Hemi..
Thank you for detailed info. on your Bigfoot.It was informative and interesting..This will be very helpful for many prospective Truck Camper purchasers such as myself..I have an older unit I bought (very resonable) to test TC camping(I like it). I have done some work on it(nothing major)to make it road worthy but basically it is suprisingly "tight" for being 20 years old. I thought unit such as Bigfoot should be at least as good const. and quality as this Hideaway unit..This will go to my son and daughter in-law when and if I buy another.. I am glad you were nice enough to write. It looks like I have a lot of "looking" before I buy.
Thanks again for your comments on your bigfoot.
The "posts" on this forum have greatly benefited me and many,many others.

Arlo

quote:

It looks like I have a lot of "looking" before I buy.

Yes, you need to follow your plan....we "looked" for several months...that fact that you already bought an older unit is even a greater plus...as you are already experienced. Good luck, HEMI

Arlo, it appears that the older campers where better built campers.
My new in 1971 FRANKLIN was far superior to today's standards. It surpased my 99 and 01 Lance for quality.
........
When looking to purchase a new truck camper, take a look inside of every nook and cranny.
Take out the drawers, check the inspection ports for loose ends. You will be surprised at what you find. That solid secure mount sometimes is nothing more than a I-bolt fastened with a nut and washer to nothing structuraly sound. It pays to investigate.
The number crunchers have taken their toll on all of the honored manufacturing methods.
Just a little food for thought.

quote:

Originally posted by MMouser:
Arlo, it appears that the older campers where better built campers.
My new in 1971 FRANKLIN was far superior to today's standards. It surpased my 99 and 01 Lance for quality.

I bought a new '76 Beaver camper and had it for 24 years, it was still in great shape when I sold it. My fried bought a new '78 Beaver and still has it today, he does have to do some yearly maintenance (but so do we all).
The children of the Beaver TC mfr, started Host Campers but do not seem to have followed in their parents footsteps as far as quality is concerned.

I was thinking of buying a Bigfoot because of all the positive posts I have seen over the years on this site. I ended up going with a Winnebago DP, but I do have one question (no offense), why, if all this stuff was bad from day one did you sign the purchase agreement?

Good luck

Jerry.
It seems that more and more Buyers of RV's are looking beyond the "glitter" and more at product quality..Your comments are well taken. I have put purchase of new TC on hold. As you have stated many of the older campers are of higher quality. The 20 year old Hideaway that I bought to see if I'd like TC camping may become permanent..I am surprised at the shoddy workmanship I have seen on some of the new and near new units I have looked at.

Arlo

quote:

Originally posted by aux_man:
I was thinking of buying a Bigfoot because of all the positive posts I have seen over the years on this site. I ended up going with a Winnebago DP, but I do have one question (no offense), why, if all this stuff was bad from day one did you sign the purchase agreement?

Good luck

I too purchased the BF because of all the positive posts I saw on the different forums. The problem is that I didn't find many posts about Poor Customer Service. People generally overlook or dismiss that because the quality is there so therefore they don't talk about it. Now that my story is out, more people are coming forward and voicing their opinions.

Also as far as all the issues, the only "major" problem was the delaminating wood. This was caused by the glue that was used, not water damage. The cabinets themselves were constructed top-notch from the factory. All the vallances & outlets were hung straight ect... It was once the first rv shop replaced the wood that the angles weren't cut straight or screws were set too deep. That particular rv shop (that the dealer uses, and BF requested fix our TC) is who started ruining our camper making it worse than when we purchased it. They gouged the kitchen floor, gouged the bathroom door, cracked the paneling in the tc, hung the vallance & outlet crooked, ect...Since BF authorized this dealer to fix their delaminating issue, I feel BF should stand behind this rv shop and fix their crappy job.

I asked for a month, for both the BF rep & dealer to order more paneling and neither would. They also wouldn't order parts that were requested at the time of purchase. I finally had to talk with the GM, at which time he told his factory worker to steal the parts from another unit on the dealers lot. When I asked the BF rep if the parts were sent, he lied and said yes. We requested the tracking number and that's when the truth came out. They were NEVER sent.

Then BF sent their factory worker down to the dealer, who's "shop" was a covered carport lacking any major tools to do the job correctly. The factory worker had to go buy a table saw and work under the carport in 100 degree weather. The factory worker "tweeked" the wood, backed out the screws and just covered with new laminate tape. He even used extra pieces of wood to hide gaps and wall paper strip to hide the gorilla glue. My TC was pretty much a bandaid fix.

In my opinion, I purchased a $30,000 camper and it was in worse shape when they were done. To me that's NO FAIR.

As far as the other issues with the TC. Some things you don't find until you get home, or are willing to overlook because not everything is "perfect". Like the slice that was in the fresh water hose, that flooded the carpet the first time we filled the tank. We fix that. That 4 of the 6 screws that hold the fresh water door on the TC were stripped. Those things popped up after we got it home.

Anyway, hope this helps with the story line.

what did you exect , with $5.00 a hr teen with a hang.over putting them together

Pawpaw ..on several different forums I pointed out many problems with the claimed cause of many of the problems that the op says are bigfoots fault and the very questionable way the poster claims the mfg.& dealers helping did&did not happen,tomorrow I am trading a 2005 Northern lite in for a new leftover Bigfoot 10'6"and I have had two other Bigfoots in the past with excellent service from both the dealers and the factory ps I did call both the factory and dealer for more info since I was planning to buy another Bigfoot

This message has been edited. Last edited by: suds54,

Since Suds likes to keep this going even though we've since moved on and continue to use our BF, the dealer has since gone "out of business".

Suds, it's getting really old having you follow me around the forums. I could care less who you've called and talked to. You were not part of the problem nor the solution. You can let it go now.