POLL - Buy a Jayco 5th Wheel again, or not?

[Danfromdenville]

I am not going to trash Jayco but once you get to the level of a 5th wheel you are already spending enough money where your choices are many. Why do you want to invest that kind of money into something so poorly Made?

When we bought our Jayco we discovered quickly how poorly made they are as well as how many better options there were for the same money.
We don't completely regret it and it got us on the road so to say and got me and my family enjoying the great outdoors, So all was not lost.

We look at it as a valuable lesson and it really taught us what we wanted and did not want in a RV. Luckily I am very capable to fix anything so it makes repairs easier then taking it to the dealer.
Also, Don't buy extended Warranties they are a waste of money and don't cover anything. They will tell you what ever you want to hear when you buy it. But for the most part you better expect to fix most things before you buy it or you will be sadly disappointed. That pretty much goes for most RV's but the cheaper they are the worse the service.
If they do fix anything they will most likely have your unit for a long long time.

[JaycoJoe66]

Personally before going with a Jayco I would at least look at the Grand Design Line of 5th wheels. I have a 2019 Jayco 29.5BHOK and sorry I bought it. I am now close to a trade for the Grand Design product line. Night and day difference in quality and detail. Also a higher quality in assembly, I have compared both top to bottom and inside out.

[Crabman]

Originally Posted by tazz46

We bought a Starcraft 5ver in 2014 (new). Since then the front cap started pulling away because they used too short of screws, the front landing gear crapped out because it was under rated for the trailer.
We have been watching what is happening in the RV industry and at this point, we are only considering 2 brands, Keystone and Alpine. They are the companies that are paying attention to quality control and honoring their warranty. Jayco quality has dropped since they were bought by Thor.

Keystone is also a Thor brand.

[Jeffur]

Drifter - have you had any issues with the 38FLSA? I own a 2015 unit and experienced stress cracking at the front slides, other than that it’s been “so far so good”.

[AndreenRacing]

Our 2018 Eagle HT 30.5CKTS is in the service department yet AGAIN.
This time it needs the main roof and all of the decking replaced as well as the same thing on two of the slides. The decking was never attached properly and the rubber was not glued down on over half of the roof. There are staples sticking up creating rub points on the rubber and large gaps between the sheets of decking.
Its still under warranty but seriously, how is something built that poorly??
We are to the point that we have contacted Burdge Law. We spent way too much money to have it completely fall apart in less than 2 years.
We are currently at about 120 days total that its been in the shop and they don't expect to have all of the issues repaired until March/April....ish.
Never again will we even glance at a Jayco.

[robert9999]

I bought a 25BH T T and had nothing but good luck with it. Over 3 years into use on it

[tinlizzie23]

We own a 2004 Designer Medallion 29RLTS, and love it. We will keep this one until the wheels fall off, or we pass, whichever comes first.

[DamonBecky]

We have just had great luck with our Northpoint 5W, and really haven't had anything else, so really there's nothing for us to compare to.

We are not full-timers by any means, but the first year we had our NP we camped 96 days out of the year in it, in about 18 different campgrounds.

This forum has been wonderful, by the way, as it has steered me clear of some potential problems, and answered so many critical questions concerning RV care.

Our NP is just what we needed. We upgraded from a little fold-out Thor Cub 2000, which actually belonged to my sister. So maybe we are just still a little star-struck with the NP as it was a big leap.

I like the maneuverability of a 5W over bumper pull, so that's a big plus for us.
We would/will buy another 5W when the time comes.

[Rob_Fla]

We owned a 2005 Jayco Eagle 5th Wheel (excellent unit) sold it and bought a 2011 Jayco Pinnacle (another good unit) when we went shopping for another 5th Wheel, we looked at the Pinnacle again but came across a Redwood we liked also. We ultimately went with the Redwood due to a floor plan that worked better for us, out the door cost was very close to the Pinnacle. We have been very happy with our Redwood but I think nee would have also been happy with another Pinnacle. Both the frame, running gear and wall construction is similar on both brands, with the out the door pricing being so close we ultimately thought the Redwood provided a better “Bang for the Buck”.

[mopp]

I would highly recommend to research the dealer. the product has some issues. but my dealer service has been awful. Using the word service is the wrong word for this dealer. this is a big dealer Sicard. I have owned it for 2 years. of the 2 years it sat at the dealer for at least a year. I had to book 2 months ahead to have a slide out motor replaced as it was not working. than they took it in and checked to make sure it was a motor issue. it took them 3 months to get a new motor in!!!! I have been waiting 6 months to get a male threaded 90. still not in. I like the pinnacle when it is working.

[RoninAZ]

We've had our 2018 Pinnacle KPTS just over a year and now that we have worked out the bugs we love it. I belong to the Jayco Pinnacle RV Club on Facebook (check it out) and it sounds like Jayco is making QC a priority again. So yes if I were in the market I would consider Jayco.
Also we had a brand new 2016 Forest River Blue Ridge and it took about a year to get the bugs out as well!

[W Kearney]

I think it depends on the dealer. Ours is great and has quickly repaired several items needing repairs...mostly minor. Did have board in water heater go out but was under extended warranty... repaired quickly with just the deductible. Agree, bouncing down the highway some things will go wrong. Regular maintenance is key.

[oldmanjim]

My 5er is an Eagle HT 28.5. I have had it not quite a year. There were several (6 or 7) things that I consider quality issues with this unit. I will say that the dealer and Jayco have worked together to fix these issues under Manf Warranty. There has only been one issue that remains unresolved and I don't think I did a very good job trying to communicated the problem.



So, all in all, I have had a good experience with the Jayco and the dealer. So I think a definite maybe, If I were looking for a new one.

[goducks]

Problem with all RV's is that two identical models on the same lot can be built totally different as far as quality goes. One guy gets a lemon and the other guy gets a perfect trailer.
One dealer can't fix a loose screw and the other dealer could build one with his eyes closed. Thats why polls about best brand anything are worthless in the RV world.
Zero consistency.

[Tdbrwn]

I answered the 'vote' as, maybe.
We did have issues that fall back onto the build quality. Hopefully, everything has been fixed for years to come after taking over a year to get it all fixed.
The main slideout installed crooked, floors not properly supported and soft in two spots, wiring buried in cabinets and having problems, little things like that.

However, as big-ticket purchases go we did it all right getting financing all preapproved and not having to dicker around with all their "options" and financing. Buying our Jayco was the best RV purchase, bar-none and after owning 6-RVs over the decades! And we even bought it from a Camping World without making a deal with the devil!

Due to the increasingly high cost of the new models, I doubt we'd buy another new one. We'll just hope our current model, a 2017 Eagle, HT, will last awhile!

[Lyonseed]

We bought an early (April) 2020 32RLTS as our 1st RV. For the price, I must say, & have told Jayco, I'm not overly impressed. Structurally, we have no issues but, after a 7000 km trip, I had a list of 10 items needing attention. Pantry door that won't stay shut, fridge door that doesn't seal, awning cover damage on receipt, cracked door frame under sink after 2 weeks,very poor finish (slivers) on mattress support plywood, plus other minor items. As others have posted, is there anything better on the market in the same $ range. I have seen other brands in campgrounds that cost more and had serious structural problems.

[dawnpawli]

Don't have an experience with a fifth wheel but do own a 2018 33rsts. We've had numerous problems with this trailer. Every time we use it, something else fails. The quality isn't there. Owned a 2015 Jayco that was great, something went wrong with Jayco.

[Lyonseed]

What happened was that like many other small "quality" builders, they were bought out by Thor Ind. in 2016. I was at a corp. "info" day (sales pitch) at our dealers last summer where that marketing group from Jayco give you the pitch about the "family" business and the "cabinet maker" quality. What a crock! I am a cabinet maker and would be ashamed to attach my name to some of the work I see in my RLTS. Fortunately, we have a great dealer who will, hopefully, correct the issues. I think that is the best route, find a good honest dealer that you can depend on.As much as I complain about mine, as I said, I have seen other "high end" brands with bigger structural issues, so maybe its a matter of picking the best of a bad situation. Either way, it's still a great way to see the continent.

[goducks]

I wonder sometimes if the poor quality is a sign of the times. 2018 was a year for record sales. The RV business was on a steep trajectory upwards from the 2008 crash. Being a cyclical business you gotta get yours while it's hot and RV'ers have been swamping MFG's with purchases. They literally couldn't build em fast enough for a while.
When a MFG looks across the street and see's brand X selling junk for the same price as they're charging for better quality then thats when IMO brand Y said lets cut back on quality since time is money so lets build em fast and cheap so we can put more RV's on dealers lots. After all brand X was selling just as many so the average consumer had no clue that they were getting an inferior product.
Then they thought, we'll deal with the problems latter and since we didn't drop the price but cut back on labor costs by cutting more corners we can afford to do some extra warranty work. Then they all started jacking up the prices so profits are thru the roof. Any MFG related to the RV business should've been killing it for the last 5-6 years.
So as long as RV buyers are willing to settle for the current quality then nothing will change. Emotions play a big deal in the RV business. Lots of RV's are sold by bling alone. Blingy stuff like awning lights, lighted stove knobs, ( I mean really who would even want that in their house?) fancy decals, pretty colors inside, 32" TV's that are situated 90* to your couch but who cares it's LED so yippee. Etc.
And I won't even throw in all the marketing hype. Thats for another thread.

[Lyonseed]

You're definitely not wrong there. The growth in the industry has definitely lead to a red'n in quality. Along with that growth has been the amalgamation of smaller owner operated businesses into big, profit 1st mfg. And I totally agree with your assessment on the "bling". That was something we looked at before buying ours, how much "unless stuff" vs necessities. The talk of recession in the US & Can. may slow the ind. & encourage them to build better. Hopefully, with the extra warranty claims and customer complaints, the mfg's will look at their quality a bit closer.