New to PU's, considering the Sun Valley and 1207

[Sarchi]

Hi folks, great forum here.

I know there isn't one definitive answer to this, but I'd love to get some opinions (everyone has those, right?).  My partner and I turned 40 and are ready to make the jump from tenting.  TV is our new (to us) '03 Mazda MPV.  We homeschool our 3- and 9-yo's, and we're looking to take advantage of the flexibility (we both work from home), e.g. longer trips south in winter - at sites with internet access, etc.

We've been looking at the mid-level Fleetwood and Jayco models, the floor plans we like are the Sun Valley and 1207, respectively.  The rest is pretty confusing though.  This is what I think we've learned, comparing the two against each other:

1207
Pro -- price; about 25% less than FW
Pro -- ease of towing (?)
Pro -- roof vent / skylight
Pro -- more counter space (but no high sink/stove)
Pro -- more storage space
Pro -- 2-year warranty
Pro -- reputedly better support/service from factory

Sun Valley
Pro -- build quality / components (?)
Pro -- can get 2007 now, so better for resale / deprec.
Pro -- one-piece fiberglass roof on 2007 model
Pro -- 2 King beds
Pro -- ease of setup / knockdown (?)
Pro -- nicer decor, rounded edges, etc
Pro -- for us, the dealer is very nearby, and has dealt w/the line a long time

They're both reputable dealers, but the Jayco guy just started handling the line since they acquired another dealer's inventory.  They really didn't know a whole lot about the product.  Large volume dealer, lots of inventory, slightly better loan APR.  Overall we liked the FW dealer better, and it is only 10 mins away vs. 35-40 mins.

Despite how it appears to stack up, we're leaning toward the FW at the moment.

tia for your thoughts, watchouts, etc.

[fritz_monroe]

We have a 2006 Fleetwood Bayside and really like it.  Since this is our first pup and have only had it for 4 months, we can't speak on the long term.  Both Fleetwood and Jayco have their fans, as do the other manufacturers.  Each brand has it's strong points and they are things that you have to decide for yourself.

I am not a die hard for any brand, and when we were shopping, we narrowed it down to the Jayco 1206, Fleetwood Bayside and Rockwood 2514G.  All have similar floorplans and all had similar fit and finish.  Each dealer had a similar good reputation for supporting their products.  The final decision came down to fairly minor issues.  We took the Rockwood our of the running because the dealer was too far for us to take it in for warranty issues.  The decision between the Jayco and Fleetwood came down to the sink.  We didn't like the size of the sink in the Jayco.

I think that which ever you decide to go with will make you real happy.  You will make lots of memories in it.

We homeschool our 3- and 9-yo's, and we're looking to take advantage of the flexibility (we both work from home), e.g. longer trips south in winter - at sites with internet access, etc

I'm envious about this.  Congrats on being able to do this.

[GrizzlyTaco]

We have a 2006 Jayco 1207 and we love it. I got it fully loaded, the only thing i didn't want was the table in the U-shaped dinette, i like the open space. I cant tell you alot about Fleetwoods, we did look at them along with the Starcraft, and thought that Jayco had the most to offer, including the Best Warranty of them all. You can see ours at my Webshots pic post. I hope you find the one thats right for you.........Ed C :sombraro:

[griffsmom]

We have a 2002 Coleman-by-Fleetwood Sun Valley that we bought new. We use it about 10 times each year, for an average of 3 nights each trip, and it has held up extremely well and performed beyond our wildest expectations. My now-5 y/o DS was one 14 months when we bought it and it has taken all of his abuse and ours too and still looks like new. We've had a few little things that needed fixing (our fault) and our dealer has been beyond excellent.
 
When we bought the SV, our tow vehicle couldn't handle the weight of a PU with a slide-out so we went for the SV b/c it had a tip-out galley, and it really does help to add to the interior spaciousness. My husband is 6'5" and he has never felt cramped. The kind beds are particularly nice for that as well. If you need/want more exterior space, you could get the Mesa which is the SV but with a front trunk.
 
As far as your list goes, here is my .02, FWIW:
 
1207
Pro -- price; about 25% less than FW
Pro -- ease of towing (?)--I would submit that they're botht he same as for ease of towing.
Pro -- roof vent / skylight
Pro -- more counter space (but no high sink/stove)
Pro -- more storage space--you can get the Fleetwood Mesa which is the same floorplan as the Sun Valley but with a front trunk.
Pro -- 2-year warranty
Pro -- reputedly better support/service from factory--We have never had Fleetwood ever give us or our dealer any difficulty when things have needed to be repaired.
 
Sun Valley
Pro -- build quality / components (?)
Pro -- can get 2007 now, so better for resale / deprec.
Pro -- one-piece fiberglass roof on 2007 model--we have the notorious ABS roof, but have never had any problems with it. I'm assuming ther fiberglass roof is problem-free as well.
Pro -- 2 King beds--my very tall DH loves this feature
Pro -- ease of setup / knockdown (?)--I think they would both be comparable in this department as well.
Pro -- nicer decor, rounded edges, etc--We looked at Jayco as well but felt that the Coleman was more nicely finished inside. This is a purely subjective thing, though.
Pro -- for us, the dealer is very nearby, and has dealt w/the line a long time--a good dealer is absolutley invaluable. If all is equal on the two campers for you, I'd go with the one that had the better dealer/service. Our dealer is superb but I have heard some dealer horror stories that would break your heart.
 
Good luck whatever you decide. You'll be making some wonderful memories for your kdis regardless of the name on the side of the PU.
 
Edited to add: You may want to check out Geodude's Web site. His first camper was also a Sun Valley and he put together a very comprehensive and helpful spreadsheet comparing a number of different PUs and explaining how he came to buy the SV over the others. Here are the links:
 
http://www.magma.ca/~pnh/sunvalley/sunvalley.htm
 
http://www.magma.ca/~pnh/Spreadsheet/spreadsheet.htm

[Sarchi]

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful replies, it looks like we're going to buy the Sun Valley tomorrow.