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07-11-2013, 12:35 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5
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pros vs cons of FF 14'
I've read a lot of negative reviews about some of the larger FF's. I.E. Seals, lamination, black water tank, electrical. I'm interested in owner's experience of the 14' or 16' FF. Thanks in advance for your replies.
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07-12-2013, 09:31 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Southwest Arizona
Posts: 624
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Don't base your decisions on what you read in forums. Forums, by and large, will give you a biased look at any device or purchase from RVs to airplanes to toasters. The only folks that post in forums are those that are looking for help with a problem or guidance in a modification. You will very rarely see a post "My XYZ is the best on the planet..." Just doesn't happen.
That being said, all RVs have issues. If it doesn't when you buy it, it will while you own it. That is the nature of the beast. A cheaply built (and that is our fault; but, another thread) big box that we merrily bounce down highways that are more minefields than highways, ignore maintaining until something breaks and then expect it to last forever. Any seam will leak if you ignore it long enough, any slide will fail if you never do the maintenance on it and any appliance will fail if you fail to do the annual inspections and cleanings.
IMHO, CruiserRV makes as good an RV as any company out there, and for their price break, better than others.
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My 2 cents, your mileage may vary...
Don
Bronwyn
2 Cats; J-Lo and Ragamuffin :R
2014 Thor Tuscany 40RX DP
2011 Ram 2500 Longhorn CTD HO
2011 Keystone Cougar 318SAB (now gone)
2008 FunFinder X 210WBS (Sadly gone)
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07-12-2013, 11:26 AM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5
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pro's cons rv's...
thanks Don - that is very good advice. Being a newbie at this makes me a little apprehensive. So treat the rv like your car and if you can't do the maintenance yourself, bring it to a professional!
Happy trails,
Ann
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07-12-2013, 05:21 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Southwest Arizona
Posts: 624
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You've hit the nail right on the head. It can be a lot of trouble if you aren't mechanically inclined...there are always little things that need adjusting, cleaning and patching. It can be daunting to the uninitiated and it is very hard to find really good service centers. If you are fortunate enough to have a good one in your area, treat them well as they are few and far between. Just like your car; there are good mechanics and there are not so good ones and a good one is worth his weight in gold if you ever need them!
__________________
My 2 cents, your mileage may vary...
Don
Bronwyn
2 Cats; J-Lo and Ragamuffin :R
2014 Thor Tuscany 40RX DP
2011 Ram 2500 Longhorn CTD HO
2011 Keystone Cougar 318SAB (now gone)
2008 FunFinder X 210WBS (Sadly gone)
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07-12-2013, 05:31 PM
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#5
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5
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that's the key...
...finding the good mechanic! We have a fewl in Albuquerque, NM to choose from, but only one in Santa Fe, so will check them out.
My concern now with the Fun Finder is Crusier doesn't seem to be making the smaller 14 & 16' rv's any longer, and I wonder if parts down the road will be an issue.
Just keeping all options open as I do my research.
Thanks again for your feedback.
Ann
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07-13-2013, 09:10 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Southwest Arizona
Posts: 624
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One nice thing about RVs is that for the most part, aside from walls, ceilings, and floor, all the parts are off the shelf. Only two real refrigerator makers, only two real water heater makers, only 3 real A/C makers, etc. All the trailer manufacturers use 3rd party components when assembling their units, the Dometic refrigerator in my Keystone 5th wheel is the same refrigerator used in the FunFinder larger trailers (its a big refrigerator , won't fit in the smaller ones). You will, of course, find that Suburban may have stopped making the exact model of water heater that your unit came with, but, by and large, the repair parts are still available, either off-the-shelf or scavenged from an old unit at a salvage yard; most "new" designs still use parts from older models to keep down cost. While the unit may be a "new" design, you may find that it uses the old style burner tube or control board and can be put on the older version to effect a repair.
Even the box (walls, ceiling and floors) are built using standard manufacturing processes that any good RV repair facility can duplicate. Just like repairing a fender on your car, most damage to a roof or wall can be repaired "good as new".
__________________
My 2 cents, your mileage may vary...
Don
Bronwyn
2 Cats; J-Lo and Ragamuffin :R
2014 Thor Tuscany 40RX DP
2011 Ram 2500 Longhorn CTD HO
2011 Keystone Cougar 318SAB (now gone)
2008 FunFinder X 210WBS (Sadly gone)
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07-13-2013, 09:18 AM
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#7
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5
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getting more confident...
yes, I realize that now. That's exactly the case with our pop-up. All the guts are 3rd party components. even the axle!. So making sure I have a good repair shop available is key, and I am feeling more confident since, I've used one in Albuquerque that was helpful.
Will be looking at a used funfinder today - we'll see! =:-)
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07-13-2013, 09:34 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Southwest Arizona
Posts: 624
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If you ever need an RV repair in the Santa Fe area, I can recommend Complete RV Repair from personal experience.
When we were on our first long trip with the 5er, the refrigerator died. It died in Kansas, but, we had a time constraint in getting to Santa Fe and couldn't wait anyplace to make the repairs. Got to Santa Fe and started calling around. Found lots of places that could repair it, but, wouldn't touch it because it was warranty work or couldn't get to it for weeks. Finally found Complete RV Repair and he came out the next day and found a complete absorption unit in Texas. Had it FedEx shipped next day and installed the day after. He was quite busy with other work at his shop, but, realized the predicament we were in (we had been operating out of 5 big coolers) and was there when we needed him, did the warranty work (didn't cost us a dime; well I did give he and his helper a tip and a case of suds ). A "youngster" but, quite good at his trade, timely, neat and adept at troubleshooting (I had already "troubleshot" the unit and new exactly what was wrong, and he "duplicated" my process completely) and repair.
__________________
My 2 cents, your mileage may vary...
Don
Bronwyn
2 Cats; J-Lo and Ragamuffin :R
2014 Thor Tuscany 40RX DP
2011 Ram 2500 Longhorn CTD HO
2011 Keystone Cougar 318SAB (now gone)
2008 FunFinder X 210WBS (Sadly gone)
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07-13-2013, 09:40 AM
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#9
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5
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found them...
Wow! didn't know about this place. They didn't come up when I first did an internet search. Their web site is: http://completervcare.net/
will stop by and chat with them. Thank you sooo much!
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