Thoughts, Opinions and...HELP!

Salesmen push because they are on commission. Just be aware of that and don't let them push you into a bad decision. My guess is that the profit on the larger Vibe is higher, and thus the commission is higher, which may be the REAL reason for that particular push. I do not, however, have any info re the quality of either.

As @APT says, most folks get into trouble via TV payload before they run into towing gross weight limits. Besides checking that tow weight is not exceeded, you should also add up the weights of all passengers, the tongue weight, and the rubble you carry along to see that you are under the payload limit. Don't forget to add in the weight of a full tank of fuel (at 7.4 lbs per gallon) as that is also part of the payload, and not included in the truck's dry weight.

8300 pounds sounds like a half ton tow rating. You should be aware of other ratings that often limit half ton towing, like payload. I'll assume you have 6+ gears of transmission and a forced induction 6-cyl or naturally aspirated V8. 6k dry is a reasonable limit.

Reducing weight isn't a bad thing done correctly. Ask salesperson if he/she gets a higher commission on that model. I agree with Soundguy. Do you have or will you be buying a big enough+ TV?

SoundGuy wrote:

Shep1478 wrote:
My family is about to pull the trigger on our very first TT. We're looking at the Vibe 315BHK and also the Sunset 289QB.

We're very, very new to this, and although we know we'll make mistakes along the way, just wanna try to minimize those issues!

Anything anyone could add would be greatly appreciated!

Those are both fairly large trailers - have you made sure that you have a tow vehicle capable of safely towing either while also transporting your family and all the junk you're sure to want to drag along with you? It's vitally important, especially for newbies. ;)

Yes! We made sure to check with Chevrolet; we're rated for 8300lbs :)

Shep1478 wrote:
My family is about to pull the trigger on our very first TT. We're looking at the Vibe 315BHK and also the Sunset 289QB.

We're very, very new to this, and although we know we'll make mistakes along the way, just wanna try to minimize those issues!

Anything anyone could add would be greatly appreciated!

Those are both fairly large trailers - have you made sure that you have a tow vehicle capable of safely towing either while also transporting your family and all the junk you're sure to want to drag along with you? It's vitally important, especially for newbies. ;)

there are plenty of sites on line you can read reviews on each camper rv review ,rv rating and such

I can say our Vibe has been great. There has been issues as with any TT but Forrest River has been a great help. Judd the warranty manager at the Vibe division has returned every call and email even though ours is out of warranty.

We have been from Indiana to Yellowstone and Florida without issue.

My suggestion is to buy a used one, at this point you really don't know what you need, like or want. You'll loose 25 to 35% of what you're about to pay if you decide you don't like your purchase and want a different one.

And don't think that by buying new you are avoiding any maintenance issues.

Bill

I would be very leery of that salesman. When they start bad mouthing their own stuff, it's not a good sign. He's not pushing the Vibe for your benefit.

If quality and construction is a concern, (and it should be), have you considered the Minnie Plus line by Winnebago? Here's a 27BHSS well under $30K.
2018 Minnie Plus 27BHSS

You'll want to watch this video walk-around simply because the guy sounds just like Clark Howard!:B seriously, he does a good job demonstrating the differences.
Minnie Plus 27BHSS walk-around