Coleman Utah or Rockwood 2518?

[mastory]

Our family is looking for a pop-up.  We recently sold our Rockwood 1260 that we'd had and enjoyed for 16 years.  But boys tend to grow and now we need something larger...

I've heard all the horror stories about the Coleman roof problems and have seen one first hand on a dealer's lot with cracks and blisters.  Does anyone know if the Rockwood's fiberglass roof has the same problems?

Are there other issues with either of these trailers that I should be aware of?

Thank you.

[fritz_monroe]

Are you looking at new or used?

I actually don't know what roof problems you are speaking about.  There was an ABS roof on some of the Coleman pups that could warp and cause issues, I think the last year for that was 2003.

[kathybrj]

We had our 2002 Utah for 4 years before trading it in. We really loved it and purchased it new because of the floor plan. However, we never anticiapted that our daughter, who just turned 13 years old would be 5' 10" this year and it made her sleeping on the goucho couch uncomfortable.

Otherwise, we loved the slideout dinette and the large end bunks. We used the trunk extensively and loved the storage under the dinette seats. It towed well with our Safari van (we used a wdh) and was a real joy to stay in during our camping trips. The openess is something we do miss, but we had to give it up to take my Mom on trips with us, so we needed to go with something larger.

We had the ABS roof and traded it in with absolutely no problems having come up. The camper held up great and we received a generous trade-in for it. It actually got a deposit put on it the day we brought it to trade-in.

Good luck with your purchase and have fun looking!

[mastory]

Are you looking at new or used?

I actually don't know what roof problems you are speaking about.  There was an ABS roof on some of the Coleman pups that could warp and cause issues, I think the last year for that was 2003.

If we could find a good used one, we'd probably take that.  We looked at a 2002 Utah at a dealership in Golden, CO, but the top had cracks as well as the rear panel.  I don't understand why the original owner didn't have Coleman replace it at no cost before they traded it in.  Now, whoever buys it will have to pony up big bucks.

And used Rockwoods seem to be very scarce around here.

We may be forced to buy new.

[SherryandFamily]

Fleetwood began offering the roof replacement at no cost when the problems first surfaced.  Along the way I think they were overwhelmed and changed their practice to replaceing the roof, but the popup owner had to pay the shipping which was as high as $1,000.00 depending on where you were located.

We had a 1999 Utah that developed roof sag and fortunately we got our roof replaced right before they stated charging for shipping.

That is probably why the previous owner traded theirs in.  I don't know what we would have done if we had to pay that much!

We did love our Utah, btw but traded it in last year for a Niagara.  I miss the goucho bed but LOVE the hard wall bathroom.

Sherry

[babybober]

mastory:
I don't know if you are in the north east or not but the dealer that I just bought my 98 Sunridge at got a 2003 utah in this week on consignemnt and another local dealer has a 2000 rockwood 2518 on his lot.  I didn't look at either of them real close as they we just too big for towing with the minivan.   Location is Rochester, NY.  If you want more details let me know.

[campdaddy]

Hi all, this is my first posting here, but I want to share our experience with both the Rockwood camper we bought and the dealer Tom Raper.
We purchased an

[fritz_monroe]

mastory, like SherryandFamily, we really like our pup.  We have a new Fleetwood Bayside.  Hopefully the new roof material doesn't turn out like the ABS roof did.  We are thrilled with out camper, we haven't used it as much as we liked, but we have plans on doing a lot more camping this year.

If you are looking at the used model, go over it really well before buying.  Remember, an RV dealer is in business to sell a new camper, most don't make all that much with the used sales.  Take a look at the RV Trader for your area and see what people have for sale.  I know in my area, there are always a lot of campers, and many of them look like they have been used only a couple times.

Good luck with your search, and if you do your homework and don't settle for somethat you aren't happy with, I'm sure you will be able to locate a pup that you will get a lot of use out of.

[mastory]

Just to put wrap on this thread, we ended up buying a '98 Coleman Casa Grande, which appears to be the forerunner to the Utah and Bayside - same slide-out dinnette, end couch, etc.

We'll miss the front storage bin, but the amount of storage inside is incredible compared to our old Rockwood.  The trailer has the new aluminum roof and A/C.  Since we live in Colorado and have never camped below 8,000 or 9,000 feet, I'm skeptical about needing A/C, but maybe that opens up some options like the Black Hills this summer.

In spite of having several inches of snow on the ground and a couple more falling last night, the trailer is open and we're moving "stuff" into it (mainly to get it out of the garage).  We're also knocking out some small modification projects that we've picked up on this site.

Thanks to one and all for your comments and encouragement.

[SherryandFamily]

Mastory,
FYI- we run the fan on our A/C even when we don't need it for cooling because the "white noise" drowns out the noise outside.  Even when we are using the furnace we have the Heat Strips on the A/C to help move warm air around.
You might find it handy for that.
Sherry

[jstaddwtr]

We have a 2002 Utah.  On the last week of the warranty the ABS roof acquired spider cracks and then it got worst.  We got the new roof for no charge.  We have travelled big distances and loved it.   Watch for cracks on the front and back panels.  Also check the seals to the front storage compartment and look for cracks on the lid.   We would do it again!