How Did You Choose Your RV Brand?

[Snowgod]

After years of pop-ups, Tents (big and small), and tow behinds we settled on a used MCI bus (40 ft by 96 inches). We have stripped everything out and are preparing it for residence. Just DW and the little dog and I but we wanted a real king sized bed to sleep in and more room in the basement (over 300 square feet). It will be a work in progress but we are now choosing appliances and fixtures including either a composting toilet (natures head or an incinerating one). Just got the graphics to load into the projector so we can paint it on the bus (AC logo) and other details that make it ours. Hope to see you all on the road or at the Fort someday.

 

[CCIntrigue]

We've owned two RVs. First an Airstream trailer, and now the Country Coach motorhome.

We literally spent years researching each purchase. First and foremost in our search is quality of construction. We kept our trailer for nearly 20 years, and we expect to keep our MH for at least that long. If you don't expect to keep your RV an extended period of time, go for the floorplan or "feel" of the unit. If you expect to keep your unit for the long haul, do your research and make sure your unit will meet your your expectations.

 

[ProPhotoGA]

Wow..my first post here.

We were first tent campers, then a Coleman popup, and now a Keystone
Cougar 318SAB.

We first saw a Keystone when a friend of ours bought one, they had a bunkhouse.
One thing we wanted was a private bath.
We researched dealers and Keystone, and then visited the factory .
Once we decided on the model and trim we went looking at the local dealer.
We tried to work a deal that was acceptable but they were unwilling to deal.

We found an online dealer in Danville, VA. and called them. They had the
exact model and we got a great deal on the price, actually $1K below the
price point we were looking for.

We took their price back to the local dealer and they scoffed at it saying it
must be stripped. So we left knowing we had found our new RV.

We faxed our deposit and a week later went to pick up our new 5th wheel.
Oct 10th 2008 we became proud owners of a fully loaded non stripped
Cougar 318SAB.

During the past year we have been to Pensacola, FL for New Years with
friends and multiple times to Birmingham, AL to see our Son and his family.
All in all over 6000 trouble free miles with nary a leak.

We have had no issues having service done at the local
dealer. The last time was for a broken front stabilizer motor mount(my fault).
Warranty work was performed without issue and quicker than they quoted.

Keystone has been a great company to deal with too. We have called them
multiple times with questions on upgrades we would like to make and they
have been extremely helpful, to the point of sending us drawings and
suggestions for completing the upgrades.

We will be making our first trip to the Fort(my first trip to Disney ever!) December 12th - 18th.

If you are there come say hi!

Gene

 

[Minnie&Mickey]

We went to several RV shows and shopped at several dealerships (over the course of about 9 months) and decided that a Fleetwood was what we wanted. After a very annoying experience with Camping World (quoted us one price at the dealership and then raised the price at the RV show and then wouldn't honor the original price), we decided that maybe we should look at a resale instead. We looked at several motorhomes that we found online, but finally met a couple that we felt very comfortable with. They were very informative and we felt like we could trust them. It took about a month and a half before we eventually bought it from them, but we have not regretted it for a moment.

 

[bord1niowa]

I voted most affordable no matter price. Reason is we have owned several pop ups and got terrific deals on them and when it came time to sell to upgrade to a newer bigger unit we made money on the sale. We have stumbled across good deals in the midwest and most RVs are rarely used much. We have traded or way up to a 31 foot travel trailer and we will be doing more research and RV shows before we purchase the "final" retirement trailer within 3 years. I'm sure we will get at least our money back on our current trailer so that works well in my economic plan. It also gives us experience in what we like and don't like in RVs.

 

[starlionblue]

Just curious: why does nobody have a Class B, which is a van with the interior converted into a motorhome? There was another thread where people showed their campsites. I saw everything BUT the Class B. I don't understand it: a Class B can be parked anywhere because it's built in a van without modifying the body. They all give you MORE room than a truck camper without the hair-raising hassle of trying to get it centered on the truck bed. They don't sway like a drunken sailor when driving in high winds. If I were to pick a class B, I'd get a Roadtrek Sprinter or a Sprinter James Cook. Not surprisingly, the latter was once voted Britain's RV of the year. So, what features (or lack of) are in a Class B that you dislike or feel uncomfortable with?

 

[schewy]

Be very careful about choosing a RV that has a Dometic brand refrigerator inside. Look at their website and you will see the information about recalls on the refrigerators causing fires. If you spend any amount on a RV you sure don't want to lose it to a fire becuase of a refrigerator. My buddy lost a 350,000 RV becuase of the refrigerator. He was insured but the whole ordeal has been so stressful for his family. Just some advice.

 

[Shan-man]

Class B's are not terribly popular in the US for one major reason, IMO... the average camper is rather Pooh-like in physique and does not fit well in such cramped conditions! That said, I do know some Pooh-shaped folks who get along fine in truck campers, which with slides can be larger than Bs.

B's are very popular in Europe, where you are apt to encounter very narrow lanes and lots of low bridges of you get off of the main thoroughfares. Watching the Tour de France it seems easily 1/2 of the 'camping cars' in attendance are B's. Most of the rest are C's and only a smattering are small A's.

 

[4daubers]

We researched about 5 months prior to our first 5th wheel and had a Skyline Aljo with a small slide. The reason we went with it was because at that time it was the only UIL approved RV...I'm paranoid about fire. The cost was right as well. It didn't have many bells and whistles but it was sturdy, solid and traveled many trips over many states. We kept it 9 1/2 years.

When we upgraded, we had RV'd long enough to know what we wanted, could afford and what we didn't need. We would have stayed with Skyline but the dealership had closed and we couldn't find any dealerships in Texas that had units that had what we wanted.

We were actually going to buy a Wildcat with a front bunk room and had gone to purchase it. While waiting for our salesman, we were looking at other units to pass time...that's when my family had one of those epiphany moments in a Cardinal. We ended up buying the Cardinal and have been very pleased. We've been to the Fort twice in the Cardinal and many other trips.

Lisa is right, it's personal preference. Have fun looking and researching and welcome to camping!

 

[bobrussell]

i'll agree with what several others said about keystone. we have a 2006 keystone copper canyon and the quality is terrible. we bought it for the floor plan and weight, i'd do more looking around and close inspection next time. it was our 4th camper, the 1st was a flagstaff by forrest river. no major problems with just to small, next one i'm not legally allowed to talk about, the maker finally bought it back because we had so many problems (the manufacturer is now out of business). the third was a keystone couger the we like and traded in on the copper canyon. don't get me wrong, we like the camper but there are so many small things that we've had trouble with. the dealer hasn't been much help either. i know that next time i'll do a lot more looking at the details and try to find a better dealer, then look for the floor plan i want. good luck, we love camping and enjoy our camper, it just get old fixing little stuff that could have been taken care of in the factory.

 

[PrincessNP]

Our 5th wheel is a Coachman Chaparral and we will NEVER have one again. We have had multiple problems with leaking, the gas lines, and over time (just 3 years) the interior and things are not holding up! We bought becuase we had frineds of the family that sold them. NEVER fall for that again!

Certainly the company is the most important and next the layout of the floorplan. Be sure to not only think about what will work for you now but what will work in 5 or 10 years or however long you plan to keep the camper. Wish we had thought about children's needs more before we bought ours.

And in regards to Rockwoods, we had a pop-up Rockwood with a single slide and we loved it! It eventually became too small but a great camper for 2!

 

[Calway]

I think the dealership is the most important decision you should make.
You find a good dealer who will take care of you and then pick your RV from them. If you don't like their product I guess you find another dealer. We decided on a 2009 Keystone's Laredo 5th wheel. We are very happy with our choice.

 

[Luvamouse]

Wow..my first post here.

We were first tent campers, then a Coleman popup, and now a Keystone
Cougar 318SAB.

We first saw a Keystone when a friend of ours bought one, they had a bunkhouse.
One thing we wanted was a private bath.
We researched dealers and Keystone, and then visited the factory .
Once we decided on the model and trim we went looking at the local dealer.
We tried to work a deal that was acceptable but they were unwilling to deal.

We found an online dealer in Danville, VA. and called them. They had the
exact model and we got a great deal on the price, actually $1K below the
price point we were looking for.

We took their price back to the local dealer and they scoffed at it saying it
must be stripped. So we left knowing we had found our new RV.

We faxed our deposit and a week later went to pick up our new 5th wheel.
Oct 10th 2008 we became proud owners of a fully loaded non stripped
Cougar 318SAB.

During the past year we have been to Pensacola, FL for New Years with
friends and multiple times to Birmingham, AL to see our Son and his family.
All in all over 6000 trouble free miles with nary a leak.

We have had no issues having service done at the local
dealer. The last time was for a broken front stabilizer motor mount(my fault).
Warranty work was performed without issue and quicker than they quoted.

Keystone has been a great company to deal with too. We have called them
multiple times with questions on upgrades we would like to make and they
have been extremely helpful, to the point of sending us drawings and
suggestions for completing the upgrades.

We will be making our first trip to the Fort(my first trip to Disney ever!) December 12th - 18th.

If you are there come say hi!

Gene

Thank you-- Keystone is one of my top choices--Montana or Everest. Nice to know you went to the factory and that service has been good too!

In Mass, in West Boylston. www.flaggrv.com then click flagg in MA.

I liked the salesmen I dealt with, but I don't have his name here at work.

Dan

Thank you! We had a good and a bad experience with Flagg, so your good one helps me choose!

Be very careful about choosing a RV that has a Dometic brand refrigerator inside. Look at their website and you will see the information about recalls on the refrigerators causing fires. If you spend any amount on a RV you sure don't want to lose it to a fire becuase of a refrigerator. My buddy lost a 350,000 RV becuase of the refrigerator. He was insured but the whole ordeal has been so stressful for his family. Just some advice.

Knew about, but forgot about over time! Thanks for the reminder!

Thanks to everyone who continues to give good advice to me here. Every night I sit down in my recliner and pick up the 5th wheel brochures...

I camped in my friend's yard this past weekend while visiting for her 50th B-Day party. Her 28 foot tow behind with a slide gave us a lot to think about too. Primarily--mattress quality!!! But seriously, it did help me realize-- even without using the tanks at all-- of many important things to consider. Like, how will it look with a Mickey light next to it?? lol

 

[disney4dan]

Good to know, Dan. Flagg in Mass. or RI?



Looks like you might live in Florida--am I right? The dealer may not as helpful for me there...

I am a little concerned about the dealership if we buy used. Any of you experience that? Bought out of state, but use local dealer?

Thanks again for all the great advice. Now my DH is asking if I'm ready to trade my Yukon XL... I keep telling him almost...but I'd REALLY like to be at the Fort!

This may be a late reply (things get busy for us at the start of school...) and we also bought our trailer from Flagg in MA in West Boylston. Very happy with the service department.

There was a misunderstanding on the sale part, where our sales rep either did not understand or did not pay attention to an e-mail where I said we would be by on a Saturday to get the trailer. It's not easy to schedule someone to watch the kids for that long, and we were not going to take them along to sign the papers. Well, we showed up on Saturday morning ready to go (having done all the financing paperwork on-line with their office) and he did not remember our appointment and the trailer was not ready. The receptionist put the finance manager on the cell phone and handed the phone to him; he did a good job of keeping a poker face, and I could only tell by the tone of the conversation that she was not happy with him. The trailer was ready for a Tuesday night and everything went well.

I also wanted to say that the service department had the weight distribution hitch set up correctly by the time we got out of the office. Our first dealer had it all wrong and I had to do it over again. These guys knew what they were doing.

 

[disney4dan]

Thank you-- Keystone is one of my top choices--Montana or Everest. Nice to know you went to the factory and that service has been good too!



Thank you! We had a good and a bad experience with Flagg, so your good one helps me choose!



Knew about, but forgot about over time! Thanks for the reminder!

Thanks to everyone who continues to give good advice to me here. Every night I sit down in my recliner and pick up the 5th wheel brochures...

I camped in my friend's yard this past weekend while visiting for her 50th B-Day party. Her 28 foot tow behind with a slide gave us a lot to think about too. Primarily--mattress quality!!! But seriously, it did help me realize-- even without using the tanks at all-- of many important things to consider. Like, how will it look with a Mickey light next to it?? lol

We do not like the mattress in our new trailer, think our old Jayco (bought used) had a replacement mattress which was much more comfortable. Saving our pennies for a replacement mattress for next year.

PS - we live in central MA and our last camping trip of the year is planned for Fisherman's Memorial over Columbus Day weekend. Really looking forward to that and going over to Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium.

 

[wlkw03]

Went to a RV show with specific requirements. We knew we wanted an entry level trailer. After spending the entire day looking at trailers and floor plans, we ended up with a 30' Zinger TT that met out requirements.

Mine:
Weight
Cost
Layout

DW:
Walk around queen bed
Bunk bed in the back
Wall and door seperating the master room

 

[Luvamouse]

This may be a late reply (things get busy for us at the start of school...) and we also bought our trailer from Flagg in MA in West Boylston. Very happy with the service department.

There was a misunderstanding on the sale part, where our sales rep either did not understand or did not pay attention to an e-mail where I said we would be by on a Saturday to get the trailer. It's not easy to schedule someone to watch the kids for that long, and we were not going to take them along to sign the papers. Well, we showed up on Saturday morning ready to go (having done all the financing paperwork on-line with their office) and he did not remember our appointment and the trailer was not ready. The receptionist put the finance manager on the cell phone and handed the phone to him; he did a good job of keeping a poker face, and I could only tell by the tone of the conversation that she was not happy with him. The trailer was ready for a Tuesday night and everything went well.

I also wanted to say that the service department had the weight distribution hitch set up correctly by the time we got out of the office. Our first dealer had it all wrong and I had to do it over again. These guys knew what they were doing.

As I said in my previous post, I cannot thank you enough for the compliments about Flagg (well, and the honesty about the salesman). I do not care for Arlington in Warwick, and was unsure about Flagg. This is very helpful, especially about the service!

We do not like the mattress in our new trailer, think our old Jayco (bought used) had a replacement mattress which was much more comfortable. Saving our pennies for a replacement mattress for next year.

PS - we live in central MA and our last camping trip of the year is planned for Fisherman's Memorial over Columbus Day weekend. Really looking forward to that and going over to Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium.

I figured FL for some reason..maybe all the trips there lol! Do you mean Fisherman's in Narragansett?? We head down to the water a lot, in fact I am delivering a load of firewood a couple of miles from there this a.m. We live about 10 miles away. Love Mystic area too-- we are about 20 miles from there.

Thanks for the advice and comments, all of the posters here are so helpful. I am excited for the RV show in Providence next month. Trying to get all the info and questions together before then!