Feed back wanted on the "Real" Top Brands

LOL Yup

Married? Let your wife pick out the floor plan she likes! Then figure out what truck you need to pull it.

Expediter wrote:
Thank you for the detailed reply!!

I do like the KZ thank you

One other thing that I like about KZ is that they admit they're a smaller company, with fewer dealers, and didn't seem to have a problem in authorizing warranty work by independent RV techs. Caveat: this was on a call before the Thor buyout.

Lyle

Spacecraft Mfg....

Thank you for the detailed reply!!

I do like the KZ thank you

IMO, Northwoods is probably the best of the "independent" RV builders right now. They tend to be heavy, so a dually is virtually required for almost all their RVs. Even their smallest I wouldn't feel 100% comfortable towing with my '02 D'max 2500 HD due to the weight even =if= the floorplan would work for us. On paper, I like KZ, but I've only seen a couple of them, so far. There is only 1 dealer here in AZ and they only stock toy haulers and the real high-end units, not what I'm interested in, so I've only been in once, just to look around. If you want =true= quality, you're likely to jump up well into 6 figures with a full-on, or near-full-on custom job like Space Craft. Again, I'm speaking from my own experience and about 13-14 years of reading about problems and reviews here on RVNet.

Lyle

Expediter wrote:
LOL interesting many brands from a few manufacturers.

Forest River =

Coachmen
Dynamax
Palomino
Prime Time
Shasta
Artic Wolf
Berkshire
Black Diamond
Blue Ridge
XLR
Cardinal
Cedar Creek
Charleston
Cherokee
Salem
Evo
Flagstaff
Forester
FR3
Georgetown
Wildwood
Legacy
Rockwood
Sabre
Sandpiper
Sandstorm
Sierra
Sonoma
Stealth
Sunseeker
Surveyor
Vengeance
Vibe
Wildcat
Work and Play

---------------------------------------------

Thor =

Airstream
Bison
Crossroads
Cruiser
DRV

Dutchmen;
(Aerolite, Aspen Trail,Coleman,Denali,Kodiak,Razorback,Rubicon,Voltage)

Entegra
Heartland
Highland Ridge
Jayco
Keystone
K-Z
Livin Lite
Redwood
Starcraft
Thor Motor Coach
Venture

--------------------------------------------------------

Winnebago has purchased Grand Design.

------'---------------------------------

Want it more interesting? How about the current market share?

Motorized RVs
Thor 42.1%
Forest River 24.6%
Winnebago 13.4%
Everyone else 19.9%

Towables RVs
Thor 48.6%
Forest River 36.8%
Grand Design 4.2%
Everyone else 10.4%

Thor and Forest River dominate the entire industry and that is never good. That is the reason they can get away with the shoddy assembly and lackluster service after the sale.

LOL interesting many brands from a few manufacturers.

DanNJanice wrote:
There are really only two large companies. Thor and Forest River. They make up about 75% of all the TT/5vers sold. I would expect similar quality from all the "brands" sold by these two companies. Possible exception would be Airstream (Thor) as they are much higher priced and a unique design.
Of the remainder, there is Lance, Outdoor RV(Timber Ridge, Blackstone, etc), Northwoods(Arctic Fox), IMO these three are a cut above in both price and quality. I think Keystone and Heartland are still independent as well.

Keystone and Heartland are Thor, as is Jayco. Supposedly Jayco will remain intact / independently managed but eventually Thor will pull the plug the same way they combined service and support of numerous other brands / divisions over to Keystone.

donn0128 wrote:
IMHO Forest River Cedar Creek is hard to beat. Mine is 12 years old, and has never been in the shop for a warranty related issue. I can count on my hands what I have to replace or repair in that 12 years.

Unfortunately trying to compare a rig / brand built in 2005 or so to ones built today is like comparing an apple to a lawnmower. The large manufacturers could care less about repeat business and quality control. QC only exists in brochures, on websites, and other advertisements as well as lip service. Its all about push them out the door as fast as possible while times are good, because they know that the boom will not last forever. Its all about bottom line and maximizing profits for the stockholders.

There are really only two large companies. Thor and Forest River. They make up about 75% of all the TT/5vers sold. I would expect similar quality from all the "brands" sold by these two companies. Possible exception would be Airstream (Thor) as they are much higher priced and a unique design.
Of the remainder, there is Lance, Outdoor RV(Timber Ridge, Blackstone, etc), Northwoods(Arctic Fox), IMO these three are a cut above in both price and quality. I think Keystone and Heartland are still independent as well.