My wife and I have been shopping for a 5th wheel, and had been looking mostly at used Redwoods and DRVs, and one new DRV (Tradition model, as covered in a separate thread here). But a used 2009 Domani has grabbed our attention.
The Domani is kind of incredible. It is only 31 feet long. Weighs only 9500 lb. It has swoopy Italian styling that looks like an Italian sports car on the outside and a yacht on the inside. It seems to have a particularly high quality gel coat (still shines gorgeously after 6 1/2 years, despite this specific one not even having the optional full body paint).
It has aluminum/mineral wool/gelcoat hung wall construction identical to DRV Tradition, but bit thinner (R
, and welded versus bolted. Roof is aluminum truss like the DRV, with 1/2" walk-on plywood, but again slightly thinner insulation (R16). Floor is also R16, with engineered steel space frame. In the ihe interior, EVERYTHING is curved and swoopy.
The one we are looking at has the costly and very eye catching American Mag wheels option and the original Goodyear 285/50R20 116H tires, but the tires will of course need to be replaced. It turns out that Hankook, Cooper, Nitto and even Pirelli make tires with the right size and the right 116 load rating, and the dealer says if we buy the tires and bring them in, the service staff will install and balance them for $120 total.
The 2 axles are Dexter #11 Torflex, rated at 5200 lbs each. I love the Torflex feature.
Since the rig weighs 9500 unloaded, there are only about 9500*0.75 = 7125 lb total on the 2 axles unloaded, and at full GVWR = 11,500, there are 8625 lb on the 2 axles, or 4313 each axle. (The 2000 NCC is fine for us - we have 1500 lb to load into it).
The above weights make this fiver towable by a GAS 6.2 liter Ford 250, or even, incredibly enough, a Ford Ecoboost (pin weight would be only 2875 lb at maximum fully loaded to GVWR) (edit: Checked the 2009 Domani brochure: empty pin weight is only 1800 lb, so maybe 2300 lb at GVWR weight). Avoiding the complexities, costs, and lately- warranty cab-off repairs - of a diesel is an unexpected potential bonus.
There is 1 Coleman Mach AC unit but the dealer will provide and install a second Coleman Mach for a very reasonable price ($954 installed), as the Domani comes with a second standard 14" mount point (currently covered with a standard fan cover), that is reinforced and pre-wired.
The shower and cabinetry are particularly nice in terms of quality and condition. The wood cabinetry finish is VERY impressive given the age.
The coach is in excellent condition overall for a 2009 - one of the best we have seen, and the dealer is willing to guarantee that all systems work and no leaks, and willing to do the PDI and then set it up for 2 or 3 days with all systems working on his site, including water connection, so that we can spend time in it BEFORE delivery to ensure no problems are apparent before it gets delivered.
The price is the lowest by far of any of the rigs that we have examined that actually interest us. The dealer wants $27,000 plus the $954 for the 2nd AC, $120 for the tire installation and balancing, and we would also pay the dealership to replace a seciton of Darco underneath that has holes in it because some idiot amateur cut it up with a utility knife to make some RV repairs sometime in the past (we understand the importance of the Darco for insulation, keeping out road dirt, and keeping out insects/snakes/rodents, etc.
I really thought that although I love the concept, my wife would never tolerate the smaller size and reduced interior storage (although the basement is notably larger than the DRV Tradition and the Redwood!). But, she surprised me and really likes it. She says its condition impressed her, and she noted the apparent "spaciousness" which is the result of clever interior design. It's basically visually an Italian Airstream but with much more real and apparent space because it has square and much higher walls, and a basement, and none of the "early death by hidden floor rotting" problems inherent to the multi-piece riveted shells of the Airstreams.
The Domani is pretty rare for 2 reasons:
1. It went into production just as the economy collapsed, limiting its sales severely
2. The "European styling" was a big jolt for many people in the target market (retirees
).
But the ones that were sold seem to be aging very graciously, which probably reflects the underlying Carriage quality.
I have done extensive Googling, and can't really find all that much information about actually living with the Domani, but did note that most of the actual owners really like their Domani, but warn others that it does not have the real space and storage of a larger 5iver of course.
Have any of you heard good or bad things about the Domani? Are there any problems known to be associated with them?
I realize that it is not a DRV, but then the cost LOOKS like a relative bargain given the apparent durability.
Jim G