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Old 07-15-2007, 07:57 AM   #1
RAC
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Finally Made our Decision

Well, we finally did it. 6 long months of dusty lots and sweaty salesmen are finally about over. The wife and girls and I came to our decision last night that we are going to go with the Flagstaff 831 KRSS. Going to go with 2 hide a bed couches, the 15K BTU a/c (Hot and humid here as Kim can testify to) and all the other bells and whistles we can get. Still debating between Cinnamon and Green.....any preferences from the crowd?

We looked at every brand, style, and model available in VA I believe. Was offered a sweet deal on a Cherokee 29 B yesterday (20K) loaded, but something just wasn't "right". Looked at the Jay Feather's (30U) and the Jay Flight 31 BHDS. We liked the latter the best, but weight was an issue as I have a 1/2 ton. Dry weight was fine, but with stuff added and gear, cargo in the back of the truck I could guestimate only about a 3-600 lb safety factor, and I don't feel like doing a bunch of trim and stability calculations finding the GM of my vehicle everytime I want to go down the road. (People with a nautical background understand this last sentence) We even debated trading my beautiful truck for an even more beautiful F-350 duelie, but then we would have gone 5'er and probably spent another year looking.

I was amazed at some of the salesmen's varying opinions on towability for like models. One guy wouldn't sell me a cherokee I really liked because of it's length and how it related to my wheelbase (138"). Asked other sales people elsewhere about it and of course they said length is no issue. I am sure the "truth" is in the middle somewhere.

I am VERY safety conscious, so I will elect a reese hitch with sway control and load equalization. Haven't made up my mind on a controller yet, but have read people's reviews on theirs. I know I want a push button feature which will engage just the trailer break in a light application if I need to stop some wild-ass sway. (I have a trucking terminal background as well)

So, we'll see our boy Jeff tomorrow at Southern RV in Richmond and order our trailer. The one thing I liked about this guy over any of the other dozen or so we met was that he never talked **** about someone else's product, and even steered us away from some of his lines (he would make more money on them) because of his experiences towing them with a light vehicle. I will say that this forum and the great people here have made our process easy and I'd like to thank all of you for your input. Naturally, now that I will have my flagstaff, you're going to have to put up with my smart ass for a while longer.

We understand that something will definitely go wrong, and of course knowing that, it will be less of an irritant. I hope to see some of you out their enjoying life some day.

Regards,
Steve & Family
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Old 07-15-2007, 01:17 PM   #2
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Congrats on the decision, Steve.

I towed with the Equal-i-zer brand hitch with built in friction control, and the Prodigy brake controller. What an outstanding combination it is.
Still got the EQ laying in the garage...I'm going to sell it soon...as I don't need it now.
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Old 07-15-2007, 03:16 PM   #3
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Old 07-15-2007, 06:40 PM   #4
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When we last attended the Richmond RV show the folks at Southern were very nice and cordial and not too pushy. They didn't have anything we wanted at the time but made a good impression. Certainly different than another certain dealer in that area.
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Old 07-15-2007, 08:59 PM   #5
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You are right in your estimation of Southern RV, they are not pushy and will cut you a fair deal. The owners, John and Tracy Patterson, are super-nice people, as are all their employees. John ordered me a trailer with some custom specifications at a very nice price and treated me more as a friend than as a customer during and after the process. They have a relatively new service manager. I think his name is Tim, and he was was pleasant to deal with, albeit that it was by phone, on the one occasion I have had contact with him. I would be interested in knowing, as time goes by, what you think of the service department. I will buy from Southern again, assuming they have what I want.
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Old 07-16-2007, 07:30 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Hokiehall View Post
When we last attended the Richmond RV show the folks at Southern were very nice and cordial and not too pushy. They didn't have anything we wanted at the time but made a good impression. Certainly different than another certain dealer in that area.

You are quite correct Kim, the other dealer who I don't mind telling you about is McGeorges in Ashland. When we went in there a few months back, we told them specifically up front we were only looking, and that I take my time researching and thinking through options before I buy anything (Must be my analyst background), and that if they were "pushy", I wouldn't buy anything from them. Well, wouldn't you know that within a week, I had two letters and 2 phone calls regarding my "visit" there. Unbelievable. I spoke to their GM on Saturday and let him know how unappreciative I was to their respecting customer's wishes. Always the salesman, he continued about how THEY are the largest dealer, THEY move the most....blah blah blah. I just answered him with "I'm surprised".
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Old 07-16-2007, 07:32 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by dimurrrw View Post
You are right in your estimation of Southern RV, they are not pushy and will cut you a fair deal. The owners, John and Tracy Patterson, are super-nice people, as are all their employees. John ordered me a trailer with some custom specifications at a very nice price and treated me more as a friend than as a customer during and after the process. They have a relatively new service manager. I think his name is Tim, and he was was pleasant to deal with, albeit that it was by phone, on the one occasion I have had contact with him. I would be interested in knowing, as time goes by, what you think of the service department. I will buy from Southern again, assuming they have what I want.
Richard, John was in Saturday. We met him previously. "Our" sales guy was at Colonial Downs doing a mini show there. They are exceptionally good people, have not heard much about the service department, so hopefully when that time comes it is as good as the purchasing experience is.
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Old 07-16-2007, 11:51 AM   #8
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I figured you would know about McGeorge's. I have no idea how the sell so many. They routinely get hammered on RV.net.
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Old 07-16-2007, 04:21 PM   #9
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I don't either, I guess because they are large and "modern" perhaps? It certainly isn't their arrogant attitudes.
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Old 07-16-2007, 05:24 PM   #10
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Boy I do like hearing a guy who does his research and knows what he wants (or what the wife wants, as the case may be). And I agree, nothing worse than a salesman or dealer who rely on putting down other manufacturers or dealers in order to make a sale. Good luck on the purchase. The green is nice by the way, but so is the cinnimon so I'm no help!
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Old 07-16-2007, 05:49 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by RetiredArmyCWO View Post
Well, we finally did it. 6 long months of dusty lots and sweaty salesmen are finally about over. The wife and girls and I came to our decision last night that we are going to go with the Flagstaff 831 KRSS.

Regards,
Steve & Family
Steve,
Congrats on your soon to be new Flagstaff 831 KRSS. Hope the wait on arrival is not too long.
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Old 07-17-2007, 08:05 AM   #12
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Boy I do like hearing a guy who does his research and knows what he wants (or what the wife wants, as the case may be). And I agree, nothing worse than a salesman or dealer who rely on putting down other manufacturers or dealers in order to make a sale. Good luck on the purchase. The green is nice by the way, but so is the cinnimon so I'm no help!
We went with the cinnamon......there was one on the line the dealer already had ordered, now just to put every option on it.
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