Sunline's final years

Harlie · 06-16-2013, 01:03 PM

Hi all,
I ordered my trailer in 2007 and love it. Soon after I received a letter that Sunline was no longer in business. Wondering if someone knows what exactly caused them to go out of business.
With there 35 years experience I'm also wondering why they were not bought out and continued on.
I could not find a trailer that could compare in California which led me to Sunline when I was looking to buy. It's a great travel trailer. harlie

GoodoleBob · 06-16-2013, 05:02 PM

I also order my Sunline in 2007, their last year of business. I didn't get such a letter as your refering too however, but I read of rumors on the web they had gone out of business...shortly there after this forum was concieved.

At the time plenty was said and hopes were that they could be bought out and kept alive...no such luck unfortunately. How could such a quality trailer line go belly up we all wondered...and still wonder I guess.

Gene · 06-16-2013, 06:49 PM

In addition to thoughts in other threads, Sunline could not generate enough repeat business. People with a less expensive "brand x" would always be looking to "trade up" (or is that trade in for one that wasn't falling apart). Sunline owners tended to be so satisfied with their slightly more expensive units that they had no need or desire for something newer. Some did want/need a larger or smaller unit due to changing circumstances and were mostly loyal to Sunline and were repeat customers. There just were not enough repeats in what had become a down economy and not enough new buyers that would pay a little more for a LOT more qualty.

JMHO

pwb01 · 06-17-2013, 06:34 PM

I found myself having to make the same decision. I bought a 2006 in Apr 2007. They closed their doors in Nov 2006 with 2007 models in production. They were about 4k or 5k more than models the same length by other brands but with a much better quality. Most people wanted less expensive. We're hard pressed today to find the same quality.

GoodoleBob · 06-17-2013, 06:54 PM

I will keep mine until I can no longer see camping trips as part of my lifestyle....that's not going to be for some time either...hopefully

I see some Sunline folks have opted to sell of there Sunnies and buy different brands...I have to wonder why unless a wreck or something forces it. They were simply ahead of the quality curve and worth keeping even if repairs are occasionally required...opinion obviously...we are all entitled to one.

Diane · 06-17-2013, 07:26 PM

For us, we started out with a 1950 and wanted a larger TT with a slide. We were limited by our then tow vehicle, a Ford Expedition. So we bought a half-ton towable North Trail. We traded that Expedition for an F150 5.4 and now have upgraded again to an F250 diesel. So now we have the perfect tow vehicle for a Sunline. We should have bought the F250 as soon as we decided to get a TT and I know we would still be Sunline owners.

Our North Trail has the great layout for us and we hope to keep it a long time. But we do miss the Sunline.

Poppy & Nana · 06-18-2013, 05:22 AM

Some of us move onto other brands due to age factors - Leo and I are not as young as we once where and trying to get kayaks and bikes on the roof of the F250 - was a struggle to say the least.....we looked hard and long for a Sunline Toy-hauler - we wanted the rear door vs side door. Well we found one and sat in the living area and knew we could not go from a 2499 to a 2075 floor plan which I believe was the space of the living space in the TH. Therefore we started looking at other brands. Trust me we are not "thrilled" with our Dutchmen, but it fits the needs we have. If Sunline had a larger toyhauler and we could find one in decent shape, we would still be Sunline owners......

nasa42a · 06-19-2013, 06:16 AM

Folks....

Whatever one's individual reasons for moving on from the unfortunately dead Sunlines, the real reason the company went under can best be appreciated by watching the movie "Other Peoples' Money", starring Danny DeVito. Sad ... but true.

And unfortunately, in the last two years (under then "new" ownership), quality standards began to be compromised, particularly on the 2499 frames and Que interiors.

A story with a bad ending.

Frank

**Sunline Fan** · 06-20-2013, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nasa42a

Folks....

Whatever one's individual reasons for moving on from the unfortunately dead Sunlines, the real reason the company went under can best be appreciated by watching the movie "Other Peoples' Money", starring Danny DeVito. Sad ... but true.

And unfortunately, in the last two years (under then "new" ownership), quality standards began to be compromised, particularly on the 2499 frames and Que interiors.

A story with a bad ending.

Frank

I couldn't have said it better, Frank.

MACK C-85 · 06-20-2013, 01:15 PM

Quote:

And unfortunately, in the last two years (under then "new" ownership), quality standards began to be compromised, particularly on the 2499 frames and Que interiors.

We have one of the last units that Sunline built, a 2007 T-276SR, delivered on Halloween 2006. There were the normal items (cracked window shade, screws not properly installed on valances, missing items, etc.) on the delivery punch list, but there were also some rather glaring quality issues. When the linoleum was put down, they left a pile of dirt (dust, nails, screws, etc) in the doorway to the bathroom, it was already cutting through the vinyl on delivery, fortunately the dealer was able to slice the vinyl, clean out the crap, and cover the slit with a metal threshhold under the door.

The bigger issue showed up a couple of years later.... the area in front of the refrigerator was always a bit springy,but it got progressively worse. We also developed a soft spot just inside the entry door. When the floor was opened up in front of the refrigerator, there was a spot about 2' wide by 6' long across the width of the trailer that had no structural support under the OSB board. Our repair guy added two cross braces to fix that. When he opened up the floor near the front door there was about a 1" gap between the edge of the OSB and the wooden frame. He sistered in another piece of 2"x3" against the frame, under the threshhold, to support the edge of the OSB.

We also ended up putting in a Pergo floor, because the vinyl was stretched so tight that it shrunk a good 1 1/2" to 2" inches and would not stretch back out to cover properly.

Even with these issues it's still a lot better trailer than the majority of what's out there.

Mack

Galaxiedriver · 06-20-2013, 10:39 PM

Jan and I toured the factory in April 2006. Our photos are posted somewhere. We have many memories and photos of the two Sunlines that we owned. We loved them and never had problems with them.

We have however, moved on to a trailer that is more suited to our traveling needs/wants in our retirement.