Starting to shop now

[Ann4Now]

Hi everyone!
My husband and I are planning to fulltime in about 2-3 years, and we are already doing shopping and researching. I am very interested in what your experiences have been in your comparison shopping, knowing that we all have our individual preferences
We have narrowed things down to Redwood (my personal favorite from the start) and DRV (which my husband keeps going back & forth on). We realize neither one ofthese companies could be around by time we are ready to go - but that's being a pessimist
So, I would love to hear what you have found in your Redwoods that are great and maybe will be improved in a few years. How was your ordering experience and warranty fixes (if needed)? Why Redwood & not another like DRV?
Thanks everyone, I look forward to reading about your experiences as we cross off each day to get to our fulltiming! BTW, we currently have a Winnebago 2005 Adventurer Motorhome.

[Enroute]

Linda,

I just started full timing in March and like you and your husband, I decided I wanted a more luxurious coach. I too was between the Elite Suites and the Redwood. I went with the Redwood for 3 reasons; first, the 2+5 warranty on the Redwood. Second, the immediate response I received from Tom (GM of Redwood) and Andy (Regional Sales MGR) on emails I sent back in August of last fall. I ran into Tom at the RV show in Chicago this past February and he spent a great deal of time talking with me. I had asked the question if I could get the 55" TV from the 36RE installed in a 36RL? His response was absolutely. He would have to talk to his factory designers and engineers to see what cabinetry would have to be custom built, but he was confident it could be done. Lastly, I chose the Redwood based on price. Thanks to my salesman and the help of Andy, I was able to get additional customizations done to my new 36RL, plus some extra's at a price that beat the best deal I could work up on an Elite Suites. The only thing I don't have on my coach that does come on the DRV's is the built in LED rope lighting throughout the coach. I really wish Redwood had something similar, but with all the other extras I got added, plus the customizations, I was afraid to ask for "ANOTHER" special thing to be done. I guess in summary, I went with the Redwood as I felt like the factory and the senior MGT team at Redwood listens, cares, and is willing to do what it takes to make their customer happy. All I have to do now is sit and wait for 6/21/12 when my new 36RL comes off the line and goes to the paint shed....

Happy shopping and I hope you find a coach that works best for you!



Edited by: Enroute

[lillyputz]

Originally Posted by Ann4Now

Hi everyone!

My husband and I are planning to fulltime in about 2-3 years, and we are already doing shopping and researching. I am very interested in what your experiences have been in your comparison shopping, knowing that we all have our individual preferences

We have narrowed things down to Redwood (my personal favorite from the start) and DRV (which my husband keeps going back & forth on). We realize neither one ofthese companies could be around by time we are ready to go - but that's being a pessimist

So, I would love to hear what you have found in your Redwoods that are great and maybe will be improved in a few years. How was your ordering experience and warranty fixes (if needed)? Why Redwood & not another like DRV?

Thanks everyone, I look forward to reading about your experiences as we cross off each day to get to our fulltiming! BTW, we currently have a Winnebago 2005 Adventurer Motorhome.

Do a search on the forum for pro's and con's



Lillyputz

[par]

Originally Posted by Enroute

Linda,

I just started full timing in March and like you and your husband, I decided I wanted a more luxurious coach. I too was between the Elite Suites and the Redwood. I went with the Redwood for 3 reasons; first, the 2+5 warranty on the Redwood. Second, the immediate response I received from Tom (GM of Redwood) and Andy (Regional Sales MGR) on emails I sent back in August of last fall. I ran into Tom at the RV show in Chicago this past February and he spent a great deal of time talking with me. I had asked the question if I could get the 55" TV from the 36RE installed in a 36RL? His response was absolutely. He would have to talk to his factory designers and engineers to see what cabinetry would have to be custom built, but he was confident it could be done. Lastly, I chose the Redwood based on price. Thanks to my salesman and the help of Andy, I was able to get additional customizations done to my new 36RL, plus some extra's at a price that beat the best deal I could work up on an Elite Suites. The only thing I don't have on my coach that does come on the DRV's is the built in LED rope lighting throughout the coach. I really wish Redwood had something similar, but with all the other extras I got added, plus the customizations, I was afraid to ask for "ANOTHER" special thing to be done. I guess in summary, I went with the Redwood as I felt like the factory and the senior MGT team at Redwood listens, cares, and is willing to do what it takes to make their customer happy. All I have to do now is sit and wait for 6/21/12 when my new 36RL comes off the line and goes to the paint shed....

Happy shopping and I hope you find a coach that works best for you!

I am also on the market for a an RV and have been checking this forum. The answer you have provided is helpful, but I would like to state that I have emailed RW (via their website) twice and have never received a response??? I have emailed them again today so I can't say I'm impressed with their responsiveness. Iwould also like to share that back in March IemailedNuWa (viatheir website)on a Saturday and received a response the following day from Mike Mitchell and later discoveredhe is the CEO, now that impressed me.

[Ann4Now]

Thanks Enroute, that was very helpful, so were you able to order your rig directly from Redwood or do you have to go thru a dealer?

Hi Lillyputz, I have been reading the site and have seen Redwoods at RV shows, read their website, literature and am just trying to get the tried & true feedback from current owners & buyers that you cannot find elsewhere.

Par, I did see somewhere on this forum the direct email address to the Redwood folks - I just can't remember where?

Thanks to all for your feedback so far

[Campers]

Originally Posted by Ann4Now

Thanks Enroute, that was very helpful, so were you able to order your rig directly from Redwood or do you have to go thru a dealer?
Â*
Hi Lillyputz, I have been reading the site and have seen Redwoods at RV shows, read their website, literature and am just trying to get the tried & true feedback from current owners & buyers that you cannot find elsewhere.
Â*
Par, I did see somewhere on this forum the direct email address to the Redwood folks - I just can't remember where?
Â*
Thanks to all for your feedback so far

I had an Outback for 3 years. Redwood hit us when we went in to the FL. Great design and every thing my Wife wanted I. An rv. We bought it. So there are a few little problems. Our dealer is great and I called them and alerted them of a few problems I learned o. The forum and guess what. All addressed and fixed. We picked up our 36fl and are having the time of our lives with this fantastic Coach. Look at em all and make your own decision. Good luck. Love our Redwood

[Campers]

Oh. I hope spelling is not importornt on this form

[John317]

Get a Bigtruck if you decide on the DRV. They are heavy. The 36ft Mobile gvwr is 18500lbs. As far as financial stability it's hard to get info on DRV but Thor Industries is publicly traded company, with a Financial strength rating of B. in comparison Ford Motor Co. is a Baa3(which is 3 notches lower than a B rating) and Winnebago is a C rated company. As a retired Financial Consultant, the financial strength of Thor Industries is one of the main reasons I chose Redwood. If you had invested $10,000 in Thor Ind. stock just before the financial collapse of 2008 it would be worth more than $25,000 today. In that same period of time look at how many RV companies went belly up. When making a decision to buy a product this costly and complex I would think you would want the company that built it to be around long enough to fulfill the warranty obligation. Enjoy your shopping Ann4now aka Linda(??).

[Lawr&Moe]

We loved DRV when we were looking as well, RW seemed to tick off all we were looking for but as John317 said you need a big truck! I figured that the truck you need for a DRV RV was a dually & that was the deal breaker for me. We purchased 36RE at the end of April & love it. There have been a few annoying bugs, but nothing major. I would recommend RW to anybody. FYI I pull mine with a 2011 Dodge 3500 diesel SRW - tows better than my old bumper pull @ 7500lbs! Good luck with your search.

[Enroute]

[QUOTE=Campers] [QUOTE=Ann4Now]

Thanks Enroute, that was very helpful, so were you able to order your rig directly from Redwood or do you have to go thru a dealer?
I went through my local dealer. I used the RV shows and emails through the Senior MGT team to build my product knowledge and background as I made my decision on going with the Redwood before the dealer knew that was the direction I was going. Gives me better negotiating ability and also having the names of those from the top helped me in ensuring all the customizations and extras would be done as promised. I trust my dealer, but I like to feel like I am the one in control of the order form and negotiations.

[Ann4Now]

John317~
I really appreciate your thoughts on the Thor Industries strength in this economy- look what happened to Carrie who has been around since late 1950's! It is a strong consideration when shopping for our new RV home.
I could tell you that my name is both but then I would have to.....LOL!

[travelinbob]

Since this is being discussed I thought I'd put in my 2 cents worth.
I currently own a Elite Suites and DW just loves the RW 36FL and I
do too.
I have several issues that keep me from serious considering the FL.
The frame no way compares to the ES. Storage no way compares
which relates to the much lower CCC of the Redwood. My ES came
with 17.5" H rated tires, no the cheep ones that RW puts on.
I already had my F550 when we purchased and I will pass this on
for what it's worth....if you're considering a RW you should plan on
pulling with a 1 Ton Dually at the minimum.
We will continue considering a 36FL but find it hard to actully be
trading down in construction.

[lillyputz]

Originally Posted by travelinbob

Since this is being discussed I thought I'd put in my 2 cents worth.

I currently own a Elite Suites and DW just loves the RW 36FL and I

do too.

I have several issues that keep me from serious considering the FL.

The frame no way compares to the ES. Storage no way compares

which relates to the much lower CCC of the Redwood. My ES came

with 17.5" H rated tires, no the cheep ones that RW puts on.

I already had my F550 when we purchased and I will pass this on

for what it's worth....if you're considering a RW you should plan on

pulling with a 1 Ton Dually at the minimum.

We will continue considering a 36FL but find it hard to actully be

trading down in construction.

How would you rate the QC of your Elite compared to what you seen on this forum.



Lillyputz

[travelinbob]

I think the QC on any RV sucks. It does not matter how much you spend on your rig, you will have issues. It's how RW or Doubletree stands up to the plate to fix the problems. DRV fixed our issues
and from what I read RW also does.
I've always said the biggest problem at the factory is the bonus they pay their workers for meeting deadlines, this causes them to rush and do sloppy work, maybe not sloppy but careless work.
There is a "fudge factor" built into the price on all RV's for warranty work. IMO the "fudge factor"
should be used as a bonus to the employees IF it is not used for warranty.
Why in the world would they put the cheapest **** tires on a rig that they are suppose to be proud of and why would the new owners what to have their investment going down the road with their contact to the road being on inferior, cheap tires.
Like I said in the beginning, QC sucks.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by travelinbob

I think the QC on any RV sucks. It does not matter how much you spend on your rig, you will have issues. It's how RW or Doubletree stands up to the plate to fix the problems. DRV fixed our issues
and from what I read RW also does.
I've always said the biggest problem at the factory is the bonus they pay their workers for meeting deadlines, this causes them to rush and do sloppy work, maybe not sloppy but careless work.
There is a "fudge factor" built into the price on all RV's for warranty work. IMO the "fudge factor"
should be used as a bonus to the employees IF it is not used for warranty.
Why in the world would they put the cheapest **** tires on a rig that they are suppose to be proud of and why would the new owners what to have their investment going down the road with their contact to the road being on inferior, cheap tires.
Like I said in the beginning, QC sucks.

I agree with everything you said Bob. Unfortunately, I've talked with people in $350,000 Motor homes that have complained about the same thing. I can only hope the RV industry gets this figured out themselves before the foreign companies have to do it for them. The first thing anybody should buy for their RV is a tool box.

As for Redwood, I love them. I did have to buy the disk brakes and G rated tires but you also have to keep in mind that most folks simply park these and don't actually pull them. I pull mine a lot but the place I leave it sitting when I'm not on the road is full of RV's being used as cabins. Most of the folks don't even have tow vehicles.

I have had some problems with my Redwood but so far they seem to jump right on them and I appreciate their attitudes. In short I'd buy one again.

[Happy Camper]

Ditto on that.