Are fr3's a good motorhome?

[Jim1234]

We bought a 2018 FR3 30DS, new, it was our first RV of any kind. We had the usual number of problems with a new RV, compounded by the incompetent techs at Little Dealer Little Prices (I ended up solving most of the problems myself).

In general, the FR3 is an entry level RV, Forest River calls it a "cross over" - class C parts in a class A RV. The king bed was nice, but really, its a waste of space, YMMV. It has lots of room, lots of storage. It looks good, but comparing it to other class A vehicles, its really cheaply made. The front, side window shades do not block visibility, we had to make our own to supplement them.

As for driving, its horrible. We had a sway bar installed on the front, but it still gets blown all over the road. I drove it about 6,000+ miles, AZ to NC and back and it was white knuckles the whole way. I was about to do the cheap fix and air bag suspension, but we traded it in. Its also very noisy, we had to yell at each other whenever we were moving.

We'll never buy another FR3 again, we could have spend the same money and gotten a decent, used DP or a high end gas unit. We'll never go near LDLP, either.

Other than that, it was a great experience.

[Hogq]

Hi, I am describing the standard floor plan FR3 30DS. Nothing about the cabinets or storage is custom.

[alikair]

Originally Posted by Hogq

Hi, I am describing the standard floor plan FR3 30DS. Nothing about the cabinets or storage is custom.

Odd...

[OKHerbie]

Bought it new in 2017, never had driven an A-class before and never experienced any of the white-knuckle adventures that "older" versions appear to have offered. Still, did all the "usual" upgrades like CHF, steering stabilizer, Bilsteins all around, Sumos front and back and the gains were moderate but noticeable. Best features: lots of room for me and DW and small dog, easy set-up, KING-sized bed (really!). We did a 10200+km trip to the arctic ocean (Tuktoyuktuk) this summer, 2000km of which was gravel and we had (knock on wood) zero problems. They call it an "entry model", but it is plenty good for us. My only beef with it is that it is quite loud in the front. But of course, one sits right next to a V-10.

[Chief afd]

Do yourself a big favor and find a slightly used motorhome(most have very few trips on them).2 reasons are let someone else get the bugs worked out due to poor quality workmanship on most of them and also let the first owner take take the huge financial hit on the initial deprecation. I think any purchase on a brand new unit is one of the worst financial decisions anyone could make. Check out used prices I think you would agree. Just my opinion but make sure you do your homework and anything you negotiate in the purchase make sure you get it in writing from the dealer. We have started out with a tent camper and worked our way up to a Berkshire 43a xlt. Happy camping.

[LeoS]

Originally Posted by MaltnHops

NO! I do not believe that it’s a good motorhome. I have a 2015 30DS, and bought it new. It has been nothing but trouble from the day we got it.

I just put $5,300 into new Koni shocks, sumo springs and a second AC unit. I get it back next week and I’m hoping that the ride is smoother and that we can keep the indoor temperature under 84 in the middle of SoCal summer.

My advice: Spend a little more and get a better coach!

Yep, this is exactly why I didn't buy one. Most RVs are already substandard in quality and features, and IMHO the FR3 and it's main competitor (Thor ACE) seem to be even worse than that (this is based on copious amounts of research before purchasing our class C). Plus, the resale value is remarkably poor on those units (again, even worse than "normal" RVs).

If you are dead-set on buying one, find one no more than 2 years old with virtually no miles on it for about half-price.

I'd consider moving to a class A in the future, but I would save up some more money and move up the chain (above the ACE or FR3) to do so.

[alikair]

Originally Posted by Hogq

Hi, I am describing the standard floor plan FR3 30DS. Nothing about the cabinets or storage is custom.

I am looking at a picture of the 30DS.
There is no closest by the door.
No storage above the cab
There are 3 decent size cabinets above the recliners.
If you dont count the double door below the sink that most folks would use to put trash and other none food items, there ain't much left, only drawers.

On the side that has the sink, where could you put a box of cereal?
Take a look at the 3010DS made by the same company. It has the same floor plan but is a class C. it has 2x as much food storage. here is a link to it.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/class...ic/3010DS/1152

[FRIDLEY]

Bought a 2018 FR3 32 in the fall of 2018. Good price for a good coach. BUT, remember this is a modest price for a modest coach. I believe that our salesman referred to this as a crossover, C to A, I believe that he meant it was "kinda an A. but kinda a C". The chaises is the same as a C, but the design is that of an A.

I went to the FR3 from a 32 foot 1995 Holiday Rambler. I found driving to be quite the same.

Again, the FR3 is modestly priced. Ceiling openings, BUT no fans. Intalled one in bath and kitchen. I put shelves in the bedroom closets, additional shelves in the bathroom cupboard, ran a couple of additional 110 volt circuits, as almost everything was on one circuit, installed a automatic crossover switch so I would not have to plug the land line into the generator outlet all the time. and a few minor things that I wanted, and a spare tire.

I think that I am all set now, but will look at some solar for the future.

I have an additional $ 8,000.00 invested for all of the above. But that is still less expensive than the next step up.

I certainly would do it again.

[temperblue]

My first RV, Camper, MH was/is a FR3 32 ft (2016). I lived in it for 1.5 years and now it's used as a gettaway vehicle. I LOVE IT. I feel I made the best choice for a first timer!!

[tometrious]

First the Good. We bought a brand new 2015 FR3 28DS. It is a really nice entry level Class A motor home. The lay out inside is great, the interior color is not loud it is very masculine which I like. The view as others have commented is phenominal when driving down the highway. All of the appliances work great and we have enjoyed the smaller size to fit in anywhere we camp. The refrigerator, Hot water heater, microwave, stove and furnace heater work well. You don't get much of a hot water shower, due to the size of the water heater, and the water pressure is really bad.
Other than that everything still works rather well.

The Bad: The air conditioner is awful. Loud and not efficient in very warm weather. the front seats are horrible to turn around when camping. Very difficult to swing them around. The basic inside structures are very cheap wood and laminate. They didn't use expensive materials to contruct the interior. The electronics in the radio, back up camera, etc are cheap, our back up camera quit working after a few months. I don't know whats wrong with it. The TV's are low end models but functional. I am going to replace when I can afford to.

The automatic leveling system is a no no. If your not on extremely level ground, do not use automatic leveling. On our first outing we, backed into a fairly level camp site, hit the auto leveling button and the FR3 went crazy, it lifted the entire couch off the wheels blew a fuse and we were stuck. The back left jack was like a pogo stick. I believe it bent the frame a bit, and that jack never goes down straight since. It always bows out a bit. I learned how to manual level the FR3 now which works great everytime. Never auto level an FR3.

The Ugly: With only about 6,000 miles on the FR3, both slide outs failed. We took it back to the seller, and they fixed them wrong, After getting the couch back both units compteley failed again, and had to be rebuilt from scratch. We hold our breath everytime we send the slides in and out. Don't know if we just got a lemon or it is viral with this unit. We were very dissappointed when this happened to us, with such low mileage and use on the slides. Hopefully, it is fixed for good.

The Ugly: Finally, be careful going in and out of any driveways that are even slightly graded. The bottom of the FR3 will bottom out and damage the towing light assembly. I tore the entire assembly off just going into a gas station. Went into another driveway to have our FR3 detailed last year, and the left rear bottom out and pushed up on the black/gray water discharge PVC pipe and push it up and completely destroyed my black and gray water valve units inside the water closet. I had to replace the entire system. It was nasty bad. Thankfully, I did it myself. I completely removed that black discharge pipe and hook up much closer to the frame underneath now. I have to get on my back and slide under a bit, but its worth not worrying about that pipe.

All in all, like I said it is a great entry level Class A unit, If I had the money, I would upgrade to a better built unit. Hopefully it will give us many more years of pleasure and camping without major problems. Good Luck. If you need help learning how to level manually, get in touch with me. I would be happy to help you.

Have fun. When everything is working well, and you find that perfect camping spot, nothing is better than being in the RV.

[kimau]

Never purchase another Forrest River product! The absolute worst after care and customer service!

[AbdRahim]

I guess it depends on who you deal with. I was very unimpressed with the FR3. I bought a new Forester. It also had its problems, but FR stepped up and took it back at the factory and repaired everything. They even upgraded some of the interior trim. I was treated very well by FR. If in the market for a C, in the future, I would definitely consider a FR.

[BatesMotel2]

One thing I have learned dealing with RV Dealers and Manufacturers is....Your level of support is dependent on your attitude!

[Lfresin1]

Originally Posted by kimau

Never purchase another Forrest River product! The absolute worst after care and customer service!

I have to disagree. Forest River helped us get our AC fixed quickly and paid for the repair on a new 2020 FR3 even though it appeared to be a Ford issue since it was the dash AC.

[MaltnHops]

Originally Posted by alikair

What was the ride like after you did all those suspension modifications? it is something that I would do if I owned one.

Just took it out for the first time since the upgrades. The sumo springs reduced the side to side “roll” dramatically! The new shocks and sumo springs made the ride so much smoother and pretty much eliminated the heavy “bangs” when going over terrible CA freeways.

I’ll have to wait until summer to truly test out the second AC.

Overall, I’m happy with the upgrades.

[Lfresin1]

2020 FR3 drives fine and dual ACs work well. They automatically reduce fan speed and therefore noise when the temperature you set gets close.

[Hogq]

Originally Posted by alikair

I am looking at a picture of the 30DS.

There is no closest by the door.

No storage above the cab

There are 3 decent size cabinets above the recliners.

If you dont count the double door below the sink that most folks would use to put trash and other none food items, there ain't much left, only drawers.



On the side that has the sink, where could you put a box of cereal?

Take a look at the 3010DS made by the same company. It has the same floor plan but is a class C. it has 2x as much food storage. here is a link to it.



https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/class...ic/3010DS/1152

These show the storage, the closet by the door (I have an inverter in that closet also), the area behind the tv, the cabinets above the stove which easily can contain cereal. I also showed the large bin area under both of the dinette seats. I agree strongly with the advice to shop for a later model used coach, lots of the bugs will be dealt with. The term “entry level” to me is meaningless. We use the FR3 happily, and at the purchase price we paid, I could buy three of the FR3’s for the cost of an “entry level” DP. But everyone is different, and I’m sure this isn’t the coach for everyone.
I also recommend one of these Dometic portable units, it can be an overflow refrigerator or freezer.
Please pardon the mess, I just put the cover on the coach after replacing the dinette and couch. I have not cleaned up.
Cheers
Ken

[Hogq]

Originally Posted by Hogq

Attachment 219947Attachment 219948Attachment 219949Attachment 219950Attachment 219951Attachment 219952Attachment 219953Attachment 219954Attachment 219955
These show the storage, the closet by the door (I have an inverter in that closet also), the area behind the tv, the cabinets above the stove which easily can contain cereal. I also showed the large bin area under both of the dinette seats. I agree strongly with the advice to shop for a later model used coach, lots of the bugs will be dealt with. The term “entry level” to me is meaningless. We use the FR3 happily, and at the purchase price we paid, I could buy three of the FR3’s for the cost of an “entry level” DP. But everyone is different, and I’m sure this isn’t the coach for everyone. Attachment 219956
I also recommend one of these Dometic portable units, it can be an overflow refrigerator or freezer.
Please pardon the mess, I just put the cover on the coach after replacing the dinette and couch. I have not cleaned up.
Cheers
Ken

That is the space above the front seats.
Plus if you wanted, you could use the storage in front, which is accessible from the over cab bunk area, it would require opening and closing the bunk to get stuff in and out, but that area is at least 5ft wide x 1ft deep (the wall slopes in forming the back of the bins).

[alikair]

Hogg, will need to look more closely at your photos when I get home.

It looks like your layout may have been changed a bit on the newer models.
There is no closet by the door, unless your talking about the bedroom door.
Also, how do you like using the bunk over cab for storage? does it make driving awkward?

Have you been in a newer FR3 30DS to compare to yours? Be curious what has changed. I know they now have a 4 door refer. Think the older models were only 2 door.

[Lfresin1]

2020 FR3 has the 4 door fridge and you can use the bunk for storage and drive. No closets near the door. Only closets are in the bedroom.