Want to buy a new rig but afraid of quality control issues

[Jetstreamer]

Love my current rig like a comfortable old shoe but we’ve been looking to upgrade for the last few years.. Specifically looking to buy a Jayco Pinnacle 36fbts.
I would be buying it out of state and I really worry about getting into a situation where the rig sits in the shop for a month at the local Jayco dealer waiting for warranty work or whatever.
I’ve followed some folks on the Jayco owner’s forum where a few years ago they were happy new owners only now to be very disgruntled customers.
Knowing all too well my history of buyers remorse I’m really having a hard time making a decision. I’m able to buy for a great price.... anyone offer any advice?

[gafidler]

Looked at 2016 Winnebago, 2 years ago and decided to keep my 2007 Winnebago, my is way better build.

[path1]

While not afraid of newer quality I can't see where a new unit would be better for us. And starting deprecation all over again. But if you need bigger/smaller or something that fits your needs better why not? Happy with mine and gov't just going to do without my money.

[Lantley]

The key to buying a new RV is doing a thorough PDI.
That means curbing your enthusiasm and check out the entire thing. Get on the roof, go underneath. Check screws, seams, caulk joints, doors, drawers switches, latches check it all. Allow time and don't rush. A few hours going over the rig will save a lot of headache down the road. If buying out of state. Camp close by and give it a shakedown before leaving the area.
There is no need to fear a new unit as long as you are willing to make the effort to check it out.

[midnightsadie]

all good advice, if I was buying new, I,d really check the rv over hire a rv tech to inspect it, then if I needed a warrenty repair it would have to be some thing major, or I,d do it myself or hire a rv mobil tech. never ever leave your rv at the dealer for work. it takes them months to do a 30 min repair.

[DutchmenSport]

"I’ve followed some folks on the Jayco owner’s forum where a few years ago they were happy new owners only now to be very disgruntled customers.
Knowing all too well my history of buyers remorse I’m really having a hard time making a decision."

You are an experienced RV owner and have several years of RV ownership under your belt. Don't short change yourself and your experiences. Instead of reading about complaints on a forum, you really should go visit the RV dealership and make an informed decision yourself. Considering you have read all the disappointments, you should now have a good check-list of things to look for, that others have had issues with. When looking at your "dream RV" take that knowledge with you and really examine the camper with critical eyes. Then make a judgment call based on your gut feeling.

Considering you currently have a camper, you really do already know what to look for, what will be a problem in the future, and what will be just fine in the long run. Don't underestimate your own experience and knowledge.

You need to go and simply do some window shopping now and asking lots of question to the salesmen and even to some of the mechanics that work there. I think you are able to sift through it yourself. But you need to go and see for yourself. Then you may have questions answered, and possibly, have even more or different questions that need answered.

Everyone's experience with their camper is different. Two identical campers can leave the factory at the same time, and within 6 months one can be a disaster and the other fantastic. A lot depends upon the owner and how he/she maintains it, their own expectations, and how they use it.

Everything eventually returns to dust. (Including every RV ever made). It's just a matter of how much "WE" expedite that process!

[shepstone]

You’ve got a good right to be concerned, we had a nightmare with a new 2015 Cougar and was glad to be rid of it. We went to an RV show in BC a few weeks ago and was disappointed with the ongoing lack of quality in most of the rigs we saw there. Seems that cheap, cheap & cheap is the current way of putting them together now, irregardless of what money you pay for them, from high end to low.. Only the ones in the upper stratosphere of pricing $150,000+ Looked to have any quality at all. If I were to buy a Jayco I would prefer it be made by the old company not Thor. They (Jayco) used to have a decent reputation. I don’t know how long that will last now with Thor being the new owner.

[laknox]

Jetstreamer wrote:
Love my old rig like a comfortable old shoe but we’ve been looking to upgrade for the last few years.. Specifically looking to buy a Jayco Pinnacle 36fbts.
I would be buying it out of state and I really worry about getting into a situation where The rig sits in the shop for a month at the local Jayco dealer waiting for warranty work or whatever.
I’ve followed some folks on the Jayco owner’s forum where a few years ago they were happy new owners only now to be very disgruntled customers.
Knowing all too well my history of buyers remorse I’m really having a hard time making a decision. I’m able to buy for a great price.... anyone offer any advice?

I had a Jayco on my short list, and I called IN and asked them directly about an out of state purchase and local (non)service. They said that they'd have no problems using an independent RV service tech for warranty issues if the local dealer wouldn't take care of me in a timely manner. KZ said the same thing, which is what I ended up buying.

Lyle

[ReneeG]

I would suggest too to look at an older model. There has been a lot of issues with current new RV's no matter what brand. If you follow rvtravel.com you'll read all about a decline in the quality of new. Invest in an older one, but first have a reputable RV repairman check it out for you. That's what we would do. They know the quality of most models.

[NorthernNeck_VA]

Instead of buying new, we buy used and let someone else take the hit on the price and they usually get all the quirks out of the way. You can find some great deals out there. Try rvonline.com.

Just a thought.