What to buy (HELP NEWBEE)

[ronerjones]

I have finally made the decision to buy a camper and would like to buy used for the savings. I live in South Florida and have visited a couple dealers. The only actual campers I have been able to walk into are the Fleetwood. The dealers have told me I don't want to buy anything except a Fleetwood. Is this because that is what they have or is it superior to the rest. I am going to look at a Palomino Mustang next weekend. Any comments.

Please let me know the good and bad of any manufacturer. If there is a particular manufacturer to steer clear of. Any advice would be appreciated.

[wavery]

I have finally made the decision to buy a camper and would like to buy used for the savings. I live in South Florida and have visited a couple dealers. The only actual campers I have been able to walk into are the Fleetwood. The dealers have told me I don't want to buy anything except a Fleetwood. Is this because that is what they have or is it superior to the rest. I am going to look at a Palomino Mustang next weekend. Any comments.

Please let me know the good and bad of any manufacturer. If there is a particular manufacturer to steer clear of. Any advice would be appreciated.

If you owned or worked for a Ford Dealer......what would you tell your customers??

[AustinBoston]

I have finally made the decision to buy a camper and would like to buy used for the savings. I live in South Florida and have visited a couple dealers. The only actual campers I have been able to walk into are the Fleetwood. The dealers have told me I don't want to buy anything except a Fleetwood. Is this because that is what they have or is it superior to the rest. I am going to look at a Palomino Mustang next weekend. Any comments.

Please let me know the good and bad of any manufacturer. If there is a particular manufacturer to steer clear of. Any advice would be appreciated.

I own a Fleetwood, and I can tell you that they use a really sturdy frame.  But form there, they are just as cheaply made as every other pop-up out there.  The business is fairly competitive, and anyone who does not build a reasonable quality product does not stay in business for long, and anyone who builds a superior product prices themselves out of the market.  Fleetwood is the giant of the pop-up world for one reason - the Coleman name (which they can no longer use).

As much as we love our Fleetwood, we are not married to it and are just as likely to buy from soneone else in the future.

What you will hear most often about what to buy here are two things:
1) It's about the floorplan.
2) It's about the dealer.

It's about the floorplan.  Everyone likes a different layout.  Some like a slideout for the extra floor space; others prever to avoid the extra weight/cost/complexity.  Some like the table on the end, others in the middle.  Some want to sleep three, others six.  Some want every possible ammenity, others are looking for low cost or just a basic experience.

It's about the dealer.  No matter what brand you pick, you will be dealing with a dealer (at least when dealing with warranty issues).  Most dealers are OK, but there have been some real dealer horror stories.  Finding a dealer with a decent reputation can be more important than what brand or model you choose (especially when buying new).  You won't be likely to deal with the factory, but you will face the dealer.

Beyond that, buy the camper that you like.  If it's used, search here for tips on buying used, and for what to watch out for in buying a used trailer.

Austin

[flyfisherman]

I have finally made the decision to buy a camper and would like to buy used for the savings.

Ah, the key words ..."would like to buy used" ~

Every used camper has to stand on it's own wheels. Some used campers are in as near perfect condition as can be ... others, even though not that old, are all but used up. I would sacrifice layout and some amenities for condition. And let us not forget that other magic word ... PRICE.
A used camper in top-notch condition, at the right price, you'll have to go some to beat that!

We use to have a preacher who posted on this board and one of his favorite sayings was ... "seek and you shall find".



Fly

[backpacker3]

I have finally made the decision to buy a camper and would like to buy used for the savings. I live in South Florida and have visited a couple dealers. The only actual campers I have been able to walk into are the Fleetwood. The dealers have told me I don't want to buy anything except a Fleetwood. Is this because that is what they have or is it superior to the rest. I am going to look at a Palomino Mustang next weekend. Any comments.

Please let me know the good and bad of any manufacturer. If there is a particular manufacturer to steer clear of. Any advice would be appreciated.

As a new owner of a PU and new member to this forum, I can say that a good used PU will sometimes cost you as much as a new one. In my case I found a 01 Jayco 1206 with a dinnette slide for $8900.00 and they dealer would only go down to $8K. They did show me a 2006 Jayco Baja 10C Camo PU(NEW) with a list of $12,761.00 and sold it to me for $8,400.00. DW and I love it and glad we went new. We are former Pop Up Truck Campers who went to a pull PU for more room for us and the grandkids and we love the sound of the rain hitting the tent bed. Good Luck in your search. :U

[curryp]

I bought a used 2001 Coleman Tacoma this past Friday and got it for about $1000 under NADA average retail. I found the camper listed in a regional magazine where people list their used goods. A phone call to the seller and I discovered that I work with his niece. The camper is in great shape and set-ups and down with no problems. All the lights work, no tears/rips, all cushions in excellent shape, the furnace works as does fridge.  I haven't had it out camping yet, but am hoping to have a great experience with it.

I went to a dealer with multiple locations near me and had no luck. One PU they had for sale had canvas patches to repair where mice had eaten. It looked like epoxy was used to seal the patches - sloppy. As soon as the salesman said mice had eaten the canvas I lost interest. At another location there was a 1992 camper that  was for sale as is. That included pretty dirty curtains, stained windows and other unattractive things. They also had a 2002 Coleman/Fleetwood that was in good shape, but was priced kinda high and they wouldn't accept my offer.

So, some patience, persistence and luck do pay off.

[dcampbell1969]

Fleetwood does have advantages as well as some other makes.  Sunbrella tent material is a big plus for fleetwood IMO.  YOU need to look at everything including the little stuff and decide what you really want in your Pup.

[yakinfam]

We have had pretty much every style of camper (three little bears story).
Dutchmen are no longer makers of pop-ups. Palamino ,starcraft looks nice!
Jayco makes a nice pop-up, and hybrid.
We sold our big keystone Hornet, and purchased a used Fleetwood/coleman 2003 1/2 (new roof style) Mesa.
I really think they make a well thought out, engineered product.
It's the little things that you don't notice till after you've owned a different brand.
I finally decided to use rv.net, and popup times to help with any problems other owners may have had before I made a decision on a model.

[HouseInABox]

I agree with others, they are going to tell you there's is the best.

You must go with what you like.  We have had a Rockwood - and didn't like it had trouble with it (bought used from a dealer- were happy until we asked them about installing ac they said sure no problem with the roof system - we paid 1800 to install ac and the lift system cut out, they tried to fix it but were never able too)

We are currently proud owners of a used deluxe jayco.  We like the jayco line because of all the storage they put into their models even the pull behinds, no inch of space is wasted.  We have a cupboard above our sink with a sink light and a closet.

I'm not sure where you live exactly, but have you gone to the camping world store and dealership they have lots of floor plans that you can go in and check out.  Sometimes they have pretty good prices advertised in catalogs.

Some dealers you will find won't be very helpful when it comes to pop-ups they want to sell pull behinds, fifth wheels and driving campers.

Look at the floor plans of campers online and think about how you will use your pop-up.  Do you want to crawl over the sofa or table to get to your bed?  What amenities are you interested in, what can you live without.  Go to the dealers sit down open the cupboards and think about what you will be taking with you.  Do you want outside storage access? etc.   Take a picture and make notes and then you can compare from your home the pros and cons of each.