150 Series 230RL or 273MK 0r Older Models?

**bob074** · 03-05-2019, 08:12 AM

Final Question - There are some really harsh reviews from unhappy campers who purchased Grand Design fifth wheels in the past 2 years. I know a person who is having a warranty problems is more predisposed to vent online than a happy camper. Do you see evidence of some units being more prone to structural problems?

Cindy
See the following this is the type of customer service I seen more times than not for grand design.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

**JCZhome** · 03-06-2019, 10:43 AM

Cindy we bought a Grand Design Momentum, six months old from private party. I also had some skepticism (why would somebody sell at six months and take the big depreciation hit?)....especially considering that the owner just had solar put on the roof, new washer/dryer, new residential queen mattress, 7 yr. extended warranty, etc. etc.

I did my due diligence, researched the customer/owner satisfaction with this brand, owner's satisfaction with customer service, etc. etc. The owner simply answered our questions and showed us how things worked, etc. but was not pushy or hard sell at all. We ended up buying this Momentum and our truck (F-350 dually already set up with 5th wheel hitch, Air Lift, etc.) from him. He threw in the 7 yr. extended warranty, all the new options he'd just had installed and still got it below market value. That was two years ago and we went full time 18 months ago and haven't looked back. People's situations change and at times, much faster than they may have thought just a few months ago. Just saying.....do not let it stop you that somebody is selling a Grand Design that's only months old and may have only been used a few times.

I am a firm believer in buying late model used.....let somebody else take that big hit on the financial depreciation. However, new or used I am also a firm believer in getting any RV inspected by a certified RV inspector prior to signing the purchase agreement (a refundable good faith deposit is fine).....but especially on a used rig (wether it's from a dealership or private party). You want an inspector that's working for your best interest and not theirs! You can find an inspector at this link.... https://nrvia.org/locate/

**Franco Bolli** · 04-15-2019, 08:05 AM

Hi CIndy,
My wife and I are much in the same situation that you are. Other than we have owned a 25' Arctic fox 5er for about 9 years, we are looking to find a new rig that fits our desires to stand up straight when you are next to the bed! Right now we crouch

This weekend, we looked at a 230RL and were looking to see the 260 but there weren't any 260's on the lot. This is the first 5ver from grand design I've been in and amazingly, the first one my wife said that she liked! While walking around inside, it was easy to see the attention to detail.
After the walk through, I concluded that the floor plan of the 230 & 260 wasn't going to work for us.
1. when the slide is in, it obstructs the path to the bathroom. Important for us when on the highway and putting the slide out would be troublesome.
2. when the slide is in, the closeness of the kitchen counter obstructs the full access to the refrigerator. also important for rest stops.
3. Some areas under counters, under the main bed and other locations, could have been better used for additional storage, like the area directly under the steps going to the bedroom is a great place to put shower shoes or other things. No tall closets for long coats, hiking sticks or hanging backpacks. The wardrobe in the bedroom is spacious, but would be cramped for all the rest of the stuff we have now, like towels, rain coats, and camera tripod.

I am also very aware of the towing limitations and don't want to overload my trucks capacity. I'm cautiously looking into the 273MK because if we load it carefully, it will be under the tow rating of about 12,500 for the older RAM I have.
Best of luck with your choices. I hope I have pointed out some of the other things to consider when choosing a rig. Use is the third leg in the supports for a rig. For me #1 is quality, #2 is weight/size and #3 is ease of use of the layout and storage.

Cheers
FB

**ShadyCamper** · 04-16-2019, 07:41 PM

We have had a 230RL for a year. Among our many trips includes a two week trip last fall where we stayed in two different USACE campgrounds. Really I’ve the size of the camper, perfect for the two of us and our dog.

Comment on getting to the bathroom with slide in is spot on. But like everything, it is all about trade offs. We find the unit has plenty of storage and that the storage is well laid out. Fridges accessible with the slide in, but you can’t open the door fully.

A 250 is a good truck to pull with. Most 150 models will be at or over max payload.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**murphcotl** · 07-14-2019, 07:49 PM

I am new to Grand Design, and 5th wheels but did quite a bit of looking around before making the purchase and my wife and I chose the 273mk. We did so for a number of reasons. First we only were looking for lighter and shorter models. Grand Design reviews were for the most part very good. The model 273mk gave us what we were looing for in that when the slide was in the unit was fully usable. Bed, bath and kitchen wa all accesable and if needed we could use it while the slide was in. We prefer to not have to use the slide in order to get to the bathroom like in the 260 or 230rd
Second was decent counter space. Our previous trailer lacked good counter space. The 273mk also can sleep additional persons if needed since both te dinette and the 2 seat couch can both become a bed. So my vote is the 273mk for the reasons stated above but bottom line is there are plenty of those models out there and each owner has selected their model based on their own needs and choices.

take care -- Mike

**DaveMatthewsBand** · 07-15-2019, 12:15 AM

Check out the smallest lightest 150-Series, the 220RK. They discontinued it, so you can probably find a dealer wanting to get rid of one.

Ours is awesome, but it’s meant for 2 people, that’s it. Bought it new January of 2018 and went full time with it almost 15 months ago, with zero issues.
I’ve towed mine 8,000 miles so far, with an F250 diesel.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**murphcotl** · 08-23-2019, 01:03 PM

Hello Cindy,
my wife and I just purchased the 273mk, 150 series earlier this year. We spent quite a bit of time looking at the various floor plans and evaluating those we were intersted in. A few things about the 273mk convinced us this was the best floor plan in our opinion. One of the biggest was the unit was completely usable and accesible with the slide in the closed position. A number of floor plans block the bathroom wit the slide in. Although for the most part our journeys will be the two of us, the option for aditional sleeping arrangements are there since both the love seat and the dinette can convert to a place to sleep. We love the abundance of counter space. We set up a toaster oven, coffee pot, tea pot and one other applilance and we still have a tremendous amout of counter space to use.
We looked and found a new 2019 still on the lot when there were 2020's being delivered. The cost for the 2019 was a good 10k less than te 2020's.
There will still be some depreciation but we plan on having this unit for quite a few years so depreciation was not a big factor for us.
Take a look on Youtube for the different floor plans. There are quite a few videos and you will find the one or two floorplans that best fit your needs and taste.

take care -- Mike "Murph"