We just got back from the RV show in Hershey and have good news to report, we came home with a new RV on order!
While we wanted to go to the show, it was not necessarily to buy or order and RV but we did know that was a possibility. I have been looking for about 8 months and had narrowed down to the possibilities to a few units. This was a good opportunity to see all of them at the same place and to compare likes and dislikes.
Recently I have tried to get the best pricing as possible from some of the internet dealers and thought that may end up being the final choice however I was able to find a dealer at the show that was close to home, provided a very competitive price and will be able to deliver the unit next spring so I don’t have to worry about storage and insurance costs for this winter.
It’s interesting how one finally arrives at a decision as it usually takes a few twists and turns, but in short there were a couple of things that I found out along the way that helped narrow it down.
I first started looking at used units (14/15’s) and found out that most of them were priced at a point which made buying a new unit preferable since the cost differential was only about 10%. At a 20-30% discount I may have went the other way. I’m still trying to rationalize the minimal cost difference, and maybe if I had been willing to continue looking for another 6-12 months I might have found a seller who owned a clear title and would be more willing to negotiate. In the end I wanted to go into this winter knowing that I had a rig ready to go when the weather gets nice next spring.
Second question was to buy a 15 off the lot and/or order a 16. The show actually helped in this case as I could see some of the 16 changes in person and then make a call. Some of the things that did change or I know about for the 16 are;
- New 6 speed transmission
- New Jensen audio entertainment system in the coach (No longer need to use dash unit)
- DVD’s on main coach TV now play through coach system and not through Dash system.
- New larger speakers outside that are connected to inside system. (These do not connect to outside TV)
- USB/AC connections in bedroom are now mounted on bed platform vs wall or cubby.
- Side view cameras are now mounted on outside of coach (no longer in mirrors)
- No more window in Bed slide, rear window is now emergency exit.
- Windows shades are now room darkening roller units
- Rear taillights are LED
There may be a few others that I did not detect and will probably find when I take delivery, but these were the noticeable ones. I’ve attached some pics so you can see some of the differences.
Now we get to start planning our first RV road trip!
2016 Forester 3011DS
Later RJD
Linear Mode
