New Kid on the Block

[737captain]

I'm about to take the plunge and buy my first 5th wheel TH.

We looked at all makes, we like the Jayco quality but not sitting with our heads at 90 deg trying to each tv.

So, why did you buy a Gd? Do you still like it? Any problems, factory dealer support that sort of thing. We are located I. Tampa Fl. So I guess it's Laxydays or Ocala, although I'd buy it anywhere for the right deal.

Any input would be greatly appreciated

 

[Steve and Cill]

Welcome to the forum Cap! I know some of the Momentum guys will be by to brag on their rigs, you won't go wrong with Grand Design.

Steve

 

[TucsonJim]

We bought ours based on GD's reputation for quality. I had some initial problems, but GD stepped up and resolved everything. My main issue was with Lazy Days in Tucson and their service department. They were slow to work on the coach, lied to me, and damaged the FW while in their possession. It's been about a year since I had the problems with the service department, and I believe they have taken steps to resolve it. For one, the service manager that was lying to me is now unemployed.

You can't beat GD quality and service after the sale. Just make sure your dealership has a reputable service department along with a top notch sales department. But that holds true with what every brand you purchase.

 

[737captain]

What do you consider to be must have options? For me I want self leveling, a generator and patio? Again I havn't owned one before so I'm shooting from the hip

 

[Specularius]

Heat pump AC, unless you will be camping a lot without hookups. The bigger question is what to be hauling in the garage.

 

[JCR GD]

Very happy with my Momentum 385TH. Hopefully no big problems to come. Just a few minor things that I fixed myself.

Floor plans were a big deal for me. The fit and finish were a pleasant surprise w/ the GD.

I had to have:

-Refer I could get into while on the road and storage
-Big windows on camp side (don't know how people can stand not being able to see out the side where your kids or stuff is)
-12 ft + garage
-King bed
-Good size, well designed bathroom/shower (rigs w/two doors to the bathroom seems like wasted space to me)

The 380TH was our first choice but the garage was too small.

A word to the wise... be careful how much you spend on your first rig cuz almost everyone goes through a learning/figuring out what they like and don't like, only by doing, and end up trading in for the one that better fits their needs... so choose carefully or get into something cheap to learn the ropes of what maters to YOU.

Good luck with your search.

 

[GD350M]

I'm about to take the plunge and buy my first 5th wheel TH.

We looked at all makes, we like the Jayco quality but not sitting with our heads at 90 deg trying to each tv.

So, why did you buy a Gd? Do you still like it? Any problems, factory dealer support that sort of thing. We are located I. Tampa Fl. So I guess it's Laxydays or Ocala, although I'd buy it anywhere for the right deal.

Any input would be greatly appreciated

1) First thing you want to consider when looking at a toy hauler is...Can the truck you currently have handle the weight of the unit + the cargo that you will be putting in the garage?

2) Once you figured that out, then you can look at the best suited for your needs layout. Do you want a big living room? Do you want a 1/2 bath for the garage? Do you want to watch TV outside? Do you want to push a button and the camper transforms to a setup camper? (I still waiting on this one). Do you need a longer Garage or just a short garage? Do you need a big refrigerator or just a small one. How many will you be sleeping? Do you need the Happi-Jac bed in the garage or nobody is coming with you? Storage space is key to look at too.

3) After you go those things out the way, most floor plans are the same across all Manufactures lines. The question you want to ask yourself is how is the fit and finish, build quality of the unit after a year+ using it. I had the prime chance to see to Toy Haulers come in on the lot at the same time before anybody at the dealership had a chance to touch anything in there. I looked at a V-Series and the M-Class. When I tell you that they both came from Indiana, but it looked like the V-Series took a beating and the M-Class was pristine, I took the 350M as my unit of choice. If it could make that long trip and look like it did, then I think it would hold up well in the long run.

4) Check your dealer before buying, see how long it is before you could get in for warranty work, if you need some. Check to see what others thought of that dealer after the sale. They have plenty of dealers out there who sell Grand Design, just have to travel and find the one that will work for you.

But that what I got. Welcome to forum and you will enjoy the benefits of having a 5th wheel toy hauler. The extra sleeping room in the back, plus bring your toys....WIN WIN!!!

 

[737captain]

Guys,

Thank you all for your insight, very helpful. I'll keep you all in the loop and let you know what happens.

Tony

 

[roadkingfl]

We just got our 350M and love it! We are going on our shake out trip in about a month...

 

[Scott and Jan]

Tony, welcome to the forum! I know a couple people who have had bad experiences with Lazydays service after the sale. Wait times and not getting issues fixed. We bought both our RV's from Tradewinds in Ocala. Good family owned dealer with great service after the sale. Lazydays offered us a better deal on our Reflection, I called Tradewinds to see if they could get closer on numbers, they actually beat LD by $100.
I know AJ (posted above) just got his Momentum from LD, assuming he's happy with them so far. Don't think he's had any service work yet, hopefully when does will have some positive feedback for them.
Good luck with your decision. You will love Grand Design!

 

[roadkingfl]

Captain, If you do decide to buy from Lazydays please make sure you ask for Tim Taylor...He made it a very pleasant experience...As Scott mentioned we will see what happens when it's time for service.

Good luck!

 

[Hootie]

We liked the 385th, it fit our needs and what we were looking for. No real problems as of this time. Grand Design is a good manufacture to buy from, stand behind what they sale. Hootie

 

[agoutdoors]

We purchased our 385TH for a couple of reasons. We looked at just about every brand available in this size and the GD was by far the better quality product and better looking. I gave up the 14' garage (other products) for the 12' since my wife really wanted a full pantry, large fridge and rear bathroom. She gave up some counter space and pass through to the main bathroom from the bedroom. We will be hauling 2 ATV's and a few motorbikes and have 1 child. We will be spending considerable time in the rig during the summer time so the space, storage and comfort was all a plus!
We have had some issues with our rig, started out pretty rough on the support side, especially on the dealer side. I learned that you need to stay on top of both the dealer and GD, but in the end GD has stepped up and is making things good. Our first trip with the toys is coming in about 2 weeks followed by a one of the largest off-road bike races in the country the second weekend of April (YouTube "Desert 100").
A draw back to larger rigs is they are harder to heat. If you don't have shore power, you will burn a lot of propane. The furnace heats the main area well, the bedroom next and the garage the least amount. If you plan on sleeping out there in cold weather, bring extra blankets. I did find (with some of the work we had to do to fix things) that our heat duct to the garage area was crushed and was only allowing about 20% air flow. I was able to fix it myself and got it back to about 80% flow.
We are really looking forward to spending lots of time in it!

 

[rhoag388]

Since we had so many problems with our last RV (Keystone) we decided to go tour the factories to see how they are made. If you are within driving distance of Elkhart In go on a Monday and tour 2-3 plants a day... they are all there. Once you see how they are made you will see that they all use a lot of the same materials (frame, axles, appliances etc...) but what sets some apart from the others is construction, small details and QA! Forrest River XLR the main floor is wood, GD alum framed with 5/8" marine grade decking totally wrapped in a vapor barrier. Behind the front end cap on a GD there is more alum framing also the side walls of their slides is constructed better for rigidity. Lastly the units coming off GD's line that were ready to go out the door had already had better QA then most, but it goes over to building 3 for a complete and thorough PDI. Your unit comes thru the door to be met by 3 different test sets. One to test all lights, one for everything propane and one for the water systems. Once that is done the thing gets swarmed by a group of men and women armed with flash lights and red tape. They visually inspect every inch and when they see minor nicks scratches or anything not right it gets taped. I was watch this and a lady on a ladder pulls out a piece of tape and marked a crown molding...I could not visually see anything wrong so I asked her what she was marking. She said well if you were on this ladder you would be able to see there is a small gap between the crown molding and the ceiling. Once everything is tested, inspected and marked it moves down the line to have everything fixed. You would think that nothing would be missed in this processes but they are human. I suspect there are way less things wrong with a GD upon delivery than any other manufacturer. That is one of the reasons we went GD.... also the people on this forum overall seem pretty pleased with the responsiveness of GD if they do have a problem.

 

[offtohavasu]

Nice feedback Rob!