I might be the only person to recently learn that many RV brands are made by the same company. This was a bit of a shocker to me in just how many brands Forest River makes for example. So say a person has terrible quality with one brand and says never again. They buy another brand thinking problem solved but in reality it is made by the same company? I stumbled onto this while trying to research aht Coachmen Clipper BH. I am probley the only one who did not know this.

The same is industry wide. Thor is another example, who owns many RV brands. But many brands have different factories for different brands. My RV dealer says, for example, told me the factory who makes brand x for company a does a lousey job, but the factory that produces brand y does a much better job.

RV's are no different than Auto manufacturers. They make a host of different brand names; several can be made in the same factory.It is a marketing thing, visa vie Winnebago and Itasca. Your best guide is if you like what you have then stick with it. The board of directors make all the final decisions on who will be their suppliers,how many units a day must be made to turn the kind of profit they want. Some care about customer loyalty others don't, they adhere to the P.T. Barnum philosophy.

Although this is true at a top level and the corporate policies will affect the quality eventually, the workers, tooling, processes, and factory is still the same for the company that was recently bought out. For example when Coachmen bought out GBM they still made the GBM's in the same place etc. I am sure after several years corp made changes both good and bad but I think you are safe for a couple of years at least.

I find it all very interesting. Yes, it is marketing for sure. Kind of makes me scared to buy. I will but am still in the saving up process.

Each different factory has their own standards, and operate independently. The corporation has their own profit goals for that plant. And they may decide the market segment that factory serves to help avoid inter-corporate competition. But yet serve the broader market needs. Entry level, Mid-range, Top of the line, Luxury, etc.And the corporation can sign volume contracts to buy high volumes of appliances, tires, frames, etc. And get lower pricing as a result. This helps the individual plants keep fixed costs under control and profit within corporate standards. Most conglomerates do little to interfere with details of running a successful business that they buy. Now if they buy a failing business that is a completely different thing.Bottom line...One brand can be just great. While another one can be problematic. It just depends on how the individual factory is run.

Brand loyalty LOL or not | Good Sam Community

17 Replies

BurbMan
Explorer II
Jul 30, 2014
4x4Bob wrote:
I own a travel trailer, there for I do not need a hobby. Because all of my time is spent keeping it rolling down the road.

LOL that is so true!!! I've been saying for years, don't buy an RV unless you are handy and like to tinker!!

:B
Mich_F
Explorer
Jul 30, 2014
wintersun wrote:

One notable exception in the RV industry is with Airstream trailers.

a subsidiary of Thor Industries, Inc. :B
wintersun
Explorer II
Jul 30, 2014
Three forths of the RV manufactureres closed their doors in 2007-2008 when the banksters were looting the economy. The few companies that survived have been able to acquire the facilities and tooling for pennies on the dollar.

This has happened in many industries and in my own experiences the end result is an inferior product and inferior customer service and support as their is less competition. The myth is that capitalists want a free and open market when nothing could be further from the truth. Capitalists love a monopoly as that is how they can make the most money and nothing else really matters.

There can be multiple benefits to buying an older product that was produced before the takeover as it will often be better built with fewer corners cut for short term profits.

One notable exception in the RV industry is with Airstream trailers. They continue to make the best RV one can buy. They are more expensive but with them you definitely get what you pay for and end up with a trailer that can last several lifetimes. They stand apart from the rest of the industry.
D___M
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
sjturbo wrote:
I apologize for the bleeped (*****) word. I did not realize that gambling terms were not permitted on the forum.

Many moderating filters aren't that smart. They only see the combination of letters that have been put into its database. They don't recognize context.
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
that word is spelled with an @, not an A.
bumpy
down_home
Explorer II
Jul 26, 2014
We've only had two RV's. Our Fifth Wheel was an Alumiscape. The Factory wass excellent on the couple of repairs we needed and on assistance and replacing a couple of things that broke on the road.
Our Fleetwood/American Coach RV had a lot of problems becaause Dealer messed it up and so on and then they wrecked it. The Factory went out of their way to help us with it. We spent as many as three times a year at the factory. it is finally just about solid.
I think the next coach will be an American Coach. They have changed hands and be reorganized but many of the same talented and committed people are still with them.
4x4Bob
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
I own a travel trailer, there for I do not need a hobby. Because all of my time is spent keeping it rolling down the road.

My current Jayco has 30 mods installed by me. i.e. the head board fell down onto the bed. I found 7 of the smallest staples that I had ever seen attaching it to the wall. I was amazed that the staple gun was able to fire the staple through the headboard material. And, this was the second Jayco unit that I have owned.

As said it is a -----shoot as to what you will get when you buy a trailer.

Just go camping and enjoy being out there and don't worry about what is out of sight in your unit. Just fix the problem and move on.

Bob
sjturbo
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
I apologize for the bleeped (*****) word. I did not realize that gambling terms were not permitted on the forum.
sjturbo
Explorer
Jul 25, 2014
I got a bit of a giggle when I read the Topic. Until there are "strict standards", (as generally in the auto industry), set by and followed by the RV industry "brand loyalty" is a******shoot! I have owned a Jayco, Terry, Thor, and now a Laredo. Realizing that I have never bought new, all have had engineering, and or quality issues of one sort or another. I usually look for a floor plan I like and then start looking for issues with the unit. If it is something I can remedy then it stays on the list. If not I move on. When I go to a dealer and look at new units and find quality issues and the dealer says "that's the way they come, the manufacture sends them to us and we fix them when you buy them". That tells me we have a long wait!
ChooChooMan74
Explorer
Jul 25, 2014
Bumpyroad wrote:
ChooChooMan74 wrote:
The same is industry wide. Thor is another example, who owns many RV brands. But many brands have different factories for different brands. My RV dealer says, for example, told me the factory who makes brand x for company a does a lousey job, but the factory that produces brand y does a much better job.

I' m going to make a wild guess here, your dealer sells brand y.
bumpy
He was selling X and Y, as they are different lines. After a few campers arrived, and they needed to spend hours to make them sellable, they stopped carrying them.