RV purchases and storage

[Drake3287]

This is more of a rant then anything but I'm sure many of you have years of advise and experience. Looking to buy our first real RV trailer after having a tent trailer for years but the one thing I find in all my looking around online is the amount of problems/issues people have with trailers, even new trailers. You name it and I've read about it! How do these even "better" RV companies put out so many trailers with serious issues? Is there no quality control at all?

Another issue I have is finding a place to store it. Literally all the places near where I live are either full with a waiting list or are simply a place I'd never trust my new trailer at in the first place.

Any word's of wisdom or is an RV trailer simply a close cousin to owning a boat?

 

[spncity]

You could see if this guy is still building custom fifth wheelers - you could be more assured of quality (the ones he builds, that is, not the upfitted Forest River Cardinal that are labeled with the Americana name.) Americana RV I don't have any good advice on storage.

 

[Lakewood90712]

In the under $500,000 RV arena, the quality I have seen is crap , regardless of brand. Some will argue the same for even more costly units.

1 Don't buy , rent. If you must buy, buy used and use the money saved as a piggy bank for future repairs. Just my 2 cents worth

 

[Bamaman]

The RV business has been in high gear since the economic times improved. After 2008, so many companies that went bankrupt were bought by the big RV manufacturers for cents on the dollar. Unfortunately, many problems with RV's have been in the quality of the components all RV companies are using. One alternative is to purchase a 1-2 year old travel trailer that has had any potential problems worked out. And I suggest buying exactly what suits your needs--and what your tow vehicle can properly handle. I do not like aluminum sided RV's due to potential leaking problems.

We have a Grand Design fifth wheel trailer--a mid line, mid size unit that's 36' with 4 slides. And we've had virtually no problems out of it in the last 3 years. It stays in storage at a large campground ($1 a day) in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia. If you cannot find storage locally, store it where you'll do most of your camping.

 

[REWahoo]

... is an RV trailer simply a close cousin to owning a boat?

^ This.

There is very little quality control in the RV manufacturing industry. If you are buying new, my advice is 1) don't buy a brand that has less than a two year warranty and 2) choose your dealer carefully as they are critical in supporting the warranty.

Many experienced RV buyers choose to purchase a 2-3 year old used unit, with the expectation the original owner will have gone through the hassle of working out the problems (hopefully minor in severity) inevitably found in a new unit.

As to storage, I've always been able to park our RV on our property so can't comment on your issues.

 

[Spock]

Watch the youtube vids of the manufacturing floors. The one I watched the worker is literally jogging around the unit slapping the side with a nail gun...



When it comes to depreciation, I think it would be cheaper to just use the cash to light a fire.

 

[Sunset]

While the idea is nice, I'm not sure its worth it, considering very often the "camping" is not free or low cost.
Plus our city disallows keeping it on the property, so I'd have to store it.

I should rent one and try it out just to be sure.

 

[NW-Bound]

Why not treat them as disposable, the same as any car that you buy, no matter what brand, what price? After 10 years, how much does any car fetch used, compared to its price when new?

I think the tragedy is if you hardly use it during the 10 years, because you find out that you are not the camper type.

 

[38Chevy454]

As stated, RV quality is not the same as car companies. A good dealer for new purchase has as much to do with it as the mfr. Buying a 2-3 year old model that someone else has gone through the warranty problems is a good idea and saves some money. As I have said before with regard to RVs, buy one because you want to not because you will save money. The RV allows you to do things you can't do out of a hotel.


As for storage, if you can get covered that is much better than open. Biggest problem with RVs is water leakage. So if you can eliminate most of the water problems by covered storage, it will help your trailer last much longer. On my new house I built the detached garage large enough I can fit my big motorhome inside and still have plenty of room for my old cars and working in there. First time I have had inside storage, before it was outside in the open at my property. This also enables me to avoid the winterizing, although that is not really that big of a deal.

 

[Grey-son]

I’ve owned two travel trailers over the past 10 years. After counting all the weekends and summer trips we have about 1 years worth of nights camping. From my experience they all are cheaply made partly because they are trying to use lightweight components and they are trying to keep costs low to attract average buyers and keep profit margins high. Plus, you have household items (doors, windows, cabinets, appliances) bouncing and flexing as you hit every bump on our fine highways. Nothing survives these earthquake conditions well.

 

[REWahoo]

I think the tragedy is if you hardly use it during the 10 years, because you find out that you are not the camper type.

+1

I have a goal of using our RV 60 nights a year but have only managed to average 50 nights/yr over the past decade. Maybe I'll be able to talk DW into a longer trip this coming year and bump up that average a bit.

 

[winger]

It really helps if you can DIY. Warranty repairs almost always take too long, and may require multiple trips. And, out of town dealers often will not do warranty work on an RV they didn't sell you.

That's the bad news. Good news- there is so much info on the internet. Whatever problem you have, others have had the same problem and worked through it. None of your problems will be unique.

 

[travelover]

If you are willing to spend the money, the highest quality trailer I know of is the Oliver. Being fiberglass they depreciate at a much lower rate than a "stick built" camper. Re storage, remote storage sucks. I have an acre plus and can store on sight. If you have to store, either rent a covered space or cover with a canvas cover.
https://olivertraveltrailers.com/

 

[Bamaman]

If you are willing to spend the money, the highest quality trailer I know of is the Oliver. Being fiberglass they depreciate at a much lower rate than a "stick built" camper. Re storage, remote storage sucks. I have an acre plus and can store on sight. If you have to store, either rent a covered space or cover with a canvas cover.
https://olivertraveltrailers.com/

They make Olivers about 40 miles from me. In 2008, they quit making them and made fiberglass bathtubs for awhile until the RV market came back.

They're nice and high quality. But the price is ridiculous, and they're not very large for a family. Airstreams are also highly overpriced but will have a long lifespan.

 

[travelover]

They make Olivers about 40 miles from me. In 2008, they quit making them and made fiberglass bathtubs for awhile until the RV market came back.

They're nice and high quality. But the price is ridiculous, and they're not very large for a family. Airstreams are also highly overpriced but will have a long lifespan.

Yes, but the request was for a recommendation for a quality RV. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances.

 

[swakyaby]

Due to the strong California sun, I looked for indoor storage for our small Airstream. Indoor storage can be expensive, so we found a more reasonable indoor storage yard that looked pretty secure further away, about a 20 minute drive. Their storage price was based on the length of the RV/trailer, so small was good. Another thing I noticed is the maximum length restrictions on many of the National Park campsites. Many campsites had length restrictions to 20 feet maximum, sometimes 18 feet. And Yosemite National Park even had several dozen campsites restricting travel trailers to no more than 12 feet. What?! Does anyone have a travel trailer that small?

 

[travelover]

...........And Yosemite National Park even had several dozen campsites restricting travel trailers to no more than 12 feet. What?! Does anyone have a travel trailer that small?

My UHaul camper is 10 feet plus 3 feet of tongue. Sometimes I camp in a tent site when all others are taken.

 

[brewer12345]

The Olivers look nice, but I cannot believe what they charge.

 

[travelover]

The Olivers look nice, but I cannot believe what they charge.

I agree. There seems to be no middle ground. Either mass produced junk or very high priced specialty models.

 

[brewer12345]

I agree. There seems to be no middle ground. Either mass produced junk or very high priced specialty models.

Looks that way. That said, if your expectations are appropriate I think the non-high falutin' models suffice. We have done 11 seasons averaging 25 nights a year or so in our little 16' Fun Finder bunkhouse trailer. We get some pretty funny looks when 4 of us and 3 dogs hop out of the thing in the morning (clown car effect) and I am definitely finding maintenance needs to have risen at this stage of its life. That said, we have dragged this thing around the country, down some pretty awful Forest Service "roads," lived in it for a few weeks at a time when doing a cross country move, and stored it outside and uncovered from the time we bought it. I'll buy a slightly nicer one next time (perhaps a Casita), but it has worked for us. Not saying I would not be real interested in an Oliver if money were no object, but that isn't in the cards.

 

[Jerry1]

My UHaul camper is 10 feet plus 3 feet of tongue. Sometimes I camp in a tent site when all others are taken.

Is the UHaul camper a rental? Or, is that something you can buy?

I agree. There seems to be no middle ground. Either mass produced junk or very high priced specialty models.

There’s a few things with no middle ground. My pet peeve is air travel. Basically, there’s either coach (crap) or first class. Doesn’t seem to be much of a market for middle ground types of products/services.

 

[Octogirl]

DH and I bought a used Airstream Basecamp in 2018. It had leaks which DH was able to repair - and he decided to replace the floor (he likes projects) . It only sleeps 2, so that is perfect ! And it is easy to pull.

 

[travelover]

Is the UHaul camper a rental? Or, is that something you can buy?

UHaul made them in 1985 and rented them until 1992, then sold them all to the public. Evidently not profitable to rent. A nice one like mine is worth about $7500 today. Other manufacturers still make similar ones starting at about $10K (Scamp)

There’s a few things with no middle ground. My pet peeve is air travel. Basically, there’s either coach (crap) or first class. Doesn’t seem to be much of a market for middle ground types of products/services.

Good example. I guess we put up with it because it is just barely OK.

 

[travelover]

If you are interested in a fiberglass camper and don't want to pop for an Oliver, the Escape made in Canada is probably the best quality in the moderate price range. There is a waiting period for delivery, but you benefit from the exchange rate. Escape Trailer Industries – Chilliwack, British Columbia

 

[Christine]

but the one thing I find in all my looking around online is the amount of problems/issues people have with trailers, even new trailers. You name it and I've read about it!

This is a common thing on all foras I've read. I recently bought a Tesla car. If I just read the Tesla Forum I'd never buy one. People are having all kinds of problems with theirs.


But this is perception. People having no problems with their Tesla cars won't write about it. I sure don't. So you never hear about us.