We will have had our Brookstone two years next momth. We are fulltimers and love out 367RL. We have had minor problems and none serious enough to go back to dealer. We just completed a 2400 mile+ trip from Tennessee to Washington State. We will be here until October.
fordsooperdooty wrote: The Coachmen Brookstone is a Forest River product. Forest River is the 2nd largest RV Manufacturer. Owned by Warren Buffet Billionaire, of the Berkshire Hathaway company.
Coachmen itself is an older 48 year old company that was bought by FR 4 years ago, and Forest River has infused new life and invested lots of money into the brand. The results are rather amazing, as Coachmen is returning to their glory days of the past, and they are building some terrific RV's. Coachmen Owners Association
Redwood is a division of Thor..the biggest RV builder in North America, and Redwood is 2 years old and is a brand new company. They built their 1st RV in Aug. 2011 and have built over 1000 now. They also aquired the rights to the Carriage RV name, all blueprints and build plans...and Carriage was a supurb RV builder before they went under due to bad management decisions.
They also hired many of the long time Carriage employees, the finest and brightest from Carriage. And they have some pretty amazing floorplans, decor and a true luxury feel. Also, being as they are still a smaller company...and turn out their RV's relitively slowely and fit and finish appears well done...and the customer service is one on one and appears to be quite good too. The "slideouts within slideouts" are very cool!
I don't believe either company sells directly to a customer. There are so called "RV Wholesale" dealers that have good prices, but you won't get warranty service there!
And you can search in the box above for both of those brands, and find owners on this forum you can contact.
You might also consider looking at the Jayco Pinnacle...unlike the above 5ers, Jayco has a 2 year warranty, Redwood has a 2+5 year warranty, don't know about the Brookstone. built with 43 years of experience by the largest Family owned RV builder on Earth.
And when Jayco bought the Travel Supreme Luxury RV brand (which was the #1 builder of luxury 5th wheels) after they closed down, they gained a huge insight into how a truely great luxury 5th wheel is made. The result is the Pinnacle.
We have been researching 5th wheels (and motorhomes) for a few years now in preparation to go fulltiming in the near future. What we have seen is that the Redwood is a level higher than the other two in fit, finish and price! The Redwood is designed and rated for full-timing, and the other two are not. The Brookstone is rated for vacationing only, and the Pinnacle is suitable for snowbirding up to 6 months a year, per the Consumer RV Group ratings, which looks at how they are built, and how they will handle use.
Its up to you what you want to do, just giving you info that we have collected. As was said above, if the Redwood and Brookstone are the same price, then either you are getting a really good deal on the Redwood, or the Brookstone is way overpriced, or a bit of both!
I bought a Cameo last year, and this year the dealer is selling the new lifestyle. He said Thor only bought the Carriage names, but Evergreen bought everything else that was Carriage. I've looked at a Lifestyle and it is exactly like a Cameo. So I don't think we can say Redwood is like a Carriage. However; the Lifestyle. You should take a look at one.
kenneth wooster- retired farmer. Biblical History Teacher in public HS, and substitute teacher.
wife Diana-adult probation officer, now retired.
31KSLS Full Body paint Cameo
Ford F250 2011 model, 4X4, King Ranch.
18K SuperGlide Hitch
I wotuld check out the KZ Stoneridge line....better built units and better warranty with a family owned company like Jayco. From friends experiance since FR was sold their customer service went downhill.
I wotuld check out the KZ Stoneridge line....better built units and better warranty with a family owned company like Jayco. From friends experiance since FR was sold their customer service went downhill.
Personally, I believe Redwood is using very clever sales tactics on their units. I do not believe that they are assembled any better than the top mid-line fifth wheels such as the Montanas and so on.
Go to their owners forum and you will see that they have issues just like everyone else. I seriously doubt that they have 10,000-15,000 dollars better than a Montana.
Ezbagr wrote: Personally, I believe Redwood is using very clever sales tactics on their units. I do not believe that they are assembled any better than the top mid-line fifth wheels such as the Montanas and so on.
Go to their owners forum and you will see that they have issues just like everyone else. I seriously doubt that they have 10,000-15,000 dollars better than a Montana.
Agreed - I was dissolutioned when I saw the Falcon Integrated System only meant a system of using only Lippert parts. I initially thought there was a new frame company called Falcon. If its Lippert, just call it Lippert.
2006 Ford F350 4X4 SB CC SRW Powerstroke 6.0
2013 Redwood 36RL - full paint - disk brakes
"Comparison is the thief of joy! - Theodore Roosevelt"
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