Trailmanor's demise

[gerry1950]

Purchased a new 2010 2720SD and have had nothing but trouble. Been to the factory twice and still problems. This past weekend I traded in for a JAYCO 2012 Skylark 21FKV. Has the same weight and tows like the TrailManor. These Skylark models can be towed by almost any SUV or Crossover.
With options, I paid nearly $30,000 for the 2720SD and the Skylark was
$21,860 with electric awning, central stereo/dvd and better equipment.
One dealer said he would give me $8,400 on trade which I laughed at.
The best I could get was $14,000. In less than two years my investment lost more than 50%. TrailManor has priced itself out of the market and their quality and service is poor at best. This all adds up to:
"THE DEMISE OF TRAILMANOR"

Normal retail price depreciation on a travel trailer is 20% the first year, 20% the second year and 10% thereafter. Given that you took a trade-in price, you're not far off of that.

The amount you lost is pretty typical for any trailer. When I bought a 3 month old Palamino Unleashed it lost $7,000 on its sale price. I am guessing the previous owners took a $10K hit at trade-in.

That is why I buy used!

I will add that my former TM actually gained value in the settlement. That was because we had a replacement contract and most comparable 3326s we selling higher.

I think you are going to like your Skylark. There are definite advantages of a trailer that does not fold. However, I have found handling or fuel economy among those features.

I still think the TM is a great trailer...but I would only buy one used!

[gerry1950]

Let me be clear. I like the concept of the trailer, easy towing and fuel economy but the product is lacking in quality. My last service at the factory was a dismal failure. The factory installed another manufacturer's outer rubber seal to all the windows which I did not authorize or was not aware of until I brought the trailer home. Now I cannot close the windows without prying the seals because the replacement has a different profile and collapses in. I had to fight with trailmanor to send me the correct seal material. They acted as if they were doing me a favor after their mistake.
The factory said they would pay for the replacement labor but now this in question. How can you service a trailer and not check your work? This was the straw that broke the camel's back with this product! Frustrated and fed up!

[T and C]

Originally Posted by gerry1950

Purchased a new 2010 2720SD and have had nothing but trouble. Been to the factory twice and still problems. This past weekend I traded in for a JAYCO 2012 Skylark 21FKV. Has the same weight and tows like the TrailManor. These Skylark models can be towed by almost any SUV or Crossover.
With options, I paid nearly $30,000 for the 2720SD and the Skylark was
$21,860 with electric awning, central stereo/dvd and better equipment.
One dealer said he would give me $8,400 on trade which I laughed at.
The best I could get was $14,000. In less than two years my investment lost more than 50%. TrailManor has priced itself out of the market and their quality and service is poor at best. This all adds up to:
"THE DEMISE OF TRAILMANOR"

Gerry,

I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with the trailmanor factory. however, I think your conclusion that TM is doomed because of the trade in values that you referenced is a little premature.

Last October during the factory clearance season I bought a new 2010 F-150 crewcab. So I have had it 11 months. I looked at my documents to get the real price I paid, and then went to kbb.com to get the current trade-in value. The results showed 24% depreciation in value.

I am neither surprised nor disappointed by this. That is because I have known for a long time that the majority of depreciation is on the front end rather than being evenly spread over the life of the vehicle. The longer you keep a vehicle that you buy new, the lower the cost per year is.

The advantages of trading what you have in on a new model are that you get to buy exactly what you want, and you get it right away. The disadvantage is that you take a BIG depreciation hit. Selling the vehicle yourself takes patience and some effort. Buying used takes advantage of the realities of the depreciation curve.

But the 24% depreciation factory certainly is not an indicator that Ford is about to fold, and the same applies to TM. If TM folds, depreciation will not be the reason.

Tom

Large trucks are very interesting in value.

I just checked kbb for the private party value.

Kbb says 31,730

I paid a bit less than 30k out the door.

My timing was excellent. It was the first day of GM pricing for all.

It seems to me that when calculating depreciation you should start with something that represents original retail price, not a deep discount price like I found.

[T and C]

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

Large trucks are very interesting in value.

I just checked kbb for the private party value.

Kbb says 31,730

I paid a bit less than 30k out the door.

My timing was excellent. It was the first day of GM pricing for all.

It seems to me that when calculating depreciation you should start with something that represents original retail price, not a deep discount price like I found.

Wayne,

That is why I got the actual price I paid from my documents. That gave me my actual percentage of depreciation, not a hypothetical percentage.

Tom

Gerry - How did you get anyone at TM to even respond to you? I have written emails to Customer Service and Marketing. I also sent an 11 page snail mail to the president of the company outlining all the issues. They have never responded back to any of it. Most of the stuff that was half installed or screwed up at the factory I can and have fixed. Mine has a rear door, and it never lines up without making the unit off level, and then there are big gaps in the seal at the back for the bugs to come in. My dealer took a shot at this and was unsucessful - just poor design. TM only cares about one thing - Get um out the door and it is someone elses problem. When a company doesn't care about it's customers, I agree - it is doomed.

I agree with most of the posts on here - If your stuck on the design then buying used is the only way to go. Myself - I really like the design, but the company has no quality control. Good luck - It is a lot of money to pay for a bad choice. If it is any consolation - My stomach churns every time I think about the sucker punch the TM threw me.

[gerry1950]

I got the factory to respond because I live in Maryland and put the trailer in their face at the factory on my way to Myrtle Beach. Sad that they screwed up more than they fixed! I obtained e-mails between the factory and the window manufacturer that proved their mistake
after Trailmanor's denial. Shoddy work by the factory and lies I cannot tolerate. I traded the trailer while I could and relieved myself of all this aggravation. Costly lesson learned! Good Luck! I am truly sorry for all those that have made a bad buying decision, including myself. After reading the latest on "restructuring" it seems we were all lied to! RESTRUCTURING = BANKRUPT = CUSTOMERS ARE SCREWED

Years ago, my Dad told me he bought a Studebaker right before they closed.
Then after that, a Rambler.
Glad I'm keeping the tradition alive....