Should Newbies Steer Clear of Every Buying an RV

[Boxster1971]

If you are reasonably handy and can fix things yourself owning an RV can become less daunting because you can overcome issues yourself. Same goes for owning a boat.

I think the worst problem in RV industry is the dealer service departments. Being told you have to wait months to get something fixed can really spoil your RV experience.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Boxster1971

If you are reasonably handy and can fix things yourself owning an RV can become less daunting because you can overcome issues yourself. Same goes for owning a boat.

I think the worst problem in RV industry is the dealer service departments. Being told you have to wait months to get something fixed can really spoil your RV experience.

Yep, especially since they are often over priced and don't do a very good job

[InterBlog]

OP, the pain you describe can be most easily minimized via one of two scenarios:

(1) You have unlimited funds to throw at the Class B reliability problems that you will inevitably encounter, or

(2) You are handy and don't mind working on your own vehicle (with the end-member extreme being that you totally build your own).

My husband and I fall squarely into (2) and know nothing whatsoever of life according to (1).

When we first bought our 2007 Airstream Interstate in late 2014, we were the most embarrassingly naive of all newbies (looking back on it). We had fallen for the line of hype that says that Airstream is synonymous with quality. Hah! What a learning experience! Oh, the pain and anguish of that reality check!

But somewhere along the line, and I can't tell you where the turning point was, it became a marriage-builder for us. I'm a tough lady to impress - I have a Master's degree in science and I've run my own small business for the past decade, so my expectations of life tend to be rather high. Before our Class B debacle, I had no idea just how capable my husband really was. I knew he was a great engineer and I knew he was mechanically handy aside from his formal education, but I had no idea that he was as clever as he has proven to be. I'm sooo pleased with my husband, who I didn't even really know before all this began. Plus I've gained a boat-load of mechanical skills myself, although I can't hold a candle to him.

For a different couple, though, with different skill sets and temperaments, our same vehicle might have instead proven to be a marriage-ender, LOL.


My best practical advice is this:

(1) Buy used. Other posters have also recommended that. Apportion your total funds to both the initial purchase price and a reserve for repairs. That way it won't sting as much when you have to cough up the dough for fixes. Bear in mind that even simple fixes will be expensive. The going rate for RV labor in my area is $120 per hour. They all post that rate on their front doors so that customers won't walk into their shops with any unrealistic expectations.

(2) Narrow down your potential models and then research the heck out of just those models. I have tried to place all of our repair info on my blog so that purchasers of older Airstream Interstates can learn about the problems and go into their deals with eyes wide open. If the Interstate is one of your short-listed models, you can see much of my content here although there are still some repairs that I haven't written up yet.

Good luck with your decision.

[NorthPotomac]

Very grateful for this thoughtful reply, InterBlog.

Averagely handy at best. Enough money to buy a gently used (1-2 years old) vehicle, and so we're spending lots of time trying to narrow down brands with the best quality.

[JohnMFlores]

What do folks here think about buying a used Travato from a rental company. Likely used just one season. I would expect them to have done some minor repairs between rentals so that systems are operational and trip pieces aren't hanging by a thread. Am I being optimistic?

[Ron J. Moore]

I guess I really got the luck of the draw....twice! I bought an '05 RT190P brand new, sight unseen from an on-line dealer - never had a problem, and never had to take it to a RV joint. I just bought a '15 RT210P on-line, sight unseen, from a RT Dealer in FL...I was the last RT going off the lot before they closed down. I have learned to roll with the punches, and most things can be repaired by the owner - I say this because of the horror stories I have hear about RV places...if I screw it up - I would be on here asking for help...best Techs around.

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by JohnMFlores

What do folks here think about buying a used Travato from a rental company. Likely used just one season. I would expect them to have done some minor repairs between rentals so that systems are operational and trip pieces aren't hanging by a thread. Am I being optimistic?

A few things you need to know about the Travato:

1. They hold their value well. ie you will not save much money from buy a new one. WGO sold tons of Travatos, but the demand is still there, so they have not flooded the market yet.

2. Travato is a work in progress. This is the 3rd year they are making the RV, they are still fine tuning the rig, adding features and making minor adjustments that make a big difference. They have just released a mid-year upgrade on the G model. (2017.5) ie. if you are to buy an earlier model, you will be missing out on a lot of the improvements.

[InterBlog]

A couple of additional thoughts...

If I were buying again, I would look for the following:

- No power step.
- No power awning.
- No power couch.
- No power window coverings.
- No macerator.
- No fancy schmancy entertainment center that accidentally hijacks the electrical system.

There - right off the bat and without any deep thinking, I just named six things that I wouldn't have to repair by virtue of them being not present to start with. Plus I also wouldn't have to pay for them to be installed to start with. Many models today have an absurd number of unnecessary and problematic bells and whistles added to them, but the K.I.S.S. principle can be made to go a long way where Class Bs are concerned.

Additionally, OP, your initial description talked about concerns with "repairs" but what about "shortcomings"?

Depending on your intended uses, the shortcomings that you perceive may become a bigger issue than repairs. After our purchase, my husband and I quickly realized that we wanted to be boondocking most of the time. What's the sense of getting a Class B only to suffer the restriction of "must not spend more than 24 consecutive hours off the grid due to damage from running the coach battery too low"?

Many Class Bs as delivered offer no real measure of self-sufficiency. If they have solar at all, it's often not up to the task of keeping the coach batteries charged (e.g., many newer Airstream Interstates fall squarely into this category and that's been discussed ad nauseam over on Air Forums). My husband and I did a *huge* DIY job of adding 300 watts of solar - no small feat on a camper van. Right now we're in the middle of an even larger DIY project to retrofit a lithium battery system so that I can run my computer off solar alone (which I need as a small business owner - I'm not retired, and won't be for some time). These types of systems are necessary for maximum travel versatility, but they are usually in the five-figure range of cost if hired out.

So this is something to evaluate for your specific case as well. Will you become bored with the usual campground hook-up travel scenario? I did, after about 48 hours of Class B ownership. Hence the substantial DIY list.

[Scottbaldassari]

Sad to see you so concerned about quality issues. I did read/watch both of the articles you mentioned, and agree with alot of what was said in each. In many cases, it seems quality control is in sad shape in ALL industries today. That being said, there are a few manufacturers out there that have notorious reputations for REALLY bad quality (I hesitate to mention names, luckily most of them are not too involved with B's)

- BUT - I believe you have to put our world in context: Has quality REALLY degraded that much? or do we just have a LOT more feedback (internet) than we ever had in the past? Are the products being put out REALLY that terrible? Or has the technology improved so much that we take all our high tec wizardry for granted and don't remember the days when simple things went wrong like formica buckling, particle board paneling swelling, pipes rusting, carburetors and spark plugs fouling up? Now we complain that we don't like the accent of the voice our interactive onboard color GPS! We complain we can only run our air conditioner for 3 hours off Solar powered batteries... WHAT?

RV's are in many ways like boats; we take furniture, finishes, utility systems and appliances originally designed as luxuries for a home, and then subject them to rigorous use, vibration, temperature extremes etc... On top of it, we squeeze complete electrical (including Solar, AC dc, generator, alternator and shore power) systems, dual fuel HVAC, dual source hot and cold freeze resistant plumbing, entertainment systems, a bathroom, Kitchen, Bedroom, and Living Room into a 6X10 steel box on wheels with multiple doors and windows, we require maximum storage areas, and then expect it all to be comfortable, durable, extremely functional and/or MULTI functional, aesthetically pleasing and "fashionable", perfectly finished, AND CHEAP!

Folks, were bound to have a couple problems here and there....

As a blissfully happy Travato owner, I think it is a modern friggin' MIRACLE that my Van is as awesome as it is! I'm only a year into ownership, but this vehicle is outstanding in its class in most every way. It has had a couple little trivial defects that were taken care of promptly by the dealer and manufacturer, but in the meantime has literally changed our lives, and is probably the best single purchase I have ever made in my life!

So... I say, find what fits you, your lifestyle, and your budget best, and

GO FOR IT.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

If I were buying again, I would look for the following:

- No power step.
- No power awning.
- No power couch.
- No power window coverings.
- No macerator.
- No fancy schmancy entertainment center that accidentally hijacks the electrical system.

No MACERATOR!!?? Stop the insanity!

[BBQ]

.

power awning is good.

people get more problem with the manual crank.

[BobB]

Originally Posted by avanti

No MACERATOR!!?? Stop the insanity!

LOL! I would add "No TV and No Antenna". My laptop or tablet is fine for movies and I prefer the room on the roof for more/future solar.

[BBQ]

Originally Posted by BobB

LOL! I would add "No TV and No Antenna". My laptop or tablet is fine for movies and I prefer the room on the roof for more/future solar.

+1


Same here.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by avanti

No MACERATOR!!?? Stop the insanity!

The danged things freeze at the drop of a hat and then the ice screws up the pump! And that's if they work at all, because they freeze mechanically as well! Talk about creating problems where none need to be!

My husband and I considered this mod (adding a macerator), but after all the complaints on Air Forums, we decided, nnnnnewp. Not gonna happen. Hell can freeze over and our black and gray tanks will remain undamaged as they are.

I did notice that some newer Class B models are including a macerator bypass, though, and that might be a workable alternative, best-of-both-worlds scenario (albeit at a cost). So when (not if) your macerator dies, you can just revert to stinky slinky.

[Ron J. Moore]

We are moving towards that stripped down van, ha!

[avanti]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

I did notice that some newer Class B models are including a macerator bypass, though, and that might be a workable alternative, best-of-both-worlds scenario (albeit at a cost). So when (not if) your macerator dies, you can just revert to stinky slinky.

I agree that having a gravity dump backup is a fine idea--I installed one in both of our rigs. BUT, over 12 years and two vans, I have never once had occasion to make our slinky stinky. Our macerators have proven bulletproof. Winterizing a macerator is easy as pie, and if you do so there will never be a freezing issue.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by BBQ

.

power awning is good.

people get more problem with the manual crank.

Have you ever seen a case where the motor shorted out and the awning spontaneously extended at highway speeds?!

I thought those stories fell into the category of "RV urban legend" until my husband and I actually saw a case of it, that being on IH-20 going through Mississippi this past summer.

Given the location of the resulting wreck (i.e., too far from an exit for the owners to have mistakenly entered the highway without properly securing everything), the awning had clearly extended while in transit, and not only did it rip itself to shreds, there was structural damage to the side of the rig because of the forces involved.

Life is hard enough without introducing these kinds of needless failure pathways. I will continue to turn our awning crank manually without complaint.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by avanti

I agree that having a gravity dump backup is a fine idea--I installed one in both of our rigs. BUT, over 12 years and two vans, I have never once had occasion to make our slinky stinky. Our macerators have proven bulletproof. Winterizing a macerator is easy as pie, and if you do so there will never be a freezing issue.

What if you get caught out on a trip when the weather unexpectedly turns freezing? A very real scenario for my husband and I, as we are now planning routine trips to Canada during non-summer months. And I guess we could winterize while underway, but it would limit our use of the system and create a predicament that a passive valved system would not. The rest of our plumbing is inside the rig, so in many conditions we wouldn't have the same magnitude of freeze concern for it.

[booster]

We have no power step

No power awning

No power window coverings

We got rid of the power sofa

You usually can set the entertainment stuff to not auto select

You would have to pry the macerator out of our cold dead hands!

We have added a parallel gravity dump, so no worries for us.

If you think that a gravity dump system won't freeze and break pipes and valves, you could be in for a very smelly surprise once they thaw out.

All rigs should have both the gravity and macerator systems, IMO, as it is easy to do and not very much added cost if done initially.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

What if you get caught out on a trip when the weather unexpectedly turns freezing? A very real scenario for my husband and I, as we are now planning routine trips to Canada during non-summer months. And I guess we could winterize while underway, but it would limit our use of the system and create a predicament that a passive valved system would not. The rest of our plumbing is inside the rig, so in many conditions we wouldn't have the same magnitude of freeze concern for it.

Winterizing a macerator consists of:
1) dumping the gray tank
2) pouring some pink stuff down the shower drain
3) running the macerator until the gray water dump shows pink.

Admittedly, this requires access to a dump facility. Other than that, it is trivial.

For the record, I agree with most of your list. A lot of the convenience features you mention do not seem cost-effective from a reliability perspective. It is just that, as I see it, a macerator makes life on the road so overwhelmingly more pleasant and convenient that I would never consider being without one.