Best non-partisan buyers guide

Oh man, update. Have done a 180 turn and now going 5er. Basically doubled my budget. Front runners are sabre 36QBOK, Silverback 35QB4, and Roamer 395BH. More analysis paralysis. Have bought membership to RV.org and the buyers guide. They all start to look the same after a while.

TexasRedNeck wrote:
Thanks for the advice. I have heard of RV.org, but was curious if that was the right place to look. It's not possible to rate ALL the different makes and models. One might assume that any year trailer in the same general family might be representative of the quality of that line and year? EG I'm looking at the Venture RV Sport Trek 320VIK, would any model in that same line be representative of the one I'm looking at? e.g. the 310VJS?

Does anyone know the parent company of Venture RV?

Think the best "rating" you will find is through your own efforts. Like others posted, reading manufacturers website info is a start, but nothing beats a trip to a large RV show where you can actually see the product offerings. One caveat: They all look "pretty" at a show, but take the time to look under, over (if you can get a look at the roof), and inside cabinets, under sinks, and through the interior at the fit and finish, can be quite revealing. No RV is faultless, but some are better built than others. Happy hunting!

KZ created Venture RV last year.

Thanks for the advice. I have heard of RV.org, but was curious if that was the right place to look. It's not possible to rate ALL the different makes and models. One might assume that any year trailer in the same general family might be representative of the quality of that line and year? EG I'm looking at the Venture RV Sport Trek 320VIK, would any model in that same line be representative of the one I'm looking at? e.g. the 310VJS?

Does anyone know the parent company of Venture RV?

Becky is correct. RV Consumer Group rates RVs on Safety, Economy, Reliability and is well respected. Some folks don't put much faith in their evaluations. J.D. Gallant's biases regarding motor homes has been cussed and discussed for many years. However, their 20 plus years in the marketplace is a testament to the fact that many find value in the information provided. That, coupled with information gathered from owners' forum, if available, is advantageous in making the best decision for yourself. Membership will cost, as they accept no outside funding or advertising from any part of the RV industry. That cost is a pittance relative to the overall expense of RV ownership of both new and used units. I used them when I purchased my current camper in 04 and I'll use them again when I begin my search for a retirement rig.

You won't find a specific model or year review of a manufacture's RVs like CR does cars. Most reviews group all of a manufactures models and years in one with a rating in several categories. Most manufactures make entry level and higher end RVs. The ratings may include both categories of RV's with many years grouped together under the manufacture's name. It would be like grouping the vehicles Dodge has made since the rating website was first created under the label "Dodge" which doesn't help the person looking to purchase a Dodge truck. Quality may vary from one year to the next on any RV. There are several family owned RV companies that produce a good product and have great service. The larger cooperate RV companies like Thor, Keystone and Forest River produce many RVs under many names and models with the quality varying greatly.

Hello, and welcome. :)

A lot of people recommend the RV Consumer Group (http://www.rv.org/index.html) for non-partisan ratings of various RV models. It does cost money to join, but from everything I've heard they really do keep the ratings independent and fair. I'm sure others who've used it will be speaking up on it's behalf soon enough.

What I personally did when I was hunting around for my rig was locate online clubs for that particular kind of RV (Casita) and read through their forums to see what people who already had one thought of it, what kind of problems were likely to crop up, etc. Overall, the results were positive, so I felt confident when I made my purchase that I was going to get a decent rig, and from reading about them online from other owners I knew what to look for in a good one when I was doing my shopping.

Whatever you decide on, good luck!

Thanks. It's never easy, is it?

Hi - Welcome!

Went through this process over the last 12 months or so. If you are searching for the "Consumer Reports" of RVs I'm afraid that I've never found it myself. There is lots of information and opinion here and across the web but nothing that I've seen that is totally objective.

What I did do was a LOT of reading on this site, and a LOT of visits to RV Dealers and RV Shows. I finally started to get a feel of what I liked and wanted and started (I hope) to develop an eye for quality. I started noticing things like exposed wires and pipes visable in the living area that my young kids might someday get ahold of - and marked those manufacturers off of my list just as one example.

Best of luck in your search.

Welcome again!