Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-17-2016, 04:15 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 5
2014 Forest River Lacrosse 318 Luxury Lite

My wife and I are about to pull the trigger on purchasing a 2014 Forest River Lacrosse 318 Luxury Lite. The negotiated price is $22,000 plus taxes etc. The unit is very clean and looks like new. Im buying from Camping World. No one I know has anything good to say about them so I am skeptical. Any input from owners or people familiar with this model would be helpful. Most of the reviews I have read about these units have been favorable. Anyone had any major issues? How is the insulation on them? It will see most of its use during the winter months in the North Atlanta area.
Jim-Andrea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2016, 05:26 PM   #2
Site Team
 
bikendan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,607
Beware of CW after the sale.
They have a terrible nationwide reputation for service.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
bikendan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2016, 05:29 PM   #3
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 5
Yeah thats pretty much what everyone I have talked to says about them.
Jim-Andrea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2016, 05:47 PM   #4
Site Team
 
Platokidd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: top side land of Lincoln
Posts: 7,509
Well known for front cap fade. Check under the slide-outs for wear thru. (mostly on the fridge slide, that this unit doesn't have.

Typical today's rv quality.

Other than that we really like our Lacrosse. Think its made better than most fr products or others in TT class.

Suggest read thru the prime time section of the forum or search Lacrosse

Its not a 4 season camper.
__________________
2014 LaCrosse 323RST-TE-C
2009 Chevy 2500HD Z71
Seasonal

Zelda the campin dog
Platokidd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2016, 07:16 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
The_Rhino's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 670
In 2014 we bought a used 2011 Prime Time Tracer 3150 which basically has the same floor plan as the Lacrosse 318, but is 1000 lbs. lighter due to not having the 318's arched ceilings, heavier doors, etc. that also make the Lacrosse a bit more plush than the Tracer...

I spent 2 hours looking-over ours BEFORE making an offer. I looked behind EVERY cubby & access panel with a flashlight & didn't see any prior signs of water penetration, etc. The only noticeable issues were some trim pieces that need re-attached - the rest of the TT appeared unused... YES, definitely check underneath the slide-outs for unusual wear, check under the dinette seats, etc. for signs of water leaking-in, crawl under the TT & inspect, and definitely check the roof.

Our Tracer was 2 seasons old but appeared like-new inside. For around $21K the dealer included an Equalizer 4 1200 WDH & installation, pressurized leak test & re-caulking (where their system showed air escaping), adjusted both slide-outs & awning tracking, replaced the CO2 detector & TT battery, & provided a 2.5 hour PDI. However, before our first trip we replaced the (used) mattress & (China Bomb) tires (w/Maxxis) which I would have done had I purchased new...

Although buying used meant no warranty, our dealer (General RV) did a great job of fine-tuning all systems & we camped for the next 3 years without any issues except for the Dometic 8.0 fridge - which I eventually replaced with a $300 11.8 Whirlpool residential powered by a $100 2000W inverter... We LOVE the roomy Whirlpool which is actually now an "upgrade" option on many newer TTs... It cools FAST so we can load & go last-minute.

IMO the insulation is decent, but obviously not 4 season up here in Ohio, or even 3.5... In 95+ temps our single 13.5 A/C keeps us <75. When temps are low but above freezing we run (2) Vornado space heaters front & back & just let the TT heater fan circulate the air through the vents (don't have to pay for propane...). When nights go just below freezing I run the TT's propane heater to keep the water tanks from freezing but I don't tempt fate. If I regularly camped in winter, even in GA, I would have some means to keep the low point drains, outside water line, etc. from freezing when temps hit unexpected lows...
__________________
2011 RAM 2500 ST Crew Cab 5.7 Hemi
2011 Primetime 3150BHD Touring Edition
Days camped in 2018-25
2017-31; 2016-36; 2015-37; 2014-31

The_Rhino is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2016, 07:59 PM   #6
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 5
Rhino, thank you for the lengthy reply and giving me our experience. Its interesting that you have a 2011 Prime Time Tracer, that is the other trailer I am considering except it is a 2012. That one is a private seller and he is dropped is price from 24k to 21k with hitch and other things included. Thats still a bit high if you ask me. For the extra 3k, really only $1,000 considering the dealer fees and tax I have to pay at Camping World for a 2 year newer trailer its a no brainer. I'm towing it with a 1ton dually diesel so the weight of the trailer isn't an issue to me.
Jim-Andrea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2016, 08:35 PM   #7
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 5
Plato, i took your advice and searched the site a little and now I have another question. The unit I am looking at has a single 15k A/C, 30 amp service but also has the electric fireplace. I questioned the sales person on that issue and he claims it is common. I would think the fireplace would use up a decent amount of power. Does anyone have one of these and can they tell me if they actually put off a decent amount of heat? I'm also concerned about the size of the trailer and only a single A/C unit with no option to expand. Is a single unit large enough for this trailer?
Jim-Andrea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2016, 08:38 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
heavynlori's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,460
Our old fiver had 30amp service with a fireplace. It puts out some heat ...it is actually a glorified 1500w space heater

The fiver had a disconnect switch that disabled the microwave while using the fireplace since the 30amp service was not enough to run both at same time

Our new Crusader has 50amp and we can run fireplace, micro, coffee pot and more all at same time


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums 🇺🇸
heavynlori is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2016, 09:43 PM   #9
Site Team
 
Platokidd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: top side land of Lincoln
Posts: 7,509
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim-Andrea View Post
Plato, i took your advice and searched the site a little and now I have another question. The unit I am looking at has a single 15k A/C, 30 amp service but also has the electric fireplace. I questioned the sales person on that issue and he claims it is common. I would think the fireplace would use up a decent amount of power. Does anyone have one of these and can they tell me if they actually put off a decent amount of heat? I'm also concerned about the size of the trailer and only a single A/C unit with no option to expand. Is a single unit large enough for this trailer?
The fireplace does draw a fair power, heats up well and saves gas. I have had no issue with running it. Now a coffee maker and hair dryer may pop a breaker.
1 a/c unit in a camper of this size has it limits. If you camp in the shade your much better off. If your in the hot sun 90+ degrees, don't expect much more than a 10 degree drop in temp.
When its hot and we're sitting in the living room I just open the dump on the a/c and stay cool.
I can say if I had do over...I would want 2 a/c and a 50 amp.

The Lacrosse is a nice unit and the price you mention sounds good. So your getting the bang for the buck here.

Be sure to post some pics.
__________________
2014 LaCrosse 323RST-TE-C
2009 Chevy 2500HD Z71
Seasonal

Zelda the campin dog
Platokidd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2016, 06:36 AM   #10
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 5
Thanks for all the help. We have been long time tent campers and this is our first camping trailer. Its main purpose for me is business, the camping is just a bonus use. My biggest fear is taking on someone else lemon. Only being 2 years old and according to the dealer the owners "upgraded" to a 5th wheel. Is this common to do? I can imagine these people lost a ton of money on this considering the rapid depreciation the first few years.
Jim-Andrea is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2016, 11:30 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Wade N C
Posts: 277
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim-Andrea View Post
Thanks for all the help. We have been long time tent campers and this is our first camping trailer. Its main purpose for me is business, the camping is just a bonus use. My biggest fear is taking on someone else lemon. Only being 2 years old and according to the dealer the owners "upgraded" to a 5th wheel. Is this common to do? I can imagine these people lost a ton of money on this considering the rapid depreciation the first few years.
Very common, and yes most take a beating on trading something this new. That's one reason to Look Look and think it all out, plus use these type of sites.
__________________
George Scott
2015 Salem Hemisphere Lite 272RLIS
2006 Heartland BH 3400/Summer Home
2021 Sabre 37FBT
Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2016, 06:27 PM   #12
Site Team
 
Platokidd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: top side land of Lincoln
Posts: 7,509
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim-Andrea View Post
My biggest fear is taking on someone else lemon. Only being 2 years old and according to the dealer the owners "upgraded" to a 5th wheel. Is this common to do? I can imagine these people lost a ton of money on this considering the rapid depreciation the first few years.
Yes folks do trade up in short order. We traded our 2013 Tracer for a 2014 Lacrosse.

Why we traded;
1- our tracer had too many issues that we no longer wanted to deal with.
It was a fight with the dealer and fr to correct issues to our satisfaction.
2- The Tracer didn't really fit our needs as we thought it would when purchased.

Like I said before, other then the slide wear (fixed) cap fade and several other lesser issues the Lacrosse is a good unit and we do like it.
Buying new can be full of issues as well as buying used. Sub-par quality runs all thru the rv industry.

Your here on the forum and its a good place to gather info. Go over any unit with a fine tooth comb, good or better ones are out there. Expect to have a few issue to deal with, hopefully small ones.
__________________
2014 LaCrosse 323RST-TE-C
2009 Chevy 2500HD Z71
Seasonal

Zelda the campin dog
Platokidd is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
2014, forest river, lacrosse

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:36 AM.