RE: Considering First New purchase assistance needed

[MikeH]

 
Hey there everyone,
 
 My father and I are looking into buying our first brand new pop up. What I need assistance in is this. Does anyone out there know of any site similar to consumer reports that rates pop up models on reliablility etc. I thought for sure that consumer reports would have this info but no such luck. I am mainly focusing on either a new Coleman or a new Jayco but I would like some copmarisons between the two manufacturers models etc. Just don t want to buy something that is prone to problems. I know that the Colemans have had roof issues and also have read the recent trunk leak thread which concerns me as the bayside is a model I was considering. Any help would be greatly appreciated in locating a good ratings site for popups. PS we are looking at a 12 ft box so that we can purchase a unit with cassette toilet and indoor shower just so you have an idea as to what types of Coleman & Jayco models we are looking to compare
 
 Thanks,
 Mike
 San Antonio, TX

[Gone-Camping]

 MikeH
As long as your buying new, the Coleman roof is going to be a non-issue, they don t use the ABS roof anymore. Just make sure you don t buy a leftover with the ABS and you won t be a party to that mess...
 
 I d look hard at the warranties on both. I know what Coleman offers, but not sure about the Jayco. As for quality, again, I ve never had a Jayco so couldn t say one way or another. I can tell you this much, those that have Jayco s seem to swear by them, and those with the Colemans swear by them (old ABS roof not withstanding)....
 
 When it comes down to it, the choice will be over floorplan, fit & finish, price, and most important, the dealership. I wouldn t buy a plug nickel from our local Jayco dealer, I don t like the way they do business, but that doesn t mean he has a bad product....

[4campinfoxes]

 MikeH
MikeH,
 Haven t read all of the thread regarding trunk leak but our Bayside has never leaked in the trunk area.  Our first camper was a smaller Jayco & now we have the Coleman, I personally think the quality has been better with the Coleman. They are both good brands but keep in mind that these campers aren t the most expensive vehicles out there & there may still be some small problems.  We had a couple of small problems with each, nothing serious enough to return to the dealer for.
 
 I haven t heard of or seen a consumer reports type of thing for campers, but you re looking at the top brands in my opinion & you probably can t go wrong with either.  Make sure you like your dealer, we didn t really consider a second Jayco because we didn t like that dealer.
 
 Good luck, happy hunting & you ve come to the right place to get information.
 
 Sharon

[Gatsmommy]

 MikeH
I tend to agree the dealer has a lot to do with it. We compared Jayco s and Coleman s at a large dealership that s in Austin/San Antoino area, and while we like the Jayco s floorplan/weight better we ended up getting a Coleman from a diffrent dealer who only sold Coleman s. We had heard absolute horror stories about the first dealership (if you wish to email me I can give you the name) and nothing but good about the second.
 
 Unfoturnatly there aren t alot of modles to choose from in this area. You may have a few more, I belive there is a Starcraft dealer in Boerne, but I don t know anything about them, just it was too far for us to drive for a dealer.
 
 Granted we ve only been out in our new PU once, but we re very happy with both  it and the price. It s less then and equivalent Jayco was at dealer #1.
 

[griffsmom]

 MikeH
Mike,
 
 Welcome to the boards--you ve come to a great place not only for answers to your questions, but also for comraderie and community![]
 
 Gone-Camping is right about people being loyal to the brands they purchased.  We have a Coleman and absolutley LOVE it!  We even have the old ABS roof and haven t had a lick of problems with it.  We looked at Jaycos and Starcrafts before we bought our Coleman and we felt the others just didn t compare in quality and style.  We still feel that we made the best purchase for us.  We ve had some minor stuff that needed to be fixed and our dealer has been superb!  You definitely want to buy from a reputable dealer who will stand behind his product, regardless of which brand you ultimately purchase.  
 
 If you re curious, here s the breakdown of what makes PUT members have purchased:  http://www.popuptimes.com/members/tm.asp?m=21431&p=1&tmode=1
 
 Good luck and let us know what you and your dad finally buy![]

[tlhdoc]

 MikeH
All brands have some problems.  That is why a good dealer is the most important thing in buying a PU.  Visit as many dealers as you can and talk to people in your area that have a PU and see how they like their dealer.  Take your time and make sure the floor plan and accessories you buy are what you really want.  Spend some time in the PU and see if the floor plan works for you.  Get in the beds, try sitting in the table, etc.  
 
 I have/had 2 Colemans.  Some of the things I like are, the one piece door, the stepper door, the swing level galley, that the poles are attached to the bunkends and that on my floor plan I don t have to craw over the table to get into the bed.
 
 One important thing is know how much you can tow.  What do you have for a tow vehicle?  If you are looking for a large PU you need to make sure you can tow it.
 
 Good luck.

[rccs]

 MikeH
MikeH   Check out this site  http://www.rvreviews.com/ and check under tent trailers. Hope this helps you out.

[MikeH]

 MikeH
TLHDOC Towing not an issue, towing with a Ford 351 with tow package.
 RCCS - Thanks for that link
 
 And thanks to everyone for your assistance with this. Sounds like the dealer will be a big consideration here also. Will let eveyone know how it turns out

[wynot]

 MikeH
I can t tell if you have a popup now or not, but if you haven t, I m going to suggest renting one and finding out what you like and don t like.  Things that don t seem like a big deal at a dealer can really be annoying when you are living with them.
 
 We made the fatal error of thinking we wouldn t be at the dealer that much in the first year - WRONG.  Most things were not Coleman specific problems, in other words, same thing could be wrong in any make.  But when your dealer is causing your  visits  because of their work or lack of, then you spend a lot of time there.
 
 I am going to suggest that you  visit  your dealers  service departments on Saturday morning and listen or at 4-5 in the evening.  The only people I ve ever heard happy with our dealer s service were Class A owners and retirees.

[MikeH]

 MikeH
Wynot,
 
 Thanks for that info. I do currently have a PU an older Jayco that I bought used. One of the responses to this post is actually from a person that I work with lol small world,  so I spoke to him about their Coleman dealer. I am also going to check out the Jayco lines from another dealer and I appreciate your reccomendation about scoping out the service department. This is a great idea and I most definitely will do this. I can see why the Class A would be happy, they probably bend pver backwards for those customers and us lil ole pu guys tend to get overlooked.
 
 Thanks Again,
 Mike