Entry level vs. mid level. Vs high end

What one calls cheap, another calls affordable. My affordable trailer continues to hold up well, doesn't leak, and has many features that more expensive models don't have.

I had a trailer with an aluminum roof that had pinhole leaks all over the place. When I say rubber I mean EPDM, but am including TPO, etc. The rubber roofs may not be as resilient. But they are easy to maintain and repair. Hardly a disadvantage in my book.

Airstreams have been known to leak. Those Livin' Lite trailers look like they would be an icebox in a northern winter. Many very nice trailers have been built on questionable frames. High end fiberglass units often experience delam. Trailer axles can be installed out of alignment on ANY model. And on and on and on...

There are great lists of what to look for when shopping. I have learned that if you simply pay attention to your investment and maintain it, it most likely will return the favor.

while i agree that they all use the same appliances, and systems, there is a reason some are cheaper than others. availability of repair parts are my greatest problem. all rv's need repairs, its the nature of the beast.
one problem is quality of construction. they way things are fastened together. one screw versus two, or staples versus screws. fit and finish go a long way, also quality of materials. we all know even a leather couch comes in different qualities.
name brand parts. if they only buy cheap off brand parts, will repairs even be able to be done.
the type of chassis used. there are cheap trailer chassis available that always show up here with weld or broken frame problems.
when it comes to motorhome chassis, we have little choice, so ti makes sense to buy from a reputable dealer.
how a dealer treats his customers is ,imho, the most important part of buying any product.
having someone who can work on your coach is as important as the price.
i could go on for two pages, but price isnt everything, quality and service are. there is a reason some rv's are cheaper than others.

I just laugh every time I travel with and walk into my friends $250,000 MH...cause the inside parts look just like mine does!

The shower, the stove, the fridge, HWH, water pump, sewer connections, gen sets, etc etc etc are all the SAME as on every other RV. That goes for TT's, FW, LQ's,C's, B's, etc.

Barring some cherry wood, leather, crystal, body paint...90% of ALL RV's share the same parts. :W

Parts are parts, just with some pretty paint and furniture added. IMHO it all depends just how much extra you want to spend for a leather couch and cherry wood cabinets to run down the road RV'ing!! :B

goducks10 wrote:
Just go watch some Aussie caravan YouTube video walk thrus. Makes our units look like we're stuck in the 70's. IMO unless you are paying over $100,000 it's all the same. Vacuum bonded/pinch rolled exteriors, low level cabinetry, mediocre appliances, booth seating that's virtually worthless for more than 30 mins and sub par sound systems with cheap Jensen DVD players.
I suppose there's fine line between what the U.S buyer wants to spend and what they're willing to put up with. And it looks like they're willing to put up with inferior products.

Correct, some cheap US and not so cheap US Units have been imported here but build quality has been average at best Worst? absolutely horrible, how they got out of the factory in that condition is a good
question.

JiminDenver wrote:
Travelnutz

I've owned a business for 30 years, I know all about people that want quality but not pay for it. They wouldn't care if I was out of business tomorrow as long as they got what they wanted cheap today.

All I am saying is if you think craftsmanship and quality control are a option you can buy at any level, you will be disappointing. Either a company cares about all of their lines or none at all. Who cares if you got the big fridge or not if it wasn't installed properly.

The "quality" you get with cheap US units is appalling. Some decided here that that they were a bargain, but they were that bad, they could not give them away( The interiors were pretty ordinary as well). You need a baseline on quality, otherwise the consumer is going to have a unit that needs constant repairs:(

Travelnutz

I've owned a business for 30 years, I know all about people that want quality but not pay for it. They wouldn't care if I was out of business tomorrow as long as they got what they wanted cheap today.

All I am saying is if you think craftsmanship and quality control are a option you can buy at any level, you will be disappointing. Either a company cares about all of their lines or none at all. Who cares if you got the big fridge or not if it wasn't installed properly.

JiminDenver,

I was NOT bashing low end units/RV's. My post relates to "you get what you pay for" and it's true with most RV's just like the tow vehicle and a home. You want a less expensive model tow vehicle with a V6 engine and very spartan interior and no power anything? Fine, go buy it! If you want a tow vehicle with a big gas engine or a diesel engine with power everything and quiet inside? Fine, go buy it. The price will be very different and so will the vehicle, it's comfort, seat life, resale value, etc.

Same with a 24 X 40 basic home with no garage or basement and linoleum floors on a postage stamp sized lot in a crowded city area and an iffy school district VS a home on the water that's 30 X 60 with a 3 stall attached garage and real wood floors and thick carpet, a finished basement family room/rec room/theater room/etc or walkout on an acre with 150' frontage of pristine sand beach in a great neighborhood and school district? Just might find the prices a little different and the quality of construction very different also and 50 years later which one is still standing and maintains it's extra cost. All construction etc is NOT remotely the same in nearly everything you purchase!

You simply have to pay for what you want that will serve your needs, wants, or desires. No builder or manufacturer will give you the high end everything for the low end price as they wouldn't be even in business. Profit is not a dirty word, it's a a MUST or the doors close very quickly and any assets auctioned off! Why is that so hard to understand?

People like to disparage the low end units but I think if you want to know about a manufacturer, that's where you start. It doesn't matter what the price point of the components are if the QC isn't there when it's put together. This is especially true if the high end unit is really the low end with all the bells and whistles.

High or low, it takes a pretty educated consumer to see past the buzz words, pretties and hype and really understand what makes a quality RV for their needs. Most everything on my entry level trailer that saves weight and cost has had no negative impact on my ability to camp save one. Both of the cheap thin vent covers were shattered in a golf ball sized hail storm recently. The closest Ameri-lite dealer said they had lost all of theirs too. Funny thing is that when we were replacing ours with high impact versions, I notice we were the only rig in the lot with shattered vent lids. Other than that the plastic sink and cheap cabinets hasn't bothered us. What I do appreciate it the 5/8" wood floor supported every 13" instead of of foam core. That would take a lot longer and be more expensive than the hour or so and $32 to replace the lids.

Yes, basically North Americans are cheap and want everything but not willing to pay the price or even close. Aussie RV's are ultra expensive, over double the price of RV's here and personally I/we think they are ugly and poorly laid out and very bland units. You may like them but we sure don't nor do we like the European RV's as we've been in so many. Our Son owned a manufacturing business in the Midlands of England before he sold and retired and moved back here to Michigan. We have looked at lots of them there that were made in England and Germany so we know exactly what they are like.

You may not like the booth type dinettes but we've had over a half dozen with tables and chairs and over a dozen with a booth dinette and we don't ever want the table and chairs again. However, we don't buy entry level RV's or even mid priced as we learned our lesson the hard way over 40 years ago now. Buy cheap and get cheap cabinets and everything else too. Ours have Bose sound systems and excellent appliances as we are willing to pay the price for what we want!

Just go watch some Aussie caravan YouTube video walk thrus. Makes our units look like we're stuck in the 70's. IMO unless you are paying over $100,000 it's all the same. Vacuum bonded/pinch rolled exteriors, low level cabinetry, mediocre appliances, booth seating that's virtually worthless for more than 30 mins and sub par sound systems with cheap Jensen DVD players.
I suppose there's fine line between what the U.S buyer wants to spend and what they're willing to put up with. And it looks like they're willing to put up with inferior products.