Build Quality

BadgerMcAdams wrote:

SoonerWing03 wrote:
While I would love for the Grand Design 2400BH to be in the running, it is just too heavy at 5595 UVW for my comfort level. That would put me right at my limit with the Tahoe. I am looking for TT's that are under 5000 UVW and hopefully closer to 4500.

Current top 3 in the club house, in no particular order:

Coachmen Apex Ultra-Lite 24LE
http://www.coachmenrv.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=62&ModelID=3163#Main

Coachmen Apex Ultra-Lite 245BHS
http://www.coachmenrv.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=62&ModelID=3164#Main

Riverside RV Retro 265RB
https://www.riversidervs.net/retro-travel-trailers/floorplans.html

I understand that the following is about a different model, but they are built by the same manufacturer. We too looked at a Retro brand trailer (we wanted the 189R but they had a 180R on the lot so we looked at it for comparison), but after actually being inside of one the DW and I were less impressed.

In the pictures they look great with the old school birch wood walls but in reality, it is thin luan ply covered with a birch wood vinyl covering. Where the wall joints meet, they use strips of vinyl to cover the joints, not a furring strip. The two models we looked at on the dealer's lot had the vinyl lifting and bubbling already. Meaning that I would have had to get furring strips, sand, stain, and seal them, then install them over the joints. Not something I would want to do to a brand new trailer.

The kitchen sink and shower enclosure use very thin plastic. The shower I can forgive. It is a shower tub basin with a plastic walled enclosure that fits into the recess. The kitchen sink however, not so much. The sink was made of a very think plastic of some type. Thin like the formed plastic cartons you see stuff sealed into at the store. A knife dropped point down is going to very possibly puncture the bottom of your sink tub. I would have liked to test the theory, but I'm sure the salesman would have proceeded to **** kittens...

Finally, after reading several posts on the Riverside Retro Forum about leaks around the wheel wells in rainy conditions and how it causes the 5/8" MDF used in the floors to start to disintegrate creating large soft spots in the floor, we decided against it.

Mind you, this is just my 2 cents...Others have given rave reviews about them, but if I am going to spend a large sum of money on a trailer, I'd rather more of the money go to better quality material (yeah I know) than cuteness factor.

No I greatly appreciate your opinion and your experience. We are supposed to go look at one tonight so it gives me some extra things to look for. Honestly my wife is not a fan of the interior but I wanted to check one out.