Forest River Wildwood 26TBSS or Jayco SLX 267BHSW

[revdwheel]

I am about to take the plunge and buy my first travel trailer.

I can buy a brand new 2015 Jayco 267 BHSW for $16,900 hitch/sway included. Of course, this includes Jayco's 2 year warranty.

I can buy a 2014 Forest River Wildwood 26TBSS for $14,500 hitch/sway included. It is immaculate for a used trailer. Includes also all sheets for beds, linens, 32" LCD TV. Also 2.5 years left on bumper/bumper extended warranty that is transferrable.

What is the better value?

I like both equally. Except, it does seem nice on the Forest River to have the remote control/electric jacks, awning, and slide.

Thoughts?

David

[colliehauler]

Jayco has had some problems in the past as well when they had a felt backed roof that wicked water and rotted out the roof.

My opinion is get the one that works best for you. They are all built about the same and maintenance will be the biggest factor on how it holds up.

[Mr__Camper]

Never owned a Jayco and never will. We have an Open Range and found out a couple of months ago that Open Range was taken over by Jayco and Jayco has refused to support the remaining warranty work on OR. According to an attorney we called under the terms of the sale/takeover conditions there is nothing that can be done. For those of you who like your Jayco, fine. Just will never be me.

[revdwheel]

great input here from everyone. I just found out that I can get the FR for $13,750 after some more haggling.

I hear what you all are saying both accounts. My budget is fairly tight, however... and with my credit union, I get a great interest rate, but the longest they'll go is 10 years. So, about $35-40 month less on the FR is weighing heavily in my mind at this point.

I do however realize that Jayco may help recoop some of the cost if it holds up better. gosh. decisions, decisions!

[dadmomh]

A FR fan, but in this case I would go with the Jayco for a few reasons. Unless you HAVE to have the 3 bunks, I think the double bunks would be much more comfortable. Never have been a fan of triple bunks....too tight, to narrow, claustrophobic. The Jayco offers better kitchen countertop space, while the FR has virtually none. General layout is pretty similar, but these differences would make me go with the Jayco.

While we very rarely buy the extended warranty, we did on our Rockwood and, yes, it is transferrable to a new owner. There is a $50 charge to make the change, but I would consider it well worth it.

Good luck on the decision and happy camping!

[AirForceAngler]

For those prices, I'd say Jayco. The build quality of most RVs is bad, but Jayco is less bad.

[CampingN_C_]

New Jayco no question.

[HJGyswyt]

I've owned 5 truck campers (still have an Alpine 11') and two travel trailers. In 98 we bought a brand new Arctic Fox travel trailer and then in 2008 bought a Forest River Wildcat which we still have. Of all the rigs we've owned, all but the current Forest River Wildcat have suffered from dry rot or delamanation to one degree or another. Things happen.

Really, most RV's are made the same way. They all have the same components on the inside. Warranties are mostly worthless in my opinion, the major catastrophic failures seem to happen beyond the years of coverage.

I've been around these forums for years now and I can't ever recall some bashing Jayco, though I do recall some serious issues with some lightweight models. Do your homework, good luck with your purchase, and if at all possible, build a carport for your investment. All the best. Hans

[scbwr]

I would go with the Jayco. New, two year warranty and accompany with a very good reputation. I'm willing to bet that the extended warranty is not as good as you may think. But, look carefully at both and think it out. Then do what you wish......just listen to that little voice in your head and your gut instinct!

[ScottG]

After having looked at the RV show here in Seattle the last three years, I would lean towards the FR product.

[jamesbeam4ever]

For my money id go with the jayco in a heart beat i havnt met anybody with a wild wood that had anything good to say about it.

[mtofell1]

I've been doing a lot of research including those brands. I'm leaning Jayco mainly due to the positive feedback I've heard on this and other forums. Also, I own a FR product and am not exactly blown away with the quality.

Since the warranty on the FR is an obvious selling point you might look into who/where it's honored. RV warranties are not like cars at all. Often times dealers are unmotivated or simply refuse to work on a unit.

I have a bumper to bumper on my FR and really look at it like a major medical policy. My dealer usually has a wait of at least a month to get in and blames me for causing everything that goes wrong. Or, just hacks it back together. Honestly, for most things I just take care of it myself and avoid the frustration.

Just make sure you walk through both and really envision yourself using it. Think through the steps to cook a meal, where everyone will sleep, bathing/showering, etc, etc. Things like auto-jacks and awnings are of no value to me.... but that's just me. Honestly, I prefer it to be manual. One less thing to break.