Thor or Forest River - Warranty and reputation

[blaczero]

I am looking at 2 RV's and wondering which company has better warranty reputation / customer service / repair reputation, etc.

(Forest River) 2021 Coachmen Catalina Legacy Edition 343BHTSLE

and

(Thor) 2021 Crossroads Zinger 340BH

Both the floor plan we want (BH and w/d hookups with East/West bed) and both the same'ish price. So who has better customer service / warranty / repair service?

Any other thoughts? I am pretty new to this, it'll be my first RV.

[1320Fastback]

lane hog wrote:

What's sad is that Forest River used to be quality 20 years ago. Not so much anymore.

We sold our 2016 and bought a 2005 FR trailer. Much better build construction.

[wopachop]

My 2013 forest river stealth is the worse built piece of junk i have come across. I go into homes for a living to repair things. What i find on this trailer is shocking and dangerous. Im not the original owner and hope the installers of my trailer have moved on to a different job where they can be sloppy and dont give a.

[Grit_dog]

midnightsadie wrote:
there all poorly made there is no rules set that they by law have to follow. one guy had a new FR and he said you could see day light from the inside looking out.

Windows? Lol

[lenr]

When one gets a lemon, that brand is junk for life. Our first trailer (when we knew nothing about RV quality) was a 2005 Crossroads Zinger. It used the wrong gasket behind the windows that leaked constantly rotting the floor, supported the fridge with a screw into thin paneling causing the fridge to sink buckling the wall beside it, and running the gas line through the spring hangers such that the pipe got pounded flat when the trailer hit a bump (I swear this is true--all trailers built that day were recalled). So, never another Crossroads for me even lots of other folks like them just fine.

[lane_hog]

Any company that has more than 10 separate brands/product lines is a recipe for inconsistency.

Forest River has 45 different brands not to mention how many floorplans each brand has.

Thor has at least that... 21 nameplates and each has its own brands (e.g. Jayco itself has eight different lines)

What's sad is that Forest River used to be quality 20 years ago. Not so much anymore. Thor has picked up some marquis brands (Jayco and Airstream) but the quality of those has dropped accordingly. Best bet for an Airstream is to find something made pre-1990...

I'm sticking with Winnebago for the time being, including Grand Design. If you can find something made by a niche player who is still not part of Thor or FR, you may find better quality.

[delwhjr]

blaczero wrote:


Which is better for warranty/customer service, etc. Or is this more the dealer and/or extra warranty?

Thanks!

All the contacts I have had with Forest River-Rockwood have been very good. Quick response and resolutions.

[kellem]

Much better materials used today but same hands putting them together.

[JIMNLIN]

Which is better a GMC or a Chevy question.
I would pick the one you like at the price you like and join the rest of us our here camping and doing upgrades or repairs on our RVs.
I prefer the white one.

[CFerguson]

blaczero wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
Best you can do with either is a complete inspection...inside, outside, under, roof...and run every system for a couple of hours at least before any money changes hands. Glad you left the used Chaparral in the rear view mirror.

Thanks, not paying 54k for a 40k 5th wheel!

Thanks to everyone for the replies, but maybe I wasn't clear, sorry.

I'm not asking about individual issues, this brand had this issue that brand had that issue... I'm asking if there is a difference bettween the brands when you *do* have an issue. Which is better for warranty/customer service, etc. Or is this more the dealer and/or extra warranty?

Thanks!

If i understand your question correctly, I'd say that there is no appreciable difference between the 2 on quality. I dont have any experience with either on warranty, but I'd bet they are similar there too. Just inspect the heck out of whatever you intend to purchase- but that goes for any rv imo.

[blaczero]

Lwiddis wrote:
Best you can do with either is a complete inspection...inside, outside, under, roof...and run every system for a couple of hours at least before any money changes hands. Glad you left the used Chaparral in the rear view mirror.

Thanks, not paying 54k for a 40k 5th wheel!

Thanks to everyone for the replies, but maybe I wasn't clear, sorry.

I'm not asking about individual issues, this brand had this issue that brand had that issue... I'm asking if there is a difference bettween the brands when you *do* have an issue. Which is better for warranty/customer service, etc. Or is this more the dealer and/or extra warranty?

Thanks!

[GrandpaKip]

I would suggest you take along someone who knows a thing or two about trailers to look at a specific unit. Two identical trailers can be very different as to how well put together they are.
What are you gonna pull it with? Those are good size trailers.

[valhalla360]

If you are expecting car level quality control, you will be sorely disappointed...even in the high end units that cost 3 times as much are about the same.

One thing to keep in mind with online forums is the squeaky wheel tends to make a lot of noise, so you tend only to hear about the bad.

[bucky]

midnightsadie wrote:
there all poorly made there is no rules set that they by law have to follow. one guy had a new FR and he said you could see day light from the inside looking out.

They are called windows. :B

[colliehauler]

There about the same. These two are the mega players in the RV market both having many divisions and competing models with similar price points.

Both are built by quota systems. The workers have a certain number of units to produce in a week. When they get there quota they can go home. This leads to very fast production and is not conducive to quality.

The payoff is the price is a lot more affordable then high end mfg.

I have owned both Forest River and Keystone products.

[dodge_guy]

I've had 2 new Forest River TT's (05 and 07) and my current used 2012 Forest River class A. No issues with any of them aside from a bad radio in the 07.

I would buy another FR, no question. With that said they all have their issues.