RV Consumer Group or not....Your thoughts?

[tcamper]

We are planning to purchase a 5er this year and have started the research process. I have ordered the RV Buyers Guide from Trailer Life at about $7, as well as the RV Buyers Guide from Woodalls also about $7. I plan to spend a lot of time on the irv2 forum @ irv2.com as well as the Open Roads forum @ RV.Net.

I will also attend the RV show in Houston on February 9-13.

My question is, Should I spring for the $100 membership fee to obtain the RV ratings package from the RV Consumer Group? Is the information worth $100? How many folks here have used RV Consumer Group and how do you feel about them?

Thanks for the information....and see you around....

[tcamper]

We are planning to purchase a 5er this year and have started the research process. I have ordered the RV Buyers Guide from Trailer Life at about $7, as well as the RV Buyers Guide from Woodalls also about $7. I plan to spend a lot of time on the irv2 forum @ irv2.com as well as the Open Roads forum @ RV.Net.

I will also attend the RV show in Houston on February 9-13.

My question is, Should I spring for the $100 membership fee to obtain the RV ratings package from the RV Consumer Group? Is the information worth $100? How many folks here have used RV Consumer Group and how do you feel about them?

Thanks for the information....and see you around....

[Lady Nyrtle]

Hey, tcamper,

After reading the many expensive adventures that other irv2'ers experienced, we decided the membership fee might be worth it if we could do a better, more objective decision about our purchase of an RV, just about a year ago.

We have not regretted the money we spent. To us, all new RV's are bee-yoo-ti-ful. We weren't sure how we could get behind the interiors and many features to be sure about hidden construction practices, and so forth. The RV Consumer Group was the best help we could find, and considering how expensive the repairs can be when you purchase an RV that isn't solidly or safely constructed, we felt it was money well spent.

We appreciate their devotion to RV safety, a factor that seems to be overlooked by many RV manufacturers. They send unobtrusive but relevant emails that keep you aware of the recalls and so forth.

Hope this helps... good luck with your upcoming purchase.

[cwsoules]

The RV Consumer Group does contain some good info. Do not waste money on their book on how to buy an RV as it just gives you all the old advise on how to buy a car that most of us have heard many times. I found the evaluations of various RVs interesting, but if the manufacturer is unwilling to provide the info requested in the format required they are not evaluated at all. Plus the RV Consumer Group owner's opinions drive all the evaluations and technical evaluations.

[camper1b]

It's an excellent resource for the following reasons.....
<UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>You will spend a LOT of money on an RV and $100 is chump change.
<LI>They are the ONLY source of "relatively" neutral comparisons that are not supported by advertising from the same RV manufacturers they are rating.
<LI>Great information concerning what class they feel a particular camper fits into. Such as a "seasonal" has better, more robust components than a "recreational", a "fulltime" better than a "seasonal", etc.[/list]
Now, as others will tell you, it's not the Gospel and don't just use the ratings totally as your guide. They have certain biases that may or may not make their rating reasonable. It's the unbiased comparative information they provide that is the valuable part, not the actual rating.

Hope this helps.

[Moby Bill]

They have a loyal following, so I plunked down my $100 four years ago. Rarely have I received less value for my money. The book on buying made me suspect the whole operation. Seemed like it was written by a carnival hustler. As for ratings, I think I gathered a great deal more by my own research here and on other forums. It is a shame there isn't a more credible consumer organization for RVs. You may find it useful and its only $100. And that is chump change if it helps you at all. Good luck. Bill