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Most travel trailer/5ers are built in Indiana. Forest River also builds them in CA. The only difference between the 2 Forest River units is sometimes the rear wall construction. They are not building them special based on the region. They are built based on how the dealer orders them.
I have bought 5th wheels on both sides of the Canada/Us border, different times of the year. I don't believe time of year factors in unless you look snow belt or Quebec/Ontario late Oct/early Nov where a dealer has left over inventory especially small dealers that haven't the money & the snow is on it's way. I have seen some amazing deals through Ritchie Brothers selling on behalf of the above ! Your money will get you further in Canada in this case ! I believe that individual private seller circumstances will net you some great deals. Be aware of what you buy, regardless of brand or model, I have seen **** in all of them, worked extensively on them, roofs, frame breaks, etc.. We had a very popular 40' model that was 26 months old, 6 pt automatic leveling, went across Canada & the USA over 10 months, 30,000 miles, got home one tire cupped in the last 800 miles, frame had twisted, spring hangers bent, one broken. If you are good with your hands, have the time, then look for good bones [frame, axles, top shelf tires, & roof] the rest is just dressing ! We repaired the 40', sold it & bought a much older[2008] war horse with a massive frame, had modern looking fiberglass caps front & rear, 3m 1080 graphics, gloss fiberglass side walls, 110psi rated 8 stud wheel rims, 5.5kw genset...I installed a new roof, air bag suspension, all new furniture, etc., paid 18K, put another 4K into it. I do miss the leveling system, but nothing else.
Not strictly true. As I said, the Forest River Salem 26RBS is not available if you are looking at their floor plans for the Southwest page, but it is available if you look at their floor plans for the Midwest page. Their Wildwood 26RBS, which is exactly the same floor plan, GVWR, and options is the same. It's available in the Midwest but not the Southwest. This means that if I go to a dealer in Arizona neither of those is a model I can order through them because Forest River doesn't ship either of them to that region, but I can through a dealer in Arkansas or Nebraska
True, don't listen to a salesperson...RV, truck, house, whatever.
Like I said most are built in Indiana so living in AZ is no help since it's the farthest point from where they're made so transport costs come into play. They can only haul one at a time unlike some small trailers where they can flatbed 3 at a time. I'm sure Alaska is no better.
^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^
That may work for one that will be used for camping, but there is no such thing as getting exactly what you want if you plan on full-timing it (living it in, no house or apartment as a home base). It will always be a trade-off between almost-but-not-quite, and close enough. It has almost the floor plan you're looking for, but you want a rear bathroom. So you find one that is very similar with a rear bathroom, but it only comes with a 10 cu-ft fridge instead of a 12....or you can't get a king bed...or something else.
This is what we saw when we were in the market for an upgrade. 19-22 models were priced through the roof because of the C19/pandemic, they were being bought up and RV manufacturers could not keep up with the demand. Now the market is flooded. Prices are going to fluctuate....
That may work for one that will be used for camping, but there is no such thing as getting exactly what you want if you plan on full-timing it (living it in, no house or apartment as a home base). It will always be a trade-off between almost-but-not-quite, and close enough. It has almost the floor plan you're looking for, but you want a rear bathroom. So you find one that is very similar with a rear bathroom, but it only comes with a 10 cu-ft fridge instead of a 12....or you can't get a king bed...or something else.
I full-timed for a long time. I have the requisite experience.
Lolz....That may work for one that will be used for camping, but there is no such thing as getting exactly what you want if you plan on full-timing it (living it in, no house or apartment as a home base). It will always be a trade-off between almost-but-not-quite, and close enough. It has almost the floor plan you're looking for, but you want a rear bathroom. So you find one that is very similar with a rear bathroom, but it only comes with a 10 cu-ft fridge instead of a 12....or you can't get a king bed...or something else.
I full-timed for a long time. I have the requisite experience.
