[rames14]

Caplanner, congratulations on your upcoming retirement and full time lifestyle. We are currently in our 4th Montana and have been MOC members since 2004. We spend about 6 months a year in ours. I do not even look at other brands. We have 30,000 reasons to stick with Montana’s. Even people who go SOB’s (Some Other Brand) stay here. We have seen the development of Montana’s that didn’t even include an outlet in the basement. You did not mention your travel plans. Are you going to be strictly at RV parks or are you going to save money by boondocking? Our current 2021 3230CK has the Super Solar system and RV refrigerator to facilitate Boondocking. At 37’, it maybe a little short for full timing. Look at lots of models and determine how you will use it and where things will go. We sat in a 3230 at Camping World for two hours and discussed where we would put everything from broom, appliances, dog food, leashes, food, clothes, etc. One thing to discuss is where will you get it serviced? Huge deal for a full timer. RV’s are not like cars. You can’t just pull into a dealer and get service. Most dealers prioritize their customers first. Our dealer, Leach Camper in Council Bluffs, Iowa was recommended by a number of members. We make an appointment, they order the parts, we drive the 500 miles on one of our trips to the Midwest, pull-in the morning of the appointment and leave after it’s fixed. If they can’t finish it that day, they have hookups to stay overnight. Also, don’t forget the tow vehicle. A 40’ plus Montana requires at least a one ton, probably with duallies. A few other things to consider. 2022 models started coming with 200 watt solar standard. For a slight premium you can get a 400 watt system. Also, the newer Legacy models come with disk brakes - a huge improvement. As for the dinette, we took out the chair and I built a bench. One side has a chair, the side with the bench is also where all things dog (food, treats, collars, chargers, etc) go. So we have the benefit of a dinette with the ability to bring another chair in and seat 4. You will get lots of opinions here. Choose what works best for you and enjoy the lifestyle.