2008 was a bad year for the Rv industry. Some companies merged, sold off assets, closed or filed for bankruptcy protection. If you're thinking of buying a motorhome, you need to be careful of the viability of the builder to stand behind their product. When an Rv company goes belly up, so does your factory warranty.
Unfortunately, according to the folks at RvResolve.com, here is an updated list of RV companies that have closed:
Chinook (Trail Wagons)
Sunline Coach
National RV
Travel Supreme
Ameri- Camp
West Coast Leisure Homes (in Canada)
Western RV
Alfa Leisure
Weekend Warrior
Teton Homes
Pilgrim
Bigfoot RV (in Canada)
Sun Valley Inc.
Nu Wa Industries
Forest River now owns Coachman's RV Division (at least in this case part of the sale set aside 11 million dollars in an escrow account for warranty costs).
Next up? You need to keep a watch on Country Coach and Monaco. Country Coach announced that they may not reopen in February (that's their worst case scenario) and Monaco has hired some financial advisors to explore "strategic options". That doesn't sound good.
If you've got a lemon Rv, now is the time to get it in the shop for any repairs you want done under warranty, while there is still a manufacturer to pay the claim. If they won't cover your repair, then it may be time to take quick action. Call or email us today for a free Lemon Rv case analysis.