RV Consumer Group: Worthwhile or Not So Much?

[lordnorth]

Before anyone jumps on my about searching before asking... I did a forum search. I just can't find exactly what I am looking for.. :S

I have seen recommendations for the RV Consumer Group. It *seems* like a good idea, if the information is impartial and actually adds value. (I don't want something that says 99 out of 100 vehicles are a "good buy.")

For example.. I checked out RVguide.com Good thing it is free, since it seems to be pretty much worthless. If I am going to fork over $140 to RV Consumer Group I would like to know that I am getting some decent information that I can't easily find for free somewhere else.

So... While justifications are certainly welcome(and encouraged!)... A simple thumbs up, thumbs down would also suffice if you are in a hurry!

Thanks in advance!

Chris :?

[ol_Bombero-JC]

ed6713 wrote:
I swear by it.

For those who don't like RV Consumer Group. Have you used it? If so, what didn't you like? Perhaps I missed something. Certainly wouldn't be the first time.

I'm one of those.
Guess I could swear *at* it.

IMO a waste of money (yes, I paid in 2005).
The info on new RVs is speculative - rather than genuine "consumer" info.

I can (and did) much better research on my own.

Guess it might be helpful for someone with zero mechanical ability and/or ability to decide the level of quality on their own.

Even then, I would consider it less than reliable.

As always - YMMV - and whatever rings your chimes - is...:C

~

[Gjac]

lordnorth wrote:

Gjac wrote:
Chris, did they specifically tell you which MH's to stay away from due to safety reasons? or being overloaded from the factory? I too have been trying to find something that would give you a side by side comparison like they do on the auto sites.

No! I found absolutely nowhere (at least on the motorhome side (towables may be different) where they said ANYTHING about weight. The only thing that they use in terms of safety is the wheelbase/length ratio and their opinion on the construction. But construction is only broken down into "Tiffin" or "Georgetown" or "Holiday Rambler". They don't break ANYTHING down by individual model other than the very vague "value" and of course "safety" based on wheelbase.

Chris

Thank you for posting this. You saved me $140

[BarneyS]

Their rating book can often be found in your local library. Ours has it and after looking it over a couple of times I have found it to be too general and almost useless. I don't think I would spend the money to join and get the book. Perhaps some of their other publications are better but I have not looked at them.
Barney

[lordnorth]

Gjac wrote:
Chris, did they specifically tell you which MH's to stay away from due to safety reasons? or being overloaded from the factory? I too have been trying to find something that would give you a side by side comparison like they do on the auto sites.

No! I found absolutely nowhere (at least on the motorhome side (towables may be different) where they said ANYTHING about weight. The only thing that they use in terms of safety is the wheelbase/length ratio and their opinion on the construction. But construction is only broken down into "Tiffin" or "Georgetown" or "Holiday Rambler". They don't break ANYTHING down by individual model other than the very vague "value" and of course "safety" based on wheelbase.

Chris

[Gjac]

lordnorth wrote:
Well, I went ahead and ordered it. There was a little bit of trouble getting the website to work, but customer service was extremely responsive.

That being said... I am a little bit disappointed in the Rating Report. I had hoped that this would be a one-stop clearing house for all of the information on each model of motorhome. Would list things like engine and transmission, wheelbase, wheel size, tank capacities, hvac information, cargo carrying capacities, etc etc.

Unless I am looking at the wrong place... these reports give you none of that information. Basically it gives you a VERY general overview with a LOT of owners opinions (They throw in good as well as bad which makes it a lot like any other (FREE) forum.) There was very little in terms of personal input or evaluation from the staff of RVCG. A lot of very general "information" about the manufacturer. Sort of like asking the quality of a "Chevy". Okay.. Yes, there is some uniform level of quality... but there is a lot of difference in quality between a Corvette and a Spark.

In addition, as another posted noted... they seem to feel just about every vehicle is a death-trap (could be dangerous in collision or rollover and may be prone to fire/ difficult handling characteristics under normal driving conditions / very dangerous under adverse driving conditions.) Okay, saying "just about every vehicle" is an overstatement... but almost every one that I looked at was labled "could be fatiguing for most people because the vehicle could wander and be difficult to steer much of the time" at best. Not exactly a reassuring thought. But come on, these are large bus-type vehicles... not a sports car.

Anyway, that is my review. They may like some of the $200,000+ coaches, but they certainly didn't really like anything in my price range.

Overall, I can't see why any manufacturers would care one way or the other about this group. The report seems pretty ineffective to me.

(Hey! If $140 is my biggest RVing mistake ever, I'll be in pretty good shape, right?!?!)

Thanks all!
Chris

Chris, did they specifically tell you which MH's to stay away from due to safety reasons? or being overloaded from the factory? I too have been trying to find something that would give you a side by side comparison like they do on the auto sites.

[2gypsies1]

The owners of RV Consumer Groups don't even RV!

[Rollnhome]

Found this thread again. I wiped out all my post my mistake. Sorry nothing personal. Sorry it wasn't exactly what you were looking for. Hopefully you can glean some useful information from the site.

[lfcjasp]

I paid $140 for this package of info and have since found a free site: RV-Coach Online or route66rv.com. They have a decent ratings page that I found interesting. Sadly our Thor mh was rated about the on both sites...not the best, not the worse...but we sure could have made a better purchase.

But we do like what got and just take very good care of it...hopefully that will make a difference.

[lordnorth]

Well, I went ahead and ordered it. There was a little bit of trouble getting the website to work, but customer service was extremely responsive.

That being said... I am a little bit disappointed in the Rating Report. I had hoped that this would be a one-stop clearing house for all of the information on each model of motorhome. Would list things like engine and transmission, wheelbase, wheel size, tank capacities, hvac information, cargo carrying capacities, etc etc.

Unless I am looking at the wrong place... these reports give you none of that information. Basically it gives you a VERY general overview with a LOT of owners opinions (They throw in good as well as bad which makes it a lot like any other (FREE) forum.) There was very little in terms of personal input or evaluation from the staff of RVCG. A lot of very general "information" about the manufacturer. Sort of like asking the quality of a "Chevy". Okay.. Yes, there is some uniform level of quality... but there is a lot of difference in quality between a Corvette and a Spark.

In addition, as another posted noted... they seem to feel just about every vehicle is a death-trap (could be dangerous in collision or rollover and may be prone to fire/ difficult handling characteristics under normal driving conditions / very dangerous under adverse driving conditions.) Okay, saying "just about every vehicle" is an overstatement... but almost every one that I looked at was labled "could be fatiguing for most people because the vehicle could wander and be difficult to steer much of the time" at best. Not exactly a reassuring thought. But come on, these are large bus-type vehicles... not a sports car.

Anyway, that is my review. They may like some of the $200,000+ coaches, but they certainly didn't really like anything in my price range.

Overall, I can't see why any manufacturers would care one way or the other about this group. The report seems pretty ineffective to me.

(Hey! If $140 is my biggest RVing mistake ever, I'll be in pretty good shape, right?!?!)

Thanks all!
Chris

[John_Joey]

I never paid the money so this opinion is just based on what I have observed over the years, but I would say thumbs down. The authors of RV Consumer Group are no where near the level of consumer reports. They simple do not have that level of funding, industry acceptance, or testing at their disposal.

Once you're on the road and traveling you'll see all sorts of rigs that are being used on a PT or FT basis that would be voted down based on RV Consumer Group and their opinion on what makes a good RV. Yet these PT and FT are having a ball with no issues that RV Consumer Group perceive they should be having.

I guess if you're brand new to RV'ing then they're one more source of knowledge. I just wouldn't use them as the last word on the subject.

[ncrowley]

Thumbs up. I used their information when I was looking for my class A. There was a lot of good information. It guided me toward the brands and models I wanted to look at.

[jessjerr1831]

Thumbs up. Used their services and web-site to research TT when we first starting looking. It took us about a year of research and looking at RV shows and dealers. Their input was very worthwhile.

[More_To_See]

Gjac wrote:
What rigs are you referring to that should not be allowed on the roads for pure safety reasons?

A cursory look througth the RV Consumer Group data base will show lots of rigs with virtually no cargo carrying capacity. When you drive your rig off the lot it's practically overloaded at that time.

There is also the issue of rigs with long, long overhangs at the back making them inherently unstable driving down the road. It's the overall length to wheelbase ratio thing. Every mfg builds these rigs with the possible exception of one or two of the million dollar custom build companies.

[n7bsn]

Gjac wrote:
..What rigs are you referring to that should not be allowed on the roads for pure safety reasons?

How about class-C's that are over-loaded sitting empty?

Like some of the Toyota based ones, or Dodge based ones or....