Nervous about ending up with a mass produced junk box.

rjxj wrote:
"Fleetwood syndrome"
I love it. Lmao

I love it too.

I have to say though (and 'Ralph Cramden' has known me for a while even before this forum we were both on another RV forum together (and neither of us are there now, which is neither here nor there so he knows I don't candy coat my comments about anything (which is one reason why I'm not on that forum anymore, among other reasons that I won't get into here), but...

In all reality, I have had no issues with my current (2 year old) Palomino, which, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Forrest River, which is noted (on many forums and in many comments about building junk boxes.

If I had any issues, I would not be at all hesitant about posting it, on any forum, but I haven't. Not even a loose screw and I never has any cause to worry about a warranty issue because there never was any.

Maybe I got lucky, maybe mine was built in a Tuesday afternoon, maybe mine was assembled by a non-Amish crew, whatever the reason, I lucked out....and that is the truth. I have no reason to state it any other way.

"Fleetwood syndrome"
I love it. Lmao

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.

Lynnmor wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:


I bought a junk box RV. Its no longer so much of a junk box since I spent countless hours finishing the build and correcting the factory screw ups, reinforcing the frame, you name it.

I can admit it. I am Ralph and I have a junk box RV.

Ditto Ralph, you saved me some typing.

I can admit it. I am Lynnmor and I have a junk box RV. :o

I'm Not saying they are perfect, but my FR has only had a radio issue. Other than that it has been great. I know Keystones have their issue too, as I helped my buddy repair his. His need a lot of help, but we got it sorted out. All manuf have they're problems.

Ralph Cramden wrote:


I bought a junk box RV. Its no longer so much of a junk box since I spent countless hours finishing the build and correcting the factory screw ups, reinforcing the frame, you name it.

I can admit it. I am Ralph and I have a junk box RV.

Ditto Ralph, you saved me some typing.

I can admit it. I am Lynnmor and I have a junk box RV. :o

You are a humble person and the exception to the rule and you don't complain either. Most owners complain and B&M on a public forum and that dies nothing because the builders don't care and the dealers are swamped with warranty work on substandard units. Really, nor a good situation.

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

What? :S LOL.

I bought a junk box RV. Its no longer so much of a junk box since I spent countless hours finishing the build and correcting the factory screw ups, reinforcing the frame, you name it. You know the whole story SCF.......Remember over at that other rag of a forum when I was chastised to no end by Kool Aid Drinkers for complaining? They had every excuse in the book posted as to how the manufacturer was golden and I was unreasonable. When we ordered from the dealer the first one built and delivered was an even bigger junk box, so much so they were told to stick it.

Two words................Forest River..........
Two other words..........Never Again...........

I can admit it. I am Ralph and I have a junk box RV.

brianosaur wrote:
First timer ready to go to Hershey next week.
Looking into 27'-31' BH TT.

Reading & researching up the wahzoo for weeks now.

Floorplans, weight, towing, tow vehicle, ratings, GCVR, GWR, hitches, appliances, power, water, awnings, slides, hookups, dumping, aluminum or fiberglass, maintenance & storage, tires, cover, space to store at home, ect. .....aaaaaahhh!

Once I got past all the how to's, what to's and pretty surface stuff I got looked into construction and manufacturing.

Watched the Jayco speed build video on youtube and my jaw dropped.
It looks like a mass produced speed built junk box!

Reading thread after thread leads me to believe the following, whether it is true or not:

- Most TT are made this way.

- This is the industry standard, quality control sucks and that's what dealers are for.

- Reviews can be found on every manufacturer where some say they are horrible and others just love them.

- Repairs are part of owning an RV, suck it up and deal with it.

- Maintenance is key and due diligence will prolong the inevitable.

- Water damage is a 'when' not an 'if'.
So am I being paranoid?

Id look for TT made completely from aluminum or fiberglass such as Airstream or Casita,,perhaps bit smaller and second hand if you cant afford new,,
Id never buy any trailer made with wood frame and thin aluminum over that,,no seams either,,
If I couldnt find anything well built Id make my own,,perhaps converting a cargo trailer,,there are plenty of vids on YT showing how..

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

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. Good luck, it's a tough issue to deal with.