Please help the new kid !

[Maine Dave]

Hi Folks,
We are looking for our first pop-up and need lots of help on styles. We do know we want room for the chilly days in spring and Fall here in Me. But price is a concern. Used is fine but how old is to old. I understand how the owner took care of it is important but even then don't things start to go ? I can see us in this for many years since one child is in college and one two years away. Towing is not an issue. We have several dealers around so playing one off the other can be done. ( Starcraft, Fleetwood, Jayco ). Thanks for any info and come see Maine!!

 :S

[trumpet87]

Personally, after lots of comparisons, we have come to the conclusion that Coleman/Fleetwood is the top of the line as far as quality and fit/finish.  We own a 99 Mesa.  Others just don't compare to cabinet space, features, etc. They also have patents out on their campers that other brands cannot have. Our 99 model is still more advanced as far as features, quality, etc. than the newer brands.  And they hold their value better.  Yeah, they are more expensive, but you get what you pay for.  Just my opinion.

[moderator1]

I'm going to move this over to the General Forum for more exposure

[Maine Dave]

Personally, after lots of comparisons, we have come to the conclusion that Coleman/Fleetwood is the top of the line as far as quality and fit/finish.  We own a 99 Mesa.  Others just don't compare to cabinet space, features, etc. They also have patents out on their campers that other brands cannot have. Our 99 model is still more advanced as far as features, quality, etc. than the newer brands.  And they hold their value better.  Yeah, they are more expensive, but you get what you pay for.  Just my opinion.

Thank you! I've heard and seen these same comments from others regarding the Coleman/Fleetwood line.

[HersheyGirl]

I really like my Palomino and I really liked my Jayco.  I don't think that one brand is superior to another, it is just what YOU like and what YOU can live with.  Everyone thinks that their brand of camper is the best, because it fits them best.  I would look at all that is available and see what you like and don't like and take it from there.  If you stay with a specific brand, you will limit yourself and may miss a terrific camper and a great deal.  I would keep all options opened and look around.  Also, the Fleetwood(Coleman) campers have had their share of major problems with the ABS roof and ABS panels.  Do a search and you will fine much discussion on it.  JMHO.

[Kelly]

Thanks for any info and come see Maine!!
 :S

I'd love to come see Maine ~ again!!  It's been almost 18 years since I was there.  Beautiful places!

I agree with HersheyGirl.  Whoever you talk to will tell you that their's is best!     My Jayco is 11 years old, I believe I am the 5th owner and it is still in awesome shape.   I bought it last year and the kids and I have been so happy with this PU.  The floorplan is exactly what we needed.

I think each brand has its pros & cons.  Most around here would say pick out the floorplan that works for you ~ Dave has links to all the PU manufacturers on the main PUT page ~ check to see what they have available.  Once you have a floorplan (or 2) that you really like then check them out at the dealers.  The experience at a dealership may make all the difference in what brand you decide to go with.   (Check out the article about buying a used camper on the homepage, too.)

The other thing I really appreciate about my current Jayco and my previous Palomino is how light they are.  I am limited in what I can tow and most of the 12' Fleetwood/Colemans were too heavy for my comfort level.  

Do a search and keep asking questions.  You'll find just the right PU ...

[chasd60]

I always thought Coleman/Fleetwood had the most innovative designs. I am not sure that translated to quality though.
 When I bought my Viking popup it was based on value for the dollar. Kind of like towing with an Escalade or a Dodge pickup.
 I got a lot of camper for about $4000 less than a similar floorplan in a Coleman. I had very minimal issues with the Viking but nothing that wasn't taken care of under the warranty.
 
 Not sure where you are in Maine but there is a Viking dealer in Windham and another around Skowhegan I think. I bought mine at a steep discount from a dealer in Wisconsin and saved about $1800 from the local dealers. I paid about $6000 so the $1800 was a pretty hefty percentage. Did the same with my hybrid and pocketed $4000.
 
 If you are looking used, I would keep an eye on Uncle Henry's or the papers. Buying at this time of year will cost you more than buying in the fall. The dealers sometimes have a nice markup on used popups. I would try to stay within  5 years old or so.

[trumpet87]

Hi Folks,
We are looking for our first pop-up and need lots of help on styles. We do know we want room for the chilly days in spring and Fall here in Me. But price is a concern. Used is fine but how old is to old. I understand how the owner took care of it is important but even then don't things start to go ? I can see us in this for many years since one child is in college and one two years away. Towing is not an issue. We have several dealers around so playing one off the other can be done. ( Starcraft, Fleetwood, Jayco ). Thanks for any info and come see Maine!!

 :S

Dave, just wanted you to know that I am not that "shallow" as to believe that just because I own a certain brand of camper that mine is the best.  We don't just dive in when making a purchase like this and do lots of investigating before buying. Other posters: If the Coleman line has no superiority over the others, then why do they hold their value much better and bring a better resale price?  I have been in several BRAND NEW 2006 competitor models and NONE of them hold a candle to a 7 year old model, for example, to a  Coleman/Fleetwood in quality, features etc. as mentioned above. And as for the roof, they have a lifetime warranty, so if there is a problem, it gets fixed, no charge.  We have come to our conclusions based on fact, nothing else. Just wanted you to know, Dave, that I'm not trying to "sell" the Coleman name just because I own one.  If I felt like Jayco was the best in quality, after thorough investigation and comparison, then I would own a Jayco.

[Kelly]

Dave, just wanted you to know that I am not that "shallow" as to believe that just because I own a certain brand of camper that mine is the best.  We don't just dive in when making a purchase like this and do lots of investigating before buying.

That's pretty much what I was trying to say ... we each come to our conclusion of what is best based on our own investigations and comparisons.  What works for one may not work for another.  I was just encouraging the OP to keep his options open, as I'm sure was Hershey Girl.

Other posters: If the Coleman line has no superiority over the others, then why do they hold their value much better and bring a better resale price?  I have been in several BRAND NEW 2006 competitor models and NONE of them hold a candle to a 7 year old model, for example, to a  Coleman/Fleetwood in quality, features etc. as mentioned above. And as for the roof, they have a lifetime warranty, so if there is a problem, it gets fixed, no charge.  We have come to our conclusions based on fact, nothing else. Just wanted you to know, Dave, that I'm not trying to "sell" the Coleman name just because I own one.  If I felt like Jayco was the best in quality, after thorough investigation and comparison, then I would own a Jayco.

Perception.  They have a great reputation ~ I'll give you that.  I've been in lots of Coleman/Fleetwoods and they are nice.  But they are also heavy and many models lack adequate storage space ~ two features I am very concerned about as a single mom traveling with 4 kids.  (I was camping with 6 other families recently ~ 3 Coleman owners and every one of them commented on how much storage I had in my Jayco.)   IIRC the lifetime warranty on the roof only applies to the original owner ... after that you are on your own.  Some have gotten lucky and found a dealer willing to replace the roof, but they still had to pay for shipping at a hefty cost to themselves.

I'm not saying Jayco is the best out there ~ I'm saying it was the best choice for my family based on our needs at this time.  I was merely pointing out to the OP that he should do the same ~ investigate his options, ask questions and make an informed decision that works for his family.  Same as you did.

[chasd60]

Dave, just wanted you to know that I am not that "shallow" as to believe that just because I own a certain brand of camper that mine is the best.  We don't just dive in when making a purchase like this and do lots of investigating before buying. Other posters: If the Coleman line has no superiority over the others, then why do they hold their value much better and bring a better resale price?  I have been in several BRAND NEW 2006 competitor models and NONE of them hold a candle to a 7 year old model, for example, to a  Coleman/Fleetwood in quality, features etc. as mentioned above. And as for the roof, they have a lifetime warranty, so if there is a problem, it gets fixed, no charge.  We have come to our conclusions based on fact, nothing else. Just wanted you to know, Dave, that I'm not trying to "sell" the Coleman name just because I own one.  If I felt like Jayco was the best in quality, after thorough investigation and comparison, then I would own a Jayco.

You are correct about the sagging roof warranty. It is replaced free of charge. Shipping for the new roof is about $900 and that is usually not disclosed but your right, it is free?? Oh yea, if you bought it used then that warranty is non-transferrable and you don't even get the new roof.
   
   My point was value for the dollar. If you buy a Hummer to tow with, it will have higher resale value than a F150 Ford pickup. Was the value for the dollar and for the purpose the same? Does the Hummer have a higher resale value? Yep, but it had a higher initial cost not necessarily a better value for the dollar. I am not so "shallow" as to think a higher purchase price would not lead to a higher resale value.
 
  The fact that I mentioned the Viking that I owned was not an inference to quality or the perceived quality but was "value for the dollar" as I plainly stated.

Maine Dave, you would do better to ask which popup was the worst you have ever owned. Without "owning" more than one brand, most people will only give opinions and typically they favor the brand they own. Heck, why would you say you hated the brand you owned? It would make you look a little foolish for owning it.

[trumpet87]

You are correct about the sagging roof warranty. It is replaced free of charge. Shipping for the new roof is about $900 and that is usually not disclosed but your right, it is free?? Oh yea, if you bought it used then that warranty is non-transferrable and you don't even get the new roof.
   
   My point was value for the dollar. If you buy a Hummer to tow with, it will have higher resale value than a F150 Ford pickup. Was the value for the dollar and for the purpose the same? Does the Hummer have a higher resale value? Yep, but it had a higher initial cost not necessarily a better value for the dollar. I am not so "shallow" as to think a higher purchase price would not lead to a higher resale value.
 
  The fact that I mentioned the Viking that I owned was not an inference to quality or the perceived quality but was "value for the dollar" as I plainly stated.

Maine Dave, you would do better to ask which popup was the worst you have ever owned. Without "owning" more than one brand, most people will only give opinions and typically they favor the brand they own. Heck, why would you say you hated the brand you owned? It would make you look a little foolish for owning it.

Well, I disagree with what you said about not admitting if you hated the brand you owned - I have read many posts on here from people who admit they hate their camper, and that's a good thing because they are being honest, and if I didn't like mine I would say so.  I was not trying to step on any toes here but just trying to give an opinion based on facts that were asked for.  Then when I did, instead of people commenting on the pros and/or cons of their particular brand, all I saw was Coleman bashing. I think when someone in the market for a pup comes on here and asks for opinions on different camper brands, the right thing to do would be to inform them of the brand you own/or have previously owned to the best of your ability No hard feelings, just how I feel

[Maine Dave]

You are correct about the sagging roof warranty. It is replaced free of charge. Shipping for the new roof is about $900 and that is usually not disclosed but your right, it is free?? Oh yea, if you bought it used then that warranty is non-transferrable and you don't even get the new roof.
   
   My point was value for the dollar. If you buy a Hummer to tow with, it will have higher resale value than a F150 Ford pickup. Was the value for the dollar and for the purpose the same? Does the Hummer have a higher resale value? Yep, but it had a higher initial cost not necessarily a better value for the dollar. I am not so "shallow" as to think a higher purchase price would not lead to a higher resale value.
 
  The fact that I mentioned the Viking that I owned was not an inference to quality or the perceived quality but was "value for the dollar" as I plainly stated.

Maine Dave, you would do better to ask which popup was the worst you have ever owned. Without "owning" more than one brand, most people will only give opinions and typically they favor the brand they own. Heck, why would you say you hated the brand you owned? It would make you look a little foolish for owning it.

Thanks again to everyone for their valued imputs. This does make things a little easyer even with conflicting points of view. I feel more comfortable knowing that people do like the competing brands so there's less likely hood of getting a lousy brand.
At what point on your brands did the repairs start to show up ?

[chasd60]

Thanks again to everyone for their valued imputs. This does make things a little easyer even with conflicting points of view. I feel more comfortable knowing that people do like the competing brands so there's less likely hood of getting a lousy brand.
 At what point on your brands did the repairs start to show up ?

On my Viking, I had a bad converter immediately. Other than that there were no issues. I sold my 2001 Viking 2480ST on New Years Day of 2004. A couple from VA drove up to buy it.
Some pics of it here
http://userpages.prexar.com/chasd/camperpics.html
Mine had two dinettes, a U-shaped one and a regular one. We didn't use the U-Shaped dinette unless we had a crowd. The table for it was used outside and the U-Shaped area made for a nice couch type area.

My 2004 Bantam Hybrid by Trail-Lite had to have one of the bunkends repaired after the first season and a few little clips for the curtains had broken. Been good ever since.

[SkipP]

We now have a Fleetwood Mesa, 2003.5 vintage (the first with the Alumitite roof, since discontinued). It's been a good camper for us with only minor issues. As far as build quality, it's fine but nothing to get overly excited about. I've done a few modifications to our campers and thats an excellent way to see first-hand what the build quallity is like. We looked for quite a while before buying our first new camper (a '00 Cheyenne) and it was the floorplan first then the dealer that nudged us into the direction that we took. When we (okay, my wife) wanted a bigger camper, we considered the Fleetwood first only because of the excellent service from the dealer.

The Coleman/Fleetwood ABS roof issues are well known here and on other forums but I'm afraid that's about the extent of the coverage. Mention it to most folks around the campgrounds and you'll get a blank look, so if you're here reading this, you're a lot more informed than most! The lifetime warranty only applied to the original purchaser.
 
If we were looking again (okay, my wife:D ), we'd first consider the floorplan, then the dealer and then the make.
 
Best of luck!

[Maine Dave]

Hi Folks,
We are looking for our first pop-up and need lots of help on styles. We do know we want room for the chilly days in spring and Fall here in Me. But price is a concern. Used is fine but how old is to old. I understand how the owner took care of it is important but even then don't things start to go ? I can see us in this for many years since one child is in college and one two years away. Towing is not an issue. We have several dealers around so playing one off the other can be done. ( Starcraft, Fleetwood, Jayco ). Thanks for any info and come see Maine!!

 :S

Hi Folks, just found a starcraft centenial 2004 with cd, 3 way frig, 15 btu heater, 6' awning, microwave. I don't care about the cd, microwave and the awning is small. price is $8495. Any suggestions for an offer tothe dealer?
Thanks
Maine Dave