Quality difference 2013 vs. 2018/2019

[Jeffjeeptj]

Absent financial and warranty considerations, would an excellent, well cared for 2013 be better built (more care) than a new 2018/2019? I expect some “TLC” would be required on either.
I have heard the 18/19s are being assembled too quickly amd are having issues way beyond minor.
Subject is Surveyor.


Thoughts/comments?

[clarkbre]

That's a wide open question.

As far as build quality....

2013: The economy wasn't doing great so RV manufactures were putting minimal time and effort into building RV's....the quality suffered.

2018/19: The market is hot....DAMN HOT!!!. The manufactures can't keep the supply up with the demand. So, quality is suffering as well.

In short, I don't think the year of manufacture (especially a 6 year difference) has made much difference in quality. (The previous sentence will be the most argued in this thread!)

What this really comes down to is what owner do you want to be:
a. Buy used, hopefully the previous owner took care of all build quality issues and kept up on maintenance.

or

b. By brand new, pay more and know that you will have a zero mile/night trailer that will need some fine tuning...but by the end of the 1st year, everything should work to your liking.

It's kind of like the engine builders say: Cheap, reliable & fast.....pick two cause that's all you get.

[Jayhawker]

Had a 2012 Cruiser (our first TT) and just got a Surveyor 243RBS. Very happy with the workmanship. Much better than our 2012. A few issues all minor. Missing kitchen sink stopper, mini blind that won't open/close, cargo/bike rack pin missing. other than all is good. Oh, our trailer came with the new StepAbove fold down steps. Wonderful addition, no trailer bouncing when you step on them, rock solid steps. When they are folded up into the door opening I put a swim noodle between the door frame and the steps in the stored position. Really eliminates any movement while traveling.

[Jayhawker]

trying to post an image of StepAbove steps with a swim noodle that eliminates any movement when on the road. Hope it works!

[wirides]

We now have made 4 trips with a 2019 245bhs. We have not encountered any major issues and have been very pleased with the unit and quality overall. As expected a few minor things I took care of myself. Honestly the biggest annoyance comes from a storage compartment lock that sticks. Otherwise, all good.

[jtesta1]

Just remember a lot of campgrounds don't want rv,s over 10 years old. If you buy a 2013 you can lose 5 years at some parks.

[HappyCamper1962]

We camp a LOT; I take excellent care of our RVs and as I've sold them over the years everyone says they look new. And still, I never have bought used and never would buy a used one. There is no way to tell what is lurking beneath the beautiful interior/exterior that you see; finding issues would take living in it for longer than a quick, if any, used warranty would allow. If I could afford to make the choice, I would always buy new. And if the time comes that I cannot afford to buy the new model I want, then I will re-evaluate the model to choose and buy a new one that I could afford. IMHO. I'm sure there are plenty of folks who take as good care of theirs as I do mine, but I also know that what you see is not always what you get. I want to be the one to make the bonehead mistakes and have the benefit of knowing what my camper "has been through" .

[jtesta1]

We bought a new 2016 salem 27rkss tt 2 years ago we had so many problems we traded it in last year for a 2012 rockwood 8288 5er.what a difference in quality. My wife passed recently and i think im staying in this till the end.

[BriaBeck]

Originally Posted by jtesta1

Just remember a lot of campgrounds don't want rv,s over 10 years old. If you buy a 2013 you can lose 5 years at some parks.

?????????? ??????

[cavie]

bought mine when it was 14 years old. never looked back. All is good. best $5000.00 ever spent.

[BigRockr]

We look for 1-2 yr old units. If you look consistently you will see one come thru the pipeline that is close to new, had its issues fixed and someone realized their first rv should not have been a 36' 5th wheel. The amount of $$ knocked off the price of a new one is amazing.

[HappyCamper1962]

Every RV has a story - even the new ones (I've seem demo videos from Haylett RV where the TT being shown has a spare tire on it because of a blowout in transit); you never really know what it is when you buy it, regardless of what the salespeople tell you. The folks who bought my used campers were in the group you describe and they got a good used trailer... OK, except for maybe that last camper... I was really surprised at the inferior quality of that Starcraft....nothing but problems from day one and constantly in the shop. To this day I have no idea if I was able to fix "everything" that was wrong with it.

We paid cash for that camper so I chose to trade that one in because I didn't have the heart to sell it outright. I told the salesperson that we downsized too far and needed a better bathroom. It was true that we needed a better bathroom, but that camper was terrible from day one until the day I turned it over. Even so, all of the salespeople raved about that thing looking BRAND NEW at 2 years old because, like I said, I take excellent care of our campers. And even if they told potential buyers that I traded it because I needed a bigger bathroom (again, one of the folks you are talking about) unless they researched it on RV Autocheck or something, they would have no idea what a nightmare they were buying. P.S.: It sold the first week on the lot.

I do feel bad about not giving the "whole story" about my camper, but all the dealership needed to do was look up the warranty history to find out. I'm sure that would be information they keep to themselves, though.

I buy new and take the first year of warranty to make sure I get whatever needs to be done finished so I know that I have a good camper for as long as I want to own it.

[jimmoore13]

As a broad generalization, and as an owner of a 2014 HW PUP, I sense that newer is likely to be better. I'm seeing a growing number of newer rigs with welded aluminum framing and bonded fiberglass walls, etc.
I assure you that any "stick-built" RV is likely to be inferior to an aluminum-framed rig.

But that's one consideration of many. Again, as owner of a rig in the era you are considering, I assure you that there's no magical extra quality built into mine. 'Nuff said.

[Jeffjeeptj]

Thanks to everyone who replied. Wife and I have still not made a decision, mainly, because a trip to Mayo got in the way. Just got back home and have to wait and see how the results turn out and how the medicine works.
We are both looking forward to traveling. She will be doing all the driving this time. She has driven (and backed) trailers before, including a 38’ 5th behind an F550.

[HappyCamper1962]

Girl Power I've been doing all the towing (and backing) for 30+ years.

Best of luck to you; I hope you are well and camping again real soon.

[Cypressloser]

Originally Posted by jimmoore13

As a broad generalization, and as an owner of a 2014 HW PUP, I sense that newer is likely to be better. I'm seeing a growing number of newer rigs with welded aluminum framing and bonded fiberglass walls, etc.
I assure you that any "stick-built" RV is likely to be inferior to an aluminum-framed rig.

But that's one consideration of many. Again, as owner of a rig in the era you are considering, I assure you that there's no magical extra quality built into mine. 'Nuff said.

Except for Excel (Peterson Industries), Citation (before the Thor takeover), Travelaire and maybe a few others that were built to the highest quality standard in the industry that set the bar for many others to match. Preowned units from these manufacturers don't usually last long in a dealer's lot.

[Tundra 2014]

If you have had a unit similar to know what issues to look for or have experience w/ one-go used. I have had both. Both can have problems equally bad and even under warranty it takes at 4 + weeks to get warranty repairs done in my area. All this time, while my trailer sits uncovered. My experience has been, better to not take the hit driving it off the lot. I spend that money to redo brakes, better tires and fix little stuff my self. I would rather spend the money on getting a used trailer that is higher up the mfg. ladder than new lower end. They all take repair and maint. A friend just bought a new FR and was running wires from a solar panel installation on the roof. Found there was no insulation in the front cap.