trailer_newbe wrote:
SoonerWing03 wrote:
We went and looked at 4 different dealerships this weekend and I was unimpressed to say the least. Going into the weekend I was 95% sure that I would be purchasing a TT in the coming months but now I am about 25%.
My initial thought: They are all the same, just with different stickers and they are all flimsy. I mean I saw divots in walls, wall paper pealing, trim pushing off the walls etc. And this was on units that were open for customers to walk through. If I can see it, without thoroughly inspecting one, surely they can as well.
Today I am feeling overwhelmed and disheartened.
Welcome to the travel trailer world for most of us. It is what it is, so do your research. We settled on the Jayco White Hawk line because they seem to be a slight grade up. There are others right there as well. Even these have flaws and bad workmanship. You just need to go above the entry level units, spend a little more, look carefully and make sure the dealer is as close as possible.
Beyond that, go with Lance, Airstream and others but be prepared to pay 2-3 times as much.
Entry Level? What defines that? Price? Weight? opinion?
I can buy a stick and tin 29' bunkhouse out the door for 16K, or some higher priced 29' heavier top o the line rig for $35K. They will have the same crappy frame from Lippert, the same borderline running gear, the same wall panels manufactured in the same location, and plenty of the same other components. They will aso both be slapped together by a bunch of pieceworkers in record time without any resemblence of a post build inspection. Its out the door, over to the staging yard, and off to the dealer. Entry level is nothing more than personal opinion.
And be prepared to have a lot of the same issues by paying 2-3 times as much. I was behind a gent with a new Lance at a state park, while he was filling his freshwater tank. I had to run over and tell the poor guy he had water pouring from his entry door and starting to come through the wall at the rear skirting. We pulled a panel to find that Lance sort of forgot to put a clamp on the gravity fill tube at the fill port. He paid 2-3 times as much for the experience.
I've looked at Lance in detail while shopping for new trailers and at shows, and a few Northwoods and Artic Fox also, but they're few and far between in this area of the country. If you think you're getting something much better than what else is out there for that price premium, go right on thinking it if it makes you feel better. We almost pulled the trigger on a 29' Northwood Nash. Turns out the interior workmanship was worse than our current 2017 Rockwood.
There is also plenty of sheety workmanship in an Airstream if you know what you're looking at.
