Prospective Solitude S-class purchaser

[maldds]

I currently own a Bighorn Traveler 32RS. I'm looking to purchase either a Solitude S-class 3540 GK-R or a Paradigm 340 RL. Does anyone on here own this particular Solitude, and what are your opinions? How is GD with warranty issues now that Winnebago bought them out? My closest dealer is Colerain RV in Indianapolis. Does anyone have any opinions on their sales and service? Any ideas on what % off MSRP can be negotiated?
I really appreciate any feedback. I'd rather go with Solitude as there's about a $10000 difference in MSRP.
Mark Lewis
Kokomo, IN

[WhittleBurner]

Hi and Welcome. Those are the 2 we have thrown around. We haven't needed service for a few years so can't comment on todays service from GD.
On that note we have met happy owners of both brands. The cost difference is because the S class has mid range appliances and no hydrolics vs the full solitude which is why the CCC is so great. We're still wanting to go see each at the same time to make a on the spot comparrison.. good luck making your choice

[huntr70]

2 different animals. The Paradigm is more like a full blown Solitude, not an S Class.

[maldds]

I do understand the differences between the two ie. electric vs. hydraulic etc. and why there is a difference in MSRP. I agree that Paradigm is like Solitude and not the S-class. My real concern is customer service after the sale as I know all rv's will have some issues. The Paradigm Facebook threads have nothing but good things to say about Alliance customer service. Heartland was a mess to deal with on our Bighorn Traveler and I don't want to get into that situation again.
Mark Lewis

[huntr70]

I do understand the differences between the two ie. electric vs. hydraulic etc. and why there is a difference in MSRP. I agree that Paradigm is like Solitude and not the S-class. My real concern is customer service after the sale as I know all rv's will have some issues. The Paradigm Facebook threads have nothing but good things to say about Alliance customer service. Heartland was a mess to deal with on our Bighorn Traveler and I don't want to get into that situation again.
Mark Lewis

Funny story, the people that ran Heartland (Coley and Ryan Brady, their Dad, Brian started Heartland) are the people who own Alliance RV.

Bill Martin worked for Grand Design in Marketing before going to Alliance.

I have no experience with Alliance RV warranty ( we looked at the product, but their production was so far out it wasn't feasible for us), but GD has been better than anyone else in the industry.

[WhittleBurner]

), but GD has been better than anyone else in the industry.

That is exactly what our service advisor (head of service) said 2 years ago at the dealer we bought from when we started thinking about upgrading.

[Steven@147]

I currently own a Bighorn Traveler 32RS. I'm looking to purchase either a Solitude S-class 3540 GK-R or a Paradigm 340 RL. Does anyone on here own this particular Solitude, and what are your opinions? How is GD with warranty issues now that Winnebago bought them out? My closest dealer is Colerain RV in Indianapolis. Does anyone have any opinions on their sales and service? Any ideas on what % off MSRP can be negotiated?
I really appreciate any feedback. I'd rather go with Solitude as there's about a $10000 difference in MSRP.
Mark Lewis
Kokomo, IN

Mark, The wife and I are originally from the Kokomo area. Have lived in Texas for the last 20 years and now fulltime and are currently staying on Galveston Island.
Don't know specific details about the Alliance, but people seem to like them. We like the Solitude S Class because of the cargo capacity, we are not into bling and the latest gadgets. Our appliances maybe a little less attractive but they have worked great. Well, maybe the 12 cu ft Dometic fridge could be a little better staying cold in the Texas 100+ degree heat. We could care less if our cell phones can make our RV dance, or touch screens, and we did not want hydraulics. I have read that after alot of people purchased their full line Solitude they were very disappointed in the CCC. When fulltiming CCC is very important.

We have had very few problems with our 3350RL. What little interaction with GD we have had has all been positive. We also looked at the 2930RL. If we ever had to replace our unit because of a total loss at this point in time, it would be with the 2930 or 3450. As far as % off MSRP, right now I hear most people report around 20-25% off. We bought ours two years ago Feb and got 33% off and purchased it at the RV Show at the Austin Convention Center.

We picked the unit and floorplan we wanted, then bought our 1 Ton TV with more capacity than needed.