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02-21-2017, 08:34 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 1
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Any purchasing advice for a newbie?
Hi! Just joined the forum. We've had a Flagstaff pop-up for a few years, and we are ready to upgrade. Hoping to get a travel trailer in the next few weeks - primarily interested in either Salem Cruise Lite or Wildwood Xlite 263BHXL.
Any advice to help us navigate the shopping process would be much appreciated.
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02-21-2017, 09:09 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,947
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Your request is very vague and tons can be covered. You would be best to narrow down your concerns.
My first piece of advice would be to know your weights and your tow limits. Don't listen to what the dealer says you are capable of towing...you absolutely need to figure that out for yourself before going in. Check your tow vehicle manual for towing capacities, check your door jamb sticker on the vehicle for max payload and axle capacities. The dealers rarely know and often say you can tow that no problem.
__________________
2016 Chevy Silverado 2500 Duramax
2016 Rockwood 8289WS, Diamond Pkg.
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02-21-2017, 09:18 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Farmer
Posts: 4,988
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Welcome to the forum,
Good luck on your quest for the purfect rig. Have fun searching and Happy RVing from Farmer NC
__________________
2016 Coachmen Apex 250RLS Ultra Light 2023 Ram 2500 Big Horn Sport 3.73
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02-21-2017, 09:23 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Carlisle, Arkansas
Posts: 1,387
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Good luck finding your dream RV, my advice would be to buy as large as your budget can stand. Trust me you can never have one too large.
__________________
2005 Cedar Creek 30RLBS/TrailAir Hitch/ MORryde 7K IS/Disc Brakes/ PI PT-50 EMS/ RV Flex Armor Roof
2015 RAM 3500 DRW 6.7 Cummins 3.42/ Garmin 760RV
40 Gal TransferFlow fuel tank/ TST 507
Amateur Radio W5CI 2019 Days Camping 25
2020 Days Camping 7
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02-21-2017, 09:30 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Idaho
Posts: 9,839
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Keep your money in your pocket till you are 110% happy with the condition of what ever it is you buy.
Sign nothing.
__________________
2016 F350 6.7L LB CC Reese 28K 2014 Chaparral Lite 266sab
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." 2014 19 days camping 2015 17 days camping201620 days camping
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02-22-2017, 05:47 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Farmer
Posts: 4,988
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ford Idaho
Keep your money in your pocket till you are 110% happy with the condition of what ever it is you buy.
Sign nothing.
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GREAT ADVICE from Ford Idaho
__________________
2016 Coachmen Apex 250RLS Ultra Light 2023 Ram 2500 Big Horn Sport 3.73
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02-22-2017, 07:05 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 196
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Hi mommak1,
Be sure to ask dealer about the second year extended warranty offer from Forest River. MOST dealers will not even tell you about it while they are attempting to sell you a long term $$$ extended warranty.
Good luck,
Don
__________________
Don and Michele
3 Adult Children - 5 Grandchildren
Present campsite - future homesite
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02-22-2017, 08:53 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 4,655
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Welcome from SW Ohio ,good luck in your RV quest !
__________________
2016 sunseeker 2250slec
1988 Jayco p.u.,Coleman Plantation p.u.,1989 Jayco class c, Coachman TT,1995 Little Eddie fthwheel,2007 Heartland Sundance 2500 lS fthwheel
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02-22-2017, 09:02 AM
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#9
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 59
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Close-by Dealer
If buying new, I recommend buying at the closest dealer to you if possible vs from a dealer at an RV show or other location that may not be close to you. Although the salesman will tell you about the Priority network for warranty work, I feel when you take it in for any warranty work, you'll likely get better service if you bought it from that dealer.
__________________
________________________
2017 Sunseeker 2860 DSF
2016 Harley-Davidson FLHTK
Nights camped: 2016-6, 2017-32, 2018 - 21 2019-21
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02-22-2017, 09:17 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Central, Fl.
Posts: 1,330
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Welcome,
As stated above, know the weight limitations of your Tow vehicle. Shop around, compare prices, and as also stated above FR offers a second year warranty for about $ 150 ( you may know this from your PU !
Good luck and happy camping!
__________________
2018 Forester 3011DS (Purchased 04/26/17)
2010 Flagstaff 26 RLSS (Sold 05/16)
2012 Ford F-150 Ecoboost, Screw, H/D, 3.73
1930 lbs CCC
2014 Jeep Rubicon JK
Going where the weather suits my clothes.
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02-22-2017, 09:37 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 222
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Staying within tow capabilities is paramount. Although Iv'e seen some on here claim it is OK to be over (way over) on tow limits for short trips to local CGs, don't buy into that. "More truck than trailer" should always prevail. Do the math for sure.
Also if you get a chance to do the PDI do not be afraid to hold the dealer accountable. I did mine at the dealers small RV park adjacent to their property with full hook ups.
Stayed in the TT overnight and used everything(micro,stove,oven,shower,AC ect..) and the next morning gave them a list of things to fix (all minor). Picked up the TT about a week later, ready to go.
And make sure your propane tanks are mounted securely, they can be unsecured under the cover. Trust me I know.
Good luck,
RMc
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02-22-2017, 09:53 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3,247
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My advice is to just bypass the local dealers and contact RVWholesalers in Lakeview, OH.(Mitch is the salesperson I've worked with on my last 2) You'll save a lot of money and a ton of time driving around to the local dealers just to have them explain to you why they cannot offer a good price on a rig. They'll also try to scare you into thinking you won't have warranty coverage (not true, RVWholesalers facilitates the process of getting warranty work done if necessary). And if you're paying $3K more to buy local, you're basically paying $3K for a 1 year manufacturer warranty. I'm on my 3rd rig from them and have had a great experience every time. 1st one I had delivered and the next 2 I went and picked up. I'll admit that I was a little nervous on the first purchase- I was buying an $18K camper from 1000 miles away. Very glad I did now. Have pocketed probably $15K in savings combined on those 3 campers and have had much better customer service than most of my local dealers offer.
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02-22-2017, 10:07 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 447
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Buy used from a private seller for cash. Add new tires, new toilet, and new bed. Let your wife upgrade the rest in the colors and fabric of her choice. Take the time to learn how to inspect a trailer thoroughly.
Also consider the need to upgrade the batteries, some solar, a strong inverter. Take the time to learn a lot about batteries and RV electrical systems.
If you don't have enough cash, keep saving until you do.
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02-22-2017, 10:22 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3,247
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Philos3
Buy used from a private seller for cash. Add new tires, new toilet, and new bed. Let your wife upgrade the rest in the colors and fabric of her choice. Take the time to learn how to inspect a trailer thoroughly.
If you don't have enough cash, keep saving until you do.
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Yeah, ok. Let's see, I could save up and potentially buy a rig outright in about 7 or 8 years. By then, my kids would be almost grown, but hey, I get to pat myself on the back and tell everyone I'm debt free. Or I could save up for 3 years and buy some trashed out 10+ year old rig that will have me constantly working on it thereby consuming time that could be spent camping. I'll keep buying my rigs new. Nice and clean. Exactly how I want them. No settling on floorplans or options. Everything new and much more dependable than any older used rig I could outright afford. No driving all over the country just to look at "like new" rigs that are nasty, neglected and/or damaged. I just find it absolutely comical how so many people that are "debt free" are perpetually tied into contracts for useless brain rotting things such as expensive cell plans and television services for hundreds of dollars- then they want to lecture me about how stupid I am for having a camper payment that is 1/2 to 1/3 of what they are paying for that crap. Just to clarify- I'm not suggesting that Philos, in particular falls into this category, but this is VERY common and fits 90+% of the people that have given me the "debt free" speech.
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02-22-2017, 10:53 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 447
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"I could save up and potentially buy a rig outright in about 7 or 8 years. By then, my kids would be almost grown, but hey, I get to pat myself on the back and tell everyone I'm debt free."
There are a lot of alternative activities besides owning an RV to do with your children and wife, and other ways to enjoy an RV including renting once every few years for a three day weekend. You could also pat yourself on the back that you could teach your children to put off satisfying immediate needs, and train them to save and plan for the future.
Have you considered tents and pop-ups..some backpacking?
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"Or I could save up for 3 years and buy some trashed out 10+ year old rig that will have me constantly working on it thereby consuming time that could be spent camping."
Well yes that is one scenario. However, you have to appreciate the reality that some members do a very reasonable, if imperfect job, of maintaining their RVs to keep them from turning into trash.
It is not necessary to go to extremes of suggesting you would only be able to buy a trashed out 10+ year old rig. If you know what to look for and have upgraded your RV skills, you can find, for example a 10+ rig in excellent condition, in particular luxury diesel pushers that have chassis and engine built for several lifetimes. See Premier RV for one example, though not a private owner.
Alternatively, for a high quality 5th see Rolling Retreats RV Sales- "Suites are all we do!" again not a dealer but a quick look at what is out there.
=================
I'll keep buying my rigs new. Nice and clean. Exactly how I want them. No settling on floorplans or options. Everything new and much more dependable than any older used rig I could outright afford. No driving all over the country just to look at "like new" rigs that are nasty, neglected and/or damaged.
I think you are making my common argument that a buyer needs to be good at inspecting units to avoid buying a unit not well cared for. That includes how to question the seller before committing to visiting the unit. If long distance and the unit seems to be a good fit, you can hire for a reasonable price, an RV inspector to do a pre-inspection visit to verify the representations of the seller and avoid an unnecessary trip if it turns out the seller or dealer provided misleading representations or omissions.
One big advantage of an older RV is remodeling it so that it is personalized.
===========================
Regardless, most used buyers appreciate sellers who maintain their rigs to provide excellent low priced RVs that accomplish the task just as well or better than the new ones. Some new ones are worse than well maintained older rigs due to build quality failures and warranty frustrations. So, we love you, but your belief that rigs are mostly trashed out when offered for sale used might suggest we would avoid buying from you.
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02-22-2017, 11:20 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3,247
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Philos3
"I could save up and potentially buy a rig outright in about 7 or 8 years. By then, my kids would be almost grown, but hey, I get to pat myself on the back and tell everyone I'm debt free."
There are a lot of alternative activities besides owning an RV to do with your children and wife, and other ways to enjoy an RV including renting once every few years for a three day weekend. You could also pat yourself on the back that you could teach your children to put off satisfying immediate needs, and train them to save and plan for the future.
Have you considered tents and pop-ups..some backpacking?
===========
"Or I could save up for 3 years and buy some trashed out 10+ year old rig that will have me constantly working on it thereby consuming time that could be spent camping."
Well yes that is one scenario. However, you have to appreciate the reality that some members do a very reasonable, if imperfect job, of maintaining their RVs to keep them from turning into trash.
It is not necessary to go to extremes of suggesting you would only be able to buy a trashed out 10+ year old rig. If you know what to look for and have upgraded your RV skills, you can find, for example a 10+ rig in excellent condition, in particular luxury diesel pushers that have chassis and engine built for several lifetimes. See Premier RV for one example, though not a private owner.
Alternatively, for a high quality 5th see Rolling Retreats RV Sales- "Suites are all we do!" again not a dealer but a quick look at what is out there.
=================
I'll keep buying my rigs new. Nice and clean. Exactly how I want them. No settling on floorplans or options. Everything new and much more dependable than any older used rig I could outright afford. No driving all over the country just to look at "like new" rigs that are nasty, neglected and/or damaged.
I think you are making my common argument that a buyer needs to be good at inspecting units to avoid buying a unit not well cared for. That includes how to question the seller before committing to visiting the unit. If long distance, you can hire for a reasonable price, an RV inspector to do a pre-inspection visit to verify the representations of the seller and avoid an unnecessary trip.
One big advantage of an older RV is remodeling it so that it is personalized.
===========================
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I venture that you and I are in very different financial situations with very different levels of "disposable" income. I've made my choice and am very comfortable with it and believe it to be the best choice for my family and my needs. The fact that you're talking about diesel pushers and luxury fivers definitely reinforces this assumption. And renting once every few years for a few nights- I almost laughed out loud! We camp ~60 nights a year. I don't understand the viewpoint that advocates that it is fine to blow X amount of dollars each month doing one particular activity(an alternative to camping, as you recommend), but to use that money for a payment is somehow completely irresponsible. When I make that payment, I see it as money spent for an experience, not a camper. If you were to blow $5K taking the family to Disney for a week, what would be left of your investment on Day 11? I can promise you that my camper won't see more depreciation than that! And, as mentioned before, the vast majority of people I know will keep signing those 2+ year contracts for services in perpetuity- 6 of those is equivalent to a single 12 year note on an RV. And what type of equity will you have in that? None.
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02-22-2017, 11:29 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3,247
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Philos3
So, we love you, but your belief that rigs are mostly trashed out when offered for sale used might suggest we would avoid buying from you.
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HA! So, when I say the pretty much every used rig I've ever seen is trashed you interpret that to mean mine will be???? If you buy used from me, you'll think you're buying new. I mean, simple logic dictates that if I was the type of person to trash my new one I would have low standards and wouldn't have a problem with a trashed out rig. Once again, it appears as though when you're buying used you're looking for rigs that originally sold for 6 digits. If I buy used, I'm looking at rigs that would originally cost less than $30K. A slightly different typical buyer- and probably explains why the used rigs I'm speaking of are probably much different than the used rigs you're speaking of. With this being said, my parents have been looking for close to 2 years for a Super C and have yet to find one that meets their expectations of cleanliness without being priced so close to a new one that it makes sense to go used, so??????
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02-22-2017, 11:40 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3,247
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I'll also add that if you look at the OP, we are talking about a rig that can be bought new for probably less than $15K delivered (more or less, depending on your distance from them) from a company like RVWholesalers (a good friend of mine just considered that model but ended up going with a Rockwood from RVW). In my area, I can go with a 3 year old rig and save maybe $2K on that rig. It's almost guaranteed to need new tires, so now we're down to maybe $1500 in savings. IF I can find one that is clean, and that's a big IF, I'll probably look at a dozen rigs and travel 500 or more miles over a few months before I do. Just not worth it, at least for me. To really save any money you have to go with one that's ~8-10 years old, and then you're talking prices in the $8K range IF you can find one that's been garaged and kept clean, once again a big IF. But, after 10 years, the probability of needing a major appliance replaced has gone up significantly. If you run the numbers, after 5 years of ownership of one in this price range, it's very possible that your total investment in keeping it going could approach what you'd have in a new one.
Obviously this wouldn't necessarily be the case if comparing new $200K class A's to a 5 year old used on that can be had for say $120K. But this isn't the Universe that the OP appears to be living in.
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02-22-2017, 12:14 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 10,907
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mommak1:
Ignore any dry weights you may be told. Dry weights are a sales ploy for suckers.
Look on the left front side of the trailer for the VIN sticker. It will list the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). This is the max the TT can weigh. Use that, as it will cover the dry weight PLUS everything you put in the TT. The GVWR needs to be less than your tow vehicles towing capacity.
Until you can actually weigh the TT, use 15% of the GVWR as your tongue weight. Your tongue weight, plus the weight of your WDH (weight distribution hitch - and you should have one), plus anything you put in your tow vehicle (excluding the driver) needs to be less than the payload on the sticker on your drivers door frame, as pointed out in an earlier post. Usually payload is exceeded before towing capacity, especially if you're loading several kids and dogs in your tow vehicle.
A lot of people feel you should have 15-20% margin on your towing capacity and your payload capacity, to be safe.
Good luck.
__________________
1988 Coleman Sequoia - popup (1987-2009) - outlasted 3 Dodge Grand Caravans!
2012 Roo19 - hybrid (2012-2015)
2016 Mini Lite 2503S - tt (2015 - ???)
2011 Traverse LT, 3.6L, FWD
2009 Silverado 1500 Ext Cab, 5.3L, 4x4, 3.73
2016 Silverado 2500HD Dbl Cab, 6.0L 4x4, 4.10
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02-22-2017, 01:06 PM
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#20
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Canadian Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Eastern GTA, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 6,229
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mommak1, welcome to the forum. The floorplan you're looking at is an extremely common bunkhouse model. There are many manufacturers and brands that have the same or very similar floorplan. For example, I'm partial to the Rockwood models and they have a model 2702WS that's the same floorplan and IMO a better quality unit than the Wildwood and Salem "stick and tin" TTs. Of course it does likely cost more.
If you want to buy new... as to the argument of local vs. wholesaler, I'd only favour a local dealer if they have an excellent reputation for after-sales service, and even then only for maybe $2000. You can save a lot of money buying at a "wholesaler" like RV Wholesalers that dustman_stx promotes. The rule of thumb here is that you should not pay much more than about 65% of the MSRP on a new TT. Members here have traveled half way across the US to get a better price - you just turn the trip into a vacation.
EDIT: My advice on financing.... If you are going to buy new, do not take the dealer's 20+ year loan unless you can and will pay it out within 5-7 years. An RV is not a home (unless you're a full-timer) and it's not worth getting a long term loan for.
I happen to agree with Philos3 on the option of buying used. I've done that for my last 2 campers. You do need to be very knowledgable about what you're buying though, or take an expert with you to inspect it thoroughly. You can save a lot more than buying wholesale by buying a well-maintained used unit. But the search may take quite a while to find the right one so you need to be patient.
Regardless of whether you buy new or used, download a copy of the PDI Checklist in the Library here on the forum and use that as your guide when inspecting a trailer before you hand over your money to the seller.
Good luck!
__________________
2023 Rockwood Signature 8262RBS
2016 Ford F-250 XLT SuperCrew, 6.2L, 4x4, 6'9" bed
2019 Rockwood Signature 8290BS (2019 - 2022)
2011 Rockwood Signature 8293SS (2015 - 2018)
2010 Rockwood Roo 23SS (2012 - 2014)
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