What do people think of JAYCO vans???????????????

Submitted: Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 06:30
ThreadID: 77021 Views:12840 Replies:12 FollowUps:6
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Need some help, we have been looking around for a used (no off road)18-22ft caravan, lots of Jaycos for sale but have been told by family not to buy Jayco, thing is they are affordable and if something goes wrong should be able to get parts, is this right? Our plan is travel for at least a year and then sell it so looking for a van that is saleable after too. Thanks for all your input.
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Reply By: Member - barbara M (NSW) - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 07:46

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 07:46
Hi Nighttrain,
I can only tell you of our experience, we have had 2 jayco vans and have had no issues except in one of the vans filling the double water tanks but jayco were relly good with the repairs, we have a supreme getaway at the moment and are less happy with the way it is made. On thinking back we have had 2 jayco vans and 2 jayco campervans ( wind up pull out campers) all have been off road vans. One of the campers was a 1980ish we used it heaps sometimes in strange places sold it to a friend who has then given it to his son & family still going strong. How many early 80 Jayco vans and earlier do you still see on the road. In our experience a lot depends on how the driver treats them. We are contemplating selling our Supreme to buy another Jayco off road van. Hope this helps,
barb
AnswerID: 409569

Reply By: Member - Don M- Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 07:52

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 07:52
You have been told by the FAMILY...what Mafia...??

Anyway, you will always get that sort of trash talk about Jayco because they have 50% of the Australian market and the knockers are usually owners of other makes and are envious of Jayco innovations.

Sure, you will have annoying problems but don't think for a moment that that is the domain of Jayco. I talk to several people around the traps and many people with vans twice the price of mine who have exactly the same problems as me...and worse.

And, you hit the nail on the head, there are so many on the road that spare parts and service agents are everywhere and remember this, the things that go wrong are nearly always the major appliances, AC/Hot Water, Fridges etc and they are all the same as even the most expensive makes..., Dometic/Coleman.

The fibreglass Jayco walls are as strong or stronger than any other van out there, and the cupboards are mounted to steel inserts built into the vacuum bonded and aluminium framed walls.., no problems at all. The cupboards are screwed, not stapled but they are not solid timber like some expensive vans but so what, same as most houses.
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Follow Up By: Trevor R (QLD) - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:27

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:27
I reckon you are on the money with this answer Don. All manufacturers have their problems and with so much market share it is only reasonable that we are going to hear more tales about Jayco's just cause there is so many more of them out there.

Whatever Van you buy Nighttrain, buy it to suit your predicted use. I had a Viscount Nipper (10ft light as cardboard) van that I litterally killed by overloading it. Had I not put so much weight in it I would be certain that it is one of the best vans on the market......for it's build purpose, light and easy to tow. My Supreme (current van) Getaway is at the other end of the spectrum heavy and cumbersome but again, for its purpose a bloody good unit. This one handles the weight like nothing else on the market and completely indestructable but it also has its downsides but I can live with these, so I am a very happy camper.

If the Jayco is in good nick and at a price you are happy to pay and it suits your application then get in to it (so long as you have had a good look around and know what you are buying, not just the first van you have seen).

Cheers, Trevor.
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Follow Up By: Member - Heather G (NSW) - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 12:53

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 12:53
Hi nighttrain,

I agree with Don.

We have owned three Jaycos - a 10 yr old 2nd hand 'Penguin' camper, then a new Freedom pop top which certainly was the budget model but comfortable enough to travel in. By the time we traded it two years later for around the same price as we had paid for it, it had had any problems repaired either under warranty by Jayco while the minor things were fixed by my very handy ex schoolie woodwork teacher hubby.

Our current van is the smallest model Outback Sterling (18 ft) , now coming up for its 2 yr rego and we have taken it to Lawn Hill in west Qld and off the bitumen in many other places without any major problems. We took it to the west coast last year and did 20,000 kms with no dramas and were away nearly 6 months. We think we have done around 40,000kms in it so far.

We have sealed any gaps which used to let in the dust by using a couple of tubes of 'no more gaps' or some such product. It is presently having checks and work done with brakes and springs and other 'underneath' gear , plus extra 12 v outlets and other bits and pieces in preparation for our next trip.

Just be prepared to regularly check and maintain your vehicle as you would with any brand of van. They all have their problems, even the more expensive ones and you will find parts for Jayco readily available in most larger centres, and as well probably be able to sell your van after your trip for a similar price to the one you pay for it.

We travelled with friends who had a new Supreme getaway a couple of years ago and they had as many problems with it, if not more, as we did with our Jayco which cost us at least $15,000 less.

Cheers

Heather G





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Reply By: Member - peter K (QLD) - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 08:04

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 08:04
Hi Nighttrain I have had jayco vans in the past and while they can have problems i found the dealer i brought mine from where great at fixing them and they didn't occur again like the postings above have stated they are 50%of the market and for a mass produced van not bad at all. PJk
AnswerID: 409573

Reply By: Phillipn - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 08:31

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 08:31
Fraser RV in Toowoomba have a very good Royal Flair 17 Ft van for sale. It has been well cared for by the previous owners, their web site is www.fraserrv.com.au

Has A/c , annex . Worth a look. A much better buy than a Jayco.

AnswerID: 409577

Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:03

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:03
Sounds like you have got it there on Consignment lol.
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Follow Up By: Phillipn - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:26

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:26
I would like to own it.
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Reply By: Member - Ron O (VIC) - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:16

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:16
We had jayco off road had no problems with it at all. Even took it to port keats and the road well it was as rough as l have ever been on. And we pick up the new jayco off road on thursday
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Reply By: Douglas C - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:48

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:48
Hi nighttrain,
We have had a Jayco Westport for some years now , it was about two years old when we purchased , but in excellent condition at the time . We travel mainly on blacktop but do venture carefully onto gravel and dirt , but try to drive to the conditions , so as not to traumatise the caravan, and it has served us very well indeed , however, we have it serviced regularly ...and the only issue so far has been the failure of the water pressure valve . We would have no hesitation in purchasing another Jayco , if it was necessary , but imagine this one will see us through to the day we have to give up travelling .
Happy travelling,
Douglas C ( Qld )
AnswerID: 409593

Reply By: landed eagle - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:51

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 09:51
I used to have a Jayco Eagle '94. Was well flogged when I bought it but it kept on doin' its thing beautifully. All its original parts were still on it and all worked. Tough as nails.
Now I have an '09 Expanda Outback and after 15000 ks it has had nothing wrong with it other than a loose drawer slide screw.
After 2 Jaycos I'll certainly look at another when the time comes to update.
Have your family members had experience with the brand or just going on the testimony of their mates best cobber who had a friend whose mum and dad owned one?
About 3 years ago I overheard a bloke bagging Jaycos out and couln't help myself and asked him what model he'd had. Turned out he'd NEVER owned one!!
AnswerID: 409594

Reply By: Member - Bruce T (SA) - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 13:31

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 13:31
Hi nighttrain,

We had a Jayco off road poptop and had virtually no troubles with it. The main trouble we had was with the battery, but once it was replaced no problems.

We sold it and bought a Coromal, because it had good reviews etc. We would be unlikely to buy another due to the problems that we had with it. Unfortunately Coromal didn't want to know about them. We have fixed the problems ourselves and now have a good van, but it is never serviced by the Coromal dealers, nor was it fixed by them.

Cheers,
Bruce and Di
AnswerID: 409612

Reply By: johntoyo - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 14:09

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 14:09
I am on my second Jayco a full size bought new Stirling. The first was a 6 month old at the time Freedom pop top which we had for 8 years, with not one issue. The current van had a leak at the awning seal and was fixed promptly by the dealer, but that has been all in 2 years.

Any van manufacturer is going to have problems one way or another at some times, and as others have said generally these are with third party suppied equipment.

I can only speak about Jayco, and that is you 'get a decent bang for your buck'

Out of the regular crowd of 5 we go out with all but one are Jayco's of different types, and all on their second or third van.
AnswerID: 409618

Follow Up By: johntoyo - Sunday, Mar 21, 2010 at 01:21

Sunday, Mar 21, 2010 at 01:21
PS. As others have mentioned a good van will hold it's resale price. We sold our Freedom for more than we paid for it even after 8 years.
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Reply By: Member - Terry W (ACT) - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 17:32

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 17:32
We started with a new Jayco Penguin Outback, but after a while wanted the extra convenience of a "proper" van with an ensuite, and, after looking at a very wide range of other vans, we bought a new 20 foot Sterling Outback. When the 21 foot Sterling Outback was released, we upgraded to that. We have been very happy with our three Jaycos, and we have yet to find a van that we think better suits us or provides better value for money.

Jayco mass produces vans, just like virtually all the car manufacturers do, because you need volume to keep prices reasonable. Lack of volume is probably one of the main reasons why several other van manufacturers are no longer with us.

With around 48% of the Australian market, Jayco is the choice of almost half of all caravan owners. There is probably a lesson in there somewhere.

Apart from the excellent dealer network and product support that Jayco has, we have found that Jayco vans depreciate very little at least over the first few years.

Buying Jayco (if the van's design suits you) is a very safe bet.

Hope our experience helps.
AnswerID: 409640

Reply By: Members Paul and Melissa (VIC) - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 18:44

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 18:44
Try Here

http://www.supertramp.com.au/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=28&SID=9e8bf2b9d82eef2bb498zbz8bc755d4d&title=jayco


read to your hearts content, and yes i own a Jayco and we love it- great van.
AnswerID: 409649

Follow Up By: Members Paul and Melissa (VIC) - Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 18:46

Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 at 18:46
oh and this one

http://caravanersforum.com/viewforum.php?f=2
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Reply By: nighttrain - Sunday, Mar 21, 2010 at 06:26

Sunday, Mar 21, 2010 at 06:26
Thank you everyone for your great advice again, this web site is unreal, we have had some good answers from all the travelers on here and we take it all into our plans, yes the more we have read there is nothing wrong with Jayco and might just end up with one as they have the floor plan we like. thanks again
AnswerID: 409704

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