Which 5er to buy - Jayco or Alfa

[BigMike]

My wife and I are zeroing in on buying a new 5th wheel. We've looked at Carriage, Jayco, Holiday Rambler, Alpenlites and a few others. We were convinced that Jayco was the right one until we looked at an Alfa. We were surprised they were competively priced. What we really like, besides what appears to be good quality, is the 5 year bumper to bumper warranty. I'm a little limited by weight, but we found a couple of models that when loaded with all our stuff, will be under 13000lbs. That should put me pretty close to my CGVWR, maybe a little over. Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

[RustyJC]

Which model Jayco and which model Alfa are comparably priced? Not an Alfa Gold, I would assume!!



Rusty

 

[chuck3]

Both Good.

I can't believe you can get an Alfa for the same price as a Jayco, I've looked at them both, but around here the Alfa is quite a bit Higher, but may not be the same model as you looked at. I have a Jayco and its been a good trailer, have had no problems at all. I really like the Holiday R. best and plan on up gradeing to one soon. Good Luck.

 

[gatoram]

The Alfa's are top of the list of nice! I have had a 2000 Jayco 31' BHS TT for 2 years and haven't had any trouble at all. It's good quality inside and out. There are four of us so storage space was important in our choice -- Jayco had the most organized use of space.



The only problem i have had is rust. The entire frame rusted terribly. They use a water-based paint on the frame that doesn't offer much protection against the elements. My Dodge has been everywhere the TT has been with no rust other than on the cast iron. I called the customer service dept. to find they don't warrant the frame against rust... ..... You might ask some questions before you buy. Good Luck!!!

 

[BigMike]

The Jayco we are looking at is a Designer 32 RLTS. They want $42k for it. The Alfa is an Alfa Sun, which retails for $45k.

 

[Charley]

BigMike:



I can buy a 37' Jayco, Designer with triple slides and all options for $35,000 to $36,000 here at a discount dealer in La Marque,

Texas. You can drive down here to get it for that much difference. I'm with the rest there is no Jayco that will come anywhere near the quality of the Alfa. However that is not to say the Jayco is not a good unit. I am a Holiday Rambler fan myself and have a 96, 36' foot HR that I bought last year for $26,000. If I would give any advice it would be to buy a 2 to 4 year old second hand, high end trailer. Holiday Ramble, Travel Supreme, London Aire, Country Aire, Teton, Snow Bird, etc, etc.



Drop me a line if I can help with the La Marque Dealer for Jayco. It might take me a few days but I can get down there on a weekend.



Charley

 

[gatoram]

You may not need to pay them what they want. This time of year, when sales are slow, there are RV shows all over. The sales people actually get competitive with each other. Visit some of the shows with what you want in mind and see what kind of "deal" you can finagle.



The salesman kept telling us, if we were really interested, to make even a ridiculous offer. We made a ridiculous offer of 17,500 for our 24,500 Jayco and was countered with 18,400. The best price we had gotten at a dealer was 23,000! Needless to say, we jumped on it... ... Something to think about.

 

[BigMike]

Both the Jayco and Alfa dealer indicated they will deal. I know I can get either on of them for less than list. What surprised me was how close the beginning price was. The Alfa Sun has all of the quality construction features of the Gold. Just doesn't have all the bells and whisles. Certainly gets your attention when you walk in. Really nice. Again, seems like a 5 year warranty is worth something

 

[RustyJC]

If you check around the RV boards, you should be able to get 20% to 25% off of MSRP on these RV's. If your dealer won't "deal", I'd shop around - use the Internet to get competitive bids from dealers within a several hundred mile radius.



You're looking at a top-of-the-line Jayco versus a bottom-of-the-line Alfa. The Jayco is an excellent "seasonal" unit (we've owned three) that gives good value-for-money. The Alfa (Gold and, to a lesser extent, Ideal) has traditionally been an upscale "full-timer's" unit - the Sun (and the See Ya) is their attempt to move down-market to increase their sales volume. Which is right for you - only you can decide!



Rusty

 

[BigMike]

I realize the alfa is bottom of the line, but the construction is exactly the same as the Gold. The framing & chasis is exactly the same. You simply don't get all the bells and whistles and options you can get with the Gold and to some extent the Ideal. They are pretty impressive.

 

[Turbo Thom]

My wife and I bought a Wanderer Deluxe by Thor. We looked at other ones but the price and layout was the seller. Now comes along the Teton Homes 33' modle. Wow, what a trailer. That thing is like mansion on wheels. At 13,000 is very towable and just class. The Alfa is good also and a little less. I think the Teton was $58,000. When I retire and really start to travel, that's where I will go. Also look for lots of insulation. Very important. .



Preston

 

[FParisi]

I've had my Alfa See Ya 30RK for 5 years now with only minor problems, I've weighed it at 12,300 # loaded. Tires coming apart X2 was the biggest problem- see if the dealer can give you an upgrade. I'll probably get the michelin xps rib before my next big trip. The underside of the 5er being closed is nice as is the basement AC.

Fank

 

[ET]

jayco

I just bought a 1993 32' jayco eagle i know your looking at new but this is my first one and the price was right (7500). it seems to be in good shape yet but i haven't given it a real good workout yet. It is structuraly sound and the interior is holding together.

 

[Bug Out]

Jayco, Teton, Alpenlite etc

I owned a jayco 2001 293RKS. Nice good unit. I would not pay more then $35,000 for top of the line Jayco Designer legacy etc. The RV market is real soft right now.



If MSRP is 42,000, offer 32,000. All they can say is no. Then see where they go?



There's also a Jayco dealer in Montana who will give you a quote over the phone delivered to your door MUCH cheaper then an average dealer will.



Their ad's are in the back of trailer life etc. Can't remember the name. Their price saved me $1500 alone.



Jayco is also a middle of the line RV. Good RV, but middle of the line. Alfa, Alpenlite(what I own now)Teton etc are top line and you pay for them. Even they are dealing big time now too.



Wish I would of bought now, instead of last summer. . Could have saved several grand. Economy has gone WAY down since last August.



Ed