The most reliable Travel Trailer

MitchF150 wrote:
There is no 'answer' to this one... I bought my Fleetwood RV TT back in 2002 and found out they were the worst manufacturer of the time..

Well, I still own that same TT to this day and it's been great.. Sure, there was some stuff to fix, deal with, but no all out failures of any system and no leaks of any kind, and just a good ol' rig for the last 15 years...

Sure, I have done all the maintenance, repairs and upkeep and such myself, and it's just not a deal where you just buy it and forget it...

You gotta maintain it and you gotta take ownership of it and you gotta deal with maintenance stuff and fix stuff along the way... Do you own a house? Pretty much the same thing..

Ain't no rig out there that is just gonna be perfect from day one and be the same way 10 years later without some work in between.

I've looked at lots of rigs since 2002 and all they have done is increase in price... And still require the same amount of maintenance and upkeep..

Guess that's why I still have my first RV I ever bought... :)

Good luck..

Mitch

IMO you hit the nail on the head ... taking ownership and keeping up with maintenance is the key. Sure things need to be replaced, but that is just how it is over the long haul. My last trailer was a cheapo 1981 Fleetwood Prowler that I bought in 1982 and traded it in in 2007 on my current trailer. That's 25 years of ownership. When I traded it in there was absolutely nothing wrong with it and we still miss it. The SINGLE REASON we moved on was back in 1999 Va has a devastating hail storm that "dimpled" two sides and the roof of my Prowler. No penetration, but it looked more like a golf ball gone bad and the cost to fix was prohibitive so we lived with it and finally after another almost 10 years finally just wanted something that looked better and we found one we like so we traded in the Prowler (got $1500 sight unseen ... we bought it in 1982 for $6,000!).

During that 25 years of ownership besides the normal tires and brakes we did fol major items to it.

1. New refer around 1995 when old one finally went south
2. New water pump and redid plumbing to replace the old grey piping with state of the are at the time CVPC piping adding some extra isolation and drain valves.
3. Cleaned the furnace like twice (removed to get access), but the original was still there in 2007
4. Finally replaced the Suburban water heater around 2000 which I never serviced the anode rod since 1982. When replaced it was still working, but I had bought a spare back in the mid 90's because I anticipated it would need to be replaced and just finally got tired of carrying around that bulky "spare".
5. Did one major interior redo which was aimed at new foam, and cushions along with new carpet back in 2000 using the paltry settlement when the trailer was basically totalled by the insurance company from the hail storm in 99.
6. I also had to replace two spring packs due to breakage and I redid the suspension to wet bolts in the mid 90's and these two along with the refer quitting were the only "THREE" actual "EQUIPMENT FAILURES" besides like 3 or 4 flats during my 25 years of ownership ... a pretty good record IMO for a cheap, run of the mill trailer.

Larry

"a little more money? I guess $20,000 to $50,000 is a little more money to you, but it's a lot to me. Maybe you'll say that you get it back in resale, but I don't see that to be the case. I just checked NADA values for a random 23-foot Airstream, and it decreased in value from about $50K to $20K in 6 years. That's 60 percent depreciation in 6 years which is about normal for RVs."

Takeaway - Buy a 6 year old Airstream for $20k. Use it for 5 years while maintaining it and sell it for $20k. This is exactly what I did with my Bigfoot except the number was $21k. My experience over the years is that you can never go wrong by buying quality (I always buy used). Maybe this is what the OP had in mind.

jmtandem

You believe an Airstream is cheaper. Your arguments don't convince me and I was a CPA for 20 years so I know a little bit about costs. I could take the time to answer your points, but it's not worth it. Enjoy your Airstream. If someone gave me an Airstream I would sell it and use the money to buy something that (to me) is a better value.

Edit: A parting thought. Your earlier comment was:

Two-thirds of all Airstreams built since the 1930's are still on the road. Is that long enough for a unit to last you?

I searched the Internet and that is the claim. You do realize that doesn't mean that 2/3 of the Airstreams built in the 30s are still on the road. It's probably more like 1 percent. There were many less produced in the 30s and almost 100 percent of those built in the last 10 years are probably still on the road, so over that 80+ years it averages out to about 2/3. But that doesn't mean that most Airstreams last 80 years, which was the implication of your second sentence.

a little more money? I guess $20,000 to $50,000 is a little more money to you, but it's a lot to me. Maybe you'll say that you get it back in resale, but I don't see that to be the case. I just checked NADA values for a random 23-foot Airstream, and it decreased in value from about $50K to $20K in 6 years. That's 60 percent depreciation in 6 years which is about normal for RVs.

I suspect if you looked at life cycle costs, keep the Airstream for 30-40 years, and look at resale, the Airstream probably actually would cost less than five new Jaycos. Each Jayco will cost more than the previous one due to annual CPI percentage cost increases, and each will suffer depreciation that has to be again recouped in the new purchase. The Airstream is paid for once, not five times. In fact in 30-40 years the fifth and last Jayco probably would cost around what the Airstream cost new 30-40 years prior. Look at Airstream prices in the mid 1970's or 80's and they were less than or equal to a similar size Jayco today. If you want to talk about square foot living space or ease in towing; that is a different topic. And since I have owned three cabover truck campers that have the highest cost per square foot living space of any RV, Airstreams look pretty big to me. I guess they don't look that big to you.

$20-50,000 spread over 30-40 years is not really all that much money. Buy that $35,000 Jayco five times and see how much of that $20-50,000 you saved by not purchasing the Airstream. I never said Airstreams are for everybody. I never suggested purchasing a new one, either. I never said they were cheap. I only responded to the OP when he asked about reliable travel trailers. What is more reliable than the fact that two thirds of all built are still on the road. Really pretty impressive stats. From my thirty years of RV ownership I have come to one conclusion that cheap is cheap. No hiding it, no getting around it, no trying to suggest that cheap can also be quality, and no doubt many shop price or floor plans. I get that. And the entry fee for an Airstream is substantial. That is a fact, no denying it.

If you want quality it is often more expensive and has limited options.

Airstreams are expensive, no slides, no fifth wheels, all aluminum and tube shaped. In exchange you get a durable, quality product that maintains its value. It also had a degree of status.

Regardless of the trailer you select, there is a degree of maintenance most new TT owners do not anticipate. It is sort of like the 10 mpg, 65 mph and being passed by everything on the road, it is part of the RV life.

One thing to remember, what ages any RV is sun. It fades colors and dries out roofing and tires. The best thing you can do when you are not using it is keep it covered or store it inside.

jmtandem,

Wow, comparing a used well depreciated Airstream with all used appliances and components from the ground up to a new Jayco with everything from the ground up being totally NEW and un-used is really a stretch plus! All appliances and components put in any RV trailer age and wearout or will need repairs or replacement with useage!

A simple fact that one needs a larger Airstream model to have the same usable inside area cubic footage living area and cargo storage room as compared to most any conventional built RV trailer model and something you cannot deny. Our 30' Nomad Century TT owned at the time had more actual cubic footage inside than my inlaw's 34' Airstream and by far! That's what happens when you have a rounded top and rounded ends! Apples to oranges!

The advantage of Airstream construction doesn't look great as it once did, if you look at these new composites, fiberglass, Styrofoam and aluminum framing.

A reasonable or low price does not mean poor build quality. Also, the least amount of bells and whistles makes it a cozy, easy to care for home away from home.

jmtandem wrote:
Or, for a little more money Airstreams come standard with an aluminum roof, aluminum sides (nothing to delaminate), and even comes with torsion axles

a little more money? I guess $20,000 to $50,000 is a little more money to you, but it's a lot to me. Maybe you'll say that you get it back in resale, but I don't see that to be the case. I just checked NADA values for a random 23-foot Airstream, and it decreased in value from about $50K to $20K in 6 years. That's 60 percent depreciation in 6 years which is about normal for RVs.