Future newbie looking for quality toy hauler for retirement

Ralph Cramden wrote:
As far as toy haulers the first thing I would search floor is one without a ramp door made by LCI. Horror stories abound regarding those doors falling apart quickly.

As someone who has read every thread in this Toy Hauler forum since its inception ~14 years ago, I can barely remember even a few ramp failures, let alone an epidemic with any particular brand.

I have to call shenanigans.

If anyone truly thinks one brand is assembled better than another from better materials and components you have done a decent job of fooling yourself. I can line up 3 simular models on a dealers lot with the same build date and show you in detail the different defects among them. That stands for Northwood, Forest River, Thor, or anyone else.

Its more about luck of the draw and having good eyes when purchasing. Do a special order and what arrives with your name on it has a better than 50% chance of being a hastily assembled POS.

As far as toy haulers the first thing I would search floor is one without a ramp door made by LCI. Horror stories abound regarding those doors falling apart quickly.

The reality is that what was once a well built toy hauler might not be today, some units are pushed out so fast that quality isn't job 1, its not even in the top 5. That said I hear pretty good consistent comments about the Northwood/Desert Fox, ATC, and Grand Design. There are some very high end custom units, but for most those are out of the price range. The Complete List of Toy Haulers (in the main Toy Hauler forum) lists those and many others.

Just as important though is a dealership. I've bought 3 from my local dealership, but before I bought one from them I spent a couple hours in the waiting room of the service center listening to people and hearing how they treated others. I talked to a lot of people to see if they stood behind their word or not.

Also you need to know about doing your own Pre-Delivery Inspection so you can inspect our new rig in detail. Also do not sign anything until after your PDI, once you do you own it. If you do your PDI before you can avoid problems before they start and the dealership is going to work to get things fixed faster.

Finally, don't rush. Spend time reading and once you narrow your list down check out dealerships and perhaps a factory tour.