NorthPotomac
Advanced Member
Should Newbies Steer Clear of Ever Buying an RV
I've been a member of this forum for awhile now, learning a lot about class B's and gradually narrowing down the field of choices for what will become my wife's and my first RV. We were excited about moving forward and entering this new lifestyle sometime in 2017.
But I've also read the important six part series in the RV Daily Report about the so-called death spiral of the North American RV industry. Frankly, I've also read, on this forum and on Facebook, what are by now countless stories of owners of Class B's who were unable to enjoy their rigs because of endless breakdowns and defects. The You-tube by a Michigan attorney, counseling us NOT to ever buy an RV, had initially struck me as hyperbole -- I'm an attorney myself and understand that it's easy to see just one side of any story. But I'm being worn down. I'm starting to really have doubts about our plan to see the continent in a Class B.
Some of this seems to be related to what I have concluded is surprisingly shoddy quality control at the manufacturing level (contrasting greatly with the improving quality control of "mere" cars and trucks thanks to robotization, etc). Quality control seems to vary by manufacturer, and thanks to this forum, the Facebook owners' pages, and other sources, I've slowly but surely been able to draw conclusions about certain brands being better quality than others. But other issues relate to service -- and I've simply not been able to find reliable consumer reports on the quality of work of different dealers' (and private RV) service departments. I had been skeptical of all the stories of repeated bad service, since it seemed to me that there was money to be made (whether buyers' money or manufacturers' warranty payments) in service and therefore good service should be a competitively offered product. I figured that there are always a few bad outcomes out of millions of RV's, and the bad outcomes were the ones naturally getting all the press. But the RV Daily Report series linked to above provided a rational economic explanation for a systemic failure to provide good service. I encourage forum members to read the series.
So as my wife and I got increasingly excited about the prospect of starting a new phase of our lives with the help of a Class B, a gnawing but growing feeling that this is a minefield to be avoided has arisen. The RV Daily Report notes that despite millions of new RV's being produced over the past 10 years, the number of RV owners has actually stayed stagnant -- that means that for every potential new RV-er like us one more has dropped out. Is RV-ing a fool's game that, at least in North America (maybe the Europeans have gotten it down right), is only winnable for the lucky few who are either mechanics or who get a rare good unit and find a rare good service provider?
I realize that by definition most forum members here are already RV-ers, and that disgruntled folks who have left the pastime will have also left the forum. So there's a built-in conflict of interests, of sorts -- maybe I should search out forums of EX-RV'ers! But I'm nonetheless confident, from having read so many learned and useful posts on this forum, that there are many who are willing to address this issue objectively.
I've been a member of this forum for awhile now, learning a lot about class B's and gradually narrowing down the field of choices for what will become my wife's and my first RV. We were excited about moving forward and entering this new lifestyle sometime in 2017.
But I've also read the important six part series in the RV Daily Report about the so-called death spiral of the North American RV industry. Frankly, I've also read, on this forum and on Facebook, what are by now countless stories of owners of Class B's who were unable to enjoy their rigs because of endless breakdowns and defects. The You-tube by a Michigan attorney, counseling us NOT to ever buy an RV, had initially struck me as hyperbole -- I'm an attorney myself and understand that it's easy to see just one side of any story. But I'm being worn down. I'm starting to really have doubts about our plan to see the continent in a Class B.
Some of this seems to be related to what I have concluded is surprisingly shoddy quality control at the manufacturing level (contrasting greatly with the improving quality control of "mere" cars and trucks thanks to robotization, etc). Quality control seems to vary by manufacturer, and thanks to this forum, the Facebook owners' pages, and other sources, I've slowly but surely been able to draw conclusions about certain brands being better quality than others. But other issues relate to service -- and I've simply not been able to find reliable consumer reports on the quality of work of different dealers' (and private RV) service departments. I had been skeptical of all the stories of repeated bad service, since it seemed to me that there was money to be made (whether buyers' money or manufacturers' warranty payments) in service and therefore good service should be a competitively offered product. I figured that there are always a few bad outcomes out of millions of RV's, and the bad outcomes were the ones naturally getting all the press. But the RV Daily Report series linked to above provided a rational economic explanation for a systemic failure to provide good service. I encourage forum members to read the series.
So as my wife and I got increasingly excited about the prospect of starting a new phase of our lives with the help of a Class B, a gnawing but growing feeling that this is a minefield to be avoided has arisen. The RV Daily Report notes that despite millions of new RV's being produced over the past 10 years, the number of RV owners has actually stayed stagnant -- that means that for every potential new RV-er like us one more has dropped out. Is RV-ing a fool's game that, at least in North America (maybe the Europeans have gotten it down right), is only winnable for the lucky few who are either mechanics or who get a rare good unit and find a rare good service provider?
I realize that by definition most forum members here are already RV-ers, and that disgruntled folks who have left the pastime will have also left the forum. So there's a built-in conflict of interests, of sorts -- maybe I should search out forums of EX-RV'ers! But I'm nonetheless confident, from having read so many learned and useful posts on this forum, that there are many who are willing to address this issue objectively.
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