Quality versus Price

[b_rharmon]

If anyone can give some direction I would appreciate some help. Among the Heartland travel trailer companies is there a rating of the best quality to the less quality (and probably lower price). The floor plan we like is called "RL" and we are looking for 25' to 28' length.

[smarty]

Purchase what you can afford and what you believe fits your lifestyle plans.
Do this knowing that you will need to fix a few things along the way.
If you are not a handy man you will need to find a good RV shop to fix your issues.
Finding a good RV repair shop can be its own challenge...

[colliehauler]

GDEtrailer spot on with your assessment. I'm working on a project trailer I purchased last winter myself. It has been a learning experience for sure. The trailer had a tree branch go through the roof in three places and damaged 4 panels of aluminum siding. I replaced the siding two on the bottom of the slideout and two on the top back of trailer. I then rebuilt the 5 broke rafters and decided to build new rafters and sister them to all the rafters doubling the strength. I then redecked 80 percent of the roof. Last week installed (with help) a new rubber roofing. I still have the inside to put in new ceiling panels in the main living area, reinstall the cabnets, build a new countertop with a smaller single sink, put new carpet in, put new furniture in. I had never done any of this before this trailer project. I simply purchased a new RV and traded every few years. You have a whole different attitude when you see how much work a project like this entails. It also gives you a sense of satisfaction as it comes together.

[Gdetrailer]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

rbpru wrote:
Try to build an 8 foot by 25 foot cabin with bed, bath, kitchen and the associated plumbing, electrical, lighting and appliances, for $25K to $28K.

Now put wheels under it and drive it down the road at 60 mph. then off road for a few more mile.

A challenge for sure ! But if they could build the same size "cabin on wheels" for under $40K and warranty it for 5 years (except for appliances), backed by factory trained technicians, with a 90 day "claim until returned to customer" guarantee, do you think they would get more repeat sales ?

Two things will most likely happen if they did..

Build it too good and, no need for repeat customers.

Priced too high and very few customers can afford.

Both cases company goes out of business in a hurry.

The reality is RVs MUST be built LIGHT ENOUGH to be towed by the average vehicle and must not be excessively heavy.

RVs must be built at price points which capture business from folks with very little to work with to folks that money is no object.

Myself, I choose to spend as very little as possible on a HOBBY so buying a new RV that costs more than my house that I bought 25 yrs ago for $32K is not happening.

Instead of tossing a lot of money into a product that in 2-3 yrs is worth 75% of what I paid for it I chose to buy an old RV and fix it myself.. I am out of a little bit of money and some of my time but I KNOW that my RV has a lot of life in it, I know every inch of it and it will better than any supposed $40K RV built on a assembly line.

People get to wrapped up in a HOBBY..

You really don't understand or appreciate the value you are getting in any product that is built on an assembly line until you rebuild or build your own from scratch.

Do what you want, come here and whine about it or perhaps put your money where your mouth is and start building your own RV and see how easy and cheap it is..

[theoldwizard1]

rbpru wrote:
Try to build an 8 foot by 25 foot cabin with bed, bath, kitchen and the associated plumbing, electrical, lighting and appliances, for $25K to $28K.

Now put wheels under it and drive it down the road at 60 mph. then off road for a few more mile.

A challenge for sure ! But if they could build the same size "cabin on wheels" for under $40K and warranty it for 5 years (except for appliances), backed by factory trained technicians, with a 90 day "claim until returned to customer" guarantee, do you think they would get more repeat sales ?

[theoldwizard1]

There is NOT a good correlation between price and quality, even within a given manufacturer. Jayco has a dozen different "lines" of TT. The biggest difference are trim. Basic construction is the same.

Eggshell TT seem to be of better quality/durability, but they tend to be on the small side. The only "medium" size eggshell that I know of is made by Oliver, 23'6". Oliver probably has the best warranty in the business, unlimited on the outer fiberglass, 5 years on the chassis, 2 years on everything else (probably not the appliances).

[rbpru]

Try to build an 8 foot by 25 foot cabin with bed, bath, kitchen and the associated plumbing, electrical, lighting and appliances, for $25K to $28K.

Now put wheels under it and drive it down the road at 60 mph. then off road for a few more mile.

Oh, also,it has to weigh less than 6000# and you have to charge for your labor.

Lots of folks have tried and most of them are now owned by Thor or Forest River.

It is tough to do and even tougher when folks do not want to pay extra for a quality product.

The higher priced unit may use plywood over pressed board or better construction techniques and appliances but the manufacturing process is pretty much the same.

The Casita/Scamp egg types or Airstream are a few of the non-standard construction types.

[wanderingbob]

You can buy a cheaper priced RV and fix a basket full of issues or you can buy a higher priced RV and fix a basket full of issues ! Ain't much difference !

[the_bear_II]

Between my parents and my family we have had 7 RVs since the 70's. In order to save weight the manufacturers use build techniques which are not as beefy as sticks and bricks houses. They do have to take into consideration the travel aspects of RVs and make them strong enough to survive various road conditions and weather.

Unfortunately as a brand or model becomes popular, the assembly quality may suffer in order to keep up with demand. Our first 5th wheel was one of the first on the market with two slide outs with one of the slides being 14 feet long and 4 feet deep (super slide). This model became so popular the factory added a third shift to try to keep up with demand. So you can imagine a worker on the 2nd shift might be installing a sink and end of shift comes with the task not complete. The 3rd shift may not be aware the sink install is incomplete and the trailer ends up being shipped with loose connections. Our 1994 5th wheel had over 25 problems, most were cosmetic with only a few mechanical issues.

Lack of quality is not just an RV industry issue...Our friend who bought a new house recently had over 300 problems identified during their final walk through, it was a 5000 sq ft house. Another friend had his oil change at one of the quick oil change places and drove off he got a few miles away and his engine seized up. They hadn't put the oil filter on.

[GrandpaKip]

More than likely the difference in price is just bells and whistles. The frame, suspension, and body are probably all the same, built by the same guys at the same factory.
The quality of cabinets, flooring, furniture, etc. may be higher. Bigger appliances, bigger AC.
But the basic structure is probably the same across the price spectrum.

[NWnative]

We have owned an Airstream since 2016 and it has been flawless. With that said, some of the AS models coming out in the last couple of years have seen an increase in defects. Mainly with the interior items. Shell, Windows and Suspension have been solid but, Issues with the furnace, cabinets, plumping have been on the rise. Still a well built unit but, even at the higher price point, they are not immune to issues.

[BadgerMcAdams]

I agree with OasisBob...While not a Heartland model, in the Outdoors RV forum, a gentleman picked up a new 2020 trailer and headed home, got 100 miles down the road (highway, not dirt roads - even though ORV claims theirs are made for off-road use) and the Rear Window Valence came off and landed on the dinette table.

Product quality is the lowest amount that a manufacturer can get away with and that a buyer will accept. Until we the consumer stand up and tell the manufacturers (with our LACK of purchases) that we do not accept their product, they will continue to spew out junk as fast as their worker's crazy legs can move.

[Oasisbob]

In my opinion the RV industry should be ashamed of the lack of quality overall. I have always felt each worker on the line should sign off on what they do and a bonus given at the end of the year based on number of warranty work. Have you seen the video's on Youtube for RV asembly? Guys running with walls slappin them on. And we keep buying it. Amazing