Are import trailers really "that bad?"

[Jakster1]

Hello all,

I'm pretty new to the world of camper trailers and are currently in the process of choosing our first camper trailer as an upgrade from the tent, tarps, and millions of bits of stuff everywhere.

Now I've sorta been looking down the track of acquiring a pre loved good quality Aussie made camper that everyone here assures that its a good road to go down.

However,

In my searching for the perfect camper I can't help but be bombarded with all these cheap import campers that have "all the fruit" for like half the price.
I mean I can easily buy a brand new hard floor with enough change from from 20g to deck it out with heaps of extra cool stuff.
So, are they really "that bad?"
I keep on getting warned off from fellow forum members and retail shops that sell the Aussie made stuff.
What is it about them that no body likes?

[Bird]

[IanC]

Our neighbours saved up and finally got out of their tent and into a new camper at the price level they could afford (made in china) .  Were delighted until their very first trip away. To cut a very long story short the sales rep said they would have to return the camper to china for the extensive list of warranty issues that had occurred.  Yes you read right.  Send it back to CHINA!!

They eventually got their money back (but not without threat of legal action) and went and bought a second hand 10 year old KK.

 Had lunch with them today.....to organise next weekends trip  .. .  They said the worst decision they ever made was buying the new one with all the bits.  The best decision they ever made was buying aussie second hand..... 

No I am not a KK rep...we actually have three in our street... and a Conqueror.

[MrsRenno]

Hi there,

Doesn't hurt to ask around for people's opinions. Plenty members here have imported campers and I'm sure they'll be along to give their opinion.

We have only owned one CT - Aussie owned and made. Couldn't fault it. Don't have any opinion really on the imports not having had one but have a look at the attached link for a few cases where things didn't go to well for those that have:

http://www.australianmanufacturedcampertrailers.org.au/camper-trailer-articles/

[McGirr]

I would listen to opinions of owners of imported campers. They will give you advice etc.

Good luck in your decision.

Mark

[dazzler]

Hi Jakster.  No they are not 'that bad'.

My 2c is this.  I would buy a quality aussie built SECOND hand unit over a NEW import.  The second hand one will be better quality and has depreciated.

The market is swamped with campers ATM and even quality ones take a long while to sell even on this forum. 

I think it also comes down to how you approach life.  I cant afford a new Prado so I drive a second hand one.  I could have bought a lesser quality new 4wd for the money I paid for this one but seeing as I like quality I have to put up with an old one.  No biggie. 

There is no right or wrong of course.

By the way.  No point in getting one with 'all the fruit' if its over ripe and ready to go off.....


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[evolution]

From my experience so far, there are a whole multitude of quality differences in imported campers.
Some are pretty good (Ecomate  ) some are horrid.
The best thing to do is look at a few, set the main tent up on them and see what they are like.
Go right over them, check how well they are put together. It will be pretty obvious if they aren't done well.
Take your time when looking and work out what you need in a camper and what you want to spend and how you intend on using it.

There are some great bargains to be had second hand, but there are still some pretty good imported campers around.
I've noticed some people seem to put all imported campers in the same basket, but to me that is like putting a great wall ute into the same basket as a hilux. They are both imported, but one is certainly better built than the other. (My opinion only lol)

I got into working for Ecomate because I was surprised at the quality for a mainly imported camper.
But what tipped me over was Kerry's (the owner) attitude about how they get put together and what parts are used.
Are they the same as a kk? No, but they meet a different price point in the market.
That's my two cents and is worth what you paid for it. (Nothing lol)
But most importantly, good luck mate and no matter what you end up with I'm sure you will love getting out there and enjoying it.

Cheers
Evo

[dazzler]

Balanced comment as always Evo. 


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[evolution]

Balanced comment as always Evo. 


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Call me Switzerland. 

In all seriousness though, no matter what you buy open and close it first.
You may find that it is easy to set up, but packs away very difficult, or it will take 3 days just to set up the main tent. Don't just go off what a salesman tells you. Think of it this way, you wouldn't buy a car without test driving it.
That is one main advantage to looking second hand, generally the seller will jump in with you and show you tons of things. But occasionally you may get a salesman when looking new who just can't be bothered.
Obviously that isn't a blanket statement, but I guess what I am trying to say is get out and have a look at as much as you can. You may find that although as you said you can afford to buy a new imported hardfloor it just won't work for you, so it may become a moot point anyway.
Subject to that though you may find you don't want the larger foot print of a soft floor, irrespectively just go in with your eyes open and if you aren't sure what you are looking for, I'm sure there would be a swagger or two your way who would be more than happy to go with you and help. 

Cheers
Evo

[DropBearRacing]

Like what has been said plenty of times before, there are good and there are bad campers from china.  The trick is have a look at as many as you can, play with them, set them up if you can and hire them if you can.  Work out what design works for your situation and what fits into your budget.  Then you have to work out what compromises you can live with and what you can't. 

That goes for Aussie made campers as well.  Only you can decide what is right and what is wrong for you.

Having said all that there are quite a few horror stories on here about poor quality chinese made trailers.

Advice can only be given it can't be made to be taken.

If all else fails just jump in a buy one and let us know how it goes, it can't be that bad right??  After all, it's your money not mine

[martyst]

There are good and bad in aussie built as well as imported. Check build of trailer and size and ease of set up in your price range.

Work out things you want for yourself. There are dodgy cheap imports out there thats for sure. Check welds and tent ect. There are some lesser quality Australian built too at  a premium price. Take your time and you will find a good one that is right for you. We may have gone an Aussie built if finances allowed but at the moment are happy with ours.

Marty

[Aaron Schubert]

You can't taint all imports with a bad name. There is plenty of quality gear that comes out of China that would exceed Australian manufacturing specs; its all about quality assurance.

However, there is even more imported gear that is much, much worse. Do your due diligence and you can't go wrong.

Aaron

[Lori]

In the past there has been good reason to be wary of chinese imports and while things seem to be getting better it is still a case of buyer beware.

While almost all of the cheap imports seem to offer up all the bells and whistles on their campers, dont be distracted by them, they can be like a venus flytrap for the unwary. Check that the bones of the camper are good, dodgy materials can soon make a cheap trailer an expensive one.

Not all imports are bad and with a little knowledge people will hopefully be able to tell the difference between a trailer that has been slapped together and one the has the end result and customer in mind.

[muzza01]

I keep on getting warned off from fellow forum members and retail shops that sell the Aussie made stuff.
What is it about them that no body likes?

The forum members that are warning you off imported CT's have never owned one and rely on re-telling a mates mate story from five years ago.
Some of the Chinese CT's from from a few years ago were trash. The quality is much better now in most cases.

You can buy imported hardfloor campers starting from about $7000. They are avergae at best. If you spend between $12-15K, and buy from a reputable company than you won't be disappointed.
I and many others on this forum that actually own a Chinese CT seem to be happy with the decision to buy imported. I needed to make a lot of modifications and spend more $$ on my CT but I bought it for $10k so I was willing to make a few sacrifices. My brother bought his CT from EcoMate. It is almost identical to mine but the company (Ecomate) had already addressed all of the little faults that I found on mine. I think he bought his for $15k and he is very happy with his CT.

[baldheadedgit]

I am impressed with you lot 
once upon a time it would have been all guns blazing, blow up that Chinese camper, but now it's changed...Why.?
I have a Chinese top on mine, Had it for a few years now, not 100% perfect but hey, i new what i was buying and i have to work with what i have....
So yeah, it's a bloody good balance of views so far...good to see.

Like everyone has said, do your homework, if your handy on the tools even better, that way if it needs a bit of a beef up or mod, you have it nailed.

 

BHG

[briann532]

It all depends on what you need it for and how you plan to use it.
For me - no way. I go camping every 2nd weekend or more and do a fair bit of outback travel. It just wouldn't cut it.

If you plan to do do a few trips up and down the coast occasionally then why blow your budget on something you just don't need?

Horses for courses I guess.
This site is no doubt the best place to gather the info you need to make your choice.
Best luck
Brian

[edz]

Or equaly find a design that you like go mad with a tape and camera, Lay on a  feed  and a few slabs to the right mates and get exactly what you want built at a fraction of the cost .

[britts]

I have a 2010 Chinese hard floor camper, easy to set up, doesn't leak, and has had a couple of mods done to it and has suited us up until now. Over Easter we were heading to Menindee lakes and got as far as Cobar. We had broken a spring, easy fix you would think NOT, if you have a Chinese camper check the width of your leaf springs, mine were 50mm rebound eye to eye with a 670mm centre. I have been unable to find 50mm wide springs at all. What we have come up with is a 60mm wide spring with 680mm centre and a similar curve, I then have to get an engineer to machine down one eye of the spring to 50mm and will space the rear shackle to suit 60mm. Currently my camper is still in Cobar and it has taken a week to come up with a repair solution, it will be mid June before I get back to Cobar to attempt a repair. This camper has been off-road a couple of times and not just gravel roads, the scary thing is I think back to where on the trip it broke and it would have been 6 hrs before towing at highway speeds, it gave way on a rutted farm track doing just 30 kph. Would I buy another Chinese camper now, maybe after making sure all the running gear was readily available.

[Footy Shorts Shane]

I have a 2010 Chinese hard floor camper, easy to set up, doesn't leak, and has had a couple of mods done to it and has suited us up until now. Over Easter we were heading to Menindee lakes and got as far as Cobar. We had broken a spring, easy fix you would think NOT, if you have a Chinese camper check the width of your leaf springs, mine were 50mm rebound eye to eye with a 670mm centre. I have been unable to find 50mm wide springs at all. What we have come up with is a 60mm wide spring with 680mm centre and a similar curve, I then have to get an engineer to machine down one eye of the spring to 50mm and will space the rear shackle to suit 60mm. Currently my camper is still in Cobar and it has taken a week to come up with a repair solution, it will be mid June before I get back to Cobar to attempt a repair. This camper has been off-road a couple of times and not just gravel roads, the scary thing is I think back to where on the trip it broke and it would have been 6 hrs before towing at highway speeds, it gave way on a rutted farm track doing just 30 kph. Would I buy another Chinese camper now, maybe after making sure all the running gear was readily available.

1096 may be of use?

http://www.stengelbros.net/Eye-Eye-Trailer-Springs_c_254.html

Shane.

[britts]

Almost not enough curve, great site how come none of the trailer centres knew about it. Think I will having a good look through it.

[Jakster1]

Well definitely some food for thought here.
Ive got some great points out of this, And it has in no way made the decision any easier, possibly made the grey area a bit wider.
Aussie made and built are generally good quality (everyone agrees with that)
Some imports are rubbish
Some imports are good
He gap has closed a bit on the quality of Imports vs local over the past few years
Buying a second hand good quality unit seems like a popular choice.
People's opinions are swayed by what they have themselves.
You get what you pay for.

It just seems hard to pass up some of the Brand new deals that are available for the same price as a second hand unit.
But I am still leaning towards an excellent condition/ near new used camper.
My budget is 10-15g or if I wait for a while longer can probably stretch it out to 20g. Ill use it mostly as a family getaway for probably a half a dozen of week or two long trips a year of bush and beach camping/ only caravan parks if we have to.
Then the plan is ( in a few years) to take it upto the cape, down to tassie and everywhere in between
Just need to get my sh!t together and choose something or it will never happen!!

[DropBearRacing]

Thats one of the best parts when buying a camper trailer, getting around to have a look at them and sizing them up for yourself.  Once you have a list of what you absolutely need and can't do without and then a list of what would be nice if it was thrown in or a reasonable price spend some time checking out the different manufacturers.  I'm not sure where you are, but if your in Victoria take up Lost's offer to go to the get together in May as there will be a heap of different campers there that you can look at Aussie made and imported.  Otherwise google is your friend.

I loved visiting manufacturers asking questions and playing with their campers, it really helped narrow down our list to two specific brands it also allowed us to cull our list of must have items which saved us money 

[Pog]

I am impressed with you lot 
once upon a time it would have been all guns blazing, blow up that Chinese camper, but now it's changed...Why.?
I have a Chinese top on mine, Had it for a few years now, not 100% perfect but hey, i new what i was buying and i have to work with what i have....
So yeah, it's a bloody good balance of views so far...good to see.

Like everyone has said, do your homework, if your handy on the tools even better, that way if it needs a bit of a beef up or mod, you have it nailed.

 

BHG

I think those that dont like Chineese campers dont speak up anymore, because they dont enjoy being flamed by those that have them... I bought a 2nd Hand Aussie camper and have not looked back.

I know where my camper can go, and I know that it can be repaired anywhere in the country, as it runs all farily standard components.

I wouldnt buy one, but that doesn't mean that they are bad - it just means that I dont like them.

[Jakster1]

I'm in Mackay in QLD, so it's a bit hard to get to any of the manufacturers workshops to check out their work and compare with one another.
All I can go off is what's on the Internet websites ( they all have great sales pitches ( of course theyre the best made, most comfortable toughest and most reliable) and all you experts on this forum.
Lucky the home and outdoor show is on in a few weeks, there is usually a few different brands that show up to sell their stuff so ill go and check that out.

[Socks]

We have an imported trailer. And yes while we had a couple of minor issues to start with, they were fixed promptly and without any further issues. We could very well have had similar issues with an Aussie made one. I also notched in the weekend at the Sydney camper/caravan show that a few if the things we suggested to the company at the time of our purchase are now fixed and are standard on their current model. So at least one company is providing e xellent customer service, warranty and are listening to their customers. We are extremely happy with our imported trailer and it serves our needs as well as fitting in our budget.


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