Click for more travel

Click to go to Activities

Click to go to Dave & Victoria's Home Page

Click to go to the Creating Alternatives..., L.L.C. company homepage

Click here if you want to say, "Goodby!!"

We are proud owners of a new 2006 Cambridge 358 fifth-wheel coach manufactured by Keystone, a division of Thor Industries.  We have been RV-ing for more than thirty years.  We started with a borrowed tent and progressed through three tent trailers, a class “A” motorhome, a travel trailer, and another fifth wheel before we purchased the Cambridge.  Last year we spent seven months in our fifth wheel so we have a real good idea of what works for us.
     Our last fifth-wheel was a 2004 Montana 3296RK Big Sky also built by Keystone.  We found it to be a very excellent and livable unit.  But, right after we ordered our 3295, Montana announced the new 3400 model.  This model has an island kitchen in the middle of the coach with the living room aft.  This design appealed to us and we considered it better suited to our needs.  Then Montana announced the demise of the Big Sky variant and the birth of the new Cambridge line.  The reasoning was that customers were adding most of the Big Sky features as options to the basic Montana line.  There was nowhere for Big Sky to go in the Market.  Keystone wanted to tap into the next upscale market without pulling the Montana line out of its niche.
     The Cambridge line is clearly set apart by such features as automotive paint exterior, all wood cabinets, luxury fixtures, multi level lighting, zero-degree environmental capability and dramatically improved stowage and systems.  Even the beds are improved.  The only apparent downside is weight.   The new Cambridge empty weight is on the order of 3000 pounds heavier than our 3295RK,
      The stage was set.  In February of this year, we began to investigate what it would take to make a trade.  We looked at both Montana 3400 and Cambridge.  Unfortunately, the dealers we visited in Arizona opened with offers that did not suggest any possibility of a deal.  We decided to wait.  But, the wait was not very long.  During our summer travel we decided to see if we could deal in Michigan.  The season had moved along and we figured the timing might be better.  The first offer was within talking distance and the negotiation was begun.  We traded on 21 July 2005.

Methodology (Quantities and Qualities, Scales and Values)

It seems to me that any product review must deal with quantitative issues and qualitative issues.  Quantitative issues compare sizes, capacities and strengths with specific measurements.  Qualitative issues suggest subjective topics like feelings, observations, comfort, and enjoyment.  The trick is to transform qualitative issues into scaleable values in order to allow meaningful comparisons.  Additionally, if each review topic can be normalized to some common scale, it is possible to land on a kind of overall score between competitive products.
     Finally, it is my view that there are only two topics when comparing products.  One regards design.  The other regards fabrication and assembly.  Obviously, design can affect production and visa versa.  However, this cross coupling is not a direct concern of the user.  Indirectly, such design/production relationships may result in cost issues or fit and finish issues that will show up as specific problems or delights.  From time to time, my engineering background may come through and an opinion will be offered as to the source of an encountered problem or delight.
     For this review, I will use the 3295RK as a sort of standard of comparison.  I believe Montana is clearly above average when compared to the other offerings in the market place.  Montana has been the industry sales leader for several years so others must have similar feelings.  So, on a scale of one to ten (best), I will set the Montana at six and set the Cambridge observation relative to the Montana.  Also, by way of reference, our previously owned motor home was a 1994 Coachman Santara 31RD Diesel pusher.  On the one to ten scales it would invariable rank zero or one. 

Summary

            I was trained (back in college more than 40 years ago) to recognize that most of you readers are two busy to read this whole thing.  We were advised to get to the conclusion quickly and let thos with special interests dig into the details.  Therefore, here is the summary of the conclusions developed  in the body of this report.  Those who want can read to the end. Those who want a quick scan can use the hyperlinks on each topic to jump to that discussion.

Topic	Rating	Notes and Reminder
Layout and Overview	10.0
Livability	9.9
Fit and Finish	9.6
Tow-ability, Road-ability, and Running Gear	9.5	A bit heavy
Stowage	10.0	A big plus
Hookup & Knockdown	10.0	Helped by stowage
Systems: Water, Waste, Gas, Electric, Hydraulic, Air Conditioning, Awnings	9.0
Systems Management and Maintenance.	10.0
Built-in Appliances: Stove, Oven, Fridge, Microwave, Entertainment	10.0
Accessories	8.5
Acquisition experience	3.0	Who likes to negotiate?
Transition Experience	9.0
Initial Shakedown	9.9
Service Experience	6.0	Industry attitude problem
Summary evaluation	8.4	Damn good, Dude

The summary evaluation is a simple average of the ratings in each of the 14 evaluation categories.

Layout and Overview       

The Cambridge 358 features an island kitchen in the middle of the coach with bath and bedroom forward and living room aft.  There are four slide outs involved.  The main slide to starboard carries the living room couch and dinette area.  The forward port slide supports the king size bed.  The middle portside slide carries the stove/oven/microwave complex and the 12 cubic foot, side-by-side refrigerator.  The aft port side slide carries the entertainment complex as well as the desk.
     The Cambridge is about two feet longer than our Montana was.  This may contribute to the very open feeling in the Cambridge.  The living area is very spacious and easily accommodates several guests for visiting or DVD watching.  The dinette is larger.  Even without the extra leaf installed, the table is larger than the fully extended Montana table.  The convert a-bed sofa and recliners are much better quality than those in the Monty.

Livability      

     The entertainment center features a large flat panel television.  The TV is mounted on a pullout shelf that can be swiveled..  For our most common use, the TV stays in.  We find the wide angle viewability of the TV to be excellent allowing it to be seen from one recliner and the sofa.  If we have quests and are using both recliners then it gets swiveled some.  The entertainment center also features a selector panel to determine which video and audio source feed the two TV’s and VCR (if one is installed).  Sources include TV antenna, cable, satellite, and VCR (or DVD player).  There is no provision for a second satellite receiver in the bedroom.  The Cambridge comes equipped with a bedroom TV.

     The kitchen area is also very thoughtfully designed.  The pantry is shallow so virtually everything stored there is visible.  There is a huge drawer under the fridge we use for pots and pans.  There are multiple utinsel drawers and deep cabinets for toasters and other appliances.  The sink is accessible from both sides of the counter so two people can help with dishes.  Our Montana had a cupboard above the sink whereas the Cambridge does not.  This contributes to a much more open feeling in the Cambridge.

     The lavatory, toilet and bedroom areas share the same excellent cabinets used elsewhere in the Cambridge.  The large dresser and closets provide ample space for all of our trappings.  One cabinet between the bed and shower is very deep and a little awkward.  We have had to invest in some plastic containers to organize the contents of this cabinet.

     The medicine cabinet has three mirrored doors behind which there is a lot of space for cosmetics and prescriptions – two very important items for older travelers.  Under the cabinet and behind the sink There is plenty of room for a couple of electric tooth brush stands.

Lighting is provided by three or more circuits in every living area.  These include recessed can lights that are dimmable, 12 volt spot lighting and ceiling lights.  In addition, there are outlets for tabletop or stand lights.  Switches for the lights are conveniently placed and seem natural to the needs of each area.
 Overall, we give the Cambridge a 9.99 rating for livability.  This may well move to a ten if I get used to the desk design.

This is a view of the Pacific Ocean out the back window of our Cambridge. We are camped in Pacifica California.

Fit and Finish

            Given the cost of the Cambridge, one would expect the fit and finish to reflect advanced standards of quality.  And, the Cambridge does not disappoint.  To be sure, there are a couple of details that could be better but, the overall quality of the coach is evident right here.
     Inside, there are no visible flaws.  We found one sharp corner on a miter jointed metal edge over the step.  Two cabinet doors needed hinge screws tightened.  One faucet handle needed a set screw tightened.  And, finally, the closet rod is inadequate.  I added a wire shelf above the closet rod and anchored the middle of the rod to the shelf.

     There, that’s it for the inside.  Amazing considering all of the possibilities for error in a new coach design. Vikki immediately started personalizing the coach. The grapes in the picture are not standard equipment.
      Outside, the same quality is apparent.  The automotive paint provides a superb finish to the beautiful graphics.  The only error evident is an improperly installed shroud around the waste plumbing under the frame.  On most coaches this plumbing is exposed.  On the Cambridge, a plastic pan covers the plumbing and is attached to the frame by way of self-tapping lag bolts.  For whatever reason, there is a small gap between the pan and frame just over the waste outlet. You can see the gap above the waste hose in the adjacent picture.
     The same attention to detail is found inside the storage compartments and visible running gear.  The only detraction is the amount of rust on exposed metal under the coach.  I plan to invest in a few cans of Rustoleum when we get back to Arizona.

     So far, we have been in the rain both on the road and camped with no evidence of leaks.  After our experience with the Montana, I had this coach equipped with slide awnings as added insurance against leaks.  Also, this coach was on the lot as a display item for several weeks.  I’m sure, if any leaks had occurred the dealer would have had the opportunity for any required repairs.
     Once again, the Cambridge is near perfect, achieving a 9.6 in my judgment.

Tow-ability, Road-ability, and Running Gear

            This trailer is definitely heavy.  Yet, it tows wonderfully.  Inside, contents are protected by the much improved suspension.  The suspension, supplied by Mor/ryde, is a leaf spring affair where the spring shakles are anchored in a rubber torsional pivot.  The suspension appears to have superior load clearance . 

The clearance above the axle is evident in this picture.

This picture shows the unique center section of the Mor Ryde suspension

            The second towing feature is an optional pin box also supplied by Mor/Ryde.  This pin box is designed around an elastic component that allows fore aft movement of the hitch pin relative to the trailer.  The allowed movement is on the order of plus or minus an inch and is restrained by the spring constant of the elastic component.   This device helps to damp the bumping strain characteristic of fifth wheel hookups.

            Our Montana was equipped with a Trail-Air hitch pin.  It was intended to provide the same sort of improvement as the Mor/Ryde device.  In my opinion more directly addresses the problem, is a simpler, more elegant solution and does not have some of the negatives of the Trail-Air system.  And, my experience says the Mor/Ryde does a better job.

            Our first tow with the new Cambridge was a stretch of I-75 in Michigan between Houghton Lake and Mackinaw City.  This is a stretch of about 100 miles infested with pockets of road construction.  We traveled this stretch with the Montana nd returned with the Cambridge.  The ride inside the truck was a dramatic improvement with the Cambridge.

This is our rig on the north side of Lake Michigan along US 2.

            We have now towed over 3000 miles.  We have been on flat secondary roads of the Michigan UP, through the rolling hills of Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota, down I35 through Iowa and Missouri to Witchita, then US 54 into the headwinds of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.  We traveled  I-40 over the mountain grades and great divide in New Mexico on into Arizona and California.  We crossed the Mohave desert then up I-5 and across the Diablo Mountai Range via Pacheko pass.  We arrived at Pacifica after negotiating a 19% downgrade on CA35.  Then we negotiated the hills of San Francisco and continued on to a campground at Cloverdale before starting back down California headed for home in Arizona.  Generally, I was locked in at 68 MPH and actually averaged near 55mph over the last 3000 miles.  We achieved an average 11 mpg although it dropped to 10.3 in the Kansas headwinds.

            Braking was exciting at first.  I had the Prodigy Brake Controller gain cranked way up.  Then, after a couple of panic stops in Wisconsin, the trailer brakes began to work and the Prodigy was cranked back down where it belongs.  I suspect the trailer may have collected some rust in the drums while it sat on the lot in Michigan. 

Here are the facts on weight

This is how we came out across the scales – fully loaded, on the road, full diesel and empty tanks but without driver.

The trailer weight is 17,980 (slightly over rating.  We will have to reduce load a bit)

The pin weight is 3840.

One of my big questions was how our 2003 GMC D/A 2500 HD would handle the weight of the Cambridge.  So far, we couldn’t be more pleased.  Bottom line, I don’t think I can justify moving up to a Topkick (darn).  We do have airbags on the truck.  I think they are necessary with the Cambridge.  Not so with the Big Sky.  I also plan to go to a higher load rating on the truck's rear tires and I am considering adding an exhaust brake. Overall, I give the Cambridge a 9.5 for towability.  It would be a ten but I still am a little nervous about the weight load on our truck.

Stowage

                        The Cambridge features a huge “basement” stowage compartment.  This area is 33 inches tall, by 62 inches tall and extends the full width of the coach.  That adds up to 110 cubic feet of storage or more than twice the volume of a typical pickup bed.  The storage area has a flat floor all the way across and is accessed from either side through double swing out doors.

The Cambridge has a separate stowage area for lawn chairs, which helps get some awkward items well out of the way and out of the general storage area.  I was able to organize the main storage area using large inventory boxes that fit well in the rectangular space.  In addition, the height of this area allows many items to stand on edge or stand tall instead of flat.  These items can be removed or stowed without greatly disturbing other items.

There are separate storage areas for waste disposal hoses and attachments and for electric cords.  Both of these storage areas are more than ample for our needs.  In fact, the electric cord compartment can accommodate an extra fifty feet of 30-amp extension as well as the extra adapters we carry.

The left side storage hatch is shown here. The container on the left is a waste can I modified to carry our small Big Green Egg.

This is the right side storage access. We travel with a lot of "stuff."

The only improvement I would like to see is a better grade of latch for the storage compartment doors.  I always look with envy at the latch mechanisms on better grade class “A” coaches.  However, I maybe wrong, as I have no experience using those latches.

Overall, the Cambridge deserves a solid 10 for stowage.  In my opinion, this is one of its best features.

Hookup & Knockdown

            In our first month, we have set up and packed up ten times.  We have stopped for short as well as extended stays. When it comes to making and breaking camp, this is by far the easiest RV we have ever owned.  A big contributor to this ease is the large, open “basement” stowage compartment.    The compartment is easily organized so that everything has a proper place.  We know where things are at setup and we know where things go at knockdown.  Separate compartments for chairs, waste disposal items and electric cords greatly facilitate this organization.

The coach has separate control switches for each of the electro-hydraulic slide mechanisms.  We always know which slide is going to move and are able to easily supervise the movement for any interference.  The electro-hydraulic system is also used to power the front jacks.  The jacks literally jump into action when the control switch is moved.  It is almost like watching the action of a low rider.  This convenience and quick action makes truck connect and disconnect particularly easy.

The Cambridge comes equipped with electric rear stabilizers.  Once again, there is no need for extra cranks or blocks.  Just press a switch and the stabilizers extend or retract as commanded.

Inside, it is necessary to properly position the recliners out of the way of the slides.  Counter covers are placed over the sink and stove and any miscellaneous items we have taken out are stowed.  That’s about it.  We have found it unnecessary to lash anything down or bungee the cabinet doors.

On the road setups take about 10 or 15 minutes.  It takes longer to get the satellite antenna positioned than anything else.  On the road knockdowns take about 30 minutes – maybe a bit longer if the waste tanks need to be dumped.

There is a potential problem with setup deriving from the trailer’.s inherently low front clearance.  The range of the front jacks seems to be limited.  This requires some tactical planning to make sure the trailer can be properly leveled after unhitching.  So far, we have only had difficulty if we didn’t plan ahead.

Setup and knockdown get a clear 10 evaluation.  I know of no other RV that provides a quicker or cleaner transition into and out of camp.

Systems: Water, Waste, Gas, Electric, Hydraulic, Air Conditioning, Awnings

            All of the systems in the Cambridge are upgraded from even thos in the Montana Big Sky.  To start with,  capacities are larger.  Fresh water  is 100 gallons, Black water is 45 gallons, grey and galley water combine for another 45 gallons.  Fresh water is brought in through a standard household size water filter.  Each of the liquid tanks has an individual heater to help the coach achieve its zero degree rating.  Even the LP gas storage is larger with a 40 pound tank on each side connected through an automatic switch over.

            The water heater is a ten gallon unit that features electric heat, gas heat or both for a super fast recovery system.  We now use park electricity to heat our water when ever possible.

            The 50 amp electric system is wired via a central breaker box in the bathroom.  This location is close to the front of the coach where provisions can be made for a generator and automatic switch .  Our unit has this provision.  Frankly, we never plan to install a generator but may well use the dedicated space for additional batteries and an inverter some day down the road.

            The electrical system seem to have a better distribution than was the case in our BigSky.  We can now use the fireplace and the microwave at the same time.  However, it is still not possible to use our toaster oven and coffee maker at the same time.  It seems that most of the outlets in the kitchen are fed by the same 15amp breaker.

            All twelve volt systems are fused in the same central breaker box.  I really like the location of this box as it puts everything at an easy eye level.

            There is a single electric pump for the hydraulics.  It is located in the front lower compartment  to the port side of the generator space.  It is surrounded by valves that can be used to isolate the various hydraulic circuits.  In addition, provisions are made to operate the pump with an external electric drill should an emergency arise (such as a dead battery) requiring such action.

            The air-conditioning installation is superb.  It is ducted throughout the coach providing even and quiet distribution of cold air.  I can’t say as much for the control head.  It has a separate hand held remote that allows a “feels like” mode.  That is to say, you can take the remote to a location in the coach and set the temperature  for that specific location.  Unfortunately, the technology used for the remote to control head communication requires that the remote be pointed at the control head.  Furthermore,  the control which includes the remote is quite complicated with little switches hidden behind a door on the remote.  Who has time for such “technobable”?  I simply Velcro mounted the remote across the doorway from the ac control head and that is where it will stay. 

            There are two  Fan-Tastik vents in the coach.  One is over the entry area above the kitchen counter and the other is in the bedroom ceiling.  We have excellent fresh air flow whenever ac is not required.

            There are two alarm systems.  One is for carbon monoxide and is located in the bedroom.  It has a blinking green light but has not cause us any loss of sleep.  The second alarm is smoke and heat sensitive.  It is mounted high in the kitchen and goes off whenever any serious cooking takes place.  Luckily, it can be reached and removed to the bedroom while we complete our meals in peace.

            Outside, there is a single 16 foot awning.  Unfortunately, it is a weather –pro electric.   I say unfortunate because the electric convenience  comes at a price.  The awning has a single full out position and cannot be adjusted up or down for low sun angles or heavy rain.  Second, the awning cannot be tilted to shed rainwhere you want it or to prevent pocketing of water on the awning.  Finally, the design looks too flimsey to allow for staking down in heavier wind conditions.  The good part is that extension and rollup are just a matter of hitting a switch.  Two such switche locations are provided as well as a remote.

            The weather-pro  is supposed to roll up automatically if the wind speed reaches 18 mph.  Unfortunately, the sensor on our seems to be miss-calibrated or defective.  In any event,  the wind from the wings of a passing butterfly appears to be enough to set it to roll up mode.  On the fortunate side, there is a switch that can be used to lock out the automatic rollup.

            At one campsite we stretched a secondary shade along the length of the awning roller and staked this down.  We were able to leave this configuration in place for the week of our stay.

            Of all the new features and upgrades in the Cambridge, this awning is the most disappointing.  I think it should be left to the real high-end class “A” coaches where the idea is to get on down the road a lot and not put up with any kind of real weather.

            So, overall, I give the Cambridge a 9 for systems.  Funny, but without the automatic awning and the overly complicated ac control it would have had an easy ten.  Then again, had we not seen these two things in action, we might not have known.

 Victoria changed out the light fixture over the table for this chandalier. Glad she didn't try this in our old tent trailer.

Systems Management and Maintenance.

            This is an area where the folks at Keystone get an outstanding rating.  It starts right at the systems compartment on the port side of the coach.  Open a door and there are all the water hookups, dump controls for each tank and a battery disconnect switch.  There is even a towel holder and soap dispenser for cleanup.  But hold on, open one of two doors ins ide the compartment and we find the outside shower.  Open the second door and there are two manifolds and shutoff valves for each faucet in the coach.  It is possible to isolate and troubleshoot every water  path.

The systems panel has centralized controls for water, and waste tanks as well as a master battery disconnect.

The outside shower is behind the panel to the left. There is also a paper towel rack and a soap dispenser.

The panel on the right covers the water manifolds and individual isolation valves.

            There is a sliding wall on the aft side of the “basement” storage compartment.  Behind this wall is a “secret” compartment housing extra items like the central vac,  the ac/dc converter,  and the central water filter.  Accessing these devices means unloading the compartment and literally crawling in.  However, this compartment is large and it is reasonably easy to get around in.  Not as easy to work on as my airplane with the cowling removed but easier to work on than any RV I have experienced in the past.

            The water heater does not require an ionizing rod there by eliminating an annual chore.  The other annual chore is the under carriage where greasing and inspections must be performed.  This coach is supposed to be supplied with “Never Lube” bearings as standard equipment.  These are hubs which can be serviced with a grease gun without removing the wheels.  Unfortunately, there are no cutouts in the hub cap to allow access to the zerk fitting in the hub.  My manuals do not cover this aspect of maintenance so the mystery still needs investigating.

            Overall, the Cambridge gets a 10 for systems maintenance and management.  Of course, we are still early in experience and future surprises may change this rating.

Built-in Appliances: Stove, Oven, Fridge, Microwave, Entertainment

            Like the systems, all appliances are upgraded.  The gas stove and oven are by Maytag, the microwave  is a Radarange by Amana and the Refrigerator is a big two door, twelve cubic foot Dometic.  The refrigerator is almost a center-piece as you enter the coach.  It is auto gas or 120 volt electric.  The shelves are well placed.  This is a first class appliance.  It is like walking into a stick house and seeing a walk-in refrigerator.

            The central entertainment device is a 27 inch JVC flat screen TV.  It is served by a JVC DVD/Tuner and surround sound amplifier.  Both seem to be of excellent quality.  We are especially pleased with the very wide viewability of the TV.  In my past life, I was involved in flat panel developments for the military.  Viewing angle was always a significant challenge.  This JVC would do well in any cockpit.

            There is a second tv in the bedroom.  This is a 19 inch CRT by Toshiba.  Both tv’s are wired to a distribution panel under the main tv.  This distribution panel includes a video amplifier for tv antenna signals.  This arrangement provides for a well thought out entertainment scheme.

            We added a satellite antenna positioning system and brought along a satellite receiver from home.  The distribution panel makes installing and removing the receiver a piece of cake.

            Once again, we have to give Cambridge high marks.  All of our built-ins are first class.  Cambridge gets a 10.

Accessories

            There are not many accessories to talk about.  For sure the rechargeable flash light and fire extinguisher are hand and expected to perform when asked.  There is the built in central vac by dirt devil.  It has been installed with automatic ports inside th coach as well as in the main storage area where it could even be used to clean the truck if need be.  There is also a convenient little chute to let the vacuum grab the sweepings from the kitchen floor.

            We added awnings over the top of each slide.  These were installed by the dealer.  In my opinion, these should be standard equipment.  However, apparently some customers prefer not to have them.

            We also had an  Winegard automatic satellite locator installed.  This device is roof mounted and uses a GPS receiver to provide the location of the coach.  Electronics in the locater then calculate the antenna angles required to intercept the appropriate satellite signal.  Satellites are pre-selected on a little panel in an electronics box underneath the antenna.  The manual for the unit hints that the final angles are fine tuned if the LNB on the antenna is powered.  In other words, the satellite receiver is connected and turned on.  The Winegard installation includes a four button control head (on, off, search, park) mounted near the entertainment center.

            So far, our experience with the Winegard unit has been satisfactory but not outstanding.  I have found that the coach needs to be near a perfect level for the signal acquisition to work out. The manual suggests within 2 degrees but, I think it needs to be better then that.  However, I am not sure if there is an offset between coach level and level on the antenna itself.  I guess, I need to crawl up on the roof and take some measurements. 

            Winegard makes a more sophisticated antenna locater that even has the ability to track satellites while moving.  I suspect it is much less sensitive to the level of the coach.  A more informed sales staff may have provided the pros and cons prior to my selection of the unit we bought.

            There is also a problem with the installation of the satellite locator.  The installing technician simply spliced in to the existing satellite feed wire in the coach.  While this works, it does not provide for the use of a separate, outside antenna mast.  This provision would be useful if the coach was parked in an obstructed area.  The provision could have been handled nicely by routind the feed from the Winegard system into the systems panel.  Then a loop into the existing satellite connector or from an external antenna could have been made.

            So far, we have not invested in an onboard washer and dryer.  Provisions are already in the Cambridge including a vent for the dryer.  We plan to investigate the pros and cons of the available units over the winter months.

            Overall, the accessories on our unit get an 8.5 with the Satellite locater dragging down the total performance.

Acquisition experience

            Let me first say I do not look forward to negotiated purchases.  I don’t like stabbing about where full disclosure is not required.  Quite frankly, I tend to approach such activities with a negative and somewhat cynical attitude.  That said, I think we came out reasonably well on this one.

            We started looking at the Cambridge back in February.  We visited two dealers in the Phoenix area.  Their opening offers were consistent and way off the mark.  There was no reason to even begin a discussion.  We were resigned to staying with the Big Sky for several more years.

            Then, while in Michigan, we looked again.  This time the dealer may have been facing different circumstances.  They had a Cambridge like we wanted and it had been on the lot for several weeks.  In addition, it was well along in the season for Michigan trailer sales.  In any event, the opening offer was substantially better than what was offered in Arizona.  Our subsequent negotiation lasted four days and yielded a bit more in our favor.  The dealer also helped us work with the Michigan Secretary of State to reduce our tax bite to the Arizona formula.  This little step was worth over $2500.00 alone.

            I did think the sales staff should have been better trained on the accessories likely to be ordered with a Cambridge.  When we were discussing te Wingard, for instance, we were reading ftom a catelog description.  There was no first hand information available.  This was truly a case of the blind leading the blind.

            When we came to pick up the unit after allowing five days for prep, we had some argument over the condition of our Big Sky trade.  This was irritating to me as I had requested that the dealer inspect my unit prior to sign off of the negotiation.  The sales man said it was entirely unnecessary but, we ended up in a controversy.  After about an hour and a half we had a resolution but we were now way behind schedule. 

            We were then turned over to an orientation guide who hustled us through a sort of canned checkout and introduction to the systems.  Even though we were very familiar with other keystone equipment, this orientation was barely adequate.  To illustrate how skimpy this exercise was, we were pointed to a stack of papers and manuals and told everything we needed was in there.  Later inventory revealed critical shortages such as no information on axles, hubs, slides, or water heater.  Indeed, there was no master manual such as we had received with our Big Sky and with every other RV we have purchased.  Even Coachman provided one.  The orientation guide forgot to give us a water hose and promised then forgot a lubrication disk for the hitch.

            Finally, we exchanged  paper, money and keys and we were ready to load up.

            As I said, I don’t like negotiations of this type.  This one was on par with most.  I give the whole experience a 3.  Its probably the norm for the industry.

Transition Experience

            Victoria and I are packrats that love books.  So, you have to know moving all of our “stuff” from one coach to the other was a real pain.  It took two hard days of unloading followed by three days of reloading.  The saving grace is the excellent stowage of the Cambridge.

            We purchased a bunch of plastic inventory boxes to help organize the move.  In retrospect, regular moving cartons would have worked better.  However, some of the plastic boxes were retained to help organize the basement contents in the Cambridge.

            Overall the Transition went as well as could be expected and better than our previous moves from  a motor home into  travel trailer and then from the travel trailer into the Montana Big Sky.  I give it a 9.

Initial Shakedown

            We are still in shakedown.  All in all, we are very pleased.  The only serious coach problem was a broken utilities carrier under the main slide.  The People at Burnside sent a service tech one hundred miles into northern Michigan to execute the repair.  Other problems have been altogether trivial.

            Give Initial shakedown a 9.9

Service Experience

            This is a mixed bag so far.  Of note was Burnside immediate dispatch of a service tech to solve our initial problem.  After that, time and distance tell the larger story.  We were less than two weeks out when symptoms developed that warned us of larger problems.  Our attempts to get help, even in diagnosis, were completely halted by either Keystone authorized service centers and by associates of the Burnside company.  To be clear, Burnside claims they are part of a larger network of dealers.  The implication is that you will be treated the same as you would as a Burnside customer.  The fact is, this is patently untrue.  My calls to other dealers in this network got me assurance I could wait in line for two or three weeks until they had an appointment opening.   I no longer felt special.  This kind of attitude has no place in an industry where people are on the road.

            Having come from the aviation and marine industries, this sort of attitude floors me.  When we had an “AOG” meaning aircraft on the ground, we scrambled.  We never wanted anyone held up due to our equipment.  And, we were not first line suppliers, rather we were OEM contributors.  I expect this kind of service – it builds loyalty.

            To carry this a bit more, when we first had our Big Sky, we had a problem with a leaky slide roof.  We had made our way to Michigan and were referred to Kitsmiller RV near Lansing.  Bear in mind, they are a Keystone service center but, not a Montana dealer.  At first, they too gave us the “not till a week after the fourth” routine.  But, when I asked for a preliminary diagnosis, they said, “sure, bring it in.”  They not only quickly validated the problem but, implemented a fix on the spot.  I immediately placed an order with them to have slide awnings installed and recommend them to every one I see.

            Bottom line, I give the benefit of the doubt to Cambridge and Keystone for a 6.0.  The rating got a boost because Burnside responded but is held back by the rest of the network