Mark,
This is might be the worlds longest reply - here we go. First of all you are not trading "Down" - I can promise that. Yes the North Trail might be newer but it has a 2" side wall, 6" I-beam, Crowned laminated Roof (strongest in the industry), Wide Trax suspension system, 3- 9,000 BTU Stove top with electric ignition, convection microwave, longer beds and I could keep going. All these things are as good or better than what the Outback uses and not just the Outback, but 95% of the industry. So the notion of down grading is complete nonsense. Secondly, I was in this industry in 1999 when a hand full of Coachman sales reps, went to Louisville (which is our big dealer show) pitching a new company called Keystone. I remember saying to retail customers / dealers the same thing your buddies are saying about a new company and being risky. At the time, I was with Holiday Rambler - a company that has been around 50 years. We'll that was 8 years ago and Keystone has since been bought by Thor and Keystone will do about 800 million dollars in product sales this year - a very good company. Now I was still with Holiday Rambler when in 2004 a group of Gulfstream sales rep went to Louisville pitching a new company called Heartland. In the 3.5 years since, Heartland has risen to the #4 5th wheel manufacturer and has received a significant financial investment by the New York Investment group, Catterton Partners. This company has significant investments in companies such as Outback Steak House, Build-a-Bear and other consumer driven companies. Also, Heartland will do about 250 million dollars in product this year, making Heartland the fastest growing RV company in history. So I would say the risk part is over, maybe if you were buying in that first year, I might have agreed with your buddies about risk but those days are long gone. I hope this helps.
Mike C