Every year for the past three years, I have left my tiny apartment in Illinois bound for Elkhart, Indiana, the recreational vehicle capital of America. At the end of September, the RV industry hosts the Indiana RV Dealer Open House, an invite-only sneak peek into the latest and greatest that mega brands like Thor Industries, Forest River, and Winnebago have going on. This year, I didn’t get an invite from any manufacturer, and I suspect it has to do with my honest reporting of the inner workings of the industry, including quality and how manufacturers sell RVs to dealers.
If you have been reading my work for long enough, you’re fully aware that I adore vehicles that have beds and bathrooms in them. My very first post for Jalopnik, which I wrote nearly five years ago, was about a Mauck MSV 1120S bus that had been converted into a weird limo-like RV. From that day forward, I have regularly written about the fun and quirky RVs that I have found around America. I also highlight the awesome new RVs that I think are worth telling our audience about.
I don’t think anyone could reasonably say that I hate RVs! It’s just the opposite. I’m the kind of person who would rather pitch a tent in a state park than stay in some of the nicest hotels. I’d rather tow a camper into a field than stay in a Holiday Inn. However, I suppose I’m also not the most RV brand-friendly person out there. My style of reporting has brought tons of attention to little-known brands that do great things, but on the flipside, apparently, I’ve also caused some headaches at other brands.
How RV Media Often Works
Now, it would be easy for me to just regurgitate press releases. That is exactly how most RV blogs work. Some RV blogs, which I will not name, will brand a rewritten press release as a “review,” which has never sat right with me. It would be like if we wrote a review on the new Honda Prelude despite not having driven it yet.
It would also be easy for me to be like an RV influencer. These folks tour an RV in person, ignore all of the faults, and just talk about how floorplan A is so cool and floorplan B is also so cool. This is not to disparage influencers. It is their job to hype products up. They make money from being positive all the time.
The vast majority of RV media falls into one of those two categories: Rewarmed press releases and influencers. I’ll just pick a video at random:
I come at things from a different angle. My family has enjoyed RVs for generations. Some of my greatest memories were created at a campsite! But I also have some negative memories from camping. Most of those bad memories came from those times when our camper had either broken down, ruining a holiday, or failed, costing us thousands of dollars in repairs. So, while I am happy to write about the cool or historic RVs, I feel that it’s important to point out both the misses and the hits.
An RV might be the second-largest purchase you ever make, and it’s seriously disappointing to spend so much money just to discover that you’ve invested in a real pile of crap. It hurts even more when you realize that RVs suffer from steep depreciation, so if you buy a crappy rig, you’re unlikely to even make your money back. So, I’m not afraid to speak out when I find something I don’t like. For example, I have complained about excessive rust on new Heartland trailers before. But I have made sure that, before I made that complaint, I had a sample size of greater than one unit. I went to RV shows and took note that several brand-new units had surface rust covered up with spray paint:
I don’t do this to beat up the RV industry. Again, I love RVs! My goal is not to use a large national platform to punish a manufacturer, but hopefully, in pointing out flaws, maybe the manufacturer will work to fix what went wrong. The way I see it, this benefits everyone. Customers can buy with confidence, and the manufacturer is rewarded for good work with good sales.
With all of that being said, let’s take a look at how I have seemingly gotten myself blacklisted by the big RV conglomerates.
The 2022 RV Dealer Open House
The first time I went an RV show as media was the 2022 RV Dealer Open House in Elkhart. The Autopian was much smaller than it was now, and I was pretty unknown in the RV world. I received official invites from both Thor Industries and Winnebago, which I happily accepted.
This show was something else. The RV Dealer Open House is one of America’s largest RV shows, and it’s not open to the public. You have to be invited to it, and it’s not configured like your typical trade show. See, the RV Dealer Open House is a show put on by the manufacturers to sell campers to dealers, who will then sell those campers to you, the customer. In other words, dealers go to the Open House to figure out what campers they are going to sell in the future. There isn’t even a real parking lot during the show, but a field that inevitably ends up all muddy:
This changes the format greatly. If you’ve been to an auto show, you know that they tend to be customer-centric. When you go to the typical auto show, you’ll find window stickers on cars featuring pricing and possible discounts, and the people walking around will usually be sales representatives. Auto shows, whether you realize it or not, are pretty much about selling you a car. Another important note about an auto show is that nothing comes free. If you want some snacks, food, or drinks, you have to pay for it.
The RV dealer show was much different. The RVs on display don’t show discounted prices, if they even have prices on them at all. Likewise, the people walking around the displays are salespeople, yes, but they’re also subject matter experts, managers, or hold other high positions at their RV company. These people aren’t trying to sell a camper to the end customer, but trying to convince dealers why they should stock an RV to sell to their customers.
Generally, Thor Industries is somewhat picky about who gets into the Open House. Dealers are let in, of course, but only a select few publications are hand-picked to be allowed through the gate. Usually, those let in tend to be industry publications and only a few influencers. The general public is not allowed. So, I thought it was an honor when I was invited to the Open House.
In 2022, I wrote a story about how going to an RV show is so much cooler than any car show. In that story, I had explained that going to a trade show allowed me to talk to a plethora of RV dealers from the perspective of them being the customer, not me. None of them were willing to go on the record, but many of them had complained that RV quality went into the toilet during the pandemic and wasn’t recovering. I also watched a Camping World affiliate and his employees comb over every inch of a Jayco Jay Flight, and then walk away shaking their heads.
I asked them what they thought was wrong with that camper, and they pointed out every quality issue. They specifically pointed me to these bolts holding the awning on, and told me that this is almost guaranteed to leak water really soon, and that the only true way to fix it would be to tear down the whole wall and rebuild that part of the trailer.
I followed my question up by asking them if they would seriously sell this camper to someone, and they told me that they will not be selling that model. That was an illuminating conversation, and one that I would not have been able to have at a public show.
I continued that article by talking about how awesome it was to tour new RVs without limits and how the RV/MH Hall Of Fame rolled out a bunch of historic RVs and put on a classic RV show. Everything I said in 2022 is valid today in 2025, and RV trade shows are some of the coolest trade shows you could go to.
Free Booze, Music, And Food
Then we get to the part that, I’ve been told, Thor Industries really didn’t like. I noted that the biggest departure between this dealer show and a public show was how attendees were treated. There were alcohol tents, food trucks, and catered food scattered all over the show, and all of it was free and unlimited.
Seriously, you just walk up to a tent, get a beer, and walk away. This wasn’t cheap stuff like Bud Light, either, but great local flavors and other tasty alcoholic beverages. It was the same deal with the food trucks and the catering. Thor Industries had invited skilled pitmasters, pizza makers, and more to this event, and the food was really good.
I began to notice a sort of trend. A dealer and their employees would walk up to a beer tent, get beer, and then walk around the display looking at campers. Then, they’d get more beer or get food, and then do that some more. Since there was so much alcohol flowing and so many places to get food, you could have spent the entire day walking around buzzed and on a full stomach while shopping for campers to sell to your customers. I mentioned this in only a single paragraph in my story, in passing.
At the time, I did not think anything of it, because that’s how automaker press events work. Automakers will happily set up an open bar and let both journalists and reps get totally sloshed. So, in my mind, this was the RV dealer equivalent of a press event.
I also noted that the 2022 show was especially wild because, in celebration of hitting all-time record sales in 2021, Thor decided to treat its dealers and factory employees to a Florida Georgia Line concert. At the time, it was actually the last time the music group had played together. If that wasn’t crazy enough, Nelly then appeared on stage for the remix of the song ‘Cruise.’ My mind was blown that, here I was at a private RV show in the middle of Indiana, and I was watching freaking Florida Georgia Line and Nelly while drinking free beer.
So, my article about that was positive. Because again, I was blown away by my look into the world of how RVs were sold. Apparently, my single paragraph about the beer tents caused major alarm at Thor Industries. Even though I didn’t realize it at the time, I had accidentally revealed the secret that Thor throws free food, beer, and concerts at dealerships while trying to sell them campers. Apparently, they did not expect that I would write about that.
A Different Kind Of Harbinger
The funny thing about this is that it has a sort of “Streisand Effect.” I actually didn’t care about the beer tents and had never intended to make a thing out of it or ever mention it again. However, this, as well as my stories about poor RV quality, have apparently made me a sort of “harbinger of doom” for Thor Industries.
Are the optics of throwing a great show for dealers really that bad? I hadn’t considered it until I heard this irked someone at Thor. Plenty of industries do the same, so I don’t fully understand what the issue is with me casually mentioning it. If you want something to be a secret, don’t make Nelly a part of it, right?
What’s also interesting is how all of this was presented to me. When I got my invite to the 2024 show, it wasn’t directly through Thor itself, as was the case in 2022 and 2023, but through Airstream. I didn’t think anything of this, because Airstream is Thor’s flagship brand and we love Airstream. But when I got there, the representative for Thor wondered why I was there. When I told them that Airstream invited me, I was informed that Airstream doesn’t actually have the power to invite people to shows, and that Thor had really invited Jason, instead.
But since I had made the drive, and since I had written many negative stories about how poorly my family’s camper is built, Thor’s people said that the least they could do was give me a good time. What was weird was that the camper that Airstream had invited me to see wasn’t even at the show. So the whole thing was just strange from start to finish. It was the first RV show in which I did a single-day speed run because I sort of just wanted to get back home.
Later on, it was suggested that the reason I wasn’t invited was that Thor thought I hated them, and that’s why they invited Jason to try out Thor’s new EREV RV, and not me. I wasn’t supposed to be there at all. Of course, the claim about me hating Thor is not true. I don’t harbor any ill feelings toward any brand, and never toward any PR person.
The Show Goes On
This year, we didn’t even get an accidental invite to the Open House. It could be because of the above, or it could just be that the RV industry has less money for beer, or maybe something else. I don’t know for sure. What I do know is that, as of right now, Thor, Forest River, and Winnebago do not really work with us. Airstream and a couple of other brands happily send us press releases, and I have sometimes written stories based on them, but that’s it.
The good news is that I already have a backup plan. I will still be going to the Florida show every January, and instead of going to Indiana in September, I will now be going to America’s largest RV show in Pennsylvania.
Just to clear the air one more time here, I do not hate any brand, any PR person, or anything like that. My goal isn’t to be a hater! I can’t even hold a grudge against my childhood bullies. I love all kinds of RVs, including the big ones, the tiny ones, and the weird ones.
At the same time, not all of what I write will be positive. There will be times when I don’t like an RV’s price, quality, or features. I cannot in good conscience ignore that stuff. I will also continue to write about the sorts of happenings that others do not. If you’re a manufacturer and my words are a cause for concern, maybe it’s a good time to work on fixing what I complained about, because if I notice it, I’m sure your customers notice the problem, too.
If anyone at any of the companies mentioned has issues with anything I wrote above or would like to start over, I know you’ve got my email because I’ve already reached out to you many times.
The RV industry has survived off the ignorance of the buying public. It is shameful what they get away with while charging so much. An acquaintance of mine just got an early inheritance and wasted it all on financing a fifth wheel camper they plan on living out of while traveling for work. It’s almost guaranteed to fall apart before the payments are finished. They’ve been duped and it might not have happened if there were more journalists covering this industry like you are. I forward your articles when I can, but the reach only goes so far.
Please keep up the good work in the hopes it will save even a few families from wasting their money.
RVs are like timeshares you have to do all the maintenance at. They don’t make any financial sense (but many things don’t).
I remember being in Door County Wisconsin and being shocked at how many RVs I saw parked outside houses there. I asked “Why do you need an RV? You already live in Door County!”
My brain tries to rationalize it by them already having the camper, then getting a vacation home, but not getting rid of the camper. Kinda like when you see those giant motor homes towing a 3500 dually which, I presume, was left over from when they had a 5th wheel.
Owning an RV cannot be rationalized. I think that is the problem. People try to but it is an irrational purchase.
We live in a quiet, rural place that we love. Having a hard time going away to the parks and renting a condo b/c it feels like we live at a park – in a good way.
We have very, very cheap 1980s garage kept pop-up camper in the barn that we’ve used only a few times as evidence that we should never buy an RV. Good trailer, right price but we like to stay home. $500 was the right price.
Well, if one is overconfident to think one can tow a small house or drive something the size of a building with no training or certification and having never driven anything bigger than a Camry, one is likely to be overconfident in one’s ability to spot a crappy overpriced product. The american buying public is seriously flawed.
While I agree we could have better requirements for driving with a trailer or motorhome, I disagree that it would impact consumer judgement of quality. A license is required to drive a regular car yet people continue to purchase bad vehicles.
Sometimes bands don’t like it being known that they play private parties for money; could be part of it as well.
Sort of like how pre-internet A-list Hollywood stars would never deign to do TV commercials people would see at home, but they did in Japan.
A couple of my friends go to that big Pennsylvania show every year, lot of RV owners go and make it a big party weekend, checkout what’s new from their preferred manufacturers, then head back to their own RVs to eat and drunk. Some camp on site, apparently, but every campground in the surrounding area fills up. This year, they’re bringing their new to them Grand Design 5th wheel, assuming their backyard is dry/solid enough to get it out (its like getting a big ship into a silted up harbor, they have to wait for optimal conditions before they can go camping, if it gets too wet and muddy, they cant pull it out to the road)
That sounds fun to drive. Why not rent a condo a couple of times per year?
I don’t know, they’ve always been camper people. He had a pretty big one before they got married, then she complained that it was too cramped with them and their two dogs, so they traded it on a bigger one, decided that was too small, sold it, bought this one, but then decided their truck was too small to pull it, so traded that in on a bigger one. I absolutely guarantee you the truck payment and camper payment combined are considerably more than my mortgage. Also, they just took it to a balloon festival about 6 hours from home and burned $1,000 worth of fuel to do it. They also have a hybrid Accord, so I would assume driving that and renting a hotel room would represent a significant cost savings
I thought for sure that this would be an article about your critiques of poor build quality getting the industry mad at you. It’s wild that this whole scenario was the (stated) problem.
“We threw a big party to show off our products and accidentally invited you, then you told people we treated the people at the party to refreshments and entertainment. You’ll never get another (accidental) invite again!”
Im not really sure why that was even a big deal, most industries do that? I’ve been in concrete/asphalt/cement/aggregates for years, and that’s how all our events work. Wine and dine your customers so they’re more inclined to stay your customers, customers in turn try to wine and dine you, hoping to get better pricing or perks, its how the whole thing works and how everyone likes it. We’re all adults, and all the really bad stuff was left in the 80s, or 90s, or whenever literally everyone started carrying a camera at all times, forget when that really started
Yeah, nothing about the event sounded outside the norm to me, either. I strongly suspect they were mad that Mercedes showed up, not that she wrote about the event. But they couldn’t really say that, so they just said they were mad she was exposing that the industry works the way most do, I guess?
Yup. That sounds more likely. They were mad that Mercedes called out their junk quality RV’s. But they couldn’t say that out loud. So instead they found something else to nitpick on.
Well, there is that portion of American religion, business and politics that runs on consumer ignorance. And they want to keep it that way.
Holy crap the stories I have heard from the 70s, 80s, and even into the 90s. I am sorta glad I missed most of this fuckery.
My dad did some rescue consulting in the 90s for a company that was in trouble because they made parts for GE aircraft engines and had been used to winning work by wine-ing and dining the purchasing teams – at some point the old school purchasing guys got cleaned out (I think some even went to jail) and now they had to hit all the metrics to keep their business. These guys made good and very difficult to make parts, but had no clue about QC, documentation, and six sigma type stuff GE was demanding. They made the transition and are probably still making parts today.
Many years ago, I worked in sales for a certain consumer packaged goods company, much of the sales force had been around since the 80s or earlier and they were very willing and enthusiastic to tell us all about how much better the corporate offices and sales conferences were back when there was a more relaxed attitude toward a certain finely powdered substance.
To be clear, the only one they accidentally invited me to was the 2024 show. The 2022 show, which had the Florida Georgia Line concert, and the 2023 show were both official invites. There were beer tents at all three events, though the concert was only during the 2022 show. But yeah, I was a bit shocked when our source told us that Thor was still thinking about the whole beer tent thing three years later in 2025.
Shoot, I should not try to read articles while busy at work. I see you were clear, but I got things confused. Still, the whole situation in general is all sorts of weird. None of what you do should be a problem for any reputable company, and nothing they did at that event raises any obvious red flags.
Well, I look forward to your continued objective reporting, regardless of their feelings on the matter.
It’s okay! I added a small clarification that the previous times I went to the event were official invites. 🙂
I’m finding a similar situation in the tech/electronics world: Years ago I ran a website that featured a lot of product reviews, and companies would, for the most part, be happy to send products for review, no strings attached. Having just restarted the site, I’m finding today they only want to work with “influencers”/affiliates who have a vested interest in hawking the product, regardless of quality. Attention companies of the world: I promise you, there is value in making products freely available for unbiased review.
Long live The Streisand Effect.
Interesting tidbit, via Wikipedia:
In her 2023 autobiography My Name Is Barbra, Streisand, citing security problems with intruders, wrote:[29]
Whoops.
We’ve gotten to the point in this country where people with any kind of power don’t believe they should have to listen to disagreement, dissent, or criticism. Some even try to make it a crime. Let me say this up front: I have no idea how many of the RV industry dress right when they have their pants tailored (if you catch my drift), but I do know MAGA loves them some RVs and trailers. It is possible – and I hope it’s not so – that certain aspects of your life do not sit well with them and (combined with your candid reporting) provides a warped criteria for not inviting you. I for one, will never consider an RV purchase (or motorcycle, scooter, plane, locomotive or bus for that matter) without consulting a Mercedes Streeter review first.
I dunno, I kind of feel like a locomotive purchase is just sort of an impulse buy. Otherwise, I completely agree.
It ain’t called loco motion for nothing.
On top of that, I hear they are pretty hard to flip.
You really should lease a locomotive. The technology is so new and advancing so fast that anything you buy will be obsolete in 5 years.
It’s odd. In the auto industry, reporting like this is expected? Does the RV industry not expect to be called out for similar things? If you are producing a product that is requiring recalls, then you should take a look at yourself, not try and hide. That’s just going to make it worse and eventually cause a collapse.
It is my view that it’s probably due to how different the media works in RVs versus cars. The big RV companies don’t really do press events or press drives. They also do not have press fleets. It’s a large reason why you don’t really read RV reviews like you would read a car review. In the car media world, there are journalists who have a new press car every week. The RV industry has nothing like that. Matt and I have been trying to change that, pitching car-style reviews to RV manufacturers. But thus far, it hasn’t worked out.
Then, since most modern RV media is just press releases and influencers, maybe the manufacturers don’t expect to get much, if any, pushback from the media?
Maybe you can find people in your area that have 2 or 3 year old RVs that they will let you honestly review. I’m sure the RV companies would love those reviews after they get some miles on them and start falling apart. Would also be great for people looking to pick something up in the new or used market….Actually you should also do 3yr off lease car reviews too. I’m afraid all my new car purchases may be behind me.
I like the idea – I’d suggested a similar thing last week on the NACTOY award nonsense: Do some awards well after the launch of a model year so you’ve got a chance to get some data on initial quality and the first round or three of recalls.
It’d really be nice to know what survives. …espeically in an industry where “a shitload of staples” is the assembly state-of-the-art.
“Maybe you can find people in your area that have 2 or 3 year old RVs that they will let you honestly review.”
I recall that’s what someone had to do so they could review a Bristol Blenheim back when Tony Crooks owned/ran the company.
When my folks were thinking of getting a van sized RV, I checked around and found out about GTRV. I found an online forum, joined, and learned a lot about them. I asked on the forum if anyone was local and would let me check theirs out. It didn’t take long, and I met up with them. They loved their GTRV and so did we. My folks found one and bought it. It was a great camper and I took it with my kids and friends to several spots. I wish I could have obtained it from my folks, but they ended up selling when they couldn’t get out due to health reasons.
So, finding a forum and asking for one is actually a good plan.
I’m way over generalizing.
But I wonder if part of it is because unlike cars, broadly speaking, buying a new RV is really something that wealthier people do, and its a luxury not a necessity, so while it may be super annoying they are more likely to just … deal with it?
New cars, whole different thing as to necessity, it needing to work, not leak, not kill you too bad, etc.
I dunno.
Now used RVs are another thing, and are generally priced to match the rapid depreciation, and are for sure a major source of cheap vacation time for decidedly not-wealthy people.
Maybe I’m way off.
My hairdresser is getting a new RV. I keep telling her to buy nothing but an airstream, that an old airstream is better than almost all new RVs. Maybe she will listen, but she is on her fourth or fifth RV, progressively moving up from a tent trailer.
RVs are exempt from the lemon law and also any specific consumer protection related to homebuilders, so, yeah, they do expect special treatment
Hmm. Good information I didn’t know…and makes me even more suspect of how things are going in the industry. There needs to be some sort of consumer protection in any industry, to force better production practices as well as protect the consumer.
Some states do cover RV’s and even fewer cover trailers. Looks like the best place to buy an RV/Trailer is CT or TX (surprisingly):
https://rvnerds.com/resources/towable-rv-lemon-laws-by-state/
https://rvnerds.com/resources/motorhome-lemon-laws-by-state/
As well as safety and emission standards.
How
FerrariThor Industries Spins.Talk about cutting off their nose, just to spite their face! You’re the only mainstream automotive media member I know of that covers this industry at all, and now they won’t let you in. That is so stupid and short-sighted on their part.
I believe the term is to spider face
LOL!
And this is exactly why we should disparage influencers. They provide nothing to society, they only pretend to be an objective expert while blatantly lying through their fake smiles spouting pre-paid lies. These influencers have played an active part in making generations of people less media-literate and more spend-heavy mindless consumers. Influencers only stand to benefit themselves and whatever brand writes them a check. Please disparage them.
fart sniffing access merchants is all they are.
My kids (who we do not, as a general rule, let mess around with The Socials and crap) asked me “Dad, what’s an influencer?” I answered “Somebody with a camera, a website and no soul”.
I watched the link that was posted, or at least the first 2 minutes. I had to turn it off because she was so annoying.
I enjoyed this little dig
It feels a little bit telling that they banned you for writing about what you saw in a mostly neutral way. As if some unspoken code were violated.
Yeesh, Thor is awful. This is just another overly monopolized industry pushing everyone out that give needed criticism. If all of thor’s brands were independent still, these private shows likely wouldn’t exist.
There’s also a bit of irony in the fact that a company chaired by a Anheuser-Busch heir threw a hissy fit over you mentioning they get people drunk
Well written. What would you personally buy for an RV? For a top 3 list?
Maybe make it an annual thing ranking the year’s best new models. The Streeter Award.
^^^THIS
I think this is a great idea.
Digging the idea!
I feel like there’s still a subtle, just under-the-covers jab at the entire industry. And that’s great journalism. Hats off to you Mercedes!
I toured a major RV assembly line back in the 80s that was building high end motorhomes and was somewhat appalled how poorly built the stuff was compared to automobiles. (the Big Three of that era weren’t exactly setting records for quality back then.)
The reality is that there was/is no Toyota or Honda in the industry to set benchmarks. Deming taught that quality really doesn’t cost more if you consider total cost of manufacture and warranty and I think he was correct.
About 20 years ago I toured the Scamp factory in Minnesota and was actually impressed. I had just toured the Ford Ranger plant in St. Paul a few years earlier and there was some similarities. But then again, Scamp.
My 2021 Scamp 16 Deluxe 50h Anniversary model. It seems well-built, but I have found a few flaws. There’s a 12V supply component in the bottom of the front closet. In at least one documented incident, a metal object stored in the closet wound up bridging two contacts and made an arcing short. The front corner of the camper burned after the “mouse fur” wall covering sparked to flame. Also, in the upper cabinets, underhung light fixtures were attached with sharp self-tapping screws that protrude 1/8 inch into the cabinet bottom. They can give nasty cuts!
One of the big brands (Forest River?) put up a video of their assembly plant on YouTube awhile back, apparently expecting that people would be impressed by their attention to detail and craftsmanship. In reality, it looked like a bunch of guys haphazardly and indifferently throwing things together as slapdash as possible, and the comments on it were pretty much universally negative
Maybe between you and Liz Amazing, RV manufacturers will setup quality control departments in their manufacturing facilities. This is the kind of attitude the big 3 car companies had in the eighties before the Japanese came in and ate their lunch because of a lack of quality control. Otherwise, when Trump is gone and so are the global tariffs the Chinese will come in and destroy the domestic RV manufacturers.
Don’t ask me why, but for some reason I would consider it an accomplishment to be banned for life by a niche industry.
“Hey Groover, you wanna go to the hot tub show?”
“Can’t, I’ve been blacklisted by Bullfrog International LLC”
Ugh, this hits hard while I’m currently dealing with Bullfrog on a hot tub that hasn’t worked since last December…
You writing is Awesome. Keep being Awesome. And if they don’t want you then roll an RV up to the superior national forest and enjoy the fall colors.
Mercedes, I have never met you, we have never lived anywhere near each other, but I hate your childhood bullies.
If they don’t want (Correct) critical reviews, then they need to not make such trash. Feedback is what makes us better! I can only imagine that eventually solid RVs will start rolling in from some other countries that are better quality and reasonable costs, and these guys will be totally caught off guard.
It should be a badge of honor that the RV manufacturers are blackballing you.
If any smart marcom managers in the RV space are reading this they should realise that actually inviting you for an honest look at their wares would be a massive power move and great reason-to-believe for the quality of their products.
The quality of RVs, with the exception of very few high-end brands, is appalling. The marcom manager wouldn’t last long after any such review appears.
Also, smaller, independent builders are generally pretty good. Its the big, publicly traded (or VC owned) mass manufacturers that really have the issues. But, people want four slide outs and outdoor wine fridges and all the other whiz bang features the smaller companies making a few hundred a year of the same design since the 1970s cant offer, so, they keep going back
Well yes, I read the article. And all other Mercedes S’s on the poor quality of RVs. Any Autopian reader knows RV build quality is borderline fraudulent. Obviously the flex would need to come from one of the rare brands with (half) decent QC.
Since both you and David have “gotten in trouble” with manufacturers, it must be a sign that you’re doing something right. Keep it up!
The next Autopian vehicle should be a Subaru pulling a Thor. Beat the snot out of both of them to prove a point.
I love your RV articles. Entertaining, informative and truthful.
Keep up the good work!
I’m not sure WHY exactly I feel this way, but I DO feel like the RV industry is composed almost completely of dirtbags.
TOTALLY, If you have to hide behind dozens upon dozens of different name brands that says a lot.