Jayco and travel trailer quality

[DallasSteve]

I posted a comment in another thread about a Jayco travel trailer model and the OP replied that he had not heard good things about the quality of Jayco trailers. I don't know which trailers have a good reputation for quality or not so I did a quick search on the Internet for rankings of travel trailers by quality. Jayco appears in several of those lists as being good quality. That makes me wonder.

Below is a list of the largest counts by manufacturers of a large search that I just did on RV Trader. I find it interesting that my dear friend Warren Buffet (I wish) owns the number 1 brand, Forest River. I don't hear much about Keystone, but I like a number of their plans, too. Jayco moves a lot of units, too. So who thinks Jayco is good, and who thinks they are bad, in terms of quality? My guess is if you're selling a bad product you're not going to get up or stay up in the rankings.

Forest River 10471
Keystone 8135
Jayco 3761
Heartland 2896
Coachmen 2280

[kerrlakeRoo]

ScottG wrote:

We want a better made TT (and are willing to pay for it this time) and have been looking at Grand design, Northwood, etc. They're the same; they're better quality than those listed above but still not great. Each one has it's drawbacks.
There is no Lexus or Mercedes's of trailers.

Well said Scott, and to take your analogy a step further, Its like comparing a chevy to a Pontiac or Buick, they still have the same guts inside, they usually just dress them a little nicer.

[jorge3000]

We just sold our first TT to upgrade to a new TT. Our first was a Jayco and it was 2007 model. We loved it and did not have any major issues out of the trailer. Over time, we did have to do some work on it, but I consider everything to be routine. We had to have the roof re-sealed, replace outside plastic pieces that weakened due to the sun and wear and we did have some decals start to peal off. We never had any issues with the actual workings of the trailer. The A/C always blew cold, the fridge always worked as it should and the inside decor still looks like the day it was bought new.

My personal opinion is that Jayco puts out as good a product as a person might want. I think a lot depends on how well the owner maintains the TT.

[ScottG]

We're in the market and I've been looking closely at brands. FR, Jayco and most of the others are all what I would call mid-grade. Each one has some attribute that makes it good as well as some that do just the opposite. Overall I think they are better than they were 10 years ago but they have a long way to go.
We want a better made TT (and are willing to pay for it this time) and have been looking at Grand design, Northwood, etc. They're the same; they're better quality than those listed above but still not great. Each one has it's drawbacks. Sometimes they save a buck in the cheesiest places.
There is no , Maybach, Lexus or Mercedes's of trailers.

[TomG2]

My girlfriend and I both recently purchased Jayco travel trailers. After half dozen Forest River products, I think the quality is much higher and I appreciate the two year warranty.