Rick,
Once more, you hit the nail on the head.
Margaret and I once took an almost new Airstream to Alaska. It fell apart
on the
trip. Doors came off, cabinets fell apart, the frame bowed because the
designers had put the heavy bath unit in the rear overhang. The Thermopane
windows fogged up and one half filled with water, dozens of pop rivets
popped.
OTOH the two Suburban's we took on the trip never had a problem
beyond a couple of flats, chipped windshields and front lights from flying
gravel.
We look at new units on RV lots and at RV shows and find much of the same
old tired 1960 technology surrounded by lots of glitz which looks like it
would soon self destruct.
Poor construction has never been hard to find in this industry. I'll bet
in a severe accident many of those 185 pound washer/dryers will be trying
real hard to exit thru the windshield.
We were sitting in a new unit which had a more traditional interior which
Margaret prefers. I watched birds flying around outside through a gap in
the slide out seal. You get free ventilation for only three times the
price of a
starter home. What a deal !
So here we are, having fun working on our GMCMH project, while "smugly
content" we will be getting a lot more bang per dollar than any new
alternative could offer us.
Industry should have designers and engineers monitor groups on the internet
such as ours. I think they could learn from it.
Meanwhile many buyers will continue to buy "sizzle" instead of "steak", for
it's the modern way.
Don Miller
75 Glennbrook
Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Rick Staple said:
> I spent this Saturday at the big Denver RV Show, getting in the spirit
of
>the coming season, and climbing through dozens of SOBs, large and small.
Some
>of them are quite clever, nearly all are quite elegant. Slide-Outs left
and
>right, a functioning gas fireplace (!), washers and dryers, thermopane
>windows (Now that's a feature I wish I had!), mirrored walls, Corian
>countertops, and more features than I can remember entice the customer. I
>even checked out the competition (Chinook) and was impressed. If I was
>looking for a small MH and had $66K to blow, I'd probably buy one. But....
>
> Actually it was my wife Ruth who first commented on the quality of fit
and
>finsh on some of these new coaches. An Airstream trailer with overhead
>cabinet door falling off, a diesel pusher whose mirrored wall panels were
>falling off, Doors that stick, steps that creak and groan, the list goes
on.
>The new V10 Ford engine was everywhere, but lifting the hood on a Class C
>makes me wonder if anyone will ever be able to maintain one. You can't
even
>SEE most of the engine through the hood. You get the idea.
>
> As we discussed this, I said "How many of those RVs will still be on the
>road in 25 years?" Only the very highest-end rigs had the quality I take
for
>granted in my GMC. In some of the best RVs I saw the same hardware
(cabinet
>hinges for example) that GM used 25 years ago.
>
> In any case, the old "Dancing Bear" looks pretty darn good to us now. I
>think we'll keep her a long, long time.
>
>Rick Staples
>'75 Eleganza
>Louisville, CO
