# need advise on jayco Designer fifth wheel/ or cameo



## aville (Feb 3, 2007)

Hi,
My husband and I have been looking at few large fifth wheels. We want one that is all seasons. Everyone has their own idea's with the different companies. We found a carriage cameo and really liked it. I had gone to a Rv show and picked up a brochure on jayco designer series. I looked in it and thought it was nice. We were in a hurry and had to beave so I ended up calling someone and was given a wonderful price w/w all the bells and whisles. They under cut the cameo dealer buy about $5000.00 plus many other added features. We want something that we could enjoy and travel all over the place in comfort.
I'm very confused and would love some help.......


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## hertig (Feb 4, 2007)

Re: need advise on jayco Designer fifth wheel/ or cameo

The first thing, is what are you going to tow that large fifth wheel with?  If you have a vehicle you want to use, then you need to find out what it can safely and comfortably tow, then you will have a range of trailers you can look at.  If you don't have a vehicle, then it is best to shop for both before you buy either.  That way you won't get forced into a vehicle you don't really want because nothing else will tow the trailer you have or not be able to get the trailer you want because your truck won't tow it.  Matching the trailer and the tow vehicle is a tedious process, and you are not likely to get much real help from either the vehicle dealer (sure, this truck will tow anything) or the RV dealer (yeah, this baby can be towed by any truck).  For safety, you want to use the GVWR of the trailer, not the 'dry weight', because how often will you tow it empty?  And don't believe the 'towing capacity' claimed by a truck, because that is usually with absolutely no passangers, cargo or accessories in or on the truck, so only with 150 pound driver and a bit of gas.

When buying a trailer, price is not the primary concern.  You want a dealer who will stand behind the sale, and give you good service on the unit.  Saving $5000 won't do you a bit of good if you get a unit with A/C which doesn't work and you have to pull it 500 miles to get it serviced and then when you get there they won't do it or charge you a bunch or take a month to do it.

That said, you can generally expect to get about 25% off of Suggested Retail on most new units as a general target.  Last year's models should be significantly better than that (go by the used value, because that is what the value will be despite being 'new').


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## DL Rupper (Feb 4, 2007)

Re: need advise on jayco Designer fifth wheel/ or cameo

I would go with the Carriage.  You get what you pay for.  I check out the RV magazine Tech and fix it articles and Jayco is not at the top of the list for reliability.  Carriage, HitchHiker, Excel, Alpenlite, Travel Supreme, Gulf Stream  and Titanium all build good medium to high end 5th Wheels.  Montana builds a fairly good medium priced 5'er.  I have heard Sunneybrook is a good 5'er,  but have no expience with them.  Jayco is just not one of the better 5'ers.  Just my opinion. :approve:


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## aville (Feb 4, 2007)

Re: need advise on jayco Designer fifth wheel/ or cameo

Dl,
Thanks for your advise. It is hard to tell which of the dealers are telling you the truth. The cameo is very well made. I will also check out the other names you mentioned.
Aville


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## aville (Feb 4, 2007)

Re: need advise on jayco Designer fifth wheel/ or cameo

John,
Thanks for your reply. We have just purchased a 2003 Ford f350 crew cab w/w  diesel 7.3 w/w 4.10 rear end. (w.w long bed). I agree that everyone has a different idea on what we can pull. What is the max it can pull. Also we had looked at a 2004 Presidental Holiday Rambler that was new. The list price was $68.000. They were asking $51,500. I'll check as see if that is the depricated price. This is wonderful information that can helps us make a good choice for our retirement years.
Thanks
Aville


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## Grandview Trailer Sa (Feb 4, 2007)

Re: need advise on jayco Designer fifth wheel/ or cameo

In 2003, your truck was rated to tow up to a 13,400lb. fifth wheel.  At least you got a 7.3 engine.


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## hertig (Feb 5, 2007)

Re: need advise on jayco Designer fifth wheel/ or cameo

2004?  Wonder why that unit sat on the lot so long?  

The tires were probably made in 2003, so they probably only have a year or 2 of life left in them and if it comes with factory batteries, they are probably on the downslope too.  The dealer here yanks the factory batteries and puts new ones in at the sale, so that may not be a problem if your dealer does the same.  But for sure check the date codes on the tire sidewalls, and remember that after 5 years, you want to start consider replacing them despite the mileage.  I had a blowout in my trailer and it wasn't fun.  (Also check the tires on your truck for good tread, as I also let the truck tires go longer than I should have and had the joy of hydroplaning, but that's a different story).  

Make sure you check for rust (underneath) and water damage since sitting that long without use, a small factory problem could be bad news by now.  A full inspection and test of all equipment is even more critical with this unit than a newer one.  Check that the factory warrantee is still in effect and make sure you get any documentation you need to utilize it, since at first glance they will reject claims on a 2004 model.

As to price, I don't know which model this is, but the biggest one I could find in the NADA book had an 'average retail' of 34,000.  If this happened to be the model you are talking about, this means the unit would be 'worth' less than $30K when you drive it off the lot.  

The weight on the model I looked up was a bit under 12,000 pounds, which means your truck should handle it fine.  In general, if I had a truck 'rated' for 13,400 pounds, I would consider 12,000 pounds to be a 'safe' maximum.  Any more weight can be done, but would require a lot more care and trips to the scales to insure I didn't exceed any maximum weight.


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## DL Rupper (Feb 5, 2007)

Re: need advise on jayco Designer fifth wheel/ or cameo

Holiday Rambler fits in the Montana category as a fairly good RV, and the Pesidential is the top of their line.  However, if you are going to buy in that price range, I think you can get a better made RV if you look at the ones mentioned above.  I personnaly think the Carriage is better, but my own druthers is an RV that has vaccum bonded sidewalls and floors and roof if possible.  They are structually stronger. They include HitchHiker(NUWA), Alpenlite, Gulf Stream, Titanium.  Remember this is just an opinion.  
Whatever you do, stay away from Forest River manufactured RV's.  
I don't think the 2004bmodel holiday Rambler is marked down enough.  It is 3 years old.


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## TomAndJanie (Mar 7, 2007)

Re: need advise on jayco Designer fifth wheel/ or cameo

Based on my personal experiences, I would absolutely buy the cameo instead of a Jayco.  The difference in workmanship, especially in the unseen areas, should be immense.  I've owned a Jayco.


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