Essential for a TT buying 1st one

From someone who has 6 children (plus mom and dad) That is 8 of us. We started with a HUGE Coleman pop up tent camper. It worked cause they were all little. Once they got bigger we went with a 30 foot Terry with 1 set of bunks, a fold down dinette, a fold down couch and a Queen bed. No slide out. Yes we were a little cramped if all in there at once, but we spend so little time inside. (by the way, my Terry started rotting within 3 years of buying it and it was brand new... it is now on its way to the junkyard and is only 10 years old)

My bro in law has a hybrid Outback 26 foot (also 10 years old now). It has a quad bunk in the front and a slide (hard slide, no tent) queen in the back. It is really nice and the quality seems so much better than my Fleetwood.

Floor plans and interiors are really importnat for the comfort of the family, but take it from me... look at quality first and foremost. I personally would never buy another unit without a full fiberglass roof, but that is because I was burned.

Good luck and have FUN with it all!

Most days, $7500 cash in hand Wil buy a $10k trailer.

Definetly go for a model with at least one slideout if you can - it makes a huge difference.

If you are looking for used, you will get a much better price in a private sale. But, you are getting it as-is. No dealer to go back on if you discover issues after the sale. So, make sure you look it over good and test everything first. You'll be able to tell pretty quick if the owner took good care of it or not. If its dirty (inside or outside) streaked, faded that's a red flag. If the owner was too lazy to wash it, what else didn't they do? Like keep the roof sealed, lube the axles/bearings, winterize it properly? Travel trailers aren't like houses - fixer-upers are usually a bad investment.

You should get a sense pretty quick of whether a trailer looks like a good possibility, then go through it very thoroughly.

And don't discount your bargaining power with cash. Selling a cheap popup on CL is easy. People snap them up. Selling a more expensive tt in a private sale is tough. The number of buyers is limited, so if you do find the perfect rig, you should have a good position to negoitate from with $$ in hand.

I've camped 5 people in a tiny pup up. I've slept 6 people in a tent. Many people grew up sleeping 5 in a 14ft prowler travel trailer with no slides (my mother is one of them)....

So no, you don't need a slide. But it's rrrrrrreally nice to have that extra room.

Every manufacturer has quad bunk models.... Some that I always like, that's affordable and easy to tow, is a Wildwood X-Lite 281 and 272. Both are worth looking into used models, or comparable used models.

Try a few large dealers out. Check out new and used Floorplans. Sit in all of them, even Ines you think you may not like, really get a feel for them.

Visit your local RV dealerships first and look at all models, both new and used. This will give a good "feel" for what you like and don't like. Then, if you do find one, for example used, at one of the dealerships, see if you can find a comparable through your private enterprises. This will give you the biggest bang for your buck (especially in time). Now if you cannot find a comparable in the private sector, then you always the option to negotiate with the dealer.

However, before doing any of that, you should start exploring the various RV web sites. Here is a link that give a pretty good list of almost every manufacturer "out there". Click the links and go directly to that RV brand. It's a great starting place, and maybe a bit overwhelming too. Click here

In selecting your RV, you really need to narrow down your choices, and personal wants. That's why visiting some dealerships is a great help. Actually going inside the models is much more revealing than anything on-line.

I would never buy from ebay unless I could inspect the trailer first. Is a slideout essential? No, but the extra room is nice if you spend a lot of time inside. We purposely went without a slide on our new trailer because we don't spend much time inside and I didn't want the hassles of potential leaks and equipment failures. They add extra weight, too. Spend a lot of time looking at different trailers and floor plans to find one that suits your wants/needs. A dealer may charge a bit more than a private sale, but wouldn't it be worth it if you found what you want?

With 5 people in a TT, you will NEED a slide-out. Probably a super-slide. That will give you enough room to be able to move around IF you are camping in the rain.

Look at the Flagstaff 832BHIKWS or the Rockwood Signature Ultra Light 8312SS or the V-Lite 30WTBS .

The types of trailers you will be looking at (bunks) are harder to find used and in good condition.

Leaks will be near impossible to detect when buying online (ebay), until you look at the trailer in person. For this reason, I would start looking locally first. I found a nice used trailer on craigslist.

Remember to budget an extra $300-800 for a hitch system and brake controller.

RV dealers are around to make money, just like car dealers. Some are better then others.