Talk me down from the ledge...

jimmerz · 05-31-2015, 08:59 PM

We have an agreement at Camping World in Akron on a 2016 Crossroads ST270BH. We feel like we got a good deal and really liked the lay out and appearance as well as the "classy" feel we got from this model.

We were also looking at th KZ show stopper 280BHSS which is a VERY similar model and layout.

We could have gotten the KZ (at a different dealer) for about $3000 less, but there were a few drawbacks and things that I WANTED that the KZ didn't have and the CR's did.

I wanted the leather looking interior. I wanted a seperate outside door from the bathroom. I wanted outdoor speakers and a Black tank flush as well as a power toungue jack, power stabilizer jacks. I wanted an outdoor shower. I also really liked the couch/bed in the CR compared to the KZ. As well as the Queen Bed in the front beedroom.

So friend's of ours went ahead and made the leap before us and bought the KZ. We continued our search and landed at the CR. We are scheduled to sign and pick up on June 15th...

My concerns and reservations:

* 2yr warranty vs 1yr warranty.
* the extra money for some of the "comforts/luxury" are they worth it?
* I've been reading a LOT of negative things about Crossroads (naturally AFTER I am just about to be a new owner!!!)

I guess I am looking for HAPPY Crossroads CAMPERS!

Sorry if I sound like a needy new camper (I am a NEW camper)

Thanks, Jim

**mark5w** · 05-31-2015, 09:12 PM

What you will see on this forum, or any other rv forum, is mainly complaints about the campers. People usually don't complain about having a good camper, and if they don't have any problems some feel why post anything. This is my opinion: Crossroads have just as many problems as other Rv brands. Don't believe that, check out all the rv forums.
I've had my 13 Crusier Patriot for two seasons now; very few problems. Most of the problems were minor and all were fixed under the Two year warranty that was standard in the past. In addition, I bought an extended service contract for 7 years. Expensive, little bit; but I've used them in the past and always got my money out of them. Too much to go wrong on any new Rv. Even if I don't use it, it's worth the piece of mind to me.
Would I buy another Crossroads? Sure, no question. I'm very well pleased with the product. I'm sure others that have experienced major problems will not purchase another Crossroads, like a person with major Jayco problems would not purchase another Jayco.
There ya have it. My view on Crossroads Rv's. Just remember, it's just as important to have a good dealer also.

The extra money spent on upgrades? Your decision, but I like the added luxury.

MartyinSC · 05-31-2015, 09:18 PM

Jimmerz, you mentioned several expensive things (outside shower, extra door to bathroom, etc.) that either will or not be in the model you select. You want those things, and they will drive up the cost. But in the long run, get what you want. Better to know what you want ahead of time, and get it; than to wish you got them later.
Don't know about yours, but our Camping World is Straight-A. Good deal, square shooters, and good for repair. You will always find some lone wolf who will undersell them. To us, seeing a CW sign in a new town is a welcome sight.
See my thread, "We got a winner!." Remember, you only hear about the very few horror stories, and many of them are operator-caused. Few people get on line to record "no problems!."
My advice: Go ahead with your agreement, and then go camping with your friends in a two-site setup. Then you can compare notes on the spot, with a beer in your hand! Enjoy!

sleepyT · 05-31-2015, 11:11 PM

Jim
I have to agree with Mark & Martha...I own a 2013 305SKP and am very happy with it...The only advice I would give you is, since CR and most other manufactures only offer a one year warranty at this time, once you take delivery of your camper use the hell out of it...That way you can address any warranty issues during the winter....Good luck and Enjoy...

Rick G. · 06-01-2015, 01:56 AM

Jim, I've read all the horror stories from folks that have had bad experiences with CR. We bought a 2013 ST 26 BH Reserve earlier this year and have had it out several times on short and longer trips and have a Denver to Prescott and Denver to Seattle trips planned in the next two months and we couldn't be happier with what we have. I also wanted the power everything and was willing to pay a little extra for them. We have had absolutely no problems with it. Everything works and have had no reason for service. Good luck with your decision on what ever you choose and happy camping.

Loneoak · 06-01-2015, 05:29 AM

I agree with Marty - get what you want. The outside bathroom door would be nice for on the road, and also if you have children they can go directly into the bathroom without traipsing through the rest of the unit.

As for warranty, SleepyT has a good point - use the heck out of it the first year. Having said that, we got a 2 year warranty with ours, used the heck out of it for two years, and we are STILL dealing with warranty issues. I think we just got a bad one, you can get that with anything you buy. We would have traded long ago if we didn't like the layout so much. Crossroads has been very good to us, however and all our concerns have been addressed.

PokerMunkee · 06-01-2015, 07:26 AM

I'm buying the same camper from Camping World on Thursday. How much are you paying? Not sure about rules on this board, but we probably need to send Private Messages.

For the money (mod.edit), I couldn't find a nicer camper that weights under 5500. Ohio dealers are selling them at (mod.edit) plus handling. I had to pay a little more but came out about same with driving there and back.

That KZ looks a lot cheaper. Can that be had sub (mod. edit)? Nice deal. Since your friends bought one, I would not want the same camper and would buy the ST

jimmerz · 06-01-2015, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PokerMunkee

I'm buying the same camper from Camping World on Thursday. How much are you paying? Not sure about rules on this board, but we probably need to send Private Messages.

For the money (mod.edit), I couldn't find a nicer camper that weights under 5500. Ohio dealers are selling them at (mod.edit) plus handling. I had to pay a little more but came out about same with driving there and back.

That KZ looks a lot cheaper. Can that be had sub (mod. edit)? Nice deal. Since your friends bought one, I would not want the same camper and would buy the ST

I agree with not finding a nicer camper under 5500! I think I've been searching for 2 years.

I'll message you the price.

OhioMark · 06-01-2015, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmerz

I agree with not finding a nicer camper under 5500! I think I've been searching for 2 years.

I'll message you the price.

x2,

I did research for 2 years before pulling the trigger on our Sunset Trail. Crossroads makes the nicest, lightest campers for the money

mbutts · 06-01-2015, 02:08 PM

I had a few minor issues that were fixed in one trip to the dealer (cracked skylight over shower, leaking black tank flush, LEDs not working on awning). Nothing else in the past two+ years.

With all the power doo-dads, my wife and I felt better buying a 7 year service contract. Hopefully, I won't use it, but it was worth the peace of mind to us.

**DavisK** · 06-01-2015, 04:06 PM

Jim, I'm a happy Crossroads camper. I have a 2014 SF270BH, similar layout to the ST270BH, but fifth wheel. No major issues at all.

anaro · 06-01-2015, 04:31 PM

Honestly, I loved my old Zinger. It was a great trailer with very few issues. The issues we had were mostly evident in the first year of ownership and covered by crossroads warranty. We sold ours when we decided we wanted a fiver. We went with a palomino sabre by forest river. It has had tons of issues. I frequent this forum, forest river forum and sometimes rv.net forum. I can tell you that all of the major manufacturers have really good trailers and they all have lemons. Every new trailer will have some issues, be firm but patient. It is a result of the way they are forced out the door too quickly these days. Take your time during the pdi. Check everything and I mean everything out. If anything.g is wrong do not hand over any money or sign anything until it is repaired to your satisfaction. If anything seems off or a major issue, walk away. Otherwise sit back and enjoy your new sunset trail.

Antares · 06-01-2015, 06:56 PM

Mine came from Camping World in Akron. While I am fairly happy with the trailer, the dealer, especially the service department, is terrible. My warranty service took 3 months out of our first year camping season, and they only fixed half of our issues.

They even went so far as to let me know they lost my trailer. They were pretty sure it was on their lot somewhere but couldn't tell me where or what state of repair it was in.

I know for a fact that while it was there they stripped parts from my trailer only to be replaced from parts of a different one.

sleepyT · 06-02-2015, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antares

Mine came from Camping World in Akron. While I am fairly happy with the trailer, the dealer, especially the service department, is terrible. My warranty service took 3 months out of our first year camping season, and they only fixed half of our issues.

They even went so far as to let me know they lost my trailer. They were pretty sure it was on their lot somewhere but couldn't tell me where or what state of repair it was in.

I know for a fact that while it was there they stripped parts from my trailer only to be replaced from parts of a different one.

ANTARES
I have found in the few years that I have been camping that first if I want to buy anything for camping or for my 5th wheel I can usually buy it cheaper somewhere other than CW...Also from personal experience I will never bring my camper to CW for ANY work I might need to have done...Lastly if I could prove that at any time a maintenance facility took a part off my trailer to use on another camper while it was in their possession I would talking to a professional, about doing something so as that facility would NEVER consider scavenging parts again...

OhioMark · 06-02-2015, 07:24 AM

No to jump on the bandwagon but we had a very unsavory experience at that CW when shopping trailers so I am not SIRPrised. (he-he).

At the end of the day, all these CW's are just local dealers franchising the CW logo and part of the network. One dealer can be great, but another, awful. I found the smaller dealers to have better service, but I understand everyone doesn't have that option. I find that they mess up just as much but try to make good because just like a small family run business, they usually rely on their reputation to sell campers, not a giant franchise network.

**DavisK** · 06-02-2015, 03:12 PM

My first exposure to CW was in 1978 during a camping trip in our Jayco Thrush at Walt Disney World. Back then, there were only a handful of businesses on 192 between I-4 and CW. Until I joined this forum I thought they were a chain of franchised camping supply stores, with half-decent prices on sale items, but over-priced on everything else. With that strong image and the tales I've read on the forum, I would never consider them for anything else.

ttroup · 06-03-2015, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmerz

We have an agreement at Camping World in Akron on a 2016 Crossroads ST270BH. We feel like we got a good deal and really liked the lay out and appearance as well as the "classy" feel we got from this model.

We were also looking at th KZ show stopper 280BHSS which is a VERY similar model and layout.

We could have gotten the KZ (at a different dealer) for about $3000 less, but there were a few drawbacks and things that I WANTED that the KZ didn't have and the CR's did.

I wanted the leather looking interior. I wanted a seperate outside door from the bathroom. I wanted outdoor speakers and a Black tank flush as well as a power toungue jack, power stabilizer jacks. I wanted an outdoor shower. I also really liked the couch/bed in the CR compared to the KZ. As well as the Queen Bed in the front beedroom.

So friend's of ours went ahead and made the leap before us and bought the KZ. We continued our search and landed at the CR. We are scheduled to sign and pick up on June 15th...

My concerns and reservations:

* 2yr warranty vs 1yr warranty.
* the extra money for some of the "comforts/luxury" are they worth it?
* I've been reading a LOT of negative things about Crossroads (naturally AFTER I am just about to be a new owner!!!)

I guess I am looking for HAPPY Crossroads CAMPERS!

Sorry if I sound like a needy new camper (I am a NEW camper)

Thanks, Jim

Hello jimmerz,
Although you are a new camper, you DO NOT sound needy. These are normal reservations and concerns that we would be glad to help you with! It's unfortunate that you are reading a lot of negative post about CrossRoads, it is easier to post negative instead of positive. With that being said, our positive out ways our negative by a long shot!

As you can see, the forum is a great place to reach out and get feed back from other RV owners. I am also here to help and to keep you from jumping off ledge! If your questions have not already been answered by our wonderful CrossRoads forum users, please please please feel free to contact me by email (ttroup@crossroadsrv.com) and I would be more than glad to help you and get everything taken care of for you!

Journey on!

lmpres · 06-03-2015, 09:23 AM

Jimmerz,

I just bought my third camper. This is my first Crossroads. I picked it up in Feb but really didn't get it opened until Memorial Day weekend. We found 2 issue's that we didn't pick up on at delivery. I went in to our CW and they made a appointment to get it in and take care of them. The way I look at it, stuff happens.

Our first weekend was awesome. And now we can't wait to take it out again. I would have to agree with the above posters. People with problems make the most noise. I belong to Trip Advisor because of a lot of the travel we do. You cannot find a resort on there that SOMEBODY doesn't complain about. Even though there are some awesome resorts! You have to take the complaints with a grain of salt. You will find that satisfied customers will post comments at a much lower percentage....

As far as the warrantee, we always go with it. The way I look at it, I do this to reduce stress. The last thing I want to do is raise it because of maintenance things that need to be taken care of. Makes my days under the awnings a whole lot more relaxing.

Hope this helps!

By the way, Just step down from that ledge and talk to me. There are some very important people in your life that are all pulling for you. (I was trained in Crisis Negotiations by the FBI, lol)

ewbldavis · 06-03-2015, 10:09 AM

We purchased two CR Zinger's from the Akron dealer.

We really haven't had any issues, and while I expect if I ever have to use the CW warranty (we purchased the 7 year basic Campingworld warranty) I will have to keep on the dealer to expedite repairs, I doubt purchasing a different brand from another dealer would result in anything much different.

If you like the Sunset Trail and the features it contains, that is way more important than the dealer. If you purchase something that just isn't what you want, you will be much unhappier, regardless of dealer service.

OhioMark · 06-03-2015, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewbldavis

We purchased two CR Zinger's from the Akron dealer.

We really haven't had any issues, and while I expect if I ever have to use the CW warranty (we purchased the 7 year basic Campingworld warranty) I will have to keep on the dealer to expedite repairs, I doubt purchasing a different brand from another dealer would result in anything much different.

If you like the Sunset Trail and the features it contains, that is way more important than the dealer. If you purchase something that just isn't what you want, you will be much unhappier, regardless of dealer service.

Well said, we had to come to the same conclusion a few years ago because we had fantastic service from the dealer of our previous trailer (Jayco), but neither Jayco nor KZ makes anything close what Sunset Trail has, so we had to jump ship to get the ST we have.

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