Opinions welcome on a MiniLite 2503S

[SkipBest]

We are about to order a 2503S Mini Lite. We would love to hear from any owners.
Do you like this floor plan?
Quality of this design?
We want to make sure we include options that you find worth the extra money. We will include.. Power jack, Power awning, Aluminum wheels, Night Shades, and a Wood look floor.
Questioning... Thermo Pane windows, Heated tanks, and Slide topper.
What are your thoughts? I posted this under "Dollar and Cents" I am new to the forum so I hope I am posting this in the correct place?

Thanks for your advice.

Also any thoughts on buying from a distant dealer? We live in PA near Phila. but have received better pricing from Labadie RV in Holland OH

[HappyCamper77]

The slide topper is always a good idea. Bets getting up on your roof to sweep it off every time you camp. The heated tanks....are you going to be camping in below freezing weather? If not then I don't think they are necessary .


Ontario, Canada

2014 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7
2015 Rockwood Ultralite 2905ss

[BruceM]

Thermo pane windows are heavy & expensive.
Unless you plan to full time in a really cold area I would forget them.
On the plus side I imagine they do not collect much condensation?

[Lon]

I bought a new minilite 20 footer with no slideouts in the fall and have had no problems. I bought it on the internet from a dealer 1400 miles from my home and by the time I got home I knew the trailer well. The quality and engineering is superior and the price was unbelievable.....around 11,000 dollars. It's been one of the best purchases I've made. I hope your experience is as good as mine was.

[cap10gus]

Bought the 2503s back in September and have been out several times since. Love the floor plan with all the inside storage and "full sized" bathroom. Both of which are made possible by the Murphy Bed. A bit inconvenient to put up but it's only once a day. Also like that the sofa folds flat for a daytime nap.

We have all the same options, power jack, awning, aluminum wheels, night shades, wood laminate. Very glad I have power jack. Lots of compliments on the wood floor look. Night shades much better than blinds. And aluminum wheels just look better.
No thermal pane windows and we did find they collected condensation especially before we learned to keep couple vents open. But the condensation has to collect somewhere, better on a single pane window where you can wipe it off instead of in the walls.

[geotex1]

Originally Posted by SkipBest

Questioning... Thermo Pane windows, Heated tanks, and Slide topper.

Also any thoughts on buying from a distant dealer? We live in PA near Phila. but have received better pricing from Labadie RV in Holland OH

Hello from your neighboring state!

Go with a factory slide topper IMO! The heating pads for the tanks and windows will really depend on the stretch of your camping season and where you will camp. If you will be cold weather camping regularly, then they are a good idea, but in my personal opinion I don't see benefit in adding thermopanes where a trailer's underbelly is not insulated and enclosed. I believe the Mini Lites don't have this(?)

Regarding buying at a distance... This will depend largely on how you plan to handle repairs and maintenance. If you are not already aware, the RV industry is not like the automotive industry, and a local dealer is not obligated in any way to perform repairs, even warranty repairs, to a unit purchased at another dealership regardless if they sell the same brand. I can tell you most RV dealers in the Delaware Valley are pretty rigid about this in the day as well, and DO NOT be fooled. The local dealers talk to one another and through their factory representative, at least here in the Delaware Valley, and they interfere with the natural order of negotiating a deal! I speak from recent personal experience when we were considering ordering factory new, but we ended up buying newly delivered, off-the-lot 6 hours from us.

Good luck and happy camping!

[Booker]

Skip beat
Don't know if you purchased the mini lite 2503s yet and if so I hope you bought it from Labadie in Holland Oh. We purchased the same model 2503s in 2013,
and was wondering the same question on buying from a distance dealer. We have two dealership that are only 20 & 30 miles away but instead went 2hrs out of our way and bought it from Labadie. If I'm not mistaken our salesmen's name was Greg. They are a small dealership but extremely friendly and treat you right. We had no issues and went with our credit union. They worked on our truck hitch to get it lined up added a bike hitch but had to move the spare tire over and did it all for free! We didn't even asked they just offered to do it. We did have to have warranty work done. the microwave wouldn't heat up but our local dealership took care of us with no issues. They do carry forest River mini lites but not this model at the time we bought ours. Labadie had the best price well worth the trip! Love our 2503s!


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[Charliec]

WE have the 2504S that we purchased last October and we are very happy with the floorplan. Ours has the slide on the side but the dinnette is in the slide instead of the kitchen. The Murphy bed is very easy to operate and provides a lot of useable space. I hope you enjoy your new TT. Best of camping to you.

[SkipBest]

Thanks, are there ANY good RV dealers in the Delaware Valley? I am in West Chester, PA

[Lon]

I didn't know Delaware had a valley. You are close enough to Albany. Buy it on RV Direct and pick it up in Albany....save 50%. Great dealer. See Niagra Falls on the way home.