We have found the 2012 Forest River Sunseeker 3010DS and feel it would be perfect for our
needs as a First and Only RV. I've been searching nightly for reviews and what little I've found
is unsavory under RoamingTimes.com. I read things about showers leaking, screws coming undone, cabinets falling off the walls, escape window falling off down the highway, engine problems, lights falling out of the ceiling, etc. I wonder if this is all true or only older models? I would gladly buy a review book if someone can suggest one. Found one online for $50 but am not sure if that the best or only one available.
People are telling us to rent one first but I found on http://www.rvlifestyleexperts.com/free-rv-info/rv-polls/ "Did you rent an RV prior to making the decision to buy one?" Answer:
78% - No. I wouldn't mind renting one, especially to try out our menagerie in it but husb
says no, would rather put the $1000 towards the down payment.
I know Winnebago is an excellent brand but this Forest River really has a floorplan we've been
looking for. Just don't want something that breaks down/falls apart, obviously.
i guess there is always a bad brand or model in anything right? i have a 2010 sunseeker 3100ss i got new and love it. only had 2 issues so far. one was the dometic a/c power board went bad and was fixed under their warranty and the other was a 12v outlet where they cut the hole in the wall too large so the outlet wasnt secure.
We've had our Sunseeker 2300 for a month now and love it. This is our first class C but have previously had 2 travel trailers of other brands. We have found the Sunseeker to be of excellent quality. There are lots of little things that exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend it. Be sure to check RvDirect.com for prices. We had an outstanding experience with them and they beat the best dealer price we could find by $8000. Over $32,000 off MSRP.
Our 2010 Sunseeker 2300 on E450 chassis has been great! Gas mileage isn't the best, but I don't think many V-10 Ford powered class C owners will brag about their fuel economy. My understanding is that the Chevy powered Sunseekers (any other brand for that matter rides and gets a bit better fuel economy.
I won't deny our RV rides pretty rough. I'm good with that since we tow a Jeep Wrangler most of the time, and can carry as much stuff as we seem to be able to fit in the rig and still be well below vehicle weight limits. Sunseeker has larger tanks than much of their competition for those interested in boondocking.
Fit and finish on our model has been good. No leaks. We have had two minor issues... the Fantastic fans crank fell out which took a minute to fix, and the crank on the TV antenna broke. Oh yeah, the headlights were way out of adjustment.
We have had our Sunseeker on quite a few gravel roads. For one thing, we live on one so the first and last 4 miles of our trips is washboard. We've driven down good gravel, bad gravel, and horrible gravel roads and nothing other than the Fantastic fan crank has fallen out. I look for loose screws and have not found any yet... Thinks will loosen up over time no matter what ride you buy I'm afraid.
The only known issue I'm aware of is the furnace thermostat location. On our model, it's on the wall next to the refrigerator. Though we have not experienced the problem since we seldom use the furnace, folks have reported having trouble maintaining even heat in their coach. The refers heat effected the thermostat and the fix is a "stand-off" spacer behind the thermostat.
Don't know about the 3100 model, but our Sunseeker came with an oven. Now we like the oven especially when boondocking since we don't need to fire the generator up to warm up something. Makes great biscuits for B&G too. DW even makes bread in it. Takes a lot of space that could be used for drawers. The drawback I see is that kitchen storage is more than adequate, but it would be nice to have a couple drawers more handy.
Though we have not experienced any issues, I've read a lot of folks have problems with the sound systems Forest River has installed.
The only build related criticism I have relates to the wiring under the coach. I think FR could have spent a couple extra bucks and routed some of the wiring around the dump valve area a bit better.
If and when you take the plunge, PDI (pre delivery inspection) is your friend. If something isn't right before you drive it home, have it fixed before paying for it. There are PDI checklists available online for example... PDI Checklist. Print out a couple copies, take one to your dealer when you purchase and let 'em know that list has to be right before the RV rolls off the lot. When your ready to pick up that beauty, don't be excited and forget about the checklist thinking all will be OK. If it's not right, don't take it... the dealer wants his money so he should be quick to fix it. After you leave the lot, all bets are off if you believe what other RVers have to say about their dealers warranty service.
From our experience, I'd recommend a Sunseeker.
Please Support Multiple Use of our Public Lands!
Brian & Margie www.rv-camping.org
'10 Sunseeker Class C - Gozer II
'13 Jeep JKU (Wrangler) - Billie
We bought our 2008 Sunseeker 3100SS used in 2008 (3216 miles on it) 3 years ago now and have no real complaints about the RV itself. Living in Florda we have had all the vent covers crack, and the patio awning came apart, but that is not Forest Rivers fault it is the vent and awing manufactures fault. This is our first class C but we have had 2 travel trailers before. We have found the Sunseeker to be of excellent quality. I would buy it again.
We bought an '07 2860 with 20k on it three years ago. It was a rental from a local dealer. I have no complaints about anything other than the poor handling but that isn't all of Sunseekers fault. I would buy another. In fact we were looking at a Georgetown rather seriously but decided to wait.
As for the handling issues correct tire pressure, replaced shocks, front and rear Hellwig sway bars from SDTrucksprings.com fixed that.
I have owned mine for about a year and a half to two years. I have no complaints about the quality of the unit. My only complaint is the rear slide. The design is just poor. It has two parallel tracks on each side where motors spin a gear to drive it in and out (as opposed to the normal hydraulic slide motor under the couch). I have had it in to the dealer several times to fix a leak near one of the tracks. Finally I just took apart the interior trim and got in there and fixed it my self. Everytime I check it, still no leaks, but as I stated earlier, it is a poor design. With that being said, I would buy another Sunseeker in a heartbeat, but one that does not have that type of slide.
2010 Sunseeker 3170DS
2012 Ford Escape
Roadmaster Falcon 2 tow bar
I have a 2005 Sunseeker that I purchased in 2007. We've had no issuses except the awning quit working. No problem with anything inside. We have a no-slide unit. All lights still in place, all cabinets still in place, all drawers still work like they are suppose to. I would buy another but no need to this one still works like new.
My wife and I have a 2011 Sunseeker 2300 on the Ford E350 chassis with the V10 engine. We have been pleasantly surprised by the better-than-average quality of the workmanship and fit and finish. We initially had two minor problems: a plugged kitchen faucet (due to a small piece of plastic wedged in the valve) and a leaking fresh water tank filler tube (due to an insufficiently tightened hose clamp). I was able to easily repair both problems myself. Other than that, all appliances, structures, and systems have been operating trouble free.
The motor home has traveled about 4,500 miles which include a variety of terrains and driving conditions. Although the ride and handling initially left something to be desired, lowering the tire pressures (from 80 psi all around to 60 psi front and 70 psi rear) greatly improved the situation. We are averaging 10.3 mpg without a toad.
From our experience and what we have read elsewhere, I would say the horror stories you have been reading about the Sunseekers are overblown and/or may pertain to older models. Based on our experience thus far, we give the “new” Sunseekers a very favorable recommendation.
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