Hello bcrafton
This is just my 2 cents. Some folks will agree with this and some will not.
Figured I would share my opinion along with how the wife and I came to our decision to purchase the Valor 40v13, and further more take a leap of faith with the Alliance brand.
The wife and I have been looking and researching the 5th wheel toy hauler manufactures, & floor plans since 2006, when we knew at some point we would be purchasing one of these big monsters in the future. In 2014, we needed to upgrade our pull behind camper, but with still wrapped up in the dirt bike racing scene, and having to get into tight staging areas, we decided that it made the most sense to buy a new pull behind 35' toy hauler. This would be our first brand new camper, and I am so glad we learned some valuable lessons with a less expensive unit.
From your post, sounds like you have a camper so some of my lessons learned below may already be known in your household, but for those whom are reading this, it may be of interest so I will keep rambling through it.
Lessons learned.
A. Campers in a whole are all thrown together and not really that good. I would suggest if your not passionate about the camping life style, then don't ever buy one.
B. Research your chosen dealer, specifically customer service satisfaction on working through the inevitable multiple issues that will be encountered timely. (There will be issues no matter what kind, type, or value of RV that is purchased)
C. Have a reputable 2nd option RV service center picked out. Confirm they have or are willing to work on the RV that you are contemplating on purchasing. Its also a real good idea to get their independent thoughts on the RV manufacture you might be considering. (A independent service center are more motivated to get your repairs done timely, and not let them sit in the lot eating up the warranty time frame, while not using the purchased unit providing more time of use to discover other items during the said warranty period.)
D. Look at all online posts / reviews you can find. But be careful not to judge a manufacture on someone's reviews that are obviously having problems more to do with first time RV ownership related issues that isn't necessarily the mfg fault. Look more for structure type issues that will cost thousands of dollars to repair down the road. ( ie, frame, slides, suspension, walls, roof, wiring, holding tank and drain related issues.) Individual components going out, or trouble making a stereo sound better, for example, are minor in the grand scheme of things and can all be resolved independently at much lower costs.
E. Before purchasing or signing your name to any terms, make the dealership service tech go onto the roof of the selected unit and inspect all caulking and seals. Have the tech explain what they look for and see during the inspection. Do not trust everything they tell you, look for your self to see if there is cracking, or missing sealant. Check all screws visible that might be already working their way through the sealant. Dealerships while the unit is in their holding yards do nothing with the roofs as they do not get paid until it is a warranty issue. (If you buy one off the lot, it could have been sitting there for a year through all weather conditions. Also keep in mind, depending on what part of the country you are purchasing in, most of the units are manufactured in Indiana, and get pulled or trailered to your purchase location. That's a lot of flexing of the unit before ever being used by the consumer. ) There is vast other posts to do with pre-delivery inspections to research.
F. No matter how much you want to, or the dealership is pressuring you to do so, don.t pull the chosen unit off the lot until all identified items are completely taken care of.
With the above lessons learned, and ready to trade out the 2014 unit for a 5th wheel, we were looking for a open living area floor plan. We also considered and looked at the Cyclone 4006, & the Fusion 423. The ongoing lack of manufacture support on multiple issues with these units was really making us not looking forward to the purchase decision.
Then I started looking into the new Alliance mfg. Found out these guys sold out or left the grand design brand to start up this Brand on one side made me nervous, and the other encouraged.
First I will answer your questions from above having now owned our 40V13 since June of this year.
(1) Are you happy with Alliance support and the overall quality of the rigs? The Heartland Cyclone forum seems pretty negative on factory support. I have watched the YT videos from a year ago reviewing everything that had broken and ended with a positive review for Alliance Factory support as compared to the horrible dealer support they received.
> Short answer Yes thus far. Example, had the 12volt fridge go out, & shower door broke. I contacted Alliance service center, and with a couple of questions answered and checks conducted all via email, both were immediately sent to me. All email correspondence back to the component manufacture to facilitate, I was CC'd on the emails, that I am aware of, to keep me in the loop of the progress. I will say that beings I am from the construction industry, I traded out the components my self to not have to deal with the dealership.
(2) If you are sitting on the couch facing the TV, is the far seat view obstructed by the counter? One of the YT reviews stated it wasn't an issue.
> Not at all, even with items on counter. I also will share, that unlike the fusion 423 with the similar floor plan, while that paticular recliner is out fully, people can walk between the foot rest fully open and the counter.
(3) For Alliance owners, would you buy an Alliance rig again or go a different vendor?
> Currently YES! This question really is the reason I took the time to write this out for you, and anyone else interested in reading this whole thing.
Purchaser of a new camper, no matter what type, kind or price point will have multiple issues for sure the first 12 months. With Alliance being a start up manufacture, with background already proven in the industry, and wanting to do it right as their slogan portrays, I believe they are the best choice currently on the market.
Main reasons in my opinion.
A. The amount of units being produced, ie floor plans, are limited. So they can be more versed on the individual components that are trouble some. So you have a direct line to the service department of the Alliance group and they are more then willing to listen. As more units are purchased and more people are reaching out to the service department, there ability to work with each person will get less and less just like the other manufactures out there.
B. They do not want bad reviews of any kind, "as much as possible". So currently they are going above and beyond to make people happy, which truthfully is unheard of in the camper industry.
I purchased and suggest the same for any other potential purchasers, to buy the unit with the solar plus package installed. I asked for and received a quote to out fit the fusion 423 with a similar solar package installed by the dealership, and the quote I received was 10 grand plus. To purchase a onan 5500 generator on the open market is about 4 grand. This made my decision easy.
I am currently very happy with Alliance and the unit we purchased. I am hopefully optimistic that our decission continues to prove to be the correct one.
I also hope this is helpful in your decision as well.
