Jayco outback vans - hardly. What poor quality!!!

X2 for us also on our 2nd Jayco Outback & had it on many of the outback tracks of Qld, SA & NT with no problems.
Value for money cant beat them IMHO. Resale of my first 5 years later.... got my money back.....
Our new one is definitely an improvement on the previous also so I think they are lifting their game.. & if you have a wannanty claim they are more than happy to look after you.
As Achjimmy said drive to the conditions & sensibly...... we love it..
Just my "first hand" experiences.....
PMK

Did he take labour costs in to account??

Hi Axle,

It is true that top of the range vans are very pricey – e.g. Bushtracker, Sunland, Kedron, Spinifex etc all make some models that exceed $100,000. But in economic terms are the manufacturers making excess profits? Economic theory would suggest they are not – caravan manufacturing is an industry where there is freedom of entry and exit (only barrier to entry is capital cost of setting up a manufacturing facility). If one manufacturer was making excessive profits – others would be attracted to enter the industry to share in those excess profits. Looking at the internet “make” dropdown menu on some of the sales sites – there are listed about 195 brands of RV’s for sale in Australia. A massive number of competitors - almost perfect competition to an economist. So it’s hard to believe that all 195 are in collusion to charge excessive prices.

Maybe the fact is we have relatively high labour costs and high input costs for those who use Australian components. Are these top vans worth the money? My belief is they are – they have a high resale value, will give you peace of mind in travelling in off road conditions, and are usually fitted with all the necessary features to “free camp” thus making travelling a lot cheaper.

According to Jayco’s website they manufacture 90 vans a week – so a new van is coming off their production lines about every 20 minutes. Other smaller niche manufacturers only make 4 or 5 per year! RV manufacturer is a very fractured industry where small operators can successfully compete in a highly competitive market. It will be interesting to see how the industry evolves in the future, especially when the current wave of “baby boomers” retirees subsides and overall demand decreases.

Cheers

OMG! Screws too long and poor sealing! Sound the alarm!

Poor suspension design from people that have no idea? Dont they fit Alko eye to eye leaf springs? Hmm, maybe you should offer your services to Jayco and Alko as it would appear that you know more than they.

With all the Jayco's around the country I am a bit puzzled now as to why I havent seen them broken and littering the countryside.

BTW, what brand camper do you have?

looks like you achieved your objective ;- )

Can you find a new van that is "well made" for under 30K? I'd agree that the "outback" tag is a bit misleading, although not altogether so - just as Coromal's "Pioneer" range is too. They both market their product, as do others, as a tough bushproof van with a disclaimer but if you want a real rough-roader you're looking to at least double that. We have been down some major dirt roads in ours and the brake wiring took a bit of a battering from flying stones but that was easily fixed. Of course, you can pick holes in the build but even our local van repairer thinks they are a good product at the price. Yes, mine has tek screws showing through here and there but if that bothers you so much I think you're looking for faults.

Personally, I think the caravan market as a whole in Oz is a licence to print money, especially when compared with vans in the US and Europe. Although there is a need to build more robust vans for long corrugated roads, that is only one section of the market and the vast majority are not meant to be taken offroad, yet are still nearly double the price of overseas vans. So yes, in view of all that you could say Jayco are overpriced, as are just about every other brand.