Here is an update on the recent purchase of our 2005 3280RL Montana from early December. Even though we have had a few issues, I don't think I could have found a better unit (any brand) for $10k. Our Jayco Designer series sold immediately, so the Montana only cost me $5k out of pocket.
The 1000 mile trip south to Louisiana went without a hitch, it towed fantastic, no tire, brakes or bearing issues.
It will serve as our secondary residence when we are at our property in Louisiana, and we will be in it full time when I retire and start building in about 4 years. It is now setup on the new packed gravel pad and tied into the service pole on the property. We spent about 6 weeks on the property last year and will be there a similar amount this year. This years goal is to get the septic system and possibly the well installed on the property. This past year we used a portable dump tank (tractor has forks to load it in the truck) and dump at the sani dump up the road a bit.
I have it setup with an AT&T Nighthawk wireless router that provides the access point for the Blink security system installed in and around it so we can keep an eye on it anytime day or night, two cameras inside and four outside. I also bought a Media Air Smart Cube dehumidifier that is also controlled via WIFI, and it runs continuous and simply drains into the sink and out. Humidity level stays between 45 and 50% throughout the camper.
The bad side, when buying a used camper, don't trust what the owner says, verify with your own eyes.
"Everything works as it should" When I went to charge the water system (set at 50 psi on the regulator), the hot water tank blew out the bottom and dumped a bunch of water and rust scale into the furnace mounted right below it (dumb design gripe #1). Now the furnace makes a lot of racket if you turn it on, and I had to replace the water heater.
Turn the AC on and can hear the compressor start up but no fan. $85 service call later (was fed up with the hot water tank by then), and problem turned out to be a dinner plate size wasp nest built around the fan blades. AC works great now (was obviously in storage far longer than the owner indicated).
ALL of the roof vent covers and the round attic vent covers were completely deteriorated and had to be replaced. Ventastic unit tries to open but it won't and fan doesn't come on (no clue, next years project).
None of the exterior lights work, no biggie, just burned out bulbs.
The water tank was the big issue, the plug was out, and i could see it was corroded and no anode rod, I could have easily inspected the inside of the tank with my borescope and adjusted the price and/or replaced it before it flooded the furnace out. Not too worried about it, weather is so mild, that even in December, two 1500 watt electric heaters kept the whole place warm at night and far cheaper than running propane to heat anyway.
We love the camper, and the extra room and amenities over the Jayco are well worth the extra $5k and aggravation of fixing a bunch of little stuff on a different unit.
Now, lets mention some "dumb" design decisions. First, as mentioned, putting an expensive piece of critical equipment (the furnace) right below a potential source of water leakage makes one scratch their head. I understand space considerations, but one could at least protect it with some type of cover.
Mounting the Pump and Hot Water heater switches on the wall at elbow height where one steps up into the upper area makes it prone to being bumped and turned off or on by accident. Looking for a cover.
Mounting the low point drains right in the middle of the trailer between the axles. It certainly would not have cost much to route them out to the edge of the exterior so one doesn't have to crawl under the trailer to reach them (relocation coming soon).
Galley tank and valve. I had not heard of a galley tank before getting the Montana. Can see the idea of having a separate tank just for the kitchen sink, but why wouldn't you spend a few buck more and route the plumbing to place the dump valve near the other two or at least out near the outer edge. Fortunately, mine is open, I still haven't found the valve (reach rod/handle missing).
All in all, very satisfied with the new camper and the overall quality of the Montana line. Here a few pics setup on our property.
