About to buy our first Trailer: 377MBS

[Chris Donovan]

Hey everybody!

My family and I are about to make the plunge into the world of RVs with a purchase of a new 377MBS. My spreadsheet, and because of your contributions to this site, have helped me decide that this model will be ideal of our family of 2 kids (and 2 dogs and cat).

Why the 377 you ask?

1. One of the little things that many manufacturers lost me on was the size of the slide out in the "mid-bunk" room. The majority of the mid-bunk floor plans have a slide out that is less than 6' wide. That's fine for now while my son is not even 5' but one day he will likely be 6' and we would be forced to setup a bed that would run perpendicular to the slide out. I am going to try to keep this 5th wheel for the child rearing years (about 10 more to go) and then consider a change when we are empty nesters.

2. The door to the mid bunk room is in the hallway and the wall nearest the kitchen has a coffee bar and cabinets. Many other designs place the door so that it faces the kitchen and there can’t be a coffee bar. In other designs the door faces the hallway but the kitchen wall is just smooth without any counters or cabinetry.

3. We have an older 1 ton dually pickup that can pull about 18k. I like the truck and have had the joy of writing a check to have it "bulletproofed" so I intend to keep it for at least 5 years. I have read that many a person has realized after a purchase that their vehicle is a tad undersized for the trailer and I don’t want to be in such a predicament. By the time I considered the weight of our stuff along with the carrying capacity of the truck and trailer, I realized I had to find a 5th wheel that was under 14k empty. Most manufacturers have a mid bunk floorplan that is available under 14k but the higher end companies and toy haulers are too heavy.

4. The windows in the dinette slide out go to the ceiling rather than have cabinets that block the view. I know storage is helpful, but I like the ability to see out when standing at the kitchen sink.

My plan is to get a price from 2 dealers but not be entirely swayed by the number. They are both reasonably close to me and both seem to offer reasonable service. I will use the competing quote for leverage with the dealer that I prefer. Service is of course important, especially for the bigger problems, but I am reasonably handy and expect to fix most things with the trailer. Thanks to this site and your contributions, I have complied a list of things to take care of immediately before they become a problem on the road.

Incidentally, it is now possible to get the MORryde independent suspension at the time of manufacture. Instead of taking delivery, and then driving to Elkhardt for a day to have the leaf springs removed and the MORryde suspension installed, I will have the cushy ride from the get go. This is a new option for 2020 and we will be one of the first to give it a go. The order spec sheet doesn’t even have this option listed yet so I am not sure what the cost will be.

There you go…it is nice to finally be able to contribute a little because I have not been able to share any insight without firsthand knowledge as an owner.

[FT4NOW]

Sounds like you know what you want and should be pretty happy. If that Morryde IS was an option when I ordered mine I certainly would have went for it. I've never heard anyone regret getting that upgrade done. Hopefully you're going with disc brakes as well, I heard that's an option coming soon, any insight on that?

Whenever you take delivery and have questions, this forum is a great resource.

If you are handy as you say, I wouldn't be too concerned with getting service done at a dealership. Obviously if something big happens and the slide needs to be removed, that is a different story. RVs are not complicated to work on, so dont base your purchasing dealer highly on that aspect. I drove almost 1000miles to take delivery based on price, the dealer had great sales reviews and terrible service reviews. I had no intention on ever getting service there, wasn't a negative issue for me.

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[Chris Donovan]

Thanks for the encouragement and tips!

There is a dealer in my neck of the woods that advertises quite a bit and offers aggressive pricing. That said, the one time that I dealt with a sales rep regarding a model they had for sale he was deceptive and pushy. I want to enjoy the experience and not be wary of the dealer promises so I think that as long as the more reputable dealer is within a few thousand bucks of the lowest deal out there, I will still go with the pricier dealer.

I will be going with the disc brakes as well and will pan to post once I have some details.

[Aridon]

Price the unit on Grand designs website and accept no less than 26% off that MSRP including deliver and all their BS PDI and other fees. You can usually do a little better but that is a good price for most areas. Not all dealers in an area deal. Don't settle.

If you are handy you will be in good shape. Even if you aren't handy and aren't afraid to look at youtube and do stuff yourself you will be fine.

We looked hard at the 377MBS, we liked the floor plan.

Good luck with the ordering process.

[WhittleBurner]

Hi and welcome to the Family! Great reasons and sounds like a well thought out choice. You should be happy for several years..who knows you may like it enough to kep the bunk room and use it as a guest room

[SGT ROC]

Hi and welcome to the Family! Great reasons and sounds like a well thought out choice. You should be happy for several years..who knows you may like it enough to kep the bunk room and use it as a guest room

Welcome to the forum, and GD. You could keep it for grandkids, although they sound like a ways down the road yet. My granddaughter likes ours so much that on the first trip, which she was in, she took people on a tour, then gave them candy afterword! She didn't even tell us she was going to do it! (When we camp with her it's with people all around us who are either family or friends). RVing is one of the things our family has enjoyed since my sons were 3 or 4. It's a great experience! Enjoy forever!!!!!

[Chris Donovan]

RE: Independent Suspension- It turns out the sales rep had it wrong. I emailed GD directly and discovered the independent suspension is not an option from the factory. They are (or will be this year) offering a package that includes H rated tires, 8k axles, and disc brakes. All GDs come with the MORryde CRE 3000 suspension.

[Phil&Susie]

Hi There. Longtime lurker, first time poster. We are looking at a Solitude and was wondering if anyone has encountered issues from Lippert regards changing the suspension and warranting the chassis.

[Chris Donovan]

Welcome! Are you looking at used model? New models don’t have Lippert axles.

[Phil&Susie]

No, but it's still a Lippert chassis regardless if it has Lippert or Dexter axles. So I would think Lippert has some interest in the modification of the chassis if they are going to be responsible for warranty consideration issues. Obviously with the OEM suspension removed, that is no longer a consideration. I just wondered if the suspension modification was reflected in some adjustment of the remaining chassis warranty.