Does anyone know if there is an RV review website I can research on? Or even a thread on this forum? We inherited my parents 25 foot Coleman Caravan several years ago. It's been a great camper. It's now 12 years old and our family has grown so its' a tight fit with all the 'stuff' we bring. I think it was good quality when they purchased it back then new for 20k. It was made by Fleetwood then. We are now shopping for a new travel trailer with bunks with more storage and a little bigger. We have it narrowed down to 2. We are wanting to stay under $25k with trade in or sale of our current unit. The 2015 Coleman Lantern 295QB is one. Lots of room Separate bunk room. LOTS of storage. Drab colors. Best price. It is now made by Dutchman. It's really economical at $18,500 minus our trade. The other is a Bullet by Keystone 272 BHS which seems to incorporate some of the nicer features of the longer 34' bunkhouse trailers without the excessive length and price and its stylish, but comes in at $25k (Haven't negotiated on that one yet). We are leaning towards the Bullet but its sort of an even split and we are waffling. Does anyone have any opinions on quality or longevity of these brands? Experience camping in them? We are hoping to get about 8-10 seasons in this until our kids are grown and then we will graduate to our retirement on wheels RV. Thanks everyone! Renee
My kids had a bullet and it was pretty trouble free. It was the bunkhouse model you are talking about. The issue they had was the kids did not understand RV showers and holding tanks so he always needed full hookups. The SIL dumped twice a day on average.
I frequent many of the major RV sites on a regular basis and don't know of any site for systematic researching of different models. The http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs provides pricing for new and used RVs but not performance data. You could search the major RV forums such as IRV2 but what you tend to find are posts by those who love their RV and by those that hate theirs. Both sets of posts are usually rather biased. Objective data is difficult to find. There are a couple of firms that sell review information on specific models, and we did buy one such guide when we were looking for ours. It was of some benefit, but not enormously helpful.
Renee, I don't really have an opinion on either of the two trailers you mentioned. I just wanted to impress upon you to make sure the new trailer you do purchase has a good warranty and you get assurances from the dealer and the manufacturer that repairs will be made until they are to your satisfaction. We had terrible problems with water getting into our trailer from underneath (a lot of water). It was tire spray from wet pavement getting in at the slide-out which is directly over the axles. Several "repairs" were undertaken before the problem was truly fixed. After each "repair", I'd wait for a good rain then test the repair only to return it to the dealer again & again. We stayed with it though (five repairs over a six month period) and even got our warranty extended for the slide-out. Your new trailer will only be as good as its warranty. My suggestion for trailer reviews is to strike up conversations with other trailer owners at the campground. We've been honest with others over our issues and have heard plenty of horror stories. The common thread appears to be that the manufacturers throw their trailers together as fast as they can and deal with the complaints when they arise.
Renee, I bought a 27 ft Summerland/Springdale (made by Keystone) with bunk beds. It sleeps 8 with one slideout. We really (still) love the layout and the quality of the components has been way better than most of our fellow campers-- or so we're finding out from others. The manufacturer was pretty good to work with on the 1st year repairs (under warranty) --- leak in the roof, awning coming apart at the seams, door latches breaking, etc. The authorized Keystone dealers in our area were difficult, however, since they didn't sell us the camper and didn't much want the service work.....quoted us 3 month wait til service appointment. Keystone finally said we could take it to the dealer of our choice and they'd reimburse the cost. In spite of those few struggles, it is proving to be a super travel trailer that is priced very well. Our model is Summerland 2670BHGS. Great open feeling to the main cabin but the bath/shower is rather small (aren't they all). Good luck and happy campingl
See if there is any RV "service only" business in your area. They might have a better idea on what brands to look into and what to stay away from. Mike
