We looked at this 2025 RV yesterday, but the only reviews we could find refer to 2022-2023 RVs. Almost every review grades 2 out of 5 stars for quality and manufacture's warranty. We can’t find any reviews on 2024-2025 models. Is it wishful thinking that these older models were constructed during COVID when everyone was buying an RV and the manufacturers couldn’t keep up, or are the newer models still junk?
as Grit stated, RV's are as close as you can get to junk on wheels, I'm embellishing a bit obviously. but seriously the RV industry for the most part is a race to the bottom, and its all about profit for the manufactures. they are made with the cheapest materials that will last a reasonable amount of time and because there is no real overseeing body like the auto industry has that enforces safety standards and other standards no one is forcing them to use better parts.
now after reading that you might think they are total junk, well no that's not true, but you have to be prepared to do a detailed walk through before you take possession, don't let the dealer force you to sign papers before your completely happy with the fit and finish and anything else you notice. from the factory the cosmetic things are lets say lacking. when I bought my 2016 5th wheel I had to do three walkthroughs before they fixed all the issues and that is on the manufactures dime. they know there is stuff that is going to have to be fixed before the customer takes possession so they pay the dealer to handle it. not ideal but that's how it is. so put a refundable deposit down to hold the unit until it is fixed properly and get the "refundable" part in writing.
if the dealer won't do it drive to another dealer and don't look back. the main problem is once you have signed for it that now is up to the dealer when they can squeeze you in. if they are a hones dealer they will still do it right away, but most will put you in line with the warranty work and paying customers as they make more money for those repairs.
now that you have lost all hope, there are good manufactures, but your going to pay, so in the normal brands what I did was look at as many brands as I could and looked at the quality of the finishing, the cupboards and drawers, were they dove tail construction, some other locking joint, or just a face stapled to the sides. how solid were they? was the trim molding all good or was there wrinkles in the staple hiding strip, what was the quality of the mill work around the slides, were all the hidden edges of the mill work and cupboards stained or did they mis raw ends. get up on the roof and look at the sealant, and along the sides where it is around openings and such. generally if they are doing the little things right then there is a chance the unit is decent. also learn how to fix little things yourself, like re sealing the roof seams, re attaching trim work that vibrates loose. knowing how to do the sealant will save you 300 bucks a year for a deal to do a roof repair and touch ups, knowing how to fix little things will prevent your rv sitting at a dealer lot for a month for them to do a warranty job
StirCrazy, thank you for your reply. I understand what you’re saying. We purchased our 2017 StarCraft Launch new. Although there were a few issues, overall, it’s been a good RV. We’re ready to upgrade, but like most couples, we’ve had to comprise on which model we want and this Highland Ridge Open Range has been the rv that has met both of our checklists. So we’re looking for specific information from anyone who has had experience with this model. I’m sorry I wasn’t clear in my original post. I appreciate you taking time to respond, but we checked out features we could see as you recommended. Now, we’re interested in hearing from people who have owned this rv to learn what experiences they’ve had with quality and warranty issues. Thanks again!
Unfortunately, reviews are often skewed. Also most RVs probably have poor reviews.
If looking at lower end models, some of the important equipment can be more lacking, like marginal axle size for weight etc.
Same goes for build quality, but that doesn’t prevent a higher end models having issues.
Personally, after having a couple quality truck campers, a mid range toy hauler and renting a few random TTs, you kinda get what you pay for. But none are immune to issues.
And while if no one bought new RVs, there would be no used ones for sale, used has a couple advantages.
aside from the obvious being cost, a great deal of issues are when the rv is new, it seems. Working out the bugs or whatever you want to call it.
Buy a clean one well kept that is relatively new and been used enough to put everything through its paces for a while, is a great option and the $ saved can pay for some repairs as a paying customer rather than getting stonewalled with warranty claims.
And if you don’t have issues, even better.
JMO.
Your advice is great, but because we like to travel long distances with an 80 pound Lab, we prefer to buy new so we can (hopefully) depend on a warranty and accessible RV services on the road. We’re really interested in this particular model, but haven’t been able to learn anything about it. Thank you for taking time to share your thoughts.
Much better to save money with a rig that's a couple years old and in good condition. Most of the teething problems have been taken care of by the first owner and the savings will typically cover any warranty work several times over. (New or Used, paying a mobile tech to spend an hour or two on an inspection can be well worth it if you aren't well versed in what to look for)
"Depend" and "warranty" do not belong in the same sentence. First they will try to avoid honoring the warranty but even worse is when they do, it's on their terms and on their schedule.
Try asking them to put a one week time limit on warranty repairs in the contract and see what they say. We've known multiple people who've lost quite literally months waiting on warranty work because there is no time limits. They will take paying customers first and when the techs have nothing else to work on, the might look at your rig. The manufacturer's pay them a lower hourly rate and heavily restrict how many hours they can charge for a particular repair and then there needs to be documentation filed to prove it as a legitimate claim. Trying to get work done at a dealer you didn't buy from...even worse.
For the most part, they are all built the same way with the same parts (often at the same factory), so don't expect big differences in quality.
