Question for the experts

[clearlake outdoors]

my 3 year old keystone has been great
no issues
everything works

[Bamaman]

So, what I'm gathering here is only consider a 1-3 year old rig? From a budget standpoint it needs to be 5-10 yrs old. Are most (not all) RV dealers crooks like car dealers?

RV dealers can be the most honest and straightforward businesses you've ever seen. They're honest when they post $150 per hour labor--and there is no base rate manual on RV's. What can be better than paying $150 an hour? How about $40 per hour, and you're not going to find a RV dealer with reasonable service rates.

What I'm saying is that a recreational vehicle owner needs to be somewhat self reliant and completely capable of doing minor repairs and in fixing leaks themselves. Not only will every dealer take your pocketbook, they'll let your RV sit for 2-3 months until they get around to fixing it because they (1) have taken on more work than they can possibly complete, and (2) there are relatively few RV mechanics out there that are trained and efficient.

Now, Camping World is buying up RV dealerships as fast as they can buy them. Their reputation is less than stellar--especially in customer service. They're like one of the big national auto dealership chains--slam and jam operations. They chew up employees and they chew up customers. Some of their locations still have the old employees, but most locations have new high pressure management that's not enjoyable to do business with. And some Gander Mountain locations will soon have Camping World in them.