Would a Damon Daybreak hold up to full time?

Deezl Smoke · January 23, 2015

I'm asking this here to draw on your full time experiences with various brands and builds in the full time arena.

A while back I posted a bit about a local 2004 Daybreak 32' class A with one slide. That thread was not about info on the rig, but about the ad that I thought looked odd with so few miles. Well, it is still at the dealer and I have done further research on that dealer. Sounds like a legit dealer and I even found local people that have had great luck using their repair services. So I stopped by yesturday to look at the Daybreak. Wow !! It really does have less than 8k miles. Not just on the odo, but you cant fake the condition of the rest of the rig by turning back an odometer.

I am curious what your opinions might be on using such a rig for full time living, but not on the road full time. Not to get into laws etc. about living on some land, but about the rig staying mostly in one spot with a somewhat mild climate. May even be under a cover for the most part and just go when vacation time allows. Address and all that is taken care of legally.

Low temps might get to as low as 10 about one in 15 years. Mostly lows get to into the teens one or two days a year. Normal would be mid 30s. Rain and fog. How bad would it be in a 32' class A of this brand and build type? I mean for comfort and living more than anything? I usually keep the stick house at 66 to 67 F in the winter, and wear a heavy shirt if I feel cold. I'm used to living in old houses that were built in the 30s and 40s with no wall insulation, just ceiling insulation. Usually the houses have been added on to a couple times. I seem to get by great. So how much worse would it be in a Daybreak?

Kirk W · January 23, 2015

My information is dated as I've not even set foot in a Damon product in several years. About 7 or 8 years ago, a good friend and former member of these forums spent several years working for a large Florida dealership as a sales person. Damon was one of the brands which they sold but my friend stated that he tried not to sell them because they had so many problems and poor factory support. He also stated that the Damon has very poor retail pricing & trade value for used units because the price falls very rapidly. In looking at the current NADA book, it looks like the retail prices do fall off more quickly for the Daybreak than for some competing models of other makes.

On the other hand, if you can buy it right and don't expect to travel a lot with it, it could still be a good choice, as long as you realize that it probably won't have the quality or fit & finish levels of more expensive, more highly rated RVs. It will probably have cabinets that are made of pressed-wood products with vinyl warp to make them look like wood and that will show wear much more quickly than does real wood, particularly if the doors and working surfaces are not either solid wood or some Formica type of product. In less expensive RVs the drawers are probably of less quality construction and the sliders will likely wear out must sooner than those of a higher rated RV and other things of that nature. I would also take a hard look at the construction of the walls, to see how well insulated they are and you will probably need to have some type of skirting around it to keep cold out. It has an aluminum framework and that will be a bit heat loss issue and so you will need to expect to have high energy requirements to keep it warm due to heat loss.

If it has linoleum floors like the current models have then you will probably want throw rugs on the floors in winter to keep them from being cold. The current model does have fresh & waste water tanks in heated space so that is a plus. It has a 30A power cord, so you will be somewhat limited in your power availability and probably will not be able to heat much with it. It would be a very positive feature if the RV has dual pane glass in the windows.

Since I am not familiar with the RV in question, my suggestion is that you examine it very closely and be sure that it is well made and in good condition, then make the decision.The list that I would use comes from the RV Consumer Group.

Deezl Smoke · January 24, 2015

Thanks Kirk. I googled the rv consumer group and though I could do nothing as I am not a member, I found several other review sites that shared their views of the Daybreak. Seems you are right. Not very good reviews. So,.....I doubt I will continue looking at this rig. Thanks.