Big Baldy

Las Vegas, NV

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Joined: 04/25/2005

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I was talking to the factory two days ago and was told that they will begin production on the 2009's next Monday....
2008 Dodge Ram 3500 Mega Cab 4X4 SRW 6.7L CTD
2006 Weekend Warrior LE3305
2008 Polaris Sportsman 700X2
2007 Honda Rancher TRX420
2007 Polaris Sawtooth 200
2007 Polaris Sportsman 90
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dwrat

Phx, AZ

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Joined: 12/13/2004

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Big Baldy wrote: I was talking to the factory two days ago and was told that they will begin production on the 2009's next Monday....
They will be 2010 not 2009
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MCrankyPants

Dayton OH USA

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Joined: 04/17/2003

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dwrat...check my post history for my recent experiences with WW.
Take it for what it is, some is direct personal experience, some is heresay from a couple of people very close to GiantRV and Weekend Warrior...use your judgement.
2007 Teton Experience Sunrise pulled by 2003 Dodge 3500 Cummins HO 6-spd. 4x4
'61 VW Double-Cab
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OlderThanSand

Tollhouse, Ca

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Joined: 12/09/2007

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dwrat wrote: Big Baldy wrote: I was talking to the factory two days ago and was told that they will begin production on the 2009's next Monday....
They will be 2010 not 2009
Does anyone besides me see something wrong with this? I always thought that September was the accepted norm to introduce the next year's models on cars and such. Building a 2010 a year and a half premature? Come on now let's be real. I certainly hope that when someone is buying a used RV they look at the "year first sold" box on the title so that they know how old it REALLY is.
dblagent007 wrote: WW borrowed a lot of money to fund its ambitious growth plans back in the glory days when it apparently thought the RV market would expand forever. Big mistake. Oil went through the roof, sales dropped into the toilet, but one thing never changed - the debt payment.
This sounds remarkably similar to the boating industry back in the 70s
2002 4x4 Super Duty PSD
2006 22' Carson Titan
2006 Polaris Ranger
2007 Suzuki LTZ 400
2007 Honda TRX 250EX
1995 model dune crazed granddaughter
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Gale Hawkins

Murray, KY

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Joined: 07/22/2007

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Time line trend of then and now.
Trailer Maker Weekend Warrior Moves Plant to Perris, Calif. Date: June, 1997
RV maker Weekend Warrior loses three executives. Date: April 25, 2008
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dwrat

Phx, AZ

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I agree, in Cali there is some crazy law that allows a builder to list the year in advance up to 2 years or so..
Thankfully all WW have the rear build date listed in the front right hand corner on a detailed info sticker.
I looked at a used 2007 and it was built in Dec of 2005 so I passed on it.
Dan
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grimmyk3

California

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Joined: 03/05/2008

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Hoverman, I agree that other market forces are creating the current condtion. I was simply addressing the reasoning behind the warranty change. hoverman wrote: grimmyk3 wrote: I too have a WW LE 35 on order. I ordered it on 2/23/08, and the delivery date has been purhcased back (3X) until 7/14/08, which is two days before I leave for a 3000 mile round trip vacation. I'm a bit worried, but willing to take the chance.
I called a spoke with Mark when the rumors started about them going under and why my coach was taking so long to make. He explained that they moved to one production facility and shut down the plant for three weeks to get everything up and run at the consolidated location. He assured me that they are not going anywhere and that they will continue to stand by their products. He also told me why he made the decision to go from a 2 year warranty to a 1 year warranty, which is the industry standard- The warranty repairs costs were killing them-apparently people were taking advantage of the warranty and demanding that WW fix items that were deemed normal wear-and-tear. Mark said that in the past he found it better to simply keep the customer happy and fix the non-warranty issues, however, too many people were coming up with unreasonable warranty claims that simply drove the cost up. I feel confidant that everything will work itself out, and even though the market has slowed down it is not going anywhere.
i find that to be hogwash any manufacturer out there of any product does product calculations for failure and warranty repair cost per unit and add that to the unit cost...now if you did these calculations and put out a product that needed more warranty repairs then planned for then yes you go upside down quick...but i believe their quality went downhill as they grew which increased their cost of repairs under warranty...plain and simple....i also beleive they were loosing some market share to other manufactures and didnt respond to the quality issues fast enough
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rkentzel

Perris, CA

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Joined: 04/11/2006

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I drive by there a couple a times a week sure looks like they are drowning. They are back at there little plant. I hope they pull out of the funk.
2006 GEORGETOWN 349TS Ford F53
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Gale Hawkins

Murray, KY

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It is even costly to downsize today.
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WhitehouseLV

Formerly Las Vegas, Now Big Sky State - Montana

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Joined: 09/10/2005

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as mentioned above the market structure has changed a lot. When Weekend Warrior first started they were in a monopolistic type of market, then the TH market shifted to an oligopoly market and now into a more saturated market. This usually requires reevaluating their business & marketing plans. Given the current economy and more choices a company is more likely to go under if don't address and fix their problems. I find it hard to believe though that the name Weekend Warrior will go away. Too much recognition.
Traveling Whitehouse
2006 Keystone Raptor 3612DS 
2004 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 CC LB DRW Duramax LLY 4x4 
Reese 20K Hitch
Prodigy Brake Control
pair of Honda Ranchers and an old 88 Honda XR
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