The following three manufacturers produce about 80 percent of all American recreation vehicles. Do you own one of the “Big Three” or one made by another company?
Your comments are invited.
The following three manufacturers produce about 80 percent of all American recreation vehicles. Do you own one of the “Big Three” or one made by another company?
Your comments are invited.
Ours is a 2014 Evergreen Bay Hill, this is our first camper.
We’re soooo “‘Thor” after buying that 2018 KZ Sportsmen LE 231BHLE a year ago in February 2018-it had less than 9 months left on the warranty BEFORE we could pick it up and take it home. Got to haul it 3 times since buying it and on the 3rd trip the outside kitchen drain lines broke,flooding the entire undercarriage….never again…glad we kept our tent !
We have a 2019 Regency Ultra Brougham class B+. It is the most well-made RV we have owned in 12 years. We have owned a 5th wheel, a TT, 2 class A coaches, and class B Roadtrek. The Thor Vegas was disaster, taking a full year to resolve problems, then the coach began to fall apart with water leaks, interior panel rot, and more. It was a shame, because we liked the interior layout and the way the coach handled and drove. Our Tiffin was a good coach, but it took a full year of visits to the dealer to resolve problems that kept popping up. Our other RVs were used, and performed well while we owned them. The Regency had a few minor “teething” problems that were discovered by us, and repaired before we took delivery from the sales lot. In the year we have owned the Regency, we have enjoyed the coach, with few problems, easily repaired. The warranty is 3 years, and the company responds quickly to any warranty issues. This is the best customer service we have experienced so far in an RV builder. There are several RV builders out there producing high-quality well-built RVs, as good as Regency. Pleasure Way, Leisure Travel Vans, Coach House, and several models of Coachmen class B coaches and a few others like Renegade, all build good to high quality RVs. Sadly, many of the stick-and-tin built trailers appealing to first time buyers with families, are cheap to buy and very poorly built. Better for a first time buyer to get a used RV in good shape, inspected, and save a bundle of cash. A buyer must be familiar with the RV they are considering, take plenty of time, do not be rushed into a sale, and do their homework.
1999 National RV Dolphin 35 ft. and a 1994 Avion 5th Wheel made by Fleetwood. Both vary well made.
We are 2nd owners of a 2003 Riverside, made by Adventure Mfg in Peru, In, but is now an ‘orphan’.
2000 Dutchstar by Newmar great coach still one of the best
Just discovered my Heartland/bighorn was made by Thor..Who knew?
We own a beautifully remodeled 1965 Airstream that we full-time in. It is now owned by Thor but not at the time it was made
I have a 2011 Lance Truck Camper that has been the most trouble free RV I have ever owned. This TC has traveled to Alaska and back and been to all but 7 of the lower 48 states. It has been a real joy to own a quality built RV.
We currently own an Open Range by Highland Ridge. 2016 model. Pleased so far. Most problems self induced!
I have a Leisure Travel Van made by Triple E in Canada. Love it!
There’s nothing like LTV!
I was about to check “other.” But I decided to investigate and learned my Jayco 5th wheel is under the Thor group of companies. So, I checked Thor.
I also have a Jayco but since Thor bought Jayco in 2016 and my trailer was made in 2014, I checked other.
I have a 2003 National Tradewinds DP. Went out of business 2008. A very solid well built coach.
We have a 1984 Bluebird Wanderlodge. They stopped making the rv side of Bluebird in 2010 because of the recession. Every Wanderlodge was custom made for the owners. Mine sold in Nov 83 for $280 thousand dollars (have the original bill of sale) Now just make school busses. Had ours now for 17 years and live and travel in it fulltime. Wouldn’t own anything else. Solid and dependable with no leaks and no slideouts!
Hi Bob & Arlene, Good to know you still have the Bird and are still at it. Think about you two often. We’re back in Maine for the summer and headed for Crystal River Florida this winter. Phil & Cheryl
Hi Phil and Cheryl,
Yeah, still traveling, presently in Port Townsend, Wa for a month or so, then on to Westport for a month. Will end up In Quartzsite for the winter to see how the park we managed is doing. Still fun! Be safe!!
We used to own a 1983 bluebird 40′ pusher, had it for 7 yrs and no major problems. It had 220,000 miles on it when we sold it.
My current and previous rig were both made by Newmar.
Foretravel Motor home. Made and worked on in Nacogdoches, Texas. The guys there are the best in maintenance, repair and remodeling of their rigs.
Originally answered “Other” then googled what is KZ RV parent company and it is Thor…I think I knew that at one time but had forgotten. So I changed my answer.
We have a 2018 Vilano made by Vanleigh, a division of Tiffin. Say what you want, based on our experience and many others that I know of, Vanleigh provides the best customer service that exists. Any RV is eventually going to have problems, so why not have customer service you can rely on.
We have a Vanleigh Vilano 320GK. Love it. While we’ve have had only very minor problems, all were remedied with a phone call or email. Can’t wait to tour their facility soon.
I had to google it. We have a Coleman travel trailer. The sticker on the side says made by Keystone, but the manual is for Dutchman. Both of those brands are owned by Thor. They don’t even list Coleman on their website.
Not 100% sure but I believe all Coleman are sold exclusively by Camping World now.
I’m something of an outlier. Mine’s an Aliner by Somerset