buying an orphaned brand TT?

[lantanatx]

Looking to buy a 20 ft or less TT and found a nice looking one on CL. 19 ft Explorer 2008. Unfortunately it seems the manufacturer Frontier RV out of Longview Tx is no longer in business.
1)Anyone know about this brand?
2) what problems am I bringing on myself by even considering it?
I can find very little iinformation on the internet about the model or company.

[CavemanCharlie]

I don't know about the quality but, it looks good in the pictures. But, you can only tell so much form pictures. Take a step ladder along when you look at it and take a good look at the roof. Maybe you could even take pictures of the roof and other things you have questions about and post the pictures on here in a new thread so the members here can look at it and answer any questions you may have about it.

[MWJones]

I would NEVER purchase a Frontier trailer. They were very cheap built-the biggist reason why they are out of business. I have looked at them new and used. A four year old one had the slide out floor rotting out of it because the plywood floor was left exposed to the weather !!!! How bad is that? Just saying..

[lantanatx]

thanks for the replies. This is the unit,19 ft RV Craigslist . I don't know if this is a good price or not since I can't find out the original price of the trailer. I also can't locate any specs on the trailer such as weight etc.

I've been looking at new trailers, at 2-3x as much, so the $8300 price does not look unreasonable as a place to begin negotiations. I like the two axles and the bunk configuration, but I'm worried it will be a heavy unit. I'm buying a new tow vehicle but was hoping to stay at the lighter weight side of the spectrum.

I nearly bought a Riverside Retro 181 this last weekend at the Houston RV show, but decided to hold off until I had had a chance to kick the tires of a few more trailers, new and used.

I'm a former field biologist turned teacher, who tent/truck camped for years, often for several months at a time. I'm now a single parent and HS teacher with twin 11-year-old boys. I'm hoping a TT will let us travel more in the summer and possibly let me get back into field work. We love to fish, so something we could use easily on weekends for quick trips to the coast is another factor in the equation.

I need to have a trailer less than 20 ft in order to get to a some field sites and sturdy enough to take down unpaved roads. We will often be boondocking, or at unimproved park or Forest Service sites, and less often at improved RV parks. I'm really looking for 3 permanent beds but will deal with a sofa or dinette if it gets me a sturdier or lighter trailer. I work a lot in the desert so good air circulation without AC would be a big plus. I'd rather not have any slides or only one that did not have to be extended for the trailer to be functional.

If anyone has suggestions of new/used travel trailers that meet these conditions, I'd love to hear them.

[handye9]

Past 2 - 3 years of age, it really doesn't matter much, as to who put the unit together. There are only a few manufacturers who made systems like furnace, microwave, water pump, airconditioner, stove, refridgerator, axles, brakes, lights, etc, for all the RV brands. The condition of the interior and exterior of the unit, depends on how it was maintained by previous owners.

Except for unique molded parts (as noted above), there is little that is not interchangable with other brands.

[dadmomh]

At 7 years old, very little, if anything, is still going to be under warranty. Appliances, A/C, furnace, etc are usually gone in 2 or 3 years, 5 if you're lucky. The roof may still be under warranty. Suggest you try to get the info on exactly what brand of warranty and give them a call. Frame and axels, maybe. You're going to be pretty much on your own.

Personal question and feel free to ignore it, what is their asking price and what are you thinking sounds good? Can you list some of the amenities and the condition they're in? Might help us to know that to see if the price is even reasonable. You may have stumbled onto a real gem. OTOH, maybe a lemon. More info will help. Good luck.

[rbpru]

Two years ago we purchased a used 2010 Dutchmen Lite. This was back in the trailer industry merge days and Thor Industries bought it and several other brands.

Not knowing the future of the Dutchmen brand we decided to purchase the deluxe package of RV insurance and we knew the dealer was reputable. I assume Dutchmen TTs are still in business as they are listed by Thor and have a very nice website.

Maybe it was just luck; but we towed 8000 mile last year and spent 14 week on the road with no difficulties. I attribute this to the fact that I bought the expensive insurance. :B Also, we figured that any major problem would probably have if developed in the first three years.

Buying used definitely save money but it is also the luck of the draw.

[skipnchar]

Probably the biggest issue you'd have is the factory warranty (there will be none). However IF you are purchasing from a dealership they MAY offer you (or you can bargain for) a warranty based on that dealer doing/paying for warranty work. Of course if you have a warranty that is only valid while you are "at home" then it's not worth all that much if you travel with the RV. It's rare that something breaks while sitting in your driveway but guess some things that don't require immediate attention could still make it worth negotiating for. You would be put in pretty much the same position as anyone buying a used RV though. It's current condition at the time of purchase would be far more important that it's record but the brands record should be considered when making the original purchase and appropriate discounts applied but again you'd need to negotiate those discounts in all probability.
Good luyck / Skip

[schlep1967]

The biggest issue for me would be water damage. Check the floor along every wall. Especially under windows and around doors. If you can get hold of the edge of the linoleum pull it up so you can actually see the wood underneath.

[DustyR]

gmw photos wrote:
I agree with what DutchmanSport says, especially about checking the condition of the used trailer carefully. THAT is the most important part of it, because honestly, many of the different brands are essentially the "same" anyway....just a different name on the outside. They all use things like furnaces, AC units, fridges, etc from the same suppliers. Everything in it, on it and under it can be fixed, even if the parent company is now gone.
Try to use the fact the company is out of business to drive a better purchase price for yourself, the seller may just want to get rid of it.

X-3

[LarryJM]

lantanatx wrote:
Looking to buy a 20 ft or less TT and found a nice looking one on CL. 19 ft Explorer 2008. Unfortunately it seems the manufacturer Frontier RV out of Longview Tx is no longer in business.
1)Anyone know about this brand?
2) what problems am I bringing on myself by even considering it?
I can find very little iinformation on the internet about the model or company.

The biggest thing IMO is not to buy one which uses any fancy unique "molded" parts on the exterior. I noticed some of the Frontiers seem to have a molded ABS section in the front lower area that covers the LP bottles and I would definitely not buy one with that sort of construction. Issue is parts and repairs if needed will be either impossible, next to impossible or prohibitively expensive.

This same caution would apply for orphaned units with molded front/rear caps.

Larry

[gmw_photos]

I agree with what DutchmanSport says, especially about checking the condition of the used trailer carefully. THAT is the most important part of it, because honestly, many of the different brands are essentially the "same" anyway....just a different name on the outside. They all use things like furnaces, AC units, fridges, etc from the same suppliers. Everything in it, on it and under it can be fixed, even if the parent company is now gone.
Try to use the fact the company is out of business to drive a better purchase price for yourself, the seller may just want to get rid of it.

[DutchmenSport]

7 year old trailer will have almost all the same parts as any other trailer of that same generation if the manufacturer is still in business or not.

If you are concerned about getting it serviced, then check (first before buying) with a couple RV dealerships in your area about servicing this specific brand and year of trailer. They also may be able to look up information on the camper you do not have access to and can let you know if their service department can (is able to) do the mechanical repairs you may need.

Probably 90% of the trailer can be serviced by any RV repair shop. The other 10% will probably have to be customized somehow. But for the most part, all camper are is a wooden or aluminum box on wheels. The frame, the tires, the propane tanks, the stove, the refrigerator, the battery, the lights, the radio, the furnace, the water heater, the holding tanks, all of that, faucets, fixtures, flooring, matters can be swapped easily if a repair shop has some real seasoned mechanics and know what they are doing.

If the price was right, I would not have any concern about purchasing a trailer 7 years old, even if the manufacturer did not exist any more. Here in Indiana (at least), the competition is everywhere, and every dealer-repair shop I've had business with, gladly works on all brands of campers.

Repair shops only have a hesitancy when the camper is being repair under WARRANTY! Big difference if you are attempting to get a repair from a dealer under warranty or if you are paying for the repair yourself. They will not tell you "no" if you are paying yourself.

Off topic a little, my son bought a used PT Cruiser from a Chevy dealer. The Chevy dealer serviced his car for 3 years, and then one day he decided to take the car to a Chrysler dealer for the next repair (brakes I think it was). Either dealer gladly worked on the car because my son was paying with cash (or credit card), but not at the expense of the manufacturer. A volkswagon dealer will repair that PT Cruiser if he took it there! They won't say no. It's revenue for them, paying cash, and not having to deal with warranty strangleholds!

Same is true for RV's. YOU PAY for the repair, and they will do it! So don't feel you'll be left out in the cold looking for a repair shop if you need one.

About the condition of the camper itself. You need to check it completely, top to bottom, inside-out, and front-to-back with a tooth-brush and a q-tip! If it's well maintained, you'll know that immediately. If it's junk cover-up, you'll find that too. A 7 year old camper "should" still be in good shape if it's never been wrecked, had a limb tear the roof, or simply been neglected and gone through a tornado or something.