What would you do differently "next time"?
As I read the forum, it is full of newer folks, like myself and extremely experienced folks that have lived the life for years and have a lot of lessons learned. Would be nice to hear to what you w...
Forum Discussion
I can't say we'd do anything differently either.
We got the truck first, and went for what was - at the time - the one with the best towing and weight-carrying capacity. That way, the truck didn't limit us. We could tow anything on any lot.
When looking at trailers, we took a couple of years (2013 to 2015). Living in Las Vegas, we went to EVERY RV show. I always took a tape measure. When looking at a trailer that was promising, we'd then take TONS of photos. The first was the plate on the side with the model number, then photos of everything. I measured the king-pin height from the ground when level. I measured the garages. I measured anything else that was of interest.
When we got home, we'd go over the photos, and check the forums for what people were saying about them. Find out if there is an owners forum for the brand and look there. Check RV.NET and other sources.
We thought about all of the ways we might use the trailer, and made sure that it met those needs. If it didn't, we dropped it and deleted the photos but kept notes on them for future reference. We looked at the garage to see if it was big enough for what we had, and what we might realistically get in the future. Since we had thought of full-timing eventually, we wanted to make sure what we got was suitable. Even for long vacations, we wanted our own washer and dryer.
When we moved to Salt Lake, we hit the dealers and shows. The RV show there was a multi-dealer show which was much better (Vegas were usually single-dealer deals).
We found two brands we had never seen before (Tesla and Grand Design) and REALLY liked them. Again, we photographed, measured, and went home. What we found out in research about Grand Design really impressed us, and my wife really liked that one better in every respect. I did too.
We continued to look around, and went to the dealer lot that had the trailer to see what their usual, non-show price was. That way, we could compare at the show and see if we were really getting a deal. We also went to the Tesla dealer.
The next RV show came around and we looked at EVERYTHING else before the ones we liked. We wanted to make sure noting else appeared that was better. We then went between the models we liked several times, and decided on the exact model we wanted.
It happened that one of the head honchos for Grand Design was there, as well as the Product Manager for the specific trailer we liked.
While they had a number of factory-installed options, they didn't list any ability to ask about specific changes. I was able to ask the manufacturer right there on the floor if they'd be willing to run a 12VDC outlet to each location where a TV was installed. They said they could, and even offered to do so at no charge. When I explained that we'd be installing some ham radio gear, they were able to tell me some things about the construction behind the walls that has been VERY helpful. Their attitude was great! The PM was especially helpful as he showed me where a wiring trunk was that you would never have known about otherwise.
I had previously asked those questions of one of the manufacturer folks from Tesla at the show, and they were totally unhelpful. They are also totally out of business now.
The pricing was even better than the previous show, and MUCH better than the normal pricing at the dealer, so we signed the deal.
If you think you might want something offered as optional from the factory, get it.
We had 3 AC units installed at the factory. That way, they were all integrated with the controls and the ducts. We also had the generator installed, which meant that the controls were all installed at the factory. In my experience, if the factory can do it, let them. Relying on the dealer isn't the best.
We got the truck first, and went for what was - at the time - the one with the best towing and weight-carrying capacity. That way, the truck didn't limit us. We could tow anything on any lot.
When looking at trailers, we took a couple of years (2013 to 2015). Living in Las Vegas, we went to EVERY RV show. I always took a tape measure. When looking at a trailer that was promising, we'd then take TONS of photos. The first was the plate on the side with the model number, then photos of everything. I measured the king-pin height from the ground when level. I measured the garages. I measured anything else that was of interest.
When we got home, we'd go over the photos, and check the forums for what people were saying about them. Find out if there is an owners forum for the brand and look there. Check RV.NET and other sources.
We thought about all of the ways we might use the trailer, and made sure that it met those needs. If it didn't, we dropped it and deleted the photos but kept notes on them for future reference. We looked at the garage to see if it was big enough for what we had, and what we might realistically get in the future. Since we had thought of full-timing eventually, we wanted to make sure what we got was suitable. Even for long vacations, we wanted our own washer and dryer.
When we moved to Salt Lake, we hit the dealers and shows. The RV show there was a multi-dealer show which was much better (Vegas were usually single-dealer deals).
We found two brands we had never seen before (Tesla and Grand Design) and REALLY liked them. Again, we photographed, measured, and went home. What we found out in research about Grand Design really impressed us, and my wife really liked that one better in every respect. I did too.
We continued to look around, and went to the dealer lot that had the trailer to see what their usual, non-show price was. That way, we could compare at the show and see if we were really getting a deal. We also went to the Tesla dealer.
The next RV show came around and we looked at EVERYTHING else before the ones we liked. We wanted to make sure noting else appeared that was better. We then went between the models we liked several times, and decided on the exact model we wanted.
It happened that one of the head honchos for Grand Design was there, as well as the Product Manager for the specific trailer we liked.
While they had a number of factory-installed options, they didn't list any ability to ask about specific changes. I was able to ask the manufacturer right there on the floor if they'd be willing to run a 12VDC outlet to each location where a TV was installed. They said they could, and even offered to do so at no charge. When I explained that we'd be installing some ham radio gear, they were able to tell me some things about the construction behind the walls that has been VERY helpful. Their attitude was great! The PM was especially helpful as he showed me where a wiring trunk was that you would never have known about otherwise.
I had previously asked those questions of one of the manufacturer folks from Tesla at the show, and they were totally unhelpful. They are also totally out of business now.
The pricing was even better than the previous show, and MUCH better than the normal pricing at the dealer, so we signed the deal.
If you think you might want something offered as optional from the factory, get it.
We had 3 AC units installed at the factory. That way, they were all integrated with the controls and the ducts. We also had the generator installed, which meant that the controls were all installed at the factory. In my experience, if the factory can do it, let them. Relying on the dealer isn't the best.
