# Seeking opinions on fiver puchase



## stevewatr (Jun 15, 2011)

Hello everyone. I am brand new to the forum. The wife and I are contemplating purchase of a newer trailer to replace our '93 Prowler.
We have three young boys, so we are looking at bunkhouse models. New is not an option due to price. We have a short list of finalists with pros and cons. First up is a 2007 Wildcat 32Qbbs, private sale locally, they are asking $19000, and admit they have a little room to move, but not much as they still owe money on it from when they bought it new. With quad bunks, it is great for the kids, and they have an extended warranty through Star RV, a diamond package good until 2014, transferable for a $50 fee. One thing I'm not sure about is the Lippert frames. I have read a lot about issues with them, and notice most extended warranties exclude frames. A quick search of pin box issues yields some scary stories. Next candidate is a 2008 32QBBS Wildcat at a dealer for $22,000. Did not try and grind them on price yet. They are only offering a 30 day warranty. Also a Lippert frame. One plus is the '08 has a flat panel tv. I could care less about the dinky flat screen, but I like that this frees up storage space where the '07 has a cabinet to house a old CRT set. Lastly is my favorite, and my wife's #3 on this list, a 2007 KZ Durango 325BHX3, a different dealer, still only a 30 day warranty. One drawback is this unit only has 2 bunks, one queen, and one single above, but the floor-space is big in the bunk-room because it has a slider in there. This one also has a half bath in the bunkhouse, that makes the loss of the extra bunks a little easier to swallow. It also has a bedroom slider, and separate room for the hopper. I like how well sealed the bottom of this model appears because I hate mice! another private sale Wildcat we looked at was taken of the list after we found mouse poop everywhere in the living quarters. Back to the KZ, it has a nice tray style rear bumper for carrying stuff like a bicycle I guess. The pin box did not have Lippert on it, it had a different name I do not recall at the moment. The dealer wanted 22,700, but came down to $19,800. Comments, and suggestions welcome.


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## krsmitty (Jun 15, 2011)

Re: Seeking opinions on fiver puchase

NADA.com is a good place to check out used RV prices. Don't worry about checking any of the options.


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## Steve H (Jun 15, 2011)

Re: Seeking opinions on fiver puchase

Hello!

If I were choosing only from your "short list" and considering only the construction and quality reputation not the floorplans, I believe I would go with the KZ. That is just my preference and not as an experienced KZ or Wildcat (Forest River) owner. We have bought used and had mixed results! Our initiation into RVing was with a $14,000 5th wheel. We had a great time in this rig and it taught us a lot about RVing however, we soon discovered a slow leak that apparently was there for years had rotted out the slide roof and walls. There were no visible leak signs inside and our obvious lack of experience did not find it until months later ($7000+ repair).  When you decide on the rig, if you are not adept at doing so, hire a tech to inspect the coach. If we had hired someone with experience to inspect it prior to purchase, perhaps they would have found the problem. 

Lippert frames get a very bad rep on forums. Of the thousands of RV's on the road with these frames a surprisingly small number seem to have issues. Not making slight of anyones frame issues understanding how disappointing that would be, but I have never read a forum post anywhere that said...gee, my frame is performing great! 

I think you will have some wiggle room with asking price. Don't be afraid to make an offer you are comfortable with. You might be surprised at the results. We were when we purchased a used rig at a dealer. I have never been a fan of extended warranties but I would reconsider if I ever purchased used again. I would definitely want the warranty to cover the two main issues, water intrusion and frame. Not sure if they do or not! 

Best Wishes!


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## stevewatr (Jul 6, 2011)

Re: Seeking opinions on fiver puchase

We are in a holding pattern on our purchase. We have decided to wait until the end of summer to see if any deals come up at dealers, or private parties looking to unload a trailer before winter. In the meantime, I check my local Craigslist almost daily, and check other less local ones weekly. In our area there are lots of 5'ers that have been listed for over a month, and not selling. Problem is the sellers owe more than they are willing to take for it. The Wildcat we looked at at the dealer sold, and the KZ sold. The '07 Wildcat we looked at right near us is still just sitting there, but they are not lowering the price from 18500, witch is what they lowered it to on 6/24. The first time I saw it was in April. I drive by it on my way home every day, and they do not even have a for sale sign on it. I just don't think they are motivated sellers. In the meantime, I think I'll put our Prowler up on Craigslist. Maybe if I unload it we will have more incentive to ramp up our purchase!


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## stevewatr (Oct 14, 2011)

Well the end of summer arrived, and we still had not scored a fifth wheel deal we had hoped for. Now with Columbus day weekend over, we are back in the thick of it, but now we are considering biteing the bullet, and ponying up more green for a new model. We looked at some real dogs this summer. Mind you they were once nice trailers, but they just were not well taken care of, etc. Fell in love with a Cardinal LE bunkhouse floorplan, but the 2007 for $19000 we looked at had some scary issues. Yesterday I spent time on the phone lines, trying to shake out a deal. Found a lightly used KZ 355bh, 2010, 5 slider bunkhouse. Looked barely used. It was on consignment, and the ask was 49,995! had lots of options, and 5 slide toppers. Got them down to 30,000, but we were stretching to get to our final offer of 27,500. The wife did not like the decor anyways, and she convinced me we did not need a five slider. Still high off my dreams of the massive KZ, I found my next fantasy girl. An Open Range 4 slider. Found a dealer who would sell me a brand new 2012 for $36,000! Not bad for a luxury fiver like that. Again, wife did not like the color of the kitchen cabinets (two tone), and too rich for our blood anyways. Now we are getting down to our fairly realisitc short list, a few of these are probably still too high for us, but I'll try to shake out a deal:

Sandpiper 365SAQ
Sandpiper 355QBQ
Sandpiper 32QBBS

Sierra 365SAQ
Sierra 355QBQ
Sierra 32QBBS

Copper Canyon 324FWBHS

Wildcat 323QB

KZ 1500 Durango D305BH

These are all quad bunkroom models, or three bunks, on the ones with outside kitchens. Some have 1 and a half baths.

Anybody own one of these, or have strong opinions on the brand??

Thanks.


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## Cruzincat (Oct 14, 2011)

Have you talked with Ken at Grandview?  I just stopped by his place today for the first time and I noted two things about his inventory. 

1. The used trailers seemed to be in very good condition, at least cosmetically.  I am not an expert, though and there is a lot that could escape my eyes.  However, at first glance they seemed like very nice units.

2.  He has a lot of used bunkhouse style trailers on his lot right now, both trailer and 5th wheel.


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