How to Choose?????

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GLJefferson

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I am looking to purchase a new 5th wheel & am overwhelmed with the # of options....I have set my budget for out the door/on the road at no more than $50K since this will be my first purchase.  I want a very high quality unit, king bed is a must have....any recommendations on which manufacturers I should look to with my $50K budget?  Thanks.
 
I don't think you should start out with a new unit. Since you have no RV experience you really don't know what you want in an RV and you won't know until you have been RVing for a year or two. At that point you will want to trade it in and get what you really want. Buying new right off the bat can cost you a lot of money since new RVs depreciate like a rock.
 
A ?very high quality unit? new will be 90-100k+. You might find one 4-5 years old for $50k. We got most of the must-haves on our list (including a king bed) but in what would be called a mid-range fifth wheel and it was still almost $60k. This was not our first RV and we pretty much knew exactly what we wanted for fulltime use.

Being your first purchase, I would really consider looking at some used units. You can get better quality for the money and the manufacturers bugs will already be worked out. Good luck with your search.

Vicki
 
  I also agree that, for you just starting to look at a used unit.  Find a floor plan that you like. I would strongly recommend that you locate a RV inspector. It would be money well spent sorting out a unit that is in good shape.  Check the weight rating tag in the rig and inside the door for  weight capacities.

Also, "out the door and on the road" to me, means purchasing every things for the 5'r such as water hoses sewer connections and hoses, bedding, kitchen ware.
Since we just did that I can tell you that if you buy everything new... budget $3,500.00.

Good luck with you're search.  While you didn't mention the truck that will be pulling this unit, that is a big consideration on the 5'r you can handle safely.

Wi1dBi11
 
First, Welcome to the Forum!

If you read through a bunch of older posts, you will learn an awful lot!  The Library, accessed with a button near the top of the page is also a great resource.

NEVER believe a salesman!  Here is why:    http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,90933.0.html

To tow a FW (Fifth Wheel), you really need a 1 ton SRW (Single Rear Wheel) truck, which is fine for a FW with a GVWR of 15,000 pounds or less.  The ? ton trucks do not have enough payload to handle anything but the smallest FW.

We are here to help in any way we can.
 
As mentioned above...though I?ll be ?less? tactful....There is ?no such thing as a high quality 5th wheel? for < $50 K new! With that behind us, and a limited budget....used is the  ?smart money? purchase. Let the original owner take the ?very? big depreciation hit!  With research, diligence, and patience....you can find an older 6 to 8 year old well maintained, high quality unit for well under your $50 K budget. On a unit as just described...you should be able to get into a unit for about  30% to 35% of the original purchase price. But... you can?t get in a hurry and will likely have to travel some miles to get what you want. We made three long (850 + miles each way) trips before our present purchase. One was misrepresented and the other two did not meet our quality/ design requirements.  Use sights such as this for the education, and then the internet ( rvtrader.com., rvt.com., Craigslist, eBay, etc.) to find the unit you decide upon. Your unit is out there waiting for you...you just have to find it!
 
Agree about Northwood as a better quality RV manufacturer. Their Fox Mountain line's 235RLS and 255RKS model 5th wheel comes in just under $50K here in So Oregon.
 
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