SidecarFlip wrote:
soren wrote:
Lots of good advice here. We have owned ten RVs in a long stretch of being addicted to camping. I would strongly second the buying used aspect. I would also recommend that you buy it from a private sale, and from the original owner. Nothing cuts through the bull twinkies more than being able to look the original owner in the eye, when you discuss things like leaks and other problems. Second, never trust an opinion from an owner, or member here, with regard to quality. First, there is the data VS anecdote value of asking "what do you think of your brand X RV?" The guy you are speaking to might of had a relatively trouble free experience. The next RV that rolled off the line, after his was built, might of been the biggest piece of garbage ever built. Second, a lot of folks have very selective memories, and a bit of an ego to deal with. They might have had a history of less than satisfactory experiences, but they tend to "forget" the bad times, and even look at the past with rose colored glasses, since telling you that they bought a POS is like admitting that they failed.They might have had a history of less than satisfactory experiences, but they tend to "forget" the bad times, and even look at the past with rose colored glasses, since telling you that they bought a POS is like admitting that they failed. Good luck, it's a tough issue to deal with.
No one in their right mind is going to admit on a public forum that they screwed up and bought a junk box RV....
Problem is, many have but won't admit it.....:S
Nail on the head, my friend. The wife and I have a term we coined, and use between ourselves. We call it "Fleetwood syndrome", and it involves avoiding the truth, or even flat our lying about your choices, since it's too hard for your ego to deal with the fact that you made bad ones.
Almost fifteen years ago, when I was younger and dumber, we wanted a modest travel trailer and found that a Fleetwood Wilderness seemed to suit our needs. We asked on the forum and got 4-5 responses from Fleetwood owners who claimed that they were simply the greatest TT ever built. Boy did we get scammed following that advice. It came with a two year warranty, and it was nothing but problems for that two years. At the end of the 24 months the entire floor was rotted out, since they used defective cargo doors that funneled rainwater into the walls and under vinyl floor, completely undetected. Fleetwood denied the claim, based on a lack of maintenance. Truth was, it was not a maintenance issue. They knew of the defective doors and were hoping to burn up the clock, and deny claims, to avoid the huge cost of rebuilding countless trailers. There we were, two years into owning a pathetic POS, and it was rotten to the point of being totaled. So much for all the great reviews here. In the end, it was purchased from a small family run dealer who was battling on our behalf. After an ugly fight, the owner of the dealership ended up in a screaming match with a Fleetwood VP, and asked if they wanted to come grab all of their junk off his lot? He got them to pick the thing up, lift the body off and rebuild all the rot, at no charge. We got it back and dumped it, ASAP, before the next disaster reared it's head.
Bottom line? Never trust glowing reviews here. Many are 100% true, and many are nothing but steaming piles of bull twinkies. Problem is, you don't know which is which.
