I see a lot of posts urging us newbie buyers to 'do your research', especially in relation to which brands have quality workmanship. Where do we do that? Other than gleaning information over time, by reading people's posts here about problems, what are some good ways to go about learning who is who in the RV manufacturing world?

Well, you've started in a good place, but be aware, most owners will tout their particular brand and model. Also, most posts you see specific to a brand or model are negative because the owner is experiencing an issue. Almost no one comes onto these forums and posts "I had an awesome day with my RV today".I think the best advice I've gotten here is to determine your floor plan first and find a coach/trailer that meets those needs. Second best piece of advice is do not buy new first time. IMHO, you have to live with the floor plan in order to figure out if it works. We just bought a cheap old gasser for our first coach and compiled a must have list.There are brands that have a higher quality of workmanship than others. I will not enumerate those here, but you can tell by just looking at the NADA values which ones they are. You may not be able to afford the best quality rigs, so picking a brand with a reputation for quality becomes an exercise in compromise.Finally, go to shows. Don't talk to the sales people, but look for signs of quality; fit and finish of the interior, well thought out accessories, high end appliances etc.

You will find many opinions as to what is best. I believe Fores River and Thor are large manufacturers with Forest River having bought out many manufacturers. There are also several manufacturers that build what would be described as top end units also.If you are shopping used and you say do your research, I would say the number one issue no matter who built it is water damage. It's the number one killer of RV's. From there it gets into how it was taken care of, how it was stored. As far as water heaters, frig, furnace, ac, etc a lot of the stuff is all the same. Some people like stick and aluminum sides, some like aluminum and filon sides.I compare it to buying a used car. I want the best looking/maintained one in the given price range so that if I do end up putting a transmission in it I'm not putting it into some clunker. ManufacturersOpinion survey10

The best place to start examining quality is at an RV show. Since you are in FL you should go to the Tampa show. It is one of the largest in the country.At a RV show you can see/experience lots of RV's in one place vs. driving dealer to dealer.The internet is a great resource for fact finding and getting opinions but at some point quality needs to be seen,touched and experienced.

Researching RVs | Good Sam Community

2gypsies1
Explorer III
Jan 18, 2015
The site iRV2.com has an owner's forum for many manufacturers. You might want to read through them to see what the problems are with RVs.

Go to the dealers in your area or to RV shows and look at some of the construction, particularly how the drawers are made and how the trim lines up. What are the cabinets made of? Many mfg. use a lot of staples to hold things together. If a mfg. takes pride in what they build it will be obvious by just looking at the obvious things. Then pick up brochures and study the comparisons of how the frame is, etc. You'll soon get the idea. Good luck! :)
C-Bears
Explorer
Jan 18, 2015
Here is my take on how a newbie should "do the research". Look stuff up on the internet. Go to several RV shows. Find out what RV companies have been in business for the longest and target their makes/models. Look around and purchase your first RV 2 - 4 years old (used) and hopefully from a private seller.

Opinions from public forums like this one reference what make/model is better, may not be a very good reference. We all mean well, but the truth of the matter is many of us have only owned one or two make/models. It would probably be impossible to find an experienced RVer that has owned 7 or 8 of the major brands within the past 10 years.
Veebyes
Explorer II
Jan 18, 2015
Speaking of towables, you won't find a top quality made RV for a cheap price so don't even go there.

How many TV screens or sound system means nothing. Start with a crawl underneath to see who made the frame. Pay special attwention to how the spring hangers are reinforced. Look in the basement areas to see how the wiring is laid out. Bundled? Protected from chafe? Large guage from battery bank? Same with plumbing. Neatly arranged? Things like the pump easily accessible?

Inside look for fit & finish. Moldings fit neatly? Decent drawer guides? Solid entry steps or thin guage wobbly steps?

Details. It is all about the details. Details take extra labour to be right.

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