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rPodCamping View Drop Down
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Joined: 28 Mar 2020
Location: Michigan
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Posts: 21 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Need Advice
    Posted: 19 Jun 2020 at 2:47pm
Dear WooHoo22;

We recently bought a 2020 rPod 176.  I would give the fit and finish workmanship......... a solid C+.  Lots of simple stuff that was poorly executed during assembly.  Maybe I got a Friday afternoon trailer because it appears like rush work.  I was thinking of taking a picture of each finding and sending it to Forest River.........not that it'll do much good.   Best of Luck.................. 
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Buffalohunter View Drop Down
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Joined: 12 Oct 2019
Location: Bellingham, Wa
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Posts: 57 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jun 2020 at 7:44pm
I have a 2020 189...all’s good in that you just have to be qualified on the rig. If you are a do it yourself hands on kind of guy...you’ll be fine. This forum has a lot of good ideas and resources. I have done the expected...and modified more. The bones seem ok for what it is and how much you pay for. We travel the west and have invested in a lot of little things...solar panels with 2 batteries are a must, command hooks, rugs, towel bars, modified furnace supply, waste pipe support and other organizers as well as dividing the bed into 6 unique compartments all accessible from above. But I am a inquiring kind of guy. Just like cars good ones on Wednesday not so on Monday or Friday. Roll the dice and take the plunge...so much fun to enjoy.
R-pod-2020 189
2013 Toyota Tacoma
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podwerkz View Drop Down
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Joined: 11 Mar 2019
Location: Texas
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Posts: 966 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2020 at 10:55am
When you compare a smaller r-pod side by side with a Tab400...no comparison..but the Tab costs twice what the R-pod costs. For the $15,000 (or more) difference in price, I can fix a lot of stuff!
r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2020 at 10:36am
Originally posted by Woohoo22

I appreciate the help!

In regards to buying used, I definitely tossed around the option. But with the current discounts on the new models they seem to be cheaper than the used.

Beware of dealer fees, hidden charges, and high taxes. Private party sales won't have all that.  Also, you often get some nice upgrades with used ones that you will pay extra for in new ones. Like lostagain says, it depends on where you live too. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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lostagain View Drop Down
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Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
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Posts: 2587 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2020 at 9:40am
When we replaced our Pod with the Sonoma, we considered both new and used trailers, but found that a one or two year old trailer really wasn't that much cheaper in the late fall/early winter when we were looking.  When you add the distances to go look at the used trailers and the potential for chasing wild geese, it isn't necessarily less costly to buy used.  Each individual situation is a little different and requires a tailored approach for the circumstances.  It really is a function of what the market is like in your area.  The main thing is to pick a trailer that will meet your desires and anticipated needs.  

If you are new to travel trailers, it wouldn't hurt to try to rent something similar to what you have in mind to buy.  It would give you a chance to see what it is like really using it.  Also, keep in mind that unlike automobiles, travel trailer dealers are not inclined to do warranty work on your new trailer unless you bought it from them.  If you get a trailer from a distant dealer, the warranty work can get complicated.
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
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Woohoo22 View Drop Down
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Joined: 17 May 2020
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Posts: 4 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2020 at 9:11am
I appreciate the help!

In regards to buying used, I definitely tossed around the option. But with the current discounts on the new models they seem to be cheaper than the used.
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mjlrpod View Drop Down
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Joined: 27 Sep 2016
Location: Massachusetts
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Posts: 1214 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2020 at 8:24am
Some campers are 20 feet long with all the amenities and cost $12,000 dollars. Other 20 foot campers might not even have all amenities, and cost $25,000 or more. I am on my second R-pod, though I only kept my first pod just over 2 years due to going a little bigger. I've definitely had a few times I've thought " You seriously couldn't have spent another .50 cents and made that better?" The black tank hanger being a great example of that. But over all I am and have been happy with both units. You have to get used to R.V. thinking. Things will break, leak, need tightening, replacing, etc. Always look for it, before it looks for you, and take care of it right away. I think you will be happy with your pod. 
2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195
2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl
I'll be rpodding
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2020 at 7:46am
Personally I'd recommend getting a lightly used trailer a year or two old. If there were major manufacturing issues they would have gotten resolved along with a lot of nitpicks. Also, many folks buy these and one use them a few times before the find out they're too busy or camping is not for them. The early depreciation in the first year or two is pretty dramatic as well. Just my $0.02. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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StephenH View Drop Down
podders Helping podders - pHp
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Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2020 at 7:39am
We had some issues that needed to be resolved by the dealer and one big issue caused by an accident that required a trip to the factory. Then we had a leak issue that the dealer resolved which involved the flange on the slide-out. There are a number of issues I have resolved by myself and a number of mods that addressed what I viewed as shortcomings that were not quality issues as such, but I wanted something better (see my mods for details). With the number of miles we have gone (30,000 +) with the RPod, we expect things to happen. We've been though a couple of axles. One was bent and one had a defective weld on the brake backing plate. The bent one I had to pay for but the warranty covered the second problem.
StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS
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Pod People View Drop Down
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Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: Chapel Hill,NC
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Posts: 1067 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 May 2020 at 7:31am
We have had 2 Rpods-a 2011 173 that we used for 5 years and a 2015 179 that we currently have had for 3 years.  all of them have had minor issues that were easily repaired by me.  I don't think of the Rpod as inferior or bad craftsmanship, but more of production line quality control issues and pressures to produce quickly.
I have no problem referring Rpods as a quality trailer worthy of my investment. It's a great little trailer that we love and use. Get one and have fun!
Vann

Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
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