Thinking About Buying an RV?

[Killgore]

Well, if you're in the market for a camper or maybe you are wanting to become a Full-Timer living in your luxurious home on wheels, take a minute and skip over to "RV Horror Stories". Chuck Woodbury, an advocate for RV owners, has started a new forum dedicated to the 21% of owners who are disgusted with their purchases because of a lack of quality, companies that don't honor their warranties, poor design and engineering, etc. I think you will find it entertaining!

 

[Dan_69GTX]

Got a link?

 

[TFucili]

I have been watching The RV Show USA on YouTube. Abysmal quality is a hot topic. Woodbury has been a guest, as well. Pretty sad state of affairs. I am waiting on a toyhauler, and hoping Sundowner lives up to their promise of being different. Fingers crossed.

 

[Killgore]

I think this will get you on.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RVHorrorStories/

 

[Timd32]

Ran across this article today. Does not give too many details, says tire exploded.

https://countryrebel.com/nascar-dri...ted_by-dk-original-country&utm_content=nascar

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

I think you might be on to something with Sundowner. We looked at them and I was impressed with the quality as compared to the typical RV. We ended up not going that route and are working on purchasing a Diesel motorhome. I have a steep learning curve as it is a Duramax powered Kodiak chassis... not a Cummins.

I have been watching The RV Show USA on YouTube. Abysmal quality is a hot topic. Woodbury has been a guest, as well. Pretty sad state of affairs. I am waiting on a toyhauler, and hoping Sundowner lives up to their promise of being different. Fingers crossed.

 

[Dan_69GTX]

Thanks for the link.....kinda makes one sick after reading how folks are treated. How do dealers stay in business?

 

[Killgore]

So many good folks decide on the spur of the moment to buy a camper and rush into the purchase without doing the proper research. How many are aware that there are major differences between weekend recreational units and full-timer's rigs? Are they aware that some manufacturers will void their warranties if the campers are used as a full-timer's rig, or in some cases 30 consecutive days; read the small print? Do they investigate the quality of the tires, suspension, drum or disc brakes, and of course, the axle ratings? As a rule, no, and the salesman has probably never even owned a camper and is only interested in making a commission. Sad! And, the campers are designed to impress with glitz and bling; kind of like the old joke about moose-s##t pie. The general public is getting fleeced by flim-flam artists due to the lack of regulation and lemon laws. Marcus Lemonis, the owner of Camping World, the Good Sam Club, Trailer Life Magazine, Gander Mountain, etc. is in cahoots with Thor Industries who dominates the market and is known for pushing junk out of their facilities. Whew! Just thought you would want to Know!

 

[BIGNASTY]

I think you might be on to something with Sundowner. We looked at them and I was impressed with the quality as compared to the typical RV. We ended up not going that route and are working on purchasing a Diesel motorhome. I have a steep learning curve as it is a Duramax powered Kodiak chassis... not a Cummins.

Just offering my 2 cents, we had a Travel Trailer for years and enjoyed it. We sold it to our son which he's never paid us for and we've kept it licensed and insured, (life as a Parent ? ) we've moved on to a Pre-owned 2004 Newmar Dutch Star we pull an enclosed trailer with a Tacoma for transportation and storage of all the CRAP the wife views as antiques on trips. WE WOULD NEVER GIVE THOUGHT TO ANY TYPE OF TRAILER AGAIN FOR RVing.

BIG

 

[mwilson]

Ran across this article today. Does not give too many details, says tire exploded.

https://countryrebel.com/nascar-driver-wife-lose-family-in-tragic-accident/?a=DK&var=HaleyLosesFam-COUNTRY&utm_campaign=haleylosesfam&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_term=author-dk-posted_by-dk-original-country&utm_content=nascar

Reading between the lines I would suggest that a steer tire blew out.

 

[Killgore]

Whoops! Shucks, I forgot to mention the website pissedconsumer.com/campingworld. Currently, Camping World has 2 stars with 2,660 reviews and 18 resolved issues. Now this is true entertainment! I'm not posting this to make fun of folks because my heart goes out to them, but.....? Dan, this may answer part of your question concerning "how do dealers stay in business?". Camping world has 120 locations with over 7,100 employees and is recognized as the largest national dealership chain.

 

[Killgore]

The website I was trying to reference starts with a "p", followed by an "i", and then "ssed", you have the rest. Sorry.

 

[Killgore]

BIG, you and I must belong to the same fraternity. I have a son who hooked me on our camper, LOL!

 

[BIGNASTY]

BIG, you and I must belong to the same fraternity. I have a son who hooked me on our camper, LOL!

Just like to see family happy!! besides sales or trade-in on RV Trailers is probably next to nothing anyway. The trailer has been covered from weather and is pristine condition. We bought the Star from a friend of the family with low miles and no AFTERBURNER EXHAUST is the reason I wanted it. The new ones are sure to have all the Afterburner troubles.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

It seems that it doesn't matter if you fork over $25k or $250K, they're all bubble gummed together. We used to own what was considered an upper end 3 axle toy hauler and it was a POS. As much as we'd love to buy another some day, I don't think I 'd buy another one new. I'd rather find an used beater and have an RV refurbish company strip it and rebuild.

 

[jgillott]

There is no way to deny that poor quality and lack of dealership and manufacturer support is all too common across the rv industry.

I am very active on an RV owners site. Daily there are people posting about warranty issues and dissatisfaction with their units. But when you read their posts, they are often about items that could easily fixed at home with even the most basic of skills. Yes, there are major issues with some new units out there and I feel bad for the owners stuck with a mess of a unit. But many issues could be solved with a little skill and willingness of the owners to be a little self sufficient. Too many of these new owners expect to be able to bounce their new RV down the road and never have to tighten a screw or run a bead of sealant once in a while.

Again, I'm not denying that the industry has major problems. But this new generation of RV owner is expecting perfection out of something that just isn't going to be perfect by the nature of its use. And God forbid that one of these new RV owners would actually turn a wrench for themselves.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[CROW]

Have owned a fifth wheel trailer for 16 years and have spent quite a lot of time in RV parks. A Newmar Kountry Star for 12 years and then another brand. My sense is that there is not a quality fifth wheel on the market since Newmar no longer makes trailers. Am sure that some have had products with no or few problems, but that is the exception. Lot of glitz, but no real quality. Very common topic at happy hour is "what broke or screwed up or leaked today". In the large RV park I have stayed in several years, it is not unusual to see mobile RV repair vehicles and have actually seen more than one mobile RV repair vehicle in the same park at the same time. Kinda enjoyed the RV deal but at the same time, had I known then what I know now, doubt I would have ever bought an RV. There may be something out there that depreciates faster than an RV, but I am not aware of it. Just my opinion.

 

[Ozymandias]

almost no one wants to pay the price for a real quality built trailer, so it goes down the drain with the whole industry because the price matters.

 

[slowmover]

almost no one wants to pay the price for a real quality built trailer, so it goes down the drain with the whole industry because the price matters.

This is it. Dollars, not sense. A failure to think through how long they’ll enjoy this type of camping. Which might be more than thirty years.

My travel trailer turns 29 this year. No leaks. Probably nicer than most at five years (leaving aside quality of materials). There’s no substitute for quality.

I see no reason to buy new when that presents a problem. Buy what was built to last and refurbish. Maintain a high standard.

Others have pointed out over on the Airstream forum to buy a nice one at ten-fifteen years of age. Depreciation is done, and refurbishment will be minimal. And then there’s a point where value will rise back above purchase price.

I bought both truck & trailer used. Knew exactly what I wanted. Price of both together was a hair under $30k. Paid cash.

And I agree about so-called “men” unwilling to buy books, tools and supplies. This process should have started long before an RV purchase. Sure, some jobs are best left to contractors. So what?

Would I marry a woman who couldn’t or wouldn’t cook? Some jobs are naturally for men in same wise.

What I learned in being mainly self-taught is that I’m slow. (Meaning I take the time to clean, re-paint, etc, while I’m in there). No need to pay another guy to do the removal or reinstallation of things in the way. There are levels of what may be best.

As RV dealer service is close to atrocious, what choice is there?

And Mobile RV techs are always (understandably) in a hurry. But better, IMO. So if I do the preparatory work, the tech can do what he’s really paid to do: diagnosis with expensive test equipment. And the experience of deciphering those readings. Advice on which brand to buy. Etc.

Must be more important to those boys to play video games. Is how I see it.

 

[mwilson]

I try to not purchase anything that I can’t fix myself for the most part. That makes me look at a pending purchase in a whole different light....