as i begin my search i would like opinions on quality

gmw photos wrote:
I'm going to throw in on the idea of "quality". My opinion is when dealing with most RV's, quality kind of starts in the factory but ends in your driveway. It may be sad to say, but most of the mass produced RV's are an example of "some assembly required". By that I mean, either you, or the dealer is probably going to have to finish the job the boys and girls at the factory started.

Plan on being able to improve things like re-aligning drawers and cabinet doors. An example on my trailer is the hinges that hang the cabinet doors are designed so that two screws can attach each hinge to framework. The factory only installed one screw on each. And I discovered as soon as I got it home one was stripped out so the door was coming loose. I went thru the entire trailer and installed two screws in each hinge.
Some of the framework under the dinette was not assemble well, so I modified/strengthened it. The paint on the frame under the trailer was not very good, which I solved with rustoleum. Same with the paint on the steps. They were already starting to rust where the paint was poorly applied. I took the steps off at home, prepped, then painted them with a can of spray rustoleum, and here we are two years later and they still look good. Etc, etc. Should we have to do these fixes ? No, we should not. But, is it a big deal ? Again, no, it's not. Think of it like getting to participate in the construction of your own RV :B It's almost like being invited to the factory to help put it together, only instead you get to do it at your own pace in your own driveway !
"quality" and "rv" should be used cautiously in the same sentence.

Remember: "some assembly required" ...... and your whole RV experience will be far happier.

.

There is a lot of truth to your copmments. I will add a disclaimer that states: Some final assembly required,Owner must be a D.I.Y. capable person and have a basic understanding of 12 volts, A.C. current and plumbing systems a for long term success.
A non mechanically inclined person should avoid owning an RV or be prepared to pay as required

I'm going to throw in on the idea of "quality". My opinion is when dealing with most RV's, quality kind of starts in the factory but ends in your driveway. It may be sad to say, but most of the mass produced RV's are an example of "some assembly required". By that I mean, either you, or the dealer is probably going to have to finish the job the boys and girls at the factory started.

Plan on being able to improve things like re-aligning drawers and cabinet doors. An example on my trailer is the hinges that hang the cabinet doors are designed so that two screws can attach each hinge to framework. The factory only installed one screw on each. And I discovered as soon as I got it home one was stripped out so the door was coming loose. I went thru the entire trailer and installed two screws in each hinge.
Some of the framework under the dinette was not assemble well, so I modified/strengthened it. The paint on the frame under the trailer was not very good, which I solved with rustoleum. Same with the paint on the steps. They were already starting to rust where the paint was poorly applied. I took the steps off at home, prepped, then painted them with a can of spray rustoleum, and here we are two years later and they still look good. Etc, etc. Should we have to do these fixes ? No, we should not. But, is it a big deal ? Again, no, it's not. Think of it like getting to participate in the construction of your own RV :B It's almost like being invited to the factory to help put it together, only instead you get to do it at your own pace in your own driveway !
"quality" and "rv" should be used cautiously in the same sentence.

Remember: "some assembly required" ...... and your whole RV experience will be far happier.

Resale value is subjective. The better deal you get new, the less you will loose on resale. Lots of people get sucked in to the easy payments thing and don't pay much attention to the bottom line, just how big is the monthly payment? You should be able to find a dealer that will sell at around 32-35% off the "list" price. Just keep shopping until you do. The person that pays close to list price will probably be upside down on their trailer for years and may never be able to sell it for enough to pay off the loan...

B.O.

Looking for quality in a TT WOW. Its in the eye of the beholder.Probably the easy way is to decide on what size, and layout fits your budget.Than look at as many brands as possible.I personally am not into metal TT.Mine is gelcoated and leak free and for me that's a plus.

We are on our 2nd Nash. Neither one has ever been in for repairs. We spend about 50-60 nights a year in it.

Tim_W wrote:
I would look for what's right for you....

Size
Weight
Layout


Then fill it with beer, good luck

OK, I am going to take this as a tongue in cheek attempt at humor. While I agree with the filling it with beer part, I fear that all too many purchase a trailer based solely on layout. Quite a shame if you ask me.

You have received some very well thought out advice. Floor plans are very important and once you have found one, make sure you make your decision based on quality not glitz. I personally would stay clear of anything called "ultra-light" and would second the prior recommendation of trailers made by Northwoods Manufacturing. I have a cousin with an Arctic Fox and while it is quite heavy, it is very well built.

Enjoy the search, don't be impatient and see as many as you possibly can. Simply walking in one, opening and closing doors and cabinets, looking at the fit and finish and see all the spaces can give you a pretty good feel.

I had to settle on a realization about RV's in general.

1) Quality is not at the same level as other industries. (automotive, electronics...etc) hardly ever does a RV work 100% correctly from the line. Buy your dealer, because that's where most of your quality experience is going to be. I have seen people have negative experiences from all brands. Just the nature of the beast.
2) framing- pick your choice, some will only have wood construction(sticks and tin) while others want only aluminum and some line of slick sided trailer.
3) RV furniture and fixtures in general are much less quality than you will find in your home.
4) personal recommendation here.... If this is your first RV don't spends huge amounts in it upfront... Because what you think you want right now may not work for you 6-18 months down the road. There are many many many examples of people going through 2-3 trailers in 36 months because they bought the wrong floor plan.

I nearly made a huge mistake buying an Travel Trailer that was awesome, roomy, tons of counter space, and forum member Mike Up (I think) pointed out that there was hardly any cabinent space. Enough for two but not enough for my family of four. (And this was a bunkhouse!!!)

That leads me to #5...resale value. Go to craigslist right now and tell me how the reasale value looks there? In my area formerly 30,000 TT's are selling for 10-12k and they are 5 years or less old!

Which is why I recommend buying the first RV cheap so you can really figure out what you want. Then spend the $$ when you are confident in a floor plan.

Again JMHO

Thanks!

Jeremiah

If I were in your shoes, I'd look for the following brands:

1) Lance (lightweight and quality w/ Azdel)
2) LivinLite (All aluminum & Azdel)
3) Nash or others by Northwoods Manufacturing (heavy and quality)
4) Outdoors Manufacturing (heavy and quality)
5) Coachmen (uses Azdel)

WoodGlue

When I started my search for a new TT, I wanted to approach the search in the same way. I wanted to find the highest quality brands then search for a floorplan that I liked within that group.
What actually happened was that I came across a floorplan that I really, really liked, then tried to find all the manufacturers that produced campers in that layout. Then I picked the one that I felt gave me the most quality at the lowest price. That seems to have worked really well for me.