Which trailer do you regret selling?

[Raz]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Thank you !!
You are 100% correct . At this point in time I have two options . 1) Admit I made a mistake in judgement , live with my mistake and go on ,or sell , take the financial loss and see where the road takes us
Getting upset won’t fix the problem only time and money will .
My wife and I are in our 70’s so it maybe time to take a different path
Thanks again !!

I've been using the mobile skin which is easier on the eyes but doesnt provide brand info, so I missed that you had bought an Escape. Sorry it didn't work out. My suggestion is to fix the Escape, sell it and buy what will make you happy. Life's too short.

Some brands have a cult following here. Anyone who talks about problems opens themselves to abuse, so most keep there mouths shut. People who share there issues and how they are resolved provide a service to prospective buyers and keep the manufacturers honest.

[lisantica]

Originally Posted by Jack Walter

I most regret selling my little 10' Eriba Puck that weighed around 900 lbs. It was perfect for weekend camping trips behind my four cylinder Land Rovers.

I see from your photo that was a nice setup. Do you think you'll look for another one?

[jgilliam1955]

I am surprised at the issues some have had with some of the Fiberglass Trailers. We have a 2019 Casita. We love it no problems. I make recommendations on other forums that the Fiberglass Trailers are trouble free.

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by lisantica

I have 3 trailers.
1) 1992 13' Scamp standard. It has the front sofa, 3-way fridge, awning, stove, no heater, no A/C. Very sentimental as it is my first egg.

2) 2017 17' Casita Independence. It has a lot of bells and whistles. 3" lift kit, 15" tires, solar, Honda generator, A/C, heat, full bath/shower, awning.

3) 2008 16' Scamp Deluxe. Birch cabinets, heat, A/C, stove & oven, side bath/shower.

I don't have to sell any of them, I have the space for them at my home. It just feels a little excessive.

I should probably sell one of them, but at this time I'm having a hard time deciding which should go. I thought I'd ask the forum which trailer any of you have sold and regretted. I don't want to have seller's remorse and it helps to read other's opinions.

Thank you.

The pictures of your Casita is awesome. Great Job.

[lisantica]

Originally Posted by jgilliam1955

The pictures of your Casita is awesome. Great Job.

The former owner did an excellent job in making lots of upgrades.

[Osos1]

Originally Posted by Raz

....Some brands have a cult following here. Anyone who talks about problems opens themselves to abuse, so most keep there mouths shut. People who share there issues and how they are resolved provide a service to prospective buyers and keep the manufacturers honest.

Ok- I've had some problems with my Escape 21. Not as serious as Steve's to be sure, yet disappointing nevertheless. The problem of most significance is the fiberglass. The driver's side after year 3 started looking weird. I thought it was oxidation and sought to remedy it. Nothing I did worked so took it to a respected detailer and he didn't/couldn't make it go away either. Last week I took it to a fiberglass boat manufacturer who also does detailing. He immediately said the problem was a result of a chemical reaction while in the mould. That side got too hot and over time that area's color is different than the surrounding fiberglass. Of course ETI excludes cosmetic defects from their warranty.

At my pick up there was a delay while they were doing some "extra buffing". Now I know why.

[Steve Hammel]

Originally Posted by OCJohn

What's an SOB? (In this context...)

Some
Other
Brand

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by jgilliam1955

I am surprised at the issues some have had with some of the Fiberglass Trailers. We have a 2019 Casita. We love it no problems. I make recommendations on other forums that the Fiberglass Trailers are trouble free.

First, such postings tend to collect people that have had problems. Secondly, some problems are inherent in all RVs: they all use appliances, windows, axles, etc., from the same suppliers. Third, RV production is at a peak, while unemployment is at an all time low. So assembly issues are more common. Some molded FG manufacturers have expanded dramatically during this boom. Others not as much. Dramatic expansion tests recruiting, hiring, and training capabilities and stresses quality. Finally, no house that you pull up and down the highway is going to be totally trouble free.


Now all that being said, many (including me) transitioned from stick built trailers to fiberglass trailers as they are much more durable.

Casita has improved their construction techniques over the years. Their layout has pretty much remained the same, but they have made the small but important changes over the years. Meanwhile, Escape has almost continually introduced new designs over a relatively short time in business. For example, they are on their third fifth wheel shell design. New designs are great, but they introduce a learning curve, and its expensive to keep producing new molds. Its amazing how well they have done.

[cpaharley2008]

Well, after owning 4 Escapes, I can still say they are the best, I have owned Dutchmen, Lance and Eggcampers. We fail to forget that little things like propane regulators or furnace issues is not different than replacing the water heater or water hose at home. do we move, no. We replace them as they are normal replaceable items and move on. But with Escape and both the new and old regime I have not seen any change in customer service. Yes, my a/c was not properly tightened, took me 10 minutes to fix, my Fastec lock failed, Escape reimbursed me for a locksmith, my grease seals were leaking, again I was reimburse 50%. I would not hesitate purchasing another (have you seen their new model?) and I probably have sold 2 dozen new Escapes from my showings. I may have drank the Kool Aid as they say but I'm still vertical. Other manufacturers have had frame failures and sway issues all due to shortcuts, but nothing like that has occurred with Escape.

[WaltP]

I mostly agree with you Jim. But see my experience with the defective light fixture. That makes me concerned about their future business practices.
And as I've heard the story, Reace initially agreed to stay on as a consultant but fairly quickly broke even that connection. Maybe he just didn't like not being in charge, but it does make me wonder.

Walt

[WizWid]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

....Casita has improved their construction techniques over the years.....

Tell us more.
Are they using stronger rivets?

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by widgetwizard

Tell us more.
Are they using stronger rivets?

Some of it is with the OSB in the floor. They now drill an oversized hole for every penetration and put a spacer in. Seems like a small change, but its meaningful. This protects the OSB from water intrusion. Don't know what they do below the shower.

[steve dunham]

The theory that because FG trailer manufacturers use the same poor quality appliances as stick built trailer manufacturers we should just accept that they will fail and be content makes no sense ( Misery loves Company ? )

The idea that manufacturing defects in a FG trailer are acceptable if we can repair them ourselves at our own expense in less than a day defies logic

The notion that because the owners of Escape or Scamp or Casita are really nice individuals we should cut them some slack when they take your money but don’t deliver a quality product is ludicrous

The quality of FG trailer like all travel trailers is inconsistent at best
The U S auto industry finally came to the realization that close enough is good enough doesn’t fly , the trailer industry hasn’t got their yet .

I for one don’t care if the upholstery is color coordinated with the countertops or the flooring matches the pattern of my china or the striping on my trailer matches my outfit , or the manufacturer offers a plethora of high priced options

I want a trailer that doesn’t leak , the doors and windows close and latch , the refrigerator cools , the furnace heats , the pump pumps water , the wheels go round and round , the roof fan blows air . the water heater heats water , the cooktop cooks food etc etc etc !!
Right now I don’t have that and I wish I did !

[cpaharley2008]

Walt,
I was concerned with the light issues and even eliminated pancake lights in favor of the captain lights with replaceable bulbs as my 2016 and perhaps your 2017 had the non replaceable bulbs. Reace built a nice trailer but was constantly "improving" little things, like the lights and illuminated water heater switch. Well come to find out he had switched the lights again on the 2018/2019 models with replaceable bulbs. Upon pickup I immediately asked for a pancake assembly for the kitchen captain light. All the other lights are fine and operating and, knock on wood, my o/h fan is working flawlessly without the power surge issues experienced by the earlier models. ETI reads the forums and when there is an issue with their products, they fix it both by owner and across the board by replacing future models. That is the reason for some of my Escape purchases, power awnings, frameless windows are 2 other reasons to upgrade.

[cpaharley2008]

So here are 2 posts back to back, one positive and one negative, so if anyone wants further info on either feel free to discuss.

[Cathy P.]

I have to agree with Steve, and feel the reason that it has come to "good enough" is because consumers have let the companies slide and not demanded something better. A nice guy? Yeah, I don't care about working with a nice guy, I care about a quality product.

This so reminds me of when I was a child hearing my dad and extended family members, neighbors, etc. debating which was better "Ford" or "Chevrolet". The debate was never ending.

In the case of the OP, I would keep them all as she has a very decent lineup of tried and true with most issues known because they have been around for some time - the newer stuff, not so much. The Casita, although newer, from what I can tell by reviews, is still pretty much what it was in the past, for better or worse, but not a lot of unknowns.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

The quality of FG trailer like all travel trailers is inconsistent at best The U S auto industry finally came to the realization that close enough is good enough doesn’t fly , the trailer industry hasn’t got their yet .

I'm not hopeful. First, there is a fundamental difference in how vehicles are viewed under the law; passenger cars and trucks are essentially viewed as vital transportation. This eventually led to Lemon Laws, ten-year parts availability, etc.

In contrast, RV's are viewed as luxury items. Manufacturers pass-through warranties for the components, but they don't hold the same liability that passenger vehicle manufacturers do.

Finally, there is the matter of sheer scale. Vehicle designs represent hundreds of millions of dollars invested in designs and in automated manufacturing systems. Unlike some workers, the robots generally operate repeatably to very close tolerances.

I once posted a link to a fellows post from another forum where he described RVs as something like a "kit" which you can enjoy as such. His position was that if you expected something complete and functional, you would be disappointed. I'm afraid he had something with that view. Ah, here it is:

Post from a new trailer owner on RV.Net

I have come to the conclusion that most of what is manufactured by this industry is, in effect a "kit"......kinda like, "some assembly required". The folks that seem to be the happiest are those who like to tinker and really have a lot of "pride in ownership". There is always something to be tweaked, adjusted, fixed or modified. Great fun if you like doing all that, maybe less so if you simply want something that is turn key 100% reliable. And it does not seem to matter which end of the price spectrum you are buying. Go hang out on the Air Forum ( Airstream ) and you will hear those owners talking about the same issues that is cussed and discussed over on the funfinder ( my choice ) forum.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm arguing your essential point. I agree that manufacturers could and should do better. But, as I mentioned above, I'm not hopeful. So, I am choosing to treat my trailer like that "kit", with some assembly required...

[lisantica]

Originally Posted by Cathy P.

In the case of the OP, I would keep them all as she has a very decent lineup of tried and true with most issues known because they have been around for some time - the newer stuff, not so much. The Casita, although newer, from what I can tell by reviews, is still pretty much what it was in the past, for better or worse, but not a lot of unknowns.

Thank you, I have decided to keep them all at this time.
Thankfully, the Casita has a lot of upgrades and fixes of known problems from the previous owner. It's the newest in the bunch as it's a 2017.

I may rethink selling one at a future date, but for now they're not very expensive to keep. The two Scamps have permanent trailer tags and by sheer luck, the DMV gave me PTI for the Casita as well (the gal even went out and measured it). So only $6 per year to license them all, or as the case is, a $30 registration bill every 5 years.

[lisantica]

Just as an FYI, I'm not sure how to respond to the folks who are talking about issues with certain manufacturers and other off-topic comments.

I have just stayed out of it as I don't have an opinion and I don't want to stop anyone from expression their own.

I just didn't want anyone to think I have slighted them by not responding.
Carry on.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by lisantica

Just as an FYI, I'm not sure how to respond to the folks who are talking about issues with certain manufacturers and other off-topic comments.

I have just stayed out of it as I don't have an opinion and I don't want to stop anyone from expression their own.

I just didn't want anyone to think I have slighted them by not responding.
Carry on.

Lisa,

Not in the least, actually we are arguably being somewhat rude in going so far off topic. I have come to realize that drift happens. Sometimes good things come out of that, other times things go badly astray. Equal numbers of people seem to like and dislike drift. Thanks for your kindness in accepting our nattering on about other topics.

As regards your original question, it looks like you have reached a decision. My reply, if I had been polite enough to offer one, would be to ask whether there is any driving factor which would prompt you to get rid of any; I didn't see any.

Originally Posted by lisantica

I don't have to sell any of them, I have the space for them at my home. It just feels a little excessive.

I should probably sell one of them, but at this time I'm having a hard time deciding which should go.

I don't see any reason stated to let any go. I don't think "should probably" is your authentic inner voice, or reflects your own feelings. So, congratulations, it sounds like you've reached peace with a decision.