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Old 02-09-2018, 08:25 AM   #21
ChuckS
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In 2014 we looked at fifth wheels again..had been shopping for two years. One of our dealers had started carrying the Alpine and we had been looking at Montana and Jayco previously.. we opted for the 3010RE Alpine, liked the interior, 6 point all hyd level up and all hydraulic slide.. also, at that time Montana did not have the heat pump AC unit in the ones we’d seen..

That being said where had ours for four seasons.. upgraded the stock TK E rated tires to a 14 ply G rated tire and all teal valve stems.. upgraded the stock two 12 volt 24 group to 6 volt golf cart batteries..

The unit has served us well, no repairs requiring dealer work.. Tows well beh8nd my 3/4 ton 4x4 club cab duramax, no issues in mountainous travel, and decent mpg towing.. I’d buy another Alpine without hesitation.. But that’s me

And I still like the looks of the Montana.. especially s9me of the new paint schemes.
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Old 02-09-2018, 08:33 AM   #22
SkiSmuggs
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I am really starting to like the Avalanche 320RS. It is almost 1000 lbs lighter than the Montana 3120RL, 3" less tall with an aerodynamic front cap, yet still a wide body for more room inside. It appears that some appliances may be at a lower level (Montana has ignition oven), but we have a countertop convection oven we prefer anyway. The Max Turn front cap should also keep us from cab contact in our SB F350, especially with the Andersen Ultimate hitch. Should be about 1 MPG better while towing.
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Old 02-16-2018, 06:25 AM   #23
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The more I look, the better value the Avalanche 320rs looks. The only thing I don't like are the cheesy shades in the great room 360 view, but they can be replaced. RV Trader shows about a $25K difference between the Avalanche and the GD Solitude 310GK. Both use 10" drop frames.
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Old 02-16-2018, 06:57 AM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SkiSmuggs View Post
RV Trader shows about a $25K difference between the Avalanche and the GD Solitude 310GK.
Assume that it's going to be 75% or so of that difference, which is still significant. GD definitely costs more. IMHO, you're paying for a different service experience and a totally different support model, which may or may not be worth it..
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Old 02-16-2018, 07:45 AM   #25
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Assume that it's going to be 75% or so of that difference, which is still significant. GD definitely costs more. IMHO, you're paying for a different service experience and a totally different support model, which may or may not be worth it..
No support is worth $25K.
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Old 02-25-2018, 08:03 PM   #26
punkinv
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Hi,
I'm curious as to what you decided. Wife and I are considering this model. Prices seem to be in the mid-45k range, which is a bit higher than we want to spend, but it seems to have more features compared to other Keystone products (Laredo, Cougar, Sprinter). Love the idea of hydraulics vs. electric moving parts, and must have a king bed with big fridge. Does anyone know how much wiggle room in general that dealers have on the prices? We see a lot of $73k reduced to $48k, etc., but am wondering if they can go even lower?
Any advice is welcome. Thanks!
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Old 02-26-2018, 07:59 AM   #27
dcg9381
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No support is worth $25K.

That's MSRP to MSRP, so it's going to be 60-75% of that amount.
Let's just call it $16k.

My RV spent almost a year in the shop, most of it sitting around dealer, no support for stuff on cross country trips, had 2 new roofs within the first 1.5 years. Keystone would had it in dealer limbo forever until we hired someone (legal) to move the issue along. Would I have paid $16k to avoid all that AND get 100% more warranty?

Maybe...

I am convinced that GD would have substantially decreased the amount of time that the RV was out of service and would have seriously decreased the legal/hassle factor required to have the RV restored to "like new" condition on warranty work.


Note, I don't think my case is typical. And I knew I was rolling the dice to get more RV for less money when I bought it...
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Old 02-26-2018, 02:25 PM   #28
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Every (and I mean EVERY) RV company has problems and every (again EVERY) RV company falls short on some of their warranty repairs.

Grand Designs is no different than Keystone, Airstream, Winnebago, Forest River or "YaDaYada RV company".....

Here's just a couple of comments from the GD forum. They may sound familiar to anyone who has been reading posts on this forum for the past year:

"...our experience with this unit has been very disappointing. We have taken it out on 5 trips this summer and something quit working on every trip. On two of our last three trips we had to terminate the trip prematurely because of breakdowns...We are now worried that we have purchased a poor quality RV. Our salesman spoke with their GD representative, who recommended that we contact GD Customer Service. So, I did that, and the fellow I talked with didn't seem concerned at all about the problems"...

"My Reflection 5th wheel is nothing but problems also it's one thing after another. Ours is a 2014- 293 RES, one of the first built. I'm really disappointed in it. Don't think we're keeping it much longer, looking at other brands now but no one wants to give a fair trade price. I'll take a beating but just don't have any confidence in GD anymore. This is our fifth RV and never had trouble like this before, going back to Keystone or Jayco..."

"Grand Design quality? With less than two years in mine...failed rear axle 5 months out of warranty, $3000 repair. Failed awning motor covered under warranty. Air conditioner pours condensation into living area, modified by dealer per Grand Design instructions, still pours condensation into living area"...

"My dealer, McClain's RV in Denton Texas very displeasing. I scheduled my appointment six weeks ahead of time so I could beat the summer rush. When I dropped it off they said they should have it about two weeks. I figured that meant at least three and maybe even four weeks. No problem I allowed for a delay. Seven weeks later"...

I could keep cutting and pasting "till the cows come home" but I think you get the idea that people "on the other side of the fence" are not in greener grass than we are.......
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Old 02-27-2018, 11:02 AM   #29
dcg9381
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John,
I don't disagree that RVs all (basically) manufactured in the same manner will have similar quality problems. That is, I do NOT think GD is necessarily a better BUILT RV.

Here are some differences, however:

* GD will authorize an "on the road" repair from a non-GD repair facility.
* They have a history of paying for independent service calls where conditions call for it.
* GD directly monitors their forum and company reps do respond.
* I've never seen any indication of GD pushing for a repair that results in loss in value, such as "half" of a roof replacement.
* Their warranty is superior, 2 years, not 1.
* You can get direct factory support. GD will ship end owners parts. No "go through a dealer". Jayco is like this too.

I agree with you that both brands will have some issues and in no way mean that there are fewer problems with GD. The consumer report models sure seem to be pretty different.
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Old 03-04-2018, 08:39 AM   #30
SkiSmuggs
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Originally Posted by punkinv View Post
Hi,
I'm curious as to what you decided. Wife and I are considering this model. Prices seem to be in the mid-45k range, which is a bit higher than we want to spend, but it seems to have more features compared to other Keystone products (Laredo, Cougar, Sprinter). Love the idea of hydraulics vs. electric moving parts, and must have a king bed with big fridge. Does anyone know how much wiggle room in general that dealers have on the prices? We see a lot of $73k reduced to $48k, etc., but am wondering if they can go even lower?
Any advice is welcome. Thanks!
A new fiver is still a couple of years away for us, but the Avalanche is in the winner circle for now. I like the cross between full and mid-profile and that is wide body.
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