Overall quality

If you can, take an experienced RV'er with you to look at the model you wish to purchase. While the overall quality of my RV is OK, there are definitely things that they did not do correctly when it was manufactured. I see lots of people commenting about having the same problems. For example the bed support struts were missing on some models, not installed correctly on mine, etc. Simple but annoying for sure. Another item - wall panels that bow out away from the wall studs. They use impossibly small staples to hold the paneling to the walls. The problem is they have the pressure set too high on the air tool so the staples blow through the thin material and it pulls away with temperature variations or vehicle vibrations when traveling.

While searching for the factory solar wiring I pulled down one of the ceiling AC vents. There was a ton of sawdust where they used a hole saw to cut the ceiling opening for the vent and did not bother to vacuum or clean out the saw dust. Plenty of posts on all brands stating how people find mysterious saw dust after they move their RVs during camping season. Wonder no more.

Test every electrical device. Turn on every light, test every outlet for power, test every USB port, etc. Extend the awnings and slides. Run the A/C. Turn on the fireplace and verify it throws out heat. Turn on the refrigerator the moment you walk in. By the time you check everything else out the freezer should be noticeably colder than ambient. Test the lights for the stove top. Mine were all jacked up - whomever installed it really screwed the wiring up and broke a connector.

The water lines and wiring to the water pump on mine worked but they were inter-twined and just stupid looking. Whomever installed it should have been fired on the spot.

The frame on mine is an NXG (as opposed to the much more common Lippert frame) which seems to be high quality and very strong. The axles and suspension are "standard" Dexter RV fare. I have upgraded mine with Road Armor equalizers, brass bushings with wet bolts and a Road Master shock absorber kit. That provided a drastic improvement when towing and way less movement of the RV and its contents when driving down the road.

If you are looking to install solar panels on the roof take a tape measure with you and check the available space. The inclusion of skylights and such on mine is "nice" from a sales pitch point of view but I find them useless because I have insulators covering them to keep heat in during the winter and cool in during the summer. If I could have opted to leave them out I would have - and I could have installed a fourth solar panel.

The wiring in mine appears to be OK but the location of the breaker panel is just plain stupid. Whomever designed it to be at floor level, in the master bedroom where there is ZERO room to get to it, was a moron.

Before purchase is the time to negotiate having the dealer install upgrades or give you a deal on accessories:

 - Add electric stabilizers if not already equipped. Extending / retracting manual stabilizer jacks quickly becomes a pain, especially if setting up / tearing down in inclement weather.

 - Have the dealer rotate the tongue jack powerhead 90° so you have more room to lower your tailgate when connected to the RV (if you are towing with a truck).

 - Get the WDH you want when you purchase. I'd suggest a close look at the Blue Ox setup. I find it far easier and superior to the e2 setup that came with mine. ZERO noise when in use too.

 - See if they will supply a LiFePO4 battery instead of a lead acid battery and ensure the RV charger is set up for it.

 - See if they have a mattress upgrade option or a credit for the factory torture rack cover they call a mattress.  

 - Try to get them to install Goodyear Endurance tires instead of the Chinese Road Kings.

 - Try to get them to throw in sewer drain hoses, fresh water hoses, an external water filter setup, electrical surge protector, etc. All of this stuff is needed to use the RV and adds up when buying it afterwards.

- If they agree to upgrade your tires add TPMS sensors for a monitoring system. If you have a later model Ford truck you can buy a TPMS monitoring setup from Ford that will display the tire info right on your dash. You can also get a rear camera from Ford as well that shows on the screen in the truck, if properly equipped. Both solutions reduce dash clutter big time.

One last thing - my RV came with the MORryde "solid steps". While they seem like a good idea from a stability perspective I would opt for the fold up steps that stow under the RV outside. If you have your RV in a tight spot and you need to get into it and you don't have space to fold the steps out you can't get in. Also - every time you fold them up after it has rained they will drip water and mud on the floor inside your RV. Lippert makes a $50 stabilizer add-on for the outside fold up steps that makes them just as stable as the "solid steps" and you can use them almost anywhere the RV sits.

Now, to be fair, I have several friends with other brands of RVs. The common denominator is ALL of them are assembled by morons, working as fast as they can go, without a thought to servicing or longevity. I guess you have to pick your poison based on the features you want, keeping in mind the amount of time you wish to invest correcting things.

Overall I'd give my SportTrek 327VIK a solid B- for workmanship and a B+ for quality.

Thanks that was a great help. We got it back to the house and everything is good except the Cheap plastic shelf assembly. The shelves are to short and fall and don't hold any weight. Stupid.