Those SOB's (Some Other Brands)

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Those SOB's (Some Other Brands)

April 13, 2017, 03:09:01 pm

We have spent a few evenings around a campfire listening to SOB owners tell their tales of woe of all the things that have gone wrong on their rigs. We have never been able to contribute to the conservation.

After almost 10 years and 100m miles, absolutely nothing made by LD has given us a problem. The Ford had a leaky vacuum hose replaced. Three times the engine has acted erratically for a short period. Nothing was found as a cause. That’s it. We have ever spent a day in an RV service place. I have replaced some parts, like almost everything on the water heater, but that’s not made by Lazy Daze.

Recently heard a fellow tell about having to take his new rig from the dealer to the manufacturer to get several things fixed that should have been caught at the factory.

The walk through at Lazy Daze serves two purposes. To acquaint the new owner with every system on the rig and to do one final check by someone that had no hand in the assembly.

Re: Those SOB's

Reply #1 – April 13, 2017, 06:08:55 pm

I recently shared my opinion on the quality of LD construction in part because of the many SOB "problem" stories that are sometimes hard to believe. For example, an owner with a $400K new SOB had such a long list of serious problems that it made my eyes hurt to read it.

While our LD is a well built motorhome, it's become very clear to Margee and I that we must regularly practice routine and scheduled maintenance on all parts of our LD. As a result, we've become full-time LD Piddlers keeping up with the PM on a moving home. Btw, as a good many folks on this Forum know, the PM on live-aboard sailboat or power boat is much more extensive that on our LD's. If it shakes, rattles, and rolls, stuff breaks, become loose, and needs attention.

This Forum is replete with stories of LD's that have deteriorated because of the lack of regular PM. At the end of the day, when we've ignored something then without a doubt, that something is going to need more attention later and often costs us more to correct. And that's my $.02 worth.

Re: Those SOB's

Reply #2 – April 13, 2017, 09:41:23 pm

While in Denver I went to a RV show with a friend who is just starting the looking process.
I mentioned I own a rv.
The dealer asked what kind.
A Lazy Daze, said I.
Never heard of them was one reply, the other was we don't make RVs. I went through the specs, i.e. paint, build, OCCC, and asked what they had that was similar. Most of the dealers got quiet. We found a short Thor Class A she likes. The publish occc is not all that bad. With small windows and only one door not sure I would want to do a emergency exit. Interstionly the floor plan was much like a MidBath. Overall length about the same. Some items already breaking at the end of the furst day of the show.

Re: Those SOB's

Reply #3 – April 13, 2017, 10:42:43 pm

The essential truth for anyone considering a motor home (or TT or 5th wheel for that matter) is that one must fundamentally understand that the RV industry is a rip-off business. It really isn't any different than Las Vegas; the entire purpose is to separate you from your cash.

No one is in the RV business to make *your* experience wonderful. Rather, they are in the business to make *their* experience wonderful ie nice homes, expensive vacations, etc. In other words, if you cannot figure out who is the mark, it's you.

Ok, once you start from that point, then you can begin to discern market positioning and segmentation. A few, like Lazy Daze, Born Free and some others, have claimed the "high quality" sector, not through the goodness of their hearts, but because it's a rationale business decision.

This is where being a smart consumer comes into play. LD is (IMO) the highest quality manufacturer of RVs. Does that make them great guys (and gals)? Not necessarily; they do it out of economic necessity in a competitive dog-eat-dog world. But understanding their purposeful strategy provides an advantage to LD buyers, new or used.

You are never going to come across anything so well built in the RV business. It really is kind of joke, the separation between all the others and LD. You can even tell from the sales delivery channel. Almost everyone else uses Glengarry Glen Ross types of salesmen, whereas LD is cash on the barrelhead @ the mothership.

Still, you should realize going in that you are going to lose money. Do they leak? Yes. Do the leaks cause wood rot? Yes. Will the amortized cost of the LD be more than owning a timeshare in Waikiki? Yes.

If you're ok with all that, and understand the advantages of exploring with the LD, then you should be golden.