Quality???

[norty1]

I must be living right I have owned 3 fifth wheels, one slightly used and 2 that were bought new. Never had what I consider a major problem with any of them and minor problem were very few.
I only wish you all had the experience I had. Wait, but then they wouldn't need a moderator here!


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[The Logans]

Great discussion...
I started with a Starcraft pop-up, went to a Keystone micro-mini motor home, then a Jayflight 25RKS, a Redhawk 23XM, a Redhawk 26XD, and now we're negotiating for a 2018 Alante 26X.

All have sawdust and metal shavings.. so what. Good grief, it's such a small thing... and I appreciate all the screws that Jayco leaves for me to find, I have a small box full of them... It's a bonus! ��

[bap]

Originally Posted by Packerbacker_TX

Bansai - Hallabalooya and AMEN brother! I'd like to add my .02 to your already spot on point here. Why did I get the impression that campers were hand made by Amish folks in the country? ok, maybe it was that infomercial I saw on tv. LOL - The truth is most all companies say one thing but do another. As I get older, I find myself scrutinizing everything more and more with a tendency of being "cheap". For example, I would NEVER go into some RV dealer and pay sticker price. I think (and hope) that most everyone knows that's a no-no. So knowing there's a bit of wiggle room with MSRP, I go 1 step farther - I'm a COSTCO member and I will STICK IT to the dealer on the price. I'll get it for invoice and make them pay for shipping if I can. Some of you might say "man, what a budget bird!" (cheap cheap cheap). I know that after I buy that thing, I'll be back for add on's, doo dads, warranty work, etc. and I know they'll get their $$ on the backend. If the dealer is a volume dealer, they're most likely getting kickbacks for that on top of extras so nobody's kid is going hungry today. Yet, I digress...

Like cars, campers are right in line with the industry. You get what you pay for. You buy a cheap AMC Gremlin, you get a funny looking green car that blows up if you get rear ended.. oh wait, that was a Pinto! Anyhow.. same thing, inexpensive (Stick & Tin) campers are just the bare minimum. You'll see the more you pay, the quality goes up a bit. Then you find the one that matches your comfort level. At the end of the day, you'll probably still find a flaw somewhere. It's not often you get a maintenance free anything. I will take a moment to thank the people of Japan for upping the game and getting our guys on the band wagon. I mean when you talk to a group of people, what car brand do they blurt out the most? Toyota? Honda? - sad but true I'm afraid. Being a red blooded American, I traded up my car for a new FORD F250. God Bless America!

p.s. - I stuck it to FORD too!

Got to love the people who are sure that they are smarter than everyone else and are sure every deal they make is causing the dealer to loose money.

[norty1]

Isn't that the way you should feel when you make a purchase?

[Packerbacker_TX]

Originally Posted by bap

Got to love the people who are sure that they are smarter than everyone else and are sure every deal they make is causing the dealer to loose money.

Bap - I'm not sure if that's for me but I don't claim to be smarter than anyone. I will say that I'm educated and promote doing research before deciding to buy something. Take my new truck for example - 2017 F250 XLT - MSRP on that truck was $51K. If I were to walk in and haggle, I might get them down a few thousand before they buckle up. Costco pre-negotiates terms so I don't have to and I get the same truck for invoice - plus incentives. Then I got a 3rd party appraisal from CarMax before I spoke about trade in - that added $3K in my favor. I brought my own financing and they could hardly even match that. They were at a disadvantage the whole time and didn't even know it. Damn straight I'm happy - I saved several thousand dollars and got a great truck. That said, I know about dealer holdback and volume sales, so the dealership still made money on it. No harm, No foul. Just gotta know the rules of the game before you play if you expect to win.

I will add this as well... Costco is your best friend. Having a membership there offers you added benefits. To date, we've purchased a Toyota Avalon, Ford F150, Ford F250 and our new Jayco Eagle HT 28.5 RSTS with that program. I can't say enough good things about Costco right now!