Poorly Built

by johnny rose
(iowa usa)

Hello I'd like to share this with you. I had bought a camper new in 2009. I hoped this $14,000 camper would last my lifetime. I only used it once or twice a year, going 9 miles from my house to the camp site.

I will be lucky if it makes it to the payoff. This camper is not very well made.

The sink leaked causing damage the counter top. The fresh water tank fell out due to the brace twisting while putting water in it. One weld on the battery box frame was missed did not join the two pieces together. The paneling on the walls is opening at the seams. The screws on the outside tin come loose.

It is made cheap cheap and sold 1000% too high and was a waste of my money. I am very unhappy with it.

I wish I could tell you the name of it, but I dont think I can on this site. So, please take my advice and look over any new or used camper very hard. Look at welds, screws, glue and everything. It's hard to find a company that will stand by their product.

***

Thank you, Johnny, for this valuable information. I don't know what manufacturer built your camper, but it is a great idea to always inspect every inch of a camper.

It is perfectly fine to name the manufacturer here. This site is maintained by a "regular person" like you, not a corporation.

These go through an assembly line for production and I'm sure there a some things that do get overlooked during inspection. It sounds like your issues are more serious, though.

This is a good warning and lesson for other RV buyers:

We consumers really need to go the extra mile and do a thorough inspection of our own.

Walk through the inside looking at the wall seams for cracks, wall coverings, furniture, drawers, doors, windows, carpet, screws, glued edges, trim, cabinets and flooring.

When you are looking at a used camper, you will need to really look hard. You can tell if something has been repaired before.

Take your time and ask questions about anything you find.

Make sure the dealership is willing to fix any problem areas you find. If they are not willing to stand behind their product to sell it, more than likely, you will have a difficult time getting them to stand behind you if any problems are found after purchase.

Get a written warranty from the dealership as to what they cover and don't cover. You will have it in writing and will be in a better position to have the repairs done.

Johnny, you have certainly brought out a great point. I wish you the best dealing with the problems you have found.

For those of you shopping for an RV, do your research thoroughly before doing any repair work yourself as it may void any other warranty you may still have on the camper.

Thanks for reminding us of how important it is to do a thorough inspection!!!!

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Feb 10, 2012
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how to rebuild
by: johnny rose

also have a 70s Winnebago trailer bought it 1/2 and 1/2 with mother in law (i Know another reason i bought a new one lol) we got it from a guy that had it in a big barn for 12 years he used it as a place to hide form his wife lol and all camping gear went with it we cleaned it i have never got to use this thing every thing worked good first year seconded year I had to seal roof little pin holes (rust holes) washed it wire-brushed it used a liquid rubber seal on hole roof second winter she did not have it winter raised i know they hit something broke off brown water tank valve used fiberglass patching to fix and alum-mun wire to fix frig acting up they want 1500 for a new frig but i am going to pull it father in law says he bets its unleval bad wood under it the weight of the a/c on roof is sagging in middle of the roof now the a\c t-stat bad now 100 out side 50s inside i now wont go 1/2 on a peace of gum but how to pick a good one new or used new ones made like crap old ones nickle and dime you to death or to rebuild cost more then a new pile that looks good but built to last only a few years

Feb 10, 2012
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i bought it new 2009
by: Anonymous

i bought it brand new did not want a use junk got new junk

Jan 14, 2012
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Rehad verses New?
by: Anonymous

I have found the older travel trailers seem to be built to last...we are rehabing our 1970's vintage trailer to spruce it up a bit and its still in great shape. We have friends who are doing the same and thers are also very sound inside and out...maybe we just got lucky or maybe there really is something to be said for the quality put into items built back in the day? Everyone wants to buy new..but even with the rehab we still are well below the cost of a new travel trailer cost and wont have a payment to boot...plus we get to put in the little things that will make our travel tailer personal and a home away from home...Something to think about??

Dec 28, 2011
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RV Camping
by: Anonymous

Hello, I wanted to start my 1st camping once the winter goes away.. and that is the reason I was searching on Google and found your posts. Thanks for posting such a nice post. I am gathering all the RC camping information and I have already got the RV Campground info. Enjoy :)

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