Buying an "Orphan"?

broark01 wrote:
Look, unless you trade up every few years you will have an "orphan". Companies, styles, interiors and exteriors come and go but the guts of campers pretty much stay the same. If you are a DIY'er don't worry about buying an "orphan". If you depend on the dealer for every issue, then do not buy an orphan.

Exactly. An older RV, even if the manufacturer is still technically around, could easily be an "orphan" anyway. During the recession, Fleetwood RV, based in Riverside CA, basically went under. So any "Fleetwood" RVs being manufactured today are by a completely different company in a completely different part of the country. While you can still get pdf versions of the older owner manuals, any older Fleetwood specific "new" parts are long gone. My last RV was a 1988 Fleetwood Jamboree, but there was really nothing I found during the 14 years I drove it that was "manufacturer specific" other than perhaps the front & rear fiberglass caps, and a good body/fiberglass shop could easily take care of damage to those if needed.

My very first RV was a 1979 Roll-a-Long Class C. An extremely well built coach for it's day; it was never-the-less an orphan the day I bought it (in 1989). Only thing that I had an issue with in regards to it's "orphan" status was the recessed lights under the cabinets; the "Roll-a-Log" stamped lenses were yellowed, and obviously were not available. A quick trip to Home Depot for a sheet of house ceiling light panel, and a few cuts on a table saw solved the problem.

If you are any kind of a DIYer, then an orphan RV is a non issue, as 99% of what's found in and on all RVs are common across the board. And you could buy a new coach today and have it become an orphan next year anyway.