We are in the market for a new 5th wheel and we are considering Carriage RV. What is the Good, Bad and the Ugly of these units?We have both researched them some what on thier web site and it seems to be a well built unit. But we need the people's opinion. Are they worth the extra money or are they just a better Looking 5th wheel? Please feel free with your opinions and if you have to PM me, please feel free to do that also.
RVKevi said
08:18 PM Jun 11, 2011
We're interested in the Cameo, too. Jim and Dee Walt, jimdee on here, have one. I think they've had it about a year and love it! We went to visit with them and saw theirs in May here in NC and we're convinced that it is a superior product.
Luvglass said
08:48 PM Jun 11, 2011
We've been fulltiming in one for over 5 years now and are very happy with our choice. We've towed over 50,000 miles and have been in almost 325 campgrounds. It's not been perfect, but I don't think any RV brand is. It's very well made and insulated, we've been from -14 to +105 without issue. If we were to replace it I don't think we'd seriously consider anything else.
There is a Yahoo group of Carriage owners that has over 1800 owners, you should consider joining and ask for opinions there. You can find them at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Carriage_RV/
Good luck,
-- Edited by Luvglass on Saturday 11th of June 2011 08:49:22 PM
jimdee said
09:12 PM Jun 11, 2011
We've been full timing in our 2010 Cameo 36FWS for about a year and a half now, and we love it. It had a couple of issues that were well taken care of, and now we feel we have all the bugs out of it. The main things that convinced us to buy a Carriage product are: 2-year full warranty, they make their own frames, rear basement storage, and slide roof design (no vertical lip on the top to catch debris...everything is swept off when you bring the slides in). Very well-built unit. We wouldn't have anything less for living in full time. I also recommend the Carriage Yahoo group, but when you read posts about problems you should realize they're in the minority when you consider the large overall number of owners out there. Good luck with your decision. Jim
PD CFK said
09:16 PM Jun 11, 2011
We're "newbies" who bought a 2011 Carriage Cameo, 37CKSLS in November and have really enjoyed it. Having never done the RV thing before, we have nothing to compare it with, but we're havin' fun. :) We're going to the rally in September to learn more. Good luck with your decision. Pat K
PS All that being said...like other Cameo owners we found the livingroom furniture
uncomfortable and replaced it. Also after having a blowout courtesy of one of the
Duro tires, we replaced them all with Goodyear G614's.
-- Edited by PD CFK on Monday 13th of June 2011 06:04:53 PM
IWantaCampMore said
03:49 AM Jun 12, 2011
Thank you all for the link and the thoughts. We will check out the yahoo link when they approve us as members. Makes you wonder what it takes to be a member. Do they think we are Yahoo's? LOL
All good info so far, ya'll don't have any Bad or Ugly info? I really like the fact that its made in USA. And they make their own frame too ? ! Wow, Not Lippert? Thats Great!
Please kept it coming. Anyone ever take a factory tour?
Thanks
jimdee said
07:00 AM Jun 12, 2011
We took a factory tour a few years ago. It was very impressive and worth the time. We toured Carriage and Heartland (Landmark, Big Horn) the same day, and we were impressed with how much more organized the Carriage factory seemed. May not be true, but it was our impression at the time. Another forum you might enjoy is www.carriageowners.net. But along with the two Carriage forums, be sure to check out the owners forums of other brands. The more research you do, the more comfortable you'll be with your choice. One thing to remember... Carriage has been building fulltime-capable fifth wheels since 1968, through boom times and recessions. And they've remained a private firm and have resisted the temptation to expand. If you look at the conglomerates out there today, with sometimes more than a dozen brands, you wonder how they can maintain the quality over that broad of a lineup. To us, Carriage is the best balance between cost and quality. Jim
Steve C said
01:46 PM Jun 12, 2011
Hi Steve & Nonna,
We started doing research in 2008. After narrowing our choices down to six RV manufacturers at various price points, we visited the six factories in and around Elkhart. It came down to Carriage and DRV. We selected DRV and had some initial problems; but, we were overall very satisfied with our choice.
We are in the RV buying process again and looked at Carriage this time as well. Ruled them out only because of too low ceiling height in the bedroom. I spent several hours in one with the regional rep. When I read of some issues on the web and called him with my concerns, he passed my concerns on to the owner of the company. The owner called me within two hours of my conversation with the rep and satisfactorily answered my questions and concerns.
If you can, I would go the factories and see them built from the "naked" frame to completion. I would compare and ask questions about brakes, tires and suspensions of whatever brands you narrowed your choice down to. Ask if the brands and models you are considering are rated and warranted for full-time use. Many popular brands are not intended for full-time living. I would followup with the company reps that answered your questions during your tours and get your concerns answered in writing. By going to the factory you can see what is behind and inside the walls, under the floor, and above the ceiling. Go before 2:00 PM when the line is in operation. Make sure you get prior approval.
We also went to Heartland and had an experience similar to that noted by Jim. I understand that Heartland was bought out after our visit and you may have a different experience if you go there now. I cannot remember if they build a full-time unit.
As result of going to Elkhart and seeing them being built, we doubled our original budget of $75,000 for 5th wheel and tow vehicle. We went from a F250 to a F450. This time we will do a F350 or a 3500HD because of towing capacity improvements in the 2011 Ford and Chevy.
I would also encourage you to look at some used Carriages and other comparable brands and see how they have held up under full-time use. I looked at used DRVs and Carriages from 2005 to 2010 and considered what I saw in my decision making process.
Good luck. Have fun.
Steve
DreamerBob said
04:48 PM Jun 12, 2011
We've been fulltiming for a year & a half in a 2009 Cameo 37RE3 and absolutely love it! We found Cameos to be very well rated by RV Consumer Group who sell their rating services on CD. I think that although they are priced higher than some, they are an extremely good value for the level of quality that is built in.
I don't represent them, or make any $$ off the referral but have seen their reports and they are VERY informative using a scale of 1 to 100 for ratings.
Complete, easy to read & understand and give comps on VIP issues like full-time liveability, service, safety & weight concerns.
Back when we were looking, there was 1 (one) 5-star fifth-wheel manufacturer:
New Horizons in Kansas
They sell directly to owners - not thru RV dealers, and have Ambassadors that can give you owners' experiences/feedback also. Jack Mayer is one of the most knowledgeable New Horizons Owners/Ambassadors I know of. He is also very knowledgeable about HDT and solar installations.
Have fun in your research !
IWantaCampMore said
09:44 AM Jun 19, 2011
Thank ya'll for the help. Now if we could only find one to look at close to home. We have looked at several models and came to the conclusion the we want a 37KS3. But to take a 10 minute tour of one would be the deciding factor to order one. Wish we could ,wish we could, wish we might to wish upon a Cameo tonight.
We are in the market for a new 5th wheel and we are considering Carriage RV. What is the Good, Bad and the Ugly of these units?We have both researched them some what on thier web site and it seems to be a well built unit. But we need the people's opinion. Are they worth the extra money or are they just a better Looking 5th wheel? Please feel free with your opinions and if you have to PM me, please feel free to do that also.
We've been fulltiming in one for over 5 years now and are very happy with our choice. We've towed over 50,000 miles and have been in almost 325 campgrounds. It's not been perfect, but I don't think any RV brand is. It's very well made and insulated, we've been from -14 to +105 without issue. If we were to replace it I don't think we'd seriously consider anything else.
There is a Yahoo group of Carriage owners that has over 1800 owners, you should consider joining and ask for opinions there. You can find them at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Carriage_RV/
Good luck,
-- Edited by Luvglass on Saturday 11th of June 2011 08:49:22 PM
We've been full timing in our 2010 Cameo 36FWS for about a year and a half now, and we love it. It had a couple of issues that were well taken care of, and now we feel we have all the bugs out of it. The main things that convinced us to buy a Carriage product are: 2-year full warranty, they make their own frames, rear basement storage, and slide roof design (no vertical lip on the top to catch debris...everything is swept off when you bring the slides in). Very well-built unit. We wouldn't have anything less for living in full time. I also recommend the Carriage Yahoo group, but when you read posts about problems you should realize they're in the minority when you consider the large overall number of owners out there. Good luck with your decision. Jim
We're "newbies" who bought a 2011 Carriage Cameo, 37CKSLS in November and have really enjoyed it. Having never done the RV thing before, we have nothing to compare it with, but we're havin' fun. :) We're going to the rally in September to learn more. Good luck with your decision. Pat K
PS All that being said...like other Cameo owners we found the livingroom furniture
uncomfortable and replaced it. Also after having a blowout courtesy of one of the
Duro tires, we replaced them all with Goodyear G614's.
-- Edited by PD CFK on Monday 13th of June 2011 06:04:53 PM
Thank you all for the link and the thoughts. We will check out the yahoo link when they approve us as members. Makes you wonder what it takes to be a member. Do they think we are Yahoo's? LOL
All good info so far, ya'll don't have any Bad or Ugly info? I really like the fact that its made in USA. And they make their own frame too ? ! Wow, Not Lippert? Thats Great!
Please kept it coming. Anyone ever take a factory tour?
Thanks
We took a factory tour a few years ago. It was very impressive and worth the time. We toured Carriage and Heartland (Landmark, Big Horn) the same day, and we were impressed with how much more organized the Carriage factory seemed. May not be true, but it was our impression at the time. Another forum you might enjoy is www.carriageowners.net. But along with the two Carriage forums, be sure to check out the owners forums of other brands. The more research you do, the more comfortable you'll be with your choice. One thing to remember... Carriage has been building fulltime-capable fifth wheels since 1968, through boom times and recessions. And they've remained a private firm and have resisted the temptation to expand. If you look at the conglomerates out there today, with sometimes more than a dozen brands, you wonder how they can maintain the quality over that broad of a lineup. To us, Carriage is the best balance between cost and quality. Jim
Hi Steve & Nonna,
We started doing research in 2008. After narrowing our choices down to six RV manufacturers at various price points, we visited the six factories in and around Elkhart. It came down to Carriage and DRV. We selected DRV and had some initial problems; but, we were overall very satisfied with our choice.
We are in the RV buying process again and looked at Carriage this time as well. Ruled them out only because of too low ceiling height in the bedroom. I spent several hours in one with the regional rep. When I read of some issues on the web and called him with my concerns, he passed my concerns on to the owner of the company. The owner called me within two hours of my conversation with the rep and satisfactorily answered my questions and concerns.
If you can, I would go the factories and see them built from the "naked" frame to completion. I would compare and ask questions about brakes, tires and suspensions of whatever brands you narrowed your choice down to. Ask if the brands and models you are considering are rated and warranted for full-time use. Many popular brands are not intended for full-time living. I would followup with the company reps that answered your questions during your tours and get your concerns answered in writing. By going to the factory you can see what is behind and inside the walls, under the floor, and above the ceiling. Go before 2:00 PM when the line is in operation. Make sure you get prior approval.
We also went to Heartland and had an experience similar to that noted by Jim. I understand that Heartland was bought out after our visit and you may have a different experience if you go there now. I cannot remember if they build a full-time unit.
As result of going to Elkhart and seeing them being built, we doubled our original budget of $75,000 for 5th wheel and tow vehicle. We went from a F250 to a F450. This time we will do a F350 or a 3500HD because of towing capacity improvements in the 2011 Ford and Chevy.
I would also encourage you to look at some used Carriages and other comparable brands and see how they have held up under full-time use. I looked at used DRVs and Carriages from 2005 to 2010 and considered what I saw in my decision making process.
Good luck. Have fun.
Steve
We've been fulltiming for a year & a half in a 2009 Cameo 37RE3 and absolutely love it! We found Cameos to be very well rated by RV Consumer Group who sell their rating services on CD. I think that although they are priced higher than some, they are an extremely good value for the level of quality that is built in.
I'd recommend Cameo in a heartbeat!
You can always order an independent report from:
http://rv.org/
I don't represent them, or make any $$ off the referral but have seen their reports and they are VERY informative using a scale of 1 to 100 for ratings.
Complete, easy to read & understand and give comps on VIP issues like full-time liveability, service, safety & weight concerns.
Back when we were looking, there was 1 (one) 5-star fifth-wheel manufacturer:
New Horizons in Kansas
They sell directly to owners - not thru RV dealers, and have Ambassadors that can give you owners' experiences/feedback also. Jack Mayer is one of the most knowledgeable New Horizons Owners/Ambassadors I know of. He is also very knowledgeable about HDT and solar installations.
Have fun in your research !
Thank ya'll for the help. Now if we could only find one to look at close to home. We have looked at several models and came to the conclusion the we want a 37KS3. But to take a 10 minute tour of one would be the deciding factor to order one. Wish we could ,wish we could, wish we might to wish upon a Cameo tonight.