Outback or Standard

We agree with you ocoolone.
Take care,safe travels, Ma.

Ocoolone,

I think that you are being a bit hard on the Jayco Outback, especially as Jayco has never claimed the Outback model as an "off roader" They are building a "dirt road" or unsealed road van, and they clearly distance themselves from any claims of it being an "off roader" The Outback has the Simplicity suspension as an option, which coincidentally, is the standard fitment on a Bushtracker.

We have ordered one, and we are under no illusions as to its capabilities, and given the comparative price (about half) to a "true off roader" it represents tremendous value, in spite of you bagging their build quality.

Your focus on build quality, especially highlighting a few tack welds on a jerry can holder, does not objectively answer the original posters question of a reasonable summation of its performance.

The fact that they have 100 service agents around Australia ,demonstrates their committment to customer service, rather than your insinuation of their product constantly requiring repairs. It is like suggesting Toyota Landcruiser are duds because they have five times the dealer network of Jeep or LandRover etc.

Robert

Hi BrigalowO,
We travel on some extremely bad roads & rugged places in a non off road camper trailer. Hubby reinforced the trailer. It has been good.
We're hoping to get to Weipa this year depending on , work, health & rain. Also the road conditions.

From what we've seen & heard during our many travels, we've made our decision about some vans, the ones which seem to have more problems than others. Maybe it's the way they've been driven.??

We want to get a bit more comfort ,yet still go to rugged places.
We can't afford the really good off- roader Vans. We take a tent as well for when we have to leave the trailer behind. Kime could do that too.
We met up with some people in Hawker who'd bought a brand new caravan in Adelaide or Melbourne. They had stayed on the bitumen & it looked as though it had.

Several had pulled up at this spot for lunch but the couple with this new Van couldn't get into their van because the top part of the door had fallen down & jammed. some people staye d to help them.,
They'd seen it happen before. Don't know the outcome.
Take care, safe travels. Ma.

Robert the original post asked about "off road: and about the Jayco..... my understanding was "off road" means just that going off the road.... bitumen or dirt.

So called good dirt roads can be vehicle wreckers and corrugations are a killer.... every one has different definitions of this and some think driving down there drive way if off road.

My comments about the workmanship and quality stand, if your happy with the workmanship and quality of what your spending your hard earn't money on ..... that's fine.

We have an Ultimate camper and there are things on that that are below standards including poor workmanship in certain areas and for the money I paid I would expect better..... our previous Ultimate was built to a lot higher standard... and both are built to a much higher standard then the Jayoc's I have worked on.

If I find something below standards I become very vocal about it including to the owner...... I'm not gaining anything by telling someone how it is.

I'm not a Jayco hater but I do get cranky with poor workmanship.

Jayco build some very trick looking gear and cater for nearly every market segment.

All the issues I see with Jayco's can be easily fixed whilst being built, if the person/s doing the work had taken more pride in what they are doing there would be no reason to complain...... maybe their QC is lacking.

The biggest asset to a business it the worker....employ people with poor work ethics and the business suffers.....

All the faults I have seen and found costs the customer money and time to rectifies and when it's out of warranty; Jayco or the agent will not care.

Robert you can read into my post as much as you want and their is nothing wrong with using the glass 1/2 empty or glass full 1/2 theory as you have.

A bit of pride and QC can go a long way to building a superior product that will keep the customer happy and have then return.

And you comments about spending 1/2 the price of a true off road camper doesn't cut it with me..... no matter how much you spend the workmanship and quality shroud be of an acceptable level and to a high standard no matter what it costs...... price doesn't give a manufacture the right to cut corners or their employees to do below stand work.

As I said before we have an Ultimate with below standards of workmanship..... and I know of other Ultimates suffering from the same..... Ultimate don't care once they have the sale.

Every manufacture need to steep outside their business and take a good hard look at it being unbiased..... little improvement go a long way.

ooooppps ...sorry,not sure why that has appeared twice!

I think I recall 2 x postings is caused by hitting the Submit button 'again' while waiting for the first Submit to load (if slow)........ but hey..... everything should happen instantly in this tera/bit/nano world :-o).

Darian,
It will all be instant once the NBN is finished but don't hold your breath waiting.
Our area is scheduled for late 2015 if we are lucky (It's a small town in a solid Lib/Nat electorate so there's no hurry)

Disco.

You are lucky Disco,

We live in a village with less than 1000 people so I don't think we will ever get the NBN. Will have to rely on Mobile wireless as I do now which works pretty fast usually...and I use it at home and wehn travelling as we are now. (Currently in Tibooburra NSW)
regards,
Heather
Hope I dont hit the submit button twice again! lol