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Kathryn · RV-Dreams Family Member

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Glenn West · RV-Dreams Family Member

We own a Teton, 2003. It is the best we have ever been in. We owned a DRV prior. No comparison. The length is not favorable to us but if you are good with it, ok. Teton went under in 2008 and there were some quality issues at the end. 2007 could fall in this. Get the history of it and that will tell the tale. They are heavy. They use real wood and some heavy steel in chassis. Reason for weight. Our 39 footer is close to 40 ft. Weighs in just under 20k loaded. Nearly 18K empty. That unit is lighter just wanted to show you some real weights. Ours is very tightly sealed and easy to heat and cool. Uses the Blue Dow insulation, or at least what I see is. Slide out floors insulated. Ours came with Amana appliances. Delta plumping fixtures. They rate up there with New Horizon. Do believe New Horizon came out with the Majestic to fill this market when they went under. Do check the history though. Hope this helps.

-- Edited by Glenn West on Saturday 29th of November 2014 02:35:35 PM

Kathryn · RV-Dreams Family Member

That is super helpful. I was hoping to hear from people who actually know something about the Teton (I have only heard that they are in the upper echelon of quality). We are not crazy about the length either. But what helped to offset that was the layout which is more like longer 5th wheels it seems. I've never seen a shorter one like this that still put everything where we want it (which is our main complaint of a shorter one). Also, we figure we do get some upside to being able to stay more places where we'd like to and will be a bit lighter when we go to purchase our truck. I didn't know they rivaled (surpassed?) the quality of the DRV. I will definitely see what I can find about the history. Do you have any feeling at all about this price, assuming the condition is very good? I know that is probably hard to know as there are so many factors. Do you know what kind of quality issues there were in the beginning of their demise that we know to be careful of? This is so helpful. Thanks.

Glenn West · RV-Dreams Family Member

We paid 30,000 for our 2003 a year ago. This was the loan value on it also. But ours is a lot more coach than this one. Ours was/is in immaculate condition also. I would call your bank/cc and have them get the loan value and that will give you a good ball park figure even if you don't finance it. I must stress though to get history on it. Not all but a lot of the last ones had serious problems with quality. This may be a great unit. History will answer that. Many couples full time in even smaller units. If you are content with size and history is good, you will be very happy with it. We wouldn't trade ours for anything on the mass market today. PM Jack Myers and he know several couples with the newer ones and the problems. What to look for. The history will tell you though. Ours had a new roof, previous owner got it with tree limb. We replaced washing machine, tvs (outdated), sound system, mattress, one a/c not because it didn't work but couldn't stop it from sucking water into ducts. We intend to keep ours a long long time. All trim work in ours is all oak. No laminated stuff whatsoever. Furniture all oak. Everything can be refinished. We were not content with a 33'er.

Kathryn · RV-Dreams Family Member

Oh, what items do you think are a "no comparison" to the DRV you owned? I will definitely PM that Jack Myers.

Kathryn · RV-Dreams Family Member

Oh, and how does one find members in this forum. Is there a place to search for said Jack Meyers? Thanks once again.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Kathryn wrote:
Oh, and how does one find members in this forum. Is there a place to search for said Jack Meyers? Thanks once again.

At the top of the forums in the blue bar is a link to "List All Users." You can click on that link and first look on the first page. Jack Mayer is listed on there. Click on his username and it will take you to his profile. Near the bottom of the profile is a link to "Send Message." That is the private message function.

Terry

Glenn West · RV-Dreams Family Member

Kathryn wrote:
Oh, what items do you think are a "no comparison" to the DRV you owned? I will definitely PM that Jack Myers.

Seals were drafty in the DRV, cheap thin trim work. Slide out trim made from composite materials ( they actually came loose and I had to run screws thru them) but they never were solid, cheap appliances, zero insulation in floors of slide outs. We would actually have to wear extra clothes in slide outs in cold weather. That arm next to side would get very cold. It was a beautiful unit with an excellent substructure. The Teton excels in these areas. Fit and finish best I've seen, no drafts, no cheap trim, all made from oak board. Residential appliances where applicable, residential fridge (although many are doing this now it was rare in 2003). I could go on but this gives you your answer I believe. Our DRV was a 2006 model. Jack is on this forum.

Kathryn · RV-Dreams Family Member

Oh, VERY good to know those details. Do you have any ideas or feelings about the NUWA/Hitchhiker in general and in relation to what you're talking about here with these two? This is another one we've been seriously considering. I have found Mr. Mayer and will PM. Thanks.

Glenn West · RV-Dreams Family Member

NuWA built units probably longer than anyone else. They were very good units. They went under also. They have been brought back on market but are built by Excel in very limited units. They had the good Dow Blue Foam insulation in them also. Never owned one but considered them. They have a forum and you can get lots of great info there. nuwaowners.org/forum/

The Junkman · RV-Dreams Family Member

Not to start a argument..But I would look into some of the info provide on the DRV. Nothing cheap about DRV.

Also, I would not buy a unit of a manufacture that has gone out of business. Especially one so close to the closing date. I've read elsewhere , Later models Tetons are a must NOT buy, as they are very prone to issues and problems. You must know that? Is all over the internet.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

I can't speak for Glenn's experiences, but our DRV Mobile Suites is nothing like he has described. Granted, ours is a 2010 model.

And Steve, Glenn did mention that the later models of Teton had problems. He mentioned that in his very first post in this thread.

Terry

Glenn West · RV-Dreams Family Member

I see no problem with buying an orphan unit. The OP is looking at used units. Parts are easily obtained. Only if an accident and you need body parts and usually they are totaled in this case anyway. I can still get parts for my Teton, even a front cap if needed. And yes, I cautioned OP about later Tetons and advised OP to get history on it twice.

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

"Also, I would not buy a unit of a manufacture that has gone out of business. Especially one so close to the closing date." I suspect that there are quite a few Wanderlodge owners who would disagree with you on this point.

"I've read elsewhere , Later models Tetons are a must NOT buy, as they are very prone to issues and problems. You must know that?" A common theme of high-end companies that went under is that they started cutting corners in order to get more product out the door because of high demand. That led to a decline in sales as people realized that the quality they were paying for wasn't there. There was a downward spiral resulting in a crash.

"Is all over the internet." Just because something is all over the Internet doesn't make it true. I would suggest that the best source for information on a brand would be the owners' forum for that brand. Those are the people who actually are using that brand and know both the good and the bad points. Most are willing to share their honest opinions. Many brands have volunteer inspectors who will check out coaches near them for prospective owners. That's not a complete substitute for a professional inspection, but it can help you decide whether you want to spend the money on a professional's inspection prior to purchase.

As we were doing our research I heard about how the Bluebird Wanderlodge was such a safe coach. I researched and found that it was. I also found out that Bluebird stopped making them several years earlier. I mentally crossed 'Birds off the list, as I thought I didn't want an orphan. As I continued to research, though, I found that the owners' forum included quite a few people who are as knowledgeable as any factory person, so I put them back on the list. We actually thought we'd buy a 'Bird, but found this Foretravel first.

I wouldn't necessarily avoid an orphan, but I'd sure do a lot more research before I bought one.

The Schweitzers on the road · RV-Dreams Family Member

buying an orphan unit has its pros and cons in my opinion. We own an orphan, one of the very last Alpenlites. There have been warnings about quality issues for the last production years. So far we can not complain.
Probably the best thing about an orphan is the opportunity to buy it at a very low price, using the orphan argument to push the price down. We paid about 60% off MSRP (when new) for a two year old unit, that was only used as a change room for movie companies.
A real downside is to research almost everything by yourself about functions or problems if there is not an active and helpful owner forum out there. But doing that research you will find out how little is actually manufacturer specific on your rig. Most parts and components come from suppliers that are still in business and doing well.
Hope you find a good deal for yourself, whether an orphan or not.
Bernd

Kathryn · RV-Dreams Family Member

That was one thing I didn't think about, was the orphaned aspect, which is just a good thing to keep in mind with the research process. I wonder if there is a good Teton user forum, I will search this and find out .... As to the DRVs, I figured we'd hear from at least one DRV owner.

However, it's certainly good to hear of any individual experiences. For example, the experience with the slide not being insulated, I am glad to hear this, as I will check this with whatever we might buy. Since we'll be full time, that would not be fun. There's a lot to think about, and often you only figure that out by trial and error. It helps to have things pointed out that you usually wouldn't figure out until you experienced it.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Kathryn wrote:
That was one thing I didn't think about, was the orphaned aspect, which is just a good thing to keep in mind with the research process. I wonder if there is a good Teton user forum, I will search this and find out .... As to the DRVs, I figured we'd hear from at least one DRV owner. However, it's certainly good to hear of any individual experiences. For example, the experience with the slide not being insulated, I am glad to hear this, as I will check this with whatever we might buy. Since we'll be full time, that would not be fun. There's a lot to think about, and often you only figure that out by trial and error. It helps to have things pointed out that you usually wouldn't figure out until you experienced it.

Kathryn,

I would imagine that the vast majority of RV's won't have insulated slides. As for ourselves, we have lived full time in our Mobile Suites for about 3 1/2 years now. The first three years were in Oklahoma City, where we experienced temperatures ranging from 5 or 6 degrees all the way up to 115 and were comfortable. We are now in Colorado, living in our Mobile Suites and we did have to make one adjustment. At zero degrees, we had the hot water line to our kitchen sink freeze up, even though the front part of the underbelly never really got below 38 degrees. We've since added an electric heater to the underbelly to supplement the furnaces in its heating of the underbelly.

As for inside the coach, when it gets really cold out, I do have to put on some house slippers so my feet don't get cold. Otherwise, we are pretty comfortable. Now, if I'm not moving around much, such as when lying back in my recliner, I may toss a throw over myself.

Terry

Glenn West · RV-Dreams Family Member

The floors in the slide outs on a Teton is the same as the walls. High density closed cell foam or commonly call Dow Blue. Most and also DRV just use plywood in floors with carpet and weather covering on bottom. Our slide out floors are just as warm as the rest of floor. Now DRV does have 3.25" walls. They also use wool insulation. This sounds great but in reality the insulation will drop over time and compress loosing a lot of efficiency. I ran a cable from outside just above living room side window and there was zero insulation in there. Had drill hole and found this out. Also removed a window in a slide out, that one that was so cold, to reseal it. There was zero insulation in there also. Called DRV and they assured me it was in there. So it had to slip down and into belly. I added insulation in there also. It helped. Now DRVs are a beautiful and structurally well made unit. I had lots of issues with mine and others have reported same. Recent years they have changed their slide outs to cheaper units and have had a lot of trouble with them. They have now gone to a cable system on the smaller slides. If I was to buy a used DRV I would get one with the hydraulic ram slide outs. I would still rate DRV at top of mass produced campers though. Others have more problems. Tetons are great units. Beware of units after 2006. Some are great, some have problems. This is why to check history. If none or minor repairs good unit. Original owner told me only issue he had with ours was a rocking refrigerator which the dealer came out and shimmed. That's it. That is the quality of the early Tetons. But they were not cheap. You paid a premium for them but you don't get that quality with less. You mention NuWa. They are very good units. Some of the most usable floor plans there is. Insulated well, Blue Dow. Again the last year or so some quality problems also. But the company is still in operation so it not really orphan. Factory support.