Is Redwood comparable to our Landmark?

[GHage]

Thinking of trading our 2008 Landmark in on a new Redwood 36FB. The floorplans are very comparable and fit our needs well.

Upon sitting in the Redwood at our dealer's location, we were amazed at how much quieter the ac units were inside, and the more even air flow throughout the Redwood as compared to our LM. It seemed much cooler in the Redwood even though the downstairs unit (set at 74 degrees) ran constantly as it was the hottest part of the day. Upstairs did cycle.

Now, comparing construction and durability for fulltime use, am I giving up our LM for a product that is lesser/equal/better than our current Fiver based on industry standards? We are liking what we see in the Redwood but do not want to be trading down. Comments and opinions appreciated in helping us compare these two.




Edited by: GHage

[atom ant]

We looked at both before deciding on Redwood. To me the Redwood offered more higher end features than landmark, and we just liked the interior better (styling). They are very similar, yet very much different.

I would say on the scale of bottom to top end units, they are probably very competitive. They both sit on the same frame, with the same 6 point leveling. After that, the Redwood steers towards alternatives to Dometic such as Coleman, Norcold, Carefree awnings, etc., whereas we noticed Landmark was almost all Dometic. Don't know if that is good or bad, but it is a difference between the two.

I have never spent the night in a Landmark, but I can tell you the Redwood bed is perfect for us as is, the furniture is perfect as is, the unit inside is quiet to road noise, the air conditioners are surprisingly quiet with the new centralized return air ducts, the water pump is whisper quiet, we don't hear the dishwasher run in the living room, even the furnace is amazingly quiet. It is a super comfortable rig.

I wouldn't beat yourself up thinking you are trading up or down, as they are probably in the same class. Fully equipped, I think the Redwood offers more than was probably even available on the LM.

As a start up company, I'm sure Redwood may have to overcome some growing pains, but it wasn't but a few years before that Heartland was in the same boat.You get a little extra attention I think from a new builder.

[GHage]

I agree with everything you have said. Having the Coleman Mach a/c on our custom large sleeper tractor, the dometic a/c units on the LM don't even begin to compare in quality and quietness. We love that we found that the be the same on the prospective new Redwood we are hoping to purchase. The Norcold refig/freezer in our tractor also works much better (colder) than the Dometic in our LM. Obviously, I'm becoming less and less a Dometic fan.

As for frames and axle components, anymore any Fiver you buy is going to be built on Lippert unless you buy one of the few brands still building their own frames. I believe if towed reasonably and not overloaded (as many seem to do) the frame should be relatively trouble free for us.

We love the gorgeous quarry granite in our LM over the counter tops in the Redwood, but the Redwood offers so many other great features IMO that convince me to give that up.

I believe that if the bank approves our loan, we are going to be much happier with the Redwood than we've been with our LM.


Edited by: GHage

[atom ant]

Fantastic! Options to definately consider -

1) Disk Brakes
2) Disk Brakes
3) 2nd awning - who would have thought
4) Dishwasher

There are others - but these we found to bring the most smiles after the purchase.

We didn't get the quartz tops - rather just the standard. I'm with you, neither made our tongues hang out, but of the two we preferred the regular tops with the brick like backsplash. The quartz were too heavy for us to lift off the stove and sink.

[johnboytoo]

Unless you are very astute, any type of trade is a losing proposition --- you are offered less than wholesale for yours and expected to pay up to retail for 'theirs' shop around @ multiple dealers across the country !

Consider a for sale by owner to see if you can make up the difference in what they offer,
but also considering the sales tax you would save on the trade in...

good luck !

(I actually wanted to order the dishwasher, but the other dishwasher didn't want it! - go figure )Edited by: johnboytoo

[atom ant]

The built in dishwasher is the backup for when she stays home