Grand Design forums. I've owned three Keystone's and I honestly don't have anything bad to say about them. I would have bought a Montana but they didn't offer a floorplan that I liked. In the end Solitude had both the floorplan that I liked and I really liked the reputation they are building for customer service. Of the three I would say they were the most expensive but not by much.
Actually the Montana is a laminated back wall as well and the 3855 is the same floor plan as the 377 Solitude.
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Old 01-14-2019, 05:41 PM   #32
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Not the same floorplan exactly because the door to the bedroom is on the kitchen wall not the hallway wall. That gives up valuable cabinet and counter space in the kitchen. I'm really not going to debate the quality of the units because I would have bought a Montana. The rear wall may be laminated but I'm guessing that the slide outs are not completely laminated all the way around. Montana has Pros over Grand Design obviously. And vice versa.
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Old 01-15-2019, 01:27 AM   #33
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Larry, in that the GD seems to apparently have great customer service, where are you required to have them serviced? It obviously can't be at dealers that sell other brands. Are Grand Design dealers just exclusively that brand? I thought that Pleasureland RV in Minnesota dealt in GD. I looked into a used RV for a friend in one of their sites but they seemed to offer the "catch as catch can" service that most dealers offer.
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Old 01-15-2019, 02:21 AM   #34
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Larry, in that the GD seems to apparently have great customer service, where are you required to have them serviced? It obviously can't be at dealers that sell other brands. Are Grand Design dealers just exclusively that brand? I thought that Pleasureland RV in Minnesota dealt in GD. I looked into a used RV for a friend in one of their sites but they seemed to offer the "catch as catch can" service that most dealers offer.
Around here Grand Design is sold by General RV and Colerain RV. Both dealers have several locations and carry several other brands. So yeah I would assume I have to go to a grand design dealer.
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Old 01-15-2019, 11:10 AM   #35
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Well over 100,000 Montanas have been sold. Many are on their 2nd or 3rd,
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Old 01-15-2019, 04:59 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IguanaDon View Post
We have made a decision but I want to walk through how we got there
The Chapparal was not the quality we wanted
The High Country was a good contender
We looked at the Grand Design Reflection 337rls and found the Solitude S Class at the cleveland rv show. We knew we did not want to pay solitude price, but the S class was between the reflection and solitude. We ended up selecting the 3350rl Solitude S class.
I know this is a keystone forum but wanted to relate our experience
That is a nice decision, this is one of those were looking only at the GVWR of the 5er would have been a bad decision. With a GVWR many would say too much for a F350 SRW, BUT it has a 4,599# Payload, so if you put 2,500# to 3,000# in it it will be just fine.
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Old 01-16-2019, 11:10 AM   #37
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We have had excellent reviews from our customers who have bought Forest River Riverstone. Most of what we sell is in the 39' range but they do offer a 37' floorpan.
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Old 01-16-2019, 11:48 AM   #38
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We have had excellent reviews from our customers who have bought Forest River Riverstone. Most of what we sell is in the 39' range but they do offer a 37' floorpan.
I can't find a 37' floorplan. The SMALLEST (shortest) Riverstone model on the FR website is the 37REL, listed at 42'8". The other models, 37MRE is 43'2" and the Model 37FLTH is 43'5". Model designations are 37 and 39 but they certainly DON'T correspond to length in feet the shortest available floorplan is over 42' long and all have an empty pin weight over 3,000 pounds, some as high as 4000 pounds and remember, that's empty pin weight !!!!!
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Old 01-17-2019, 08:41 AM   #39
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Originally Posted by notanlines View Post
Larry, in that the GD seems to apparently have great customer service, where are you required to have them serviced? It obviously can't be at dealers that sell other brands. Are Grand Design dealers just exclusively that brand? I thought that Pleasureland RV in Minnesota dealt in GD. I looked into a used RV for a friend in one of their sites but they seemed to offer the "catch as catch can" service that most dealers offer.
The dealership I’m at sells both GD and Keystone. We have both Solitude and Montana on the lot and I’ve toured both facilities. GD is a little more exclusive with their dealerships as far as protected area so distance between them can be a bit more than Keystone lines, but not significant enough to make a huge difference in repair options in my opinion.
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Old 01-17-2019, 01:31 PM   #40
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Larry, in that the GD seems to apparently have great customer service, where are you required to have them serviced? It obviously can't be at dealers that sell other brands. Are Grand Design dealers just exclusively that brand? I thought that Pleasureland RV in Minnesota dealt in GD. I looked into a used RV for a friend in one of their sites but they seemed to offer the "catch as catch can" service that most dealers offer.

RV dealers aren’t like automotive dealerships. RV dealers can pick/choose which lines they want to sell as long as territory allows. We sell GD, Forest River, Cruiser, and Heartland along with Tiffen. And unlike the auto industry, if you bought at one dealer, any other isn’t required to do warranty work on it.
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