RV Quality ?

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Thumbs up Tony!

A toilet can be washed or replaced easily. I put a new toilet in an rental unit in just under an hour...easy and no smell, no mess.

A bed can be replaced easily, as can the couch, chairs, dining table, facia coverings. The quality of the Cummins is exactly what makes a used dp an excellent deal.

Today, for example, rvtrader.com lists a 2004 Newmar Kountry Star 40ft, 27,000 miles, Cummins for an offered price of $80K. With a remodeled interior.

Yeah, needs to be inspected, may have been lived in full-time, and will probably still be on the road after the next owner passes away.

Even if you had to put $11,000 into the chassis for repairs/tires/batteries or whatever...it still would be better than buying new and for cash you can probably get a significant offered price drop. And if you don't like the interior, go ahead and remodel again.

Just invest in some good air tools and a good air compressor, and kick the hell out of it.
 
I think it comes down to how long you want to keep it too.  If you're going to keep it 12-15 years (and pay cash), you'll get your money's worth out of a new one.  If you're going to want to replace it every 5 years, used probably makes more sense.  I've done both, with good results from both.

 
WOW you guys are all so much fun!!! and the info is great also along the way in between the jousting.  It is of concern as the wife is the handy person so repairs are a concern if quality is not there and it seems a plagued industry with problems that if one is not able to handle could let you come close to  "repurchase" in no time although that is an ex ageration I am sure.  But the discussion of trouble and brands is so informative ---never stop helping all the newbies --please!!!!
 
There is much to be said for buying new or used.

I bought my TT new in February of this year and we've been out at least once a month since the weekend after I picked up. After every trip it has been back to the dealer to correct a manufacturer defect. I fully appreciate the fact you can't make a TT bullet-proof or you'd have to have an M1A1 to pull it, BUT (and it is a substantial but) some of the things they got "wrong" on mine are just ridiculous and inexcusable from a business/production standpoint: outside LP line not long enough (about 5" too short) to actually connect to the manufacturer provided outside grill, "spare" lug nuts securing the spare tire a different size than the other 20 lug nuts on the trailer, installed A/V system mis-wired, etc... The trailer came from the factory with these and others. While none are "show-stoppers" it makes me wonder, if you can't get the little, simple things correct, what's my expectation you attached my axels correctly or you actually wired the electrical properly.

While I also recognize there is a difference between automobile manufacturing and rv manufacturing there are libraries full of books on improving manufacturing processes. Zero of my known defects should have ever left the factory without correction. Car manufacturers understand that.

The thing that really made my jaw drop was when the service writer I always deal with said he sees the same types of things all the way up to million dollar coaches. Yikes.
 
KevinG said:
There is much to be said for buying new or used.

I bought my TT new in February of this year and we've been out at least once a month since the weekend after I picked up. After every trip it has been back to the dealer to correct a manufacturer defect. I fully appreciate the fact you can't make a TT bullet-proof or you'd have to have an M1A1 to pull it, BUT (and it is a substantial but) some of the things they got "wrong" on mine are just ridiculous and inexcusable from a business/production standpoint: outside LP line not long enough (about 5" too short) to actually connect to the manufacturer provided outside grill, "spare" lug nuts securing the spare tire a different size than the other 20 lug nuts on the trailer, installed A/V system mis-wired, etc... The trailer came from the factory with these and others. While none are "show-stoppers" it makes me wonder, if you can't get the little, simple things correct, what's my expectation you attached my axels correctly or you actually wired the electrical properly.

While I also recognize there is a difference between automobile manufacturing and rv manufacturing there are libraries full of books on improving manufacturing processes. Zero of my known defects should have ever left the factory without correction. Car manufacturers understand that.

The thing that really made my jaw drop was when the service writer I always deal with said he sees the same types of things all the way up to million dollar coaches. Yikes.
Click to expand...
... you are talking about a tt... imagine the same case with a motorhome !
 
KevinG... first, welcome to the forum from Lakeside (Just east of you). I couldn't agree more with your assessment of quality control in the RV industry, and I do believe the same issue exists in very high end RVs, but owners of those rigs "probably" get a bit better warranty service. (Although sometimes I wonder).

I don't lose any sleep over some of the things I find, and I've always felt that being able to fix most of the goofball manufacturing mistakes yourself is a real benefit, but it does make you shake your head.

Kev
 
Kevin Means said:
etter warranty service. (Although sometimes I wonder).

I don't lose any sleep over some of the things I find, and I've always felt that being able to fix most of the goofball manufacturing mistakes yourself is a real benefit, but it does make you shake your head.

Kev
Click to expand...

Same here,... Until I come up with enough money to order my brand new Foretravel Realm....

  I'll have to fix fix whatever is wrong with my "poorly made" mid level motorhome,

I'm okay with that because when I was in high school I took machine shop, wood shop, and electrical shop, and automotive shop classes.

Years later, the industrial arts were considered demeaning by all the enlightened people in charge of how to educate our children.

So now,  we have a generation of people that don't even know how to open the hood of their car or put air in a low tire.


and they are the ones buying brand new RV's.
 
TonyDtorch said:
Then the industrial arts were considered demeaning by the people in charge of educating our children.

So now,  we have a generation of people that don't even know how to open the hood of their car or put air in a low tire.

and they are the ones buying brand new RV's.
Click to expand...

Yep.  We now have a generation that can't make change for a $20 unless the cash register tells them how much....and they want $15 an hour....but I digress.

If you can't fix things, you're at the mercy of those who can.  At the risk of sounding like an old man, when I grew up men fixed things.  It was in our DNA.  Seems that's now becoming a thing of the past.  Whether it's your RV, house, car, or washing machine.  I'm not fond of paying massive labor charges....unless I'm paying them to myself. 
 
and this is not a good excuse for poor quality.

but.....everyone is caught up in this era of ...."victimization" .....instead of just fixing things.
 
"but.....everyone is caught up in this era of ...."victimization" .....instead of just fixing things."

Yes, and part of that is the result of specialization. Harder to find people with a range of diy skills and time to fix things.

Took a lot for me to study, get hands on training, and buy the tools I needed for RV maintenance and repairs, study, research, and box around the forum...and just now beginning to gear up to buy a used dp.

VS

...just going out and buying an rv, then rebuying to fix my purchase decision mistake due to my dream state when buying, then complaining about warranty costs in time and $$$ and waits, the lack of quality control, and how could I pay all this money to experience this??? not accepting that buying a brand new luxury custom motorhome was essentially a frivolous expense to enjoy my elitist victim point of view with...retired full timers excepted.

By the way, I have an extended warranty inspection today to do for a gently used gas Tiffen...what fun.
 
Kevin Means said:
KevinG... first, welcome to the forum from Lakeside (Just east of you). I couldn't agree more with your assessment of quality control in the RV industry, and I do believe the same issue exists in very high end RVs, but owners of those rigs "probably" get a bit better warranty service. (Although sometimes I wonder).

I don't lose any sleep over some of the things I find, and I've always felt that being able to fix most of the goofball manufacturing mistakes yourself is a real benefit, but it does make you shake your head.

Kev
Click to expand...

KevinM,

Oh trust me, none of the things I've had repaired have cost me a dime (other than time/gas to hook and drag back/forth over the hill to the dealer).
Fixing things I break doesn't bother me, but as long as it's under warranty, I have zero issue letting the dealer correct it.
 
RodgerS said:
Yes,  Harder to find people with a range of diy skills and time to fix things.
Click to expand...

it's getting harder to find younger Americans with any DIY skills.....and that may explain our dependence on immigrant labor.

Computer repair...yes      Cabinet repair....nope.

 
RodgerS said:
Yes, and part of that is the result of specialization. Harder to find people with a range of diy skills and time to fix things.
Click to expand...
To quote Frizlefrak........"Yep.  We now have a generation that can't make change for a $20 unless the cash register tells them how much....and they want $15 an hour....but I digress."

Those two quotes sum it up.  When you have slim to little quality control, and Slim leaves town, you're left with poorly made junk.  Add to that, poor warranty service by the dealers, and a culture in which you are not able to find people with a range of DIY skills to manufacture and fix things correctly.  So what's left, a generation of poorly educated people, who can't make change, and who expect to make $15/hr. for asking if you want that supersized!
Our country has lost its ability to competitively manufacture anything of quality, and what is being sold to us, is cheap foreign junk, at the Dollar Store, Wal-Mart, and apparently at RV dealers nation wide. 
It's a cultural, sociological, and societal issue, which isn't being addressed.
 
I've said this in other contexts....guess it's fitting here too...

You can either fix things, or be at the mercy of those who fix things.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
I'll add my voice to those advocating a "previously-owned" RV. It's the smart way to go.
Click to expand...

Maybe for some, but we will never buy somebody else's problems again! Got burned real good. That being said, I know it's easier said than done for a lot of people to just go out and buy a new RV, let alone a new truck. Just be careful and remember- water leaks are your worst enemy! That, more than anything, is what you want to be aware of when looking at a used RV. Good luck!
 
LOL!  Is there a meaningful difference between experiencing your own problems vs "someone else's"? If buying a new RV assured you of a trouble-free experience, that would perhaps make a new one worth the huge additional cost. Experience has shown that new RVs are just as likely to be troublesome as a used one, despite the price premium. And the warranty is usually only 12 months, so of limited value.
 
Actually, when you buy new, you are buying someone else's problems, actually a whole lot of someones, because there were a lot of people assembling that unit and the quality control system seems marginal for these custom units.
 
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