Now see, from what I can read (and by price tags!) I would have thought Carriage is up there with the the "High End" guys, they're all Gelcoat units, right?

 

Yea, they are pretty expensive and, from what I have seen, pretty nice inside. I didn't ask him about the problems he was having, but he sure seemed unhappy.

 

What do you think of the Forest River Cherokee Wolf Pack? I'm thinking of either the 5'er in the 325WP or 295WP models. I think they have a similar Sierra Sport in a TT too. I'm reading a lot of threads looking for pricing? Looks like 20-25% off MSRP is where I want to be. What's a good price for these 5'ers? It's so hard, not good info out there like buying a car through fleet sales. My wife also likes the new Weekend Warrior FSW TT. Any comments?

 

stevestir, go over to rv.net and do a search on Forest River. You will find all the information on them you want. From what I have seen they don't seem to have very good customer support after the sale.

 

Not to interupt or to change the subject, but if you are interested, call my grandpa - Darrell Trailer in O'Neill Nebraska. He may be able to give you some more input. PM me for #.

 

I had a Fleetwood product a few years back and had a lot of issues with it and when it came time to fix those issues under warranty, Fleetwood was terrible. I traded that unit in for a Cedar Creek and we absolutely love it and have had no issues with it at all so far. We also have a Keystone Outback toy hauler which we are really happy with so far as well. Good luck in your search!

 

Just for the record, I own an Alfa. They make wonderful mid-upper end units that few people have issues with. They are innovative and are preffered by many full timers. Besides aluminun roof/side walls, Fiberglass exterior, sealed underbelly, BASEMENT AC(normally not found on any fiver, only expensive motorhomes), 12' straight crowned roof line(more space inside), 6'6" slide-outs, huge storage, excellent fit/finish, typically best weight/cargo carrying ability for the size. Every manufacturer can make a bad unit, but most Alfa owners I have ever talked to are very pleased with their rigs. Most of them are big, starting at 30' many at 35', up to 40'. You can find used ones for under $20k, on occasion. Most 2-3 yrs old go for $30k+. Most people who look at Alfa are blown away by the standard luxury, usualy found only on Motor Homes at $3-5X. I think they comapre in luxury to Teton & Travel Supreme, without the wood frame issues. These 2 product lines have been best sellers for fulltimers, as well as Carriage. Some of these may have gone aluminum in newer models.
The Alfa motorhomes are good value for the money. ALL motorhomes have way more issues, generally than trailers. The Alfa motorhomes compare well to Monaco, for about 1/2 to 2/3 price.
Used is the only way to go, but do LOTS of research, look at LOTS of rigs, talk to lots of people.
You can do some good shopping on-line at pplmotorhomes.com ,largest consignment dealer. Pics, floor plans, prices.
Sunnybrook/Mobil Scout are also excellent units for the money.
We own (2) fivers, will full time in the Alfa in another year or so. The Mobil Scout, at 32', is easier to travel with on the road, and easier to fit in smaller spaces(this has 2 slides vs. 3 slides on the Alfa).
Good luck & better research to all RV shoppers!!!

 

Nice post Spur, good info. Cool that you own two 5'ers, that's the first I've ever heard of that!
You should upload some pics of your rig(s) into your member gallery so people can see what you are talking about.

 

A few other Alfa plus's. Excellent insulation, near the best, 100 gal fresh water, abou 150 gal. black/gray, 3 tanks. Our rig came std with (2) 6 cu ft fridgs, and computer wokstation, 270 degrees of rear window view at 6+'.
Furniture better than most houses. A common coment we hear from visitors is that they had apartments smaller & not as nice. With the slides, the really good part, about 390 sq. ft. of space. I suspect few rigs come close to all this. At 36", 11,800 empty, about 15,800 max . Fits the 3500 limits nicely.
The Gold models offer more stuff we did not need, including weight. Corian couters, elec. rear jacks, roof sat dish & portable, leather furniture, awnings/slide covers, pull out tray in storage, other amenities.
Did I mention I get 13 MPG?

 

I recently bought a 1991 35' Prairie Schooner 5th wheel with 2 slides, anyone have any experience with the brand? Anybody want to venture a guess at the dry weight? The seller stated 7,500 and I know that's wrong.
I'll be pulling it with my 99 CTD/ 5 spd/ 4:10 Dana 80 single tire(265 Michelin E rating) any comments? The seller delivered it with a Ford PSD, so I guess I don't need to worry(grin)
This trailer is pretty well equipped, Mosaic tile counter tops, Pergo flooring in the kitchen and even has a hook up for a washer/dryer.
Any comments appreciated.

Stepchild

 

I would do a search over on www.rv.net

I was looking at a site that has overall reviews today too. This is one: http://www.rvreviews.com/Find_Search.cfm , and another: http://www.rv-coach.com/RV/manufactu...rv_results.htm

As far as the unloaded weight, no way. You can search around for a while, but the only way to know for sure is to take it to the truck stop and weight it up.

I would suspect no less than 10.5K dry, probably has a rating of close to 14K loaded. There should be atleast one sticker or plate on the camper somewhere. Look in the cupboard above the sink or up on the left hand front side of the unit.

Good Luck.

 

PJ,
Thanks for the reply and the links, i'll check them out. Congrats on your new rig.

Dennis

 

Every manufacturer is going to have someone complain about their product. Some people cannot be satisfied, no matter what they have. Every manufacturer is going to have a dud. I have a Carriage website with 750 members. The complaints are few, far between and mostly small stuff. So far anything a little more major has been taken care of by the company. Mine is now 6 years old and has been super. I had one structural problem after I was 2 years out of warranty while in Alaska. The company air shipped the framing members and a video to Alaska overnight and paid every penny of the repair bill - - two years out of warranty. I would call that a pretty good company. I think I have had one trim strip fall off and one gasket needed regluing. The rig has been from Florida to Newfoundland and to Alaska. It is just a good coach, very well made, great insulation factor, all aluminum framed and gel coated. I would sure buy another if I were in the mood. It is so good I can't see any good reason to trade.
Bob

 

I took a close look at the Carriage Cameo's yesterday at the RV show in Pomona. The wife and I really liked them and they are now on our 5th wheel short list. They looked like a fine rig at a good price (comparably speaking).

 

i had an 05 Komfort Trailblazer and thought it was awesome!! loved the floorplan, 27' was a great size for us, two slides made the living area great , and i felt the overall quality was good as well. we towed it about 11k two summers ago with only a water fitting issue i fixed in a bout 5 mins. i totally thought it was a really high quality 5ver untill sum dumbass rearended us and wrote it off ( i dunno how to post pics) we ended up buying a new 07 Jayco Eagle 38' 4 slide 5ver and the difference in quality and fit is night and day. now please anyone owning one of the Komfort line please take no offence as they are good units too. the most noticable difference to me though is the stability of how it tows on the road, the frame construction is increadable!! the one peice beam , and the one peice spring perches i feel make the difference!! my Komfort had 8 welded peices per perch mount!!! that 24 peices per side!! 48 places for failure , movement , or assembly error causeing poor track and tire wear. nowing what i do now i would have looked at the suspension and it's construction underneath to sell me , then the florrplan, creature comforts and all the flash instead of the other way around.