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Old 02-21-2015, 11:25 AM   #21
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Much like everything else, and after wrenching in the automotive industry for 20 years now, my belief is they are all poor investments and not that great, just pick a color and layout you like then enjoy it.

I just sold the 2002 Mallard we bought three years ago and it was in like new condition. Everything in it was original except for wearables (tires and bearing grease) and the convertor which I replaced last year after it started to go on the fritz. The new owners got a GREAT deal as we did and I have no doubt that as long as it is well taken care of, it has another easy 10 years left in it.

Now, does that mean the new Cherokee I have coming will last just as well? No. No way. It could or it could turn into a horrible pile of junk. Time will tell. I will do my best to take care of it and I bought the 5 year extended warranty to cover most everything else. Other than that, I'm going to take my girl camping and enjoy ourselves. Let the chips fall where they may.
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Old 02-21-2015, 12:41 PM   #22
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I hear you and agree, you have a good attitude towards this. That is my problem my 2007 sunnybrook titan is a great trailer and have had no problems with it, it a a big decision to get rid of something that is not broke. I am worried about warrenty work the dealer is 165 miles away and I am not handy
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Old 02-21-2015, 01:31 PM   #23
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I agree with most of what everyone says, except spending $20,000+ is still a lot of money to spend on something that exhibits poor quality workmanship. Every trip we make with our Salem Cruise Lite ends in something else breaking or falling apart - primarily carpentry work. Too many staples and not enough screws or nails. It isn't made for long trips, nor spending more than a month in. We either have to accept that, or find something else that will "hold up" to the rigors of the open road.
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Old 02-21-2015, 02:51 PM   #24
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The problem with the whole quality question is that people really just do not want to pay for quality....

Vin.
My recent experience tells me there's something wrong with this blanket statement. I ordered a GMC truck and picked it up in May. I bought a new Wildcat in June. The trailer's MSRP was about $16K higher than the truck's MSRP (that's right, the trailer's MSRP was ridiculously inflated). After ordinary negotiations, I ended up paying almost exactly the same for the two units with the truck having much more new technology, more moving parts, more capabilities. The truck has had 0 (as in ZERO) punch list items in 9500 miles. The trailer's punch list stands at 20+ items and it's at the dealership for the 5th time.

You may counter with "yeah, but your truck was built by robots and the trailer was built by humans using hand tools." I won't dispute that... but in saying that, you'll be moving off your blanket statement that it's all about money. I WAS willing to pay for quality and thought I did since I paid the same for both units. In one case my money paid for quality and in one case the same money didn't.

In my early days on this forum, I was advised to curtail my whining here and I understood the advice and took it. But my silence here (and my associated interaction with my dealership's service department) does not mean I wasn't willing to pay for quality.
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Old 02-21-2015, 03:12 PM   #25
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My recent experience tells me there's something wrong with this blanket statement. I ordered a GMC truck and picked it up in May. I bought a new Wildcat in June. The trailer's MSRP was about $16K higher than the truck's MSRP (that's right, the trailer's MSRP was ridiculously inflated). After ordinary negotiations, I ended up paying almost exactly the same for the two units with the truck having much more new technology, more moving parts, more capabilities. The truck has had 0 (as in ZERO) punch list items in 9500 miles. The trailer's punch list stands at 20+ items and it's at the dealership for the 5th time.

You may counter with "yeah, but your truck was built by robots and the trailer was built by humans using hand tools." I won't dispute that... but in saying that, you'll be moving off your blanket statement that it's all about money. I WAS willing to pay for quality and thought I did since I paid the same for both units. In one case my money paid for quality and in one case the same money didn't.

In my early days on this forum, I was advised to curtail my whining here and I understood the advice and took it. But my silence here (and my associated interaction with my dealership's service department) does not mean I wasn't willing to pay for quality.
I am going to quit complaining and trade for any thing not made by FR.
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Old 02-21-2015, 03:37 PM   #26
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I am going to quit complaining and trade for any thing not made by FR.

My only advice is to scrutinize units made by other manufacturers, too... since I have read/heard our issue can be found across the industry. I actually believe our F. R. Wildcat will be set up to meet our needs in another week.


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Nights Camped: '13 = 49/'14 = 74/'15 = 74/'16 = 85/'17 = 110/'18 = 111/'19 = 86/'20 =108/'21 = 115/'22 = 135/'23 = 78; Booked for 2024 = 69
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Old 02-21-2015, 03:39 PM   #27
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I have purchased my last trailer, all are a piece of scrap metal and fiberglass
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Old 02-21-2015, 03:42 PM   #28
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Want better quality? Buy a new Airstream for $140,000


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Old 02-21-2015, 03:50 PM   #29
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I am ready to buy a new cedar creek 38rd fifth wheel but after reading so many neg reviews about the quality of forest river products not anymore.... anybody have problems with cedar creek fifth wheels?????
Unless your dropping a half a million on a rig ALL manufacturers have complaints you get what you pay for all be it there bottom units are WAY over priced in MHO but people will pay it so they will charge it...... Just like the cost of fuel goes down by the penny but back up by the dime , sorry had to vent that..... Back on subject NOONE is perfect exept maybe OC and people build these, people make mistakes especially when rushed...... Hence people waiting for there rigs on order.
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Old 02-21-2015, 04:00 PM   #30
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Even the $1,000,000 + Prevosts have problems. They even come with an engine removal hoist built right in the unit.
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Old 02-21-2015, 07:33 PM   #31
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OMG, I can't believe some of you are making excuses for bad workmanship because they aren't expensive Airstreams or Prevosts; that we should shut up and accept them for what they are. Building a light weight trailer shouldn't mean building it badly, or without the pride of having it built in the USA. I thought we were beyond that by now, and I'm an ex-Vega owner!
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Old 02-21-2015, 07:47 PM   #32
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gfarmcafe, nobody is making excuses, just stating facts. Been this way for all of my 74+ yrs and will likely continue as long as humans are involved.
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Old 02-21-2015, 08:00 PM   #33
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gfarmcafe, nobody is making excuses, just stating facts. Been this way for all of my 74+ yrs and will likely continue as long as humans are involved.
Too true that's what's wrong with the world.
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Old 02-22-2015, 11:35 AM   #34
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gfarmcafe:
Of course you are correct. We as consumers expect quality in everything we buy, from toilet paper to a new house. Unfortunately the American consumer for many years has not been willing to pay for a quality product. Hence the marketplace provides us cheap, poor quality items. My comment about the Airstream was a little tongue in cheek. I am sure Airstream owners have their complaints also. Don't expect manufacturers to change anytime soon. We have to do our homework, inspect everything as best we can, and even then a little prayer is needed. Sometime you are the fly, sometimes you are the windshield. It is all a crap shoot.
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Old 02-22-2015, 01:19 PM   #35
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Quality exist in this market, but you need to choose your line and brand. Do not have champaign taste on a beer budget.

Case in point, two exact same floor plans, couples trailers I looked at, about 27ft living space. One weighed 5200pds dry, cost $19000cdn msrp. Second trailer exact floor plan weighed in at 6500pds dry and msrp of $32000.

Difference in trailers.

Trailer one used 1/4 inch OBS board on the roof
Used 5/8 OBS board for the floor
Aluminum siding
Formica counter tops
Non enclosed underbelly
Mdf largely used in cupboards and trim
Aluminum frame 1/4 thinner
Sinks and and taps appeared to have more plastic then metal
Smaller axels and tires
32" ion TV

Trailer 2 used 1/4 toung and groove plywood on the roof
Used 5/8 toung and groove plywood on the floor
Fibreglass siding
Solid top corean countertop
Closed in underbelly
Trim was a solid wood, some mdf still in cupboard shelving my thicker doors and hinges.
Aluminum frame 1/4 thicker
Sinks were stainless steel and house hold quality taps. Except in the shower and outdoor shower.
Larger axels and tires
32" Samsung TV

On the lot the dealer had 6 of the 19k units and 1 of the 32k units. Wonder why?

Now I think this may support some who say the cost of quality is driving higher then it should. Is there $13000 dollars in improvements there I do not know, not in the business. But in a side note, they both used the same plastic back flow valve in the tank flush system that many people have issues with. From what I could see electric panels and appliances where the same.
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Old 02-22-2015, 01:45 PM   #36
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I am happy with the quality of our FW. Sure it had a couple of issues but for the price your buying a house on wheels. There are over 62,500 members on this forum. I see a lot of the same people commenting on this forum. My take is there are a lot of people that are happy with their trailers. I am on my third Forest River trailer each kept for 10 years and happy with all three.
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Old 02-22-2015, 02:30 PM   #37
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My only advice is to scrutinize units made by other manufacturers, too... since I have read/heard our issue can be found across the industry. I actually believe our F. R. Wildcat will be set up to meet our needs in another week.


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Yes I know other brands have problems. We had a 2011 Cougar TT that we had to get rid of before the warranty ran out, was crap. Will be finding a dealer we can trust (we hope) and see what they have might have to go to used as we spent our money on one we had hoped to keep a long time but was wrong.
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Old 02-22-2015, 02:49 PM   #38
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One of the reasons I liked buying a 2-3 year-old TT vs. ordering one new was that I could see how well it held-up after 2+ years vs. hoping they did a good job assembling the new unit... Buying used also meant that we could afford a better quality TT vs. entry-level models in the same price-range.

My local dealers also let me spend as much time looking at the used units as I wanted so I removed every access panel & looked in every nook & cranny with a flashlight. Several local dealers are only 20 minutes from work so I purposefully stopped-by and inspected used units in heavy rains.

While looking at the (used) TT I eventually purchased, I noticed a new version of the same TT leaking badly. The sales person & I could not find any open vents or trace back to where the water was coming from, but there was a steady stream of water across the kitchen linoleum heading from the bathroom area to the slide-out. (Maybe a poor job caulking bathroom skylight, etc...) I'm sure they fixed it & sold it as "new". I pitty the folks that bought that "new" TT for $8K-$10K more not realizing the issues they would likely encounter their first year camping...

Meanwhile, after spending 2+ hours inspecting our used TT very thoroughly inside & out, I could not find any signs of prior leaks or other damage. The only problems were loose trim, etc. & they fixed those before/during the PDI. We camped for 30+ days without any issues so IMO buying used not only saved us 30%+ over buying new but we didn't have to waste our first summer camping chasing down warranty issues...

BTW, the fit & finish of the new Keystone units was far worse than the FR products I looked at. Some Passports had arrived that day & they had sawdust & wood scraps everywhere. They still let me look at one... Since it was raining, we tracked sawdust all over the carpet... I left that unit thinking the poor dealer had to finish building them...
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Old 02-22-2015, 03:05 PM   #39
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Stop buying junk and they will stop building it.

But, you can count me as a happy buyer and owner. My TH isn't perfect, but a good value, it does what I need it to.

Many buyers have unrealistic expectations, IMO. The Masses accept a lower quality product because they love their lower prices. Many want something for nothing.

Standards are set by the buyer.

What we are offered is products that look good from the outside (thats what shows) but costs less, buyers have caused this. If buyers demanded higher quality, guess what, that is what the factories would build.

There are blantant, sloppy built, crazy things out there that even a careful buyer will miss, so there are exceptions to his rule, but generally this is true.

Case in point, I read that there's a trailer that was declared to be OK to full time in cold country (could be almost anywhere this winter!) with a water supply line mounted or running below the belly pan, in plain sight, and not insulated. Guess what froze? I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, bless his soul, but how hard would it be to lean down and see it and know what would happen to water in this line when the mercury dips to zero degrees! I wasn't there and clearly don't know all the facts. But, the trailer was built and bought. The buyer is stuck fixing something that he shouldn't have to, sure, but the fact is he bought it this way.

If every buyer really looked at what they are about to pay hard earned money for (or had a qualified person to look for them) and would walk away from inferior construction, the factory would eventually feel it and offer better quality. I guarantee it, but expect to pay more for the unit.
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Old 02-22-2015, 08:44 PM   #40
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Investments? Not a chance. You'll never break even. Doesn't matter how much change you spend they all will have issues at one point.

Now getting out of town, hitting the road and being with family is hard to put a price tag on. The RVIA tag and industry in whole (IMO) is quantity driven not quality driven.

Is it cheaper for me to get a room at the Hilton and drive a caddy and eat at the good resteraunts? Nights camped divided by money spent = Probably, but where's the fun in that?

I've met some pretty damn good folks camping. Had a lot of fun with family. Ghost stories and too many beers around a camp fire. Same with boats.

Am I frustrated that Stevie Wonder is running the QA department at FR...you bet. Amish quality...kma.

Winter is setting in fellas. I just set up my 5er at the National Shooting Sports Complex and set the grandkids up for 2 days so he could busy some clays...

Summer is around the corner...

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