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11-07-2015, 09:17 AM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: St George, Utah
Posts: 31
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Tough 2 year owning 2014 FunFinder 214WSD
Let me first introduce myself: Bill Sorensen, St George, Utah.
Bought my trailer new in June of 2113. Fun Finder 214.
First trailer owned, I'll be honest this has been a nightmare.
Have had serious problems with it from day one.
awning falling off, speaker wires not wired right, no rain gutters installed at factory, roof coming out of the front cap, they cut a piece a cross the trailer to fix the roof, front cap faded, wiring problem throughout the trailer, 20amp fuse keeps blowing going to the tongue jack, when that fuse blows it takes out power to inside of trailer as well, no fridge power or lights. Not sure if that's wired right, at shop now getting that fixed, the worst was when traveling on the freeway, lost one of the wheels, hub and all, come to find out the wheel hub was just tacked on, was not welded. I was driving on 3 wheels, didn't realize it until I pulled into my driveway. Running lights went out, shop found a screw installed at factory was installed into a wire that caused short. $200.00 Bill, not under warranty. Cap LED light wires hanging out of cap, caused wires to disconnect from lights inside cap. Table seat cushion bracket not nailed it. Drawer latches not nailed in. It's never ending! I want to like this, I keep telling my wife, we get this fixed and we'll have a nice trailer, then something else happeneds. I would never buy another Cruiser coach again, buyer beware! I've never posted anything negative about anything before but this has been a nightmare.
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11-07-2015, 10:26 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: North Georgia
Posts: 466
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I hate to be negative also .... "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all".
However, our 2015 WSD had completely different issues and we sold it in less than a year taking a $7,000 loss on it just to cut our losses and get out of the RV lifestyle completely. It was our third trailer in 3 years and we found all of them to be built poorly with little pride in workmanship. It's not just Cruiser RV, it's an industry wide situation where the manufacturers ship stuff out the door with no QA checks simply relying on their dealer network to fix all the problems the first year under warranty. Our problem (with 3 different brands and 3 different dealers) was that they had so much of this warranty work, none of them could get to work on our trailers in less than a 3 to 6 month window if we left the trailer with them that day. The industry is self destructive and personally, we found it more trouble than it was worth, always wondering what failure would rear its ugly head next and when.
Our FF214 WSD was the first trailer we had where everything actually worked normally inside the trailer. All systems functioned beautifully. So, you ask, what's the problem ? We had the trailer out twice on two trips. In that time we found the interior cabin flooded 5 times. Water running down the walls in the dinette one time, water running down (and inside) the wall in the bedroom another time. Roof leaks, window leaks, water pump and water heater leaks, all simply due to improper installation at the factory. Since I had to fix all this stuff myself (as we were traveling cross country) and no dealer could get to it in less than 3 months, I had to remove many panels to get to the inside cavities to access plumbing etc. It was then that I was able to really see the quagmire of wiring bird's nests and balls of wire with no attempt at any logical routing or method of securing. I also got to see the haphazard and clumzy way all the plumbing was put together. Nothing was cut to the proper length and everything was forced into place at odd angles under extreme side loads. No threaded coupler is going to seal a tee fitting where all 3 pipes come into it at 20 to 30 degree angles. These were the sources of all my plumbing leaks. Once I saw all this, I knew it would be a lifetime of grief. I really didn't see this trailer lasting the 5 year loan period so we just bailed.
We went back to simplistic camping again and then discovered an alternative to the issue prone conventional travel trailers (at about 20% of the cost). We're still traveling and enjoying a problem free way to do it. We have everything we needed in the Fun Finder minus the onboard bathroom. We have no more monthly payments and our travel expenses have gone from 13.5 MPG to 24.3 MPG.
As I said, I'm not crazy about posting this info .... I've held off for over a year but I just have to be honest. The folks on this Fun Finder forum are some of the nicest I've met on any forum and most of them seem to be perfectly happy with their ownership so I guess you can't judge a builder completely by a few troubled units. Also, as I mentioned, the previous two brands we had were even worse than this. It's just a shame there is so much inconsistancy in the industry as a whole.
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__________________
Ex Owners of a 2015 Fun Finder 214 WSD
2016 Ram 2500HD with 6.4L Hemi
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11-07-2015, 12:07 PM
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#3
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: St George, Utah
Posts: 31
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I have the RAM 2015 1500 ecodiesel as well. I love my truck can't say enough good about it! Wish I could say the same about my Fun Finder!
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11-07-2015, 01:47 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: North Georgia
Posts: 466
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Yes Bill, we love our Eco also. Last Thursday was his birthday. He came off the production line Nov.5th, 2014 so he's officially one year old now. Only about 18,000 miles but 10,000 of those have been towing. No issues what so ever with him ..... unlike the Fun Finder. We feel a sense of relief not having to deal with the concept of full size travel trailers, although we do miss the bathroom option whenever nature calls
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Ex Owners of a 2015 Fun Finder 214 WSD
2016 Ram 2500HD with 6.4L Hemi
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11-07-2015, 01:51 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Southern California
Posts: 2,142
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Many of us are indeed happy with our Fun Finders, and I would guess that Fun Finder's quality control is no better or worse, on average, than most manufacturers. I make this guess based on the online complaints I see over on rv.net, in which folks with trailers made by (fill in the blank) complain about defects.
Having said that, though, I do not doubt for a moment that the comments made by Bill and Neil are true. It is so frustrating when something that is supposed to be fun becomes a burden instead. It is important to have a dealer you can trust and a dealer who will go to bat for you in disputes with the manufacturer.
Bill, all I can say is hang in there. The problems will eventually be resolved.
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11-07-2015, 02:21 PM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: St George, Utah
Posts: 31
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Thanks for the replies! Sounds like it wouldn't do me any good to get ride of FF and get a different brand. It is frustrating, my son-Inlaw bought a brand by Forest River the same time I bought mine and hasn't had one problem with it. He's used his more than I've used mine. My has been in the shop most of the time.
Hate to be a buzz kill! Hopefully I'll have some positive posts in the future!
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11-07-2015, 02:28 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Southern California
Posts: 2,142
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Bill, you are not a buzz kill. Bear in mind that the happy folks rarely post -- no reason to do so. But folks who have gotten a lemon often complain, as they should! The internet is not just a place to vent -- the manufacturers monitor these sites and take note. Yelp has really had an effect, too. In the old days, there was no way to aggregate the opinions of the consumers. Now there is!
Speaking of which, have you contacted Cruiser directly? I have been told that they actually answer their phones and that a competent tech person is available, if you run into an issue that is difficult to solve.
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11-07-2015, 02:58 PM
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#8
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: St George, Utah
Posts: 31
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Yes, I have contacted them. They said "it's out of warrenty, can't help you, you're on your own" I was wondering if they would help with the wiring issues, since they happened at factory when building trailer. Their words were "you have had some problems, wow, sorry out of warrenty"
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11-10-2015, 09:43 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 247
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Not a buzz kill. I agree with profdant139 that people with great experiences don't have reason to search out forums and post like those with problems.
Our FF has certainly had problems, only a couple from the manufacturer, but then so does our sticks and bricks. We'll just keep plugging away on both of them.
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11-10-2015, 11:55 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: The Mitten State
Posts: 106
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First camper was a 214WSD, 2014 model. Never had an issue with it. Plan on keeping it for many years.
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2014 Fun Finder 214 WSD
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11-10-2015, 01:52 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 332
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I agree with Dan when he says he does not doubt that both Bill and Neill are being honest about the issues they have had.
However, let me be "the 10th man" here ( the duty of the tenth man is to disagree ). All of the problems that were listed could be fixed by someone at home with a well equipped shop. Should we have to fix these kinds of issues ? Of course not. But the sad truth of the state of the industry is, this is what we are getting now.
For instance, the plumbing problems Neill discussed where the boys at the factory left the lines too long ( or too short ), if my trailer had those issues, I would simply fix it. You can buy the PEX plumbing tools for a reasonable price at Lowe's, and fix these issues. Regarding the poor welding of the hub on Bill's trailer.... I'll be honest, when I got my trailer home brand new, I spent the better part of an hour crawling around under it inspecting welds, bolts, nuts, wiring, plumbing....everything. I had to spend some of that time securing wiring correctly, and especially things like wiring running through or around frame and cross members. All that stuff is now routed, secured, grommeted, etc so that it is safe from damage. Again, we should not have to do this stuff. But if we want it to be trouble free, we must do it. The day I bought the trailer ( new ), I bought a tube of Dicor at the dealer. When I got home, I got up on the roof and caulked where our "amish craftsmen" from Indiana did a less than spectacular job.
As I often chuckle to our fellow forum member and good friend Michelle: "some assembly required".
And for sure these things are more easily enjoyed by those who love to tinker and have a full shop at home.
When I get to spend enjoyable weeks in the trailer, and sit outside of it in scenic places like the mountains of Colorado...for me, it's all worth it.
geo
ps, I just thought of another example. The electronic control board for the slide-room on my trailer was screwed to floor, right next to the fresh water pump. It was in a place where if there would have been a water leak, it likely would have soaked that electronic device. What ? Why in the world would you do that in assembly ?
No matter.... I moved it to the vertical wall in that compartment, several inches off the floor, to (hopefully) minimize the chance of it ever getting wet. Another example of how we have to follow along, use a little common sense, and "finish the assembly" of our trailers.
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11-10-2015, 07:59 PM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: St George, Utah
Posts: 31
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rip5. That's great! I'm shocked that two trailer can come out of the same factory, one with no problems, and the other with nothing but problems! Consider yourself lucky!
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11-10-2015, 08:34 PM
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#13
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: St George, Utah
Posts: 31
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geo,
I get what you're saying. This is my first new trailer, I thought buying new, I wouldn't have to go through the coach top to bottom to check and fix things that should have been done at the factory. The dealership showed me a check sheet that came with the paper work showing me the supposed inspection they do before it leaves the factory. Not sure I would have picked up on the missing weld on the wheel hub and some of the other numerous issues. I haven't mentions all the stuff I've done myself. You buy something new, you shouldn't have to fix things that somebody else has already gotten paid to do. If everybody has your attitude, this industry will continue to sale junk! If you buy a new trailer, there shouldn't have to be some assembly required.
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11-11-2015, 09:38 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 332
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Sorensen
geo,
I get what you're saying. This is my first new trailer, I thought buying new, I wouldn't have to go through the coach top to bottom to check and fix things that should have been done at the factory. The dealership showed me a check sheet that came with the paper work showing me the supposed inspection they do before it leaves the factory. Not sure I would have picked up on the missing weld on the wheel hub and some of the other numerous issues. I haven't mentions all the stuff I've done myself. You buy something new, you shouldn't have to fix things that somebody else has already gotten paid to do. If everybody has your attitude, this industry will continue to sale junk! If you buy a new trailer, there shouldn't have to be some assembly required.
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Bill,
You're absolutely right....we should not have to accept the junk this industry is cranking out. But it is what it is, and it's going to be a long time before it changes I suspect. I'm 63 years old, and my bet is I'll be dead from old age before this industry gets their act together. So I just fix stuff as needed and go travel and camp. I guess I am "lucky" in that I love to tinker with stuff, which is why I've built up an entire shop of mechanical, metalworking and woodworking tools over the years. So fixing and modifying this junk ( oh ! ... I mean "stuff" !!!! ) is actually still fun for me. I will admit I do shake my head a lot as look at how this stuff is designed and built.
Bottom line for me is, it's worth it to be able to travel and have all "my own stuff". I spent decades traveling and staying in hotels and motels. I hated every room I ever stayed in, including the "suites" in Las Vegas hotels.
The main thing I would say to anybody dealing with and sorting these issues on a new trailer is that eventually you will get it all sorted. The irony of it likely is, many owners of new trailers fix a lot of stuff, and they are to a point where it's just about all sorted....and then they bail out of it and sell it. So the next owner gets a trailer that is pretty well fixed and good to go.
Best of luck to you whichever way you go on this whole deal.
geo
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11-11-2015, 10:56 AM
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#15
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Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: St George, Utah
Posts: 31
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That's awesome! You have a great attitude. I would love to see your shop! Sounds nice! I totally understand where you're coming from and I agree.
Thanks!
Bill
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11-11-2015, 07:50 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: North Georgia
Posts: 466
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As the 11th man, my job is to disagree with the 10th man. I just don't go along with your premise Geo that "it is what it is" and we should just accept that and deal with it. For the money I paid, I could have gotten a brand new Honda Accord and I guarantee you I would not have had to crawl around underneath it and fix stuff before I could drive it. I also disagree that if you buckle down and fix all the stuff that you get a fully functional camper. Not unless you continue to do it week after week, month after month, year after year. You can only fix the things that you see and there's always things that you don't that will fail at the least opportune time. One of the burner valves failed on our Suburban stove. In researching a replacement, I came to discover that this valve had been discontinued 7 years prior and no longer available, yet it somehow found its way into a brand new 2015 year model trailer. I'll bet Cruiser got a good deal on those stoves. As long as people have your attitude, the industry has no reason to change and that's a bad thing. I also disagee that we don't have any alternatives. We have found a way to travel and camp in comfort without any of the worries we had previously. As a retired engineer and one who also knows how to fix things, I am acutely aware of how wrong this is and I don't intend to support any industry that has so little regard for their customers.
__________________
Ex Owners of a 2015 Fun Finder 214 WSD
2016 Ram 2500HD with 6.4L Hemi
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11-12-2015, 08:17 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 332
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Neill, I completely understand your position. And I agree, but only to a point. And the point is this: "change" in a major industry is slow to come, and difficult to implement ( I am a retired machinist, 39 years at a major corporation ). I can tell you this: we at our company actually wanted to change, ( improve ) and tried very hard to do so. We did, but it was still a long struggle. Point is, I go back to my premise that I am going to die of old age before the RV industry changes. They don't want or even need to change as most of the companies are selling all they can produce.
I have followed your transition from funfinder to tent to your new trailer you're putting together. I think that whole transition is awesome and looks like fun.....for you and your wife. It literally "would not work...at all" for me. Seriously, I would literally tear my funfinder down to the frame, and build it back up the way I want before I would switch to "a different style" of camping. That is how well the idea of of this little 19' ( 189FDS ) travel trailer works for me.
Not that I'm exceptionally wealthy, but the truth is I looked at and considered all forms of this whole RV idea: class C, class B, class A (DP), fifth wheel, and travel trailer. I ended up here with this trailer because it is what I want for my own use.
I considered and was fairly close to buying an older Airstream to do a full monte shell-off resto. But literally, A/S has never, and currently still does not, make a floor plan that works for me ( under 20', 4K pounds max, and MUST have a slide out ).
Some people see these travel trailers as complex. I don't. I see them as a very simple little house on wheels. There is no single system in them that is complex. So that makes the whole assembly nothing more than several systems that are simple, all put together in one box.
Let's use your example of the stove problem. Let's say I have the same problem. I can buy an entire brand new drop in Suburban stove top online from PPL for $130. It would take about 30 minutes to install. Again, should I have to do that ? Of course not. Would it solve my problem, and more important, would it allow me to continue to use my camper immediately ? Yes it would, so I would do it. Others will disagree.
Here is another example: tires. The trailer industry uses the cheapest tires they can source from china. Failures are common. We should not be put in this position. I solve the problem by replacing the tires with the highest quality tires I can find for the application ( and I go up in load carrying capacity also ). I replaced the tires on the camper when they were still nearly new. Did the same thing on my equipment trailer, and also just last year put new high quality tires on the horse trailer.
Bottom line is, I want to get on with life, and enjoy the things I have. I have no interest in changing an industry. I retired at 57 to get away from all that.
My opinion ( and others will I'm sure disagree with this ) is that even at the cost of these campers out the door ( I gave $14K for mine, new in Nov 2011...it's a 2012 model ) they are still a screaming bargain. If I had to push the thing over a cliff tomorrow and walk away from it, I have got my money worth out of it. I've stayed in it a lot, and have pulled it close to 30K miles so far.
But I don't anticipate have to do that. In fact, I'm getting ready to leave next week to go spend the winter in Arizona in it.
I've gone on too long here, but I reckon we all have to approach the whole RV/camping experience in whatever way works for us personally.
Happy camping, safe and enjoyable travels to all of you.
geo
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11-12-2015, 09:39 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 3,106
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The above posts are interesting reading.
Perhaps I lucked out after purchasing my very first camper/toy hauler (2012 XT-276) sight unseen by ordering from a dealer I'd never met all ~ over the internet. This was after searching various toy haulers on the net for a few months.
The dealer gave me a very reasonable price (far less than others claim they paid), ordered it from the factory w/options I wanted and it arrived their location about 5 weeks later.
I drove over 300 miles to get it. The dealer did a complete walk thru explaining everything well ~ although I was in a bit of a fog with all the information/details. Regardless, left the dealership in daylight and arrived home about dark w/o a hitch.
All major components function as they should, no leaks, no electrical issues, no construction issues so feel I got good value for my $$.
We enjoy the XT-276 and have added a few things as personal preference. Yes, we had to 'tweek' some issues but they were minor but never during our trips.
Some seem to have had issues like my Uncle did with a new Ford he purchased. In the year he owned it, it was in the garage about 85% of the time ~ then he got rid of it. There was no excuse for that either but you know, some people who work in some places have the "I don't care, I want a paycheck" attitude and some of their supervisors have the same attitude. It is in every segment of our America and is growing IMO.
Happy travels to all.
__________________
2012 Fun Finder XT 276 Toy Hauler & Harley Davidson Ultra Classic with Condor wheel chock
2014 Dodge Ram 2500 AT 4X4 Crew Cab 6.4 L Hemi, 373 gears, tow package, Rambox option, Revolver X2 tonneau cover, Equal-I-zer anti-sway hitch.
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11-12-2015, 11:05 AM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: North Georgia
Posts: 466
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Hi Geo,
I appreciate your logic and rationale and it seems our perspectives part at one distinct fork in the road. I'm with you on one thing for sure, and I quote "Bottom line is, I want to get on with life, and enjoy the things I have." I too retired fairly early at 58 with the goal in mind to finally be able to relax, enjoy life and travel and NOT have to work or repair other peoples lack of pride in workmanship. I also think that my perspective may have been a bit different had I paid $14K instead of $25K for this opportunity. I'm also in complete agreement with you relative to safety items such as tire upgrades as I've done the exact same thing before. My motivation was to simply avoid being stuck along some road in the rain some night down the road.
I also agree with you that my alternative may not be for everybody. It is actually a very unique way of travel while not being "camping" nor RVing but a hybrid of the two. And like most things in life, there are pros and cons. If I'm truthful, for me, I enjoy the peace of mind I've found not having to worry about any issues and I enjoy the ease of dealing with the little camper as well as the economy in traveling long distances. My original goal wasn't to be come an RVer but simply to travel the country making videos of the great outdoors and I'm still able to do that in "relative" comfort. Being "forced" to spend more time outside is kind of a blessing in disguise. I have a camping friend who is fond of the saying "Camping is all fun and games, until someone drinks the last beer". My version would be the same except the end would be "until it rains hard for 24 hours straight".
I also have to admit that much of my frustration with the 214WSD was compounded by the previous 3 trailers all having similar issues. If I had been able to enjoy any of them trouble free I probably wouldn't have been so willing to give up. I am envious of those who get to enjoy their campers without the hassles that we had.
I hope you have a great trip to Arizona, I wish we could join you. We've got a short trip scheduled in two weeks to another Georgia State Park and then we're planning on spending most of January in Florida and all of February on the Gulf in south Texas. Kudos to you for your perserverance and productivity. While I may have most of the skills to do the work that you do, I do not have the motivation, tools nor facilities to do it correctly.
Happy camping and thanks for making this such a civil conversation
Neil & Yoly
__________________
Ex Owners of a 2015 Fun Finder 214 WSD
2016 Ram 2500HD with 6.4L Hemi
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01-31-2016, 07:38 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 1,330
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Well, as I said in my intro, back in 1990 we sold the house and bought a used one ton dually and a used 32' Prairie schooner fifth wheel and traveled the US for 11 months. We never had a single problem with either unit. Reading these comments is making me pretty nervous about the little used 2008 trailer that we just bought that is sitting back there in the yard covered with snow. We looked it over pretty good but who knows?? Has the whole industry quality gone down the tubes in the last 25 years? Seems like a ton of new companies have entered the field. Only time will tell. I just hope we won't be lamenting our purchase as well.
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__________________
2008 Fun Finder 189 FBR, (replaced by) 1996 Shasta 265DBFW April 2017.
2006 Jeep Liberty 3.7 (replaced by.....)
2006 Chevy 2500HD, Duramax, crew cab
It's a big world...explore it!!!
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