Buying first TT - New or Used?

[annakwlee]

Hello! We are a family of 5 with three small children (ages 7,6,2) and we are wanting to buy a travel trailer - doing alot of research - and wondering if we should buy new or used. New we are thinking of the 2015 Keystone Passport Grand Touring 2920BH (quad bunks in the back) but have read some negative reviews of Keystone. Buying used seems like its a toss-up too. We are so very new to this world and are hoping for some insight into how we should buy.

We do not have a tow vehicle yet either. Needing to purchase that too. Thinking of a 2007 Suburban LT 2WD, can that tow this TT? TT max weight 7200. Our research shows seems to indicate that Chevy Suburban can tow 8200lbs.

[ncrowley]

You need to get the towing specs for the Tundra configured the way you want it. I recommend that you do not get within 1000 pounds of the max towing capacity with your loaded trailer. You will have a much more enjoyable journey if the truck is not always pulling at its limit.

[annakwlee]

The gross total weight of the types of TTs we are looking at fall into the 7.5k-8.5k range. The Dry weight on most of them are 5,500 - 6,500. The lengths seem to be 31'-35' feet.

We have now found favor in the Jayco 2015 Jay Flight 29QBS, specs say dry weight is 6,500 and can load up to 3,000 which would be 9,500 but I would think we would try to not carry more than 2,000 in our load.

What do you all think?

Thanks again for all the feedback. - Much appreciate it. : ) 🙂

[Ron3rd]

Ron3rd wrote:

annakwlee wrote:
Thank you for all your many helpful responses. I am now considering a preowned newer Toyota Tundra with the iForce 5.7L v8 2WD or the Sequoia SUV counterpart. Do you think that would be able to safely pull a 7,000lb 30ft trailer? Again any thoughts, experiences and advice we greatly appreciate.

I'm pulling bigger than that with my Tundra, but do your research and check your payload and make sure you're within specs, especially the Gross rear axle rating. Also, when you say 7,000 lbs, make sure that's not the "dry weight". Go by the Gross weight of the trailer. Having said that, a lot of folks are pulling 7,000 with a Tundra 5.7.

Can't comment on Keystone as I've never owned one but I'm very impressed with our new Forest River Rockwood Windjammer. Excellent quality IMO. Have had it about a year with no problems.

[Ron3rd]

annakwlee wrote:
Thank you for all your many helpful responses. I am now considering a preowned newer Toyota Tundra with the iForce 5.7L v8 2WD or the Sequoia SUV counterpart. Do you think that would be able to safely pull a 7,000lb 30ft trailer? Again any thoughts, experiences and advice we greatly appreciate.

I'm pulling bigger than that with my Tundra, but do your research and check your payload and make sure you're within specs, especially the Gross rear axle rating.

Can't comment on Keystone as I've never owned one but I'm very impressed with our new Forest River Rockwood Windjammer. Excellent quality IMO. Have had it about a year with no problems.

[jesseannie]

When we bought our first TT it was a recent used from a dealer and I had them throw in a 7 year warrantee for half price. It was a great deal we more than paid for the warrantee with a few repairs the first year.
When I sold it the new owner was able to transfer the warrantee for a small fee.
jeaaeannie

[bikendan]

annakwlee wrote:
Thank you for all your many helpful responses. I am now considering a preowned newer Toyota Tundra with the iForce 5.7L v8 2WD or the Sequoia SUV counterpart. Do you think that would be able to safely pull a 7,000lb 30ft trailer? Again any thoughts, experiences and advice we greatly appreciate.

you should go with the Tundra, it'll have more payload and towing capacity. its suspension will be better for the weight also.

is the 7000lbs. the brochure/website "dry" weight number or the actual yellow factory weight sticker amount?

[annakwlee]

Thank you for all your many helpful responses. I am now considering a preowned newer Toyota Tundra with the iForce 5.7L v8 2WD or the Sequoia SUV counterpart. Do you think that would be able to safely pull a 7,000lb 30ft trailer? Again any thoughts, experiences and advice we greatly appreciate.

[APT]

I highly highly highly recommend a 3/4+ ton. If you are willing to consider them, full sized vans represent tremendous value on the used market at about 50% the value of a used SUV. You can find 2011 3/4 ton GM vans with 6.0L/6-spd trans with 50k miles for under $15k. And once you are into 3/4+ ton, you can tow a lot more TTs and finding one you like is less compromise.

Why 3/4 ton? Half tons and larger families run out of payload and receiver limit well below their tow ratings. You'll be traveling at 1000-1500 pounds over any TT dry weight. The food, clothes, chairs, toys, tools, bikes, etc. It all adds up. 7k loaded means about 900 pounds of tongue weight. A half ton Suburban that has the same equipment as my loaded 4WD LT has just under 1400 pounds of payload. That would leave about 500 pounds for the family left for payload. That is not much for any family of 5. Kids grow. You'll bring friends because you have seating and beds for 7-8. It happens - See my T-Shirt?

So as you shop for a tow vehicle, locate this sticker when you open the driver's door and kick the tires. Note what they each have where mine says 2051:



As for your first TT: I was very confident that we would be happy and could afford new. So I ordered exactly what I thought we wanted. It has been a great TT for us for 4 summers. We do want a different one now that we have a more capable tow vehicle, but would be pleased if we had kept our prior truck with this TT. Finding TT weights that worked out for our prior truck was more difficult used.

[Redsky]

In my own experience there is a big difference between the towing capacity specified by the manufacturer and the amount that can be safely towed. None of the truck testing includes a tow load so they are all worthless.

My Tahoe could in theory tow more than 7,000 lbs. with its 4.10 gears and large V-8 but in reality even a 3,000 lb. trailer load made it unsafe in any type of emergency maneuver where I had to stop everything quickly.

You may be a safe driver and leave plenty of room between your vehicle and the one ahead but then some yahoo will pull in front when they remember that they wanted the next exit which you are about to pass and then they will slam on their brakes and you options are very limited. I had it happen three times in one year around where I live and twice it was sheriff deputies on a mission who were not paying attention to me with my trailer in tow.

Acceleration is also important so you can safely merge with traffic and 4.10 gears and a big V-8 help a lot but the heavier the trailer load (and you already will have a large passenger load) the longer it will take.

With a used TT you will save 50% compared to buying a comparable trailer new. The prior owner will have dealt with any problems and malfunctioning equipment. It is also much easier to spot a problem with the undercarriage or some other structural aspect on an older camper than a brand new one where everything will look good from the outside.

Although you are buying the TT for your family I would look for a used trailer that was owned and used by people without children as it will have a lot less wear and tear.

[BubbaChris]

With my used Ford, I was able to find a website where I could copy in the VIN and it would print out a version of the window sticker specific to my car. If the same is available for Chevy, that will give you some great information.

But best is to get a photo of the yellow sticker in the driver's door frame. This will tell you actual passenger and cargo capacity of that specifc vehicle before non-factory options were added. This is the "math" part of buying a trailer I wish I knew better before I started looking.

We bought used and saved money over the smaller new TT's that were on our short list. But finding this trailer also caused us to buy a TV as part of the whole deal (instead of using our existing 4Runner).

By the way, this isn't the best time of year to trailer shop for used. The good ones aren't for sale, they're out camping.

[IndyCamp]

DutchmenSport wrote:
and a toilet that no one has sat on before.

That's actually a common misconception about new trailers.

When a trailer comes off the assembly line, all factory workers stop what they are doing and line up to sit on the toilet. The foreman is always last in line and then they tow it to the corporate office building so the CEO can have his turn. 😉

[bikendan]

annakwlee wrote:
We do not have a tow vehicle yet either. Needing to purchase that too. Thinking of a 2007 Suburban LT 2WD, can that tow this TT? TT max weight 7200. Our research shows seems to indicate that Chevy Suburban can tow 8200lbs.

i own a 2007 Chevy Avalanche, the same basic vehicle as the Burb.
that 8200lbs. number would be if the Burb had the 4.10 rear end.
the tow rating on a Burb with the normal HD towing package, would be around 7200lbs. max, with the 3.73 rear end ratio.

Google the 2007 Suburban/Tahoe owner's manual and look at page 420.
max for the 4.10 rear end ratio Burb is 8100lbs.

i wouldn't tow a 33' TT with a 1/2 Burb. maybe if it was a 3/4 ton Burb with the bigger engine.

[DutchmenSport]

Do you currently tent camp? or even rent cabins? or have you ever used a pop-up to camp in?

If the answer is "no" to all of these, then you might want to just start out with a tent (in the back yard), just to see how you all do together in smaller confined quarters. It would not be very pleasant if you invested $20,000 on a new camper and after the first trip out, you found it you really do not like the transient lifestyle!

If you are already a "camping family", have done tent, or pop-up camping and looking some a real roof over your head, I suggest going with new! There's nothing nicer than being the first owner, to lean everything about the camper, and to sleep in a bed that no one else has slept in before, and a toilet that no one has sat on before.

FYI, I'm on my 3rd Thor Industries trailer. Dutchmen, Keystone Springdale, Keystone Outback. I've not had any issues (other than minor things) to complain about. When purchasing new, you also get the warranties.

New or used, which ever way you go, ... million dollar RV's or $10,000 RV's ... they will only be as good as how well you take care of them. If you buy a Keystone (any brand) and decide to take it off-roading, through rugged terrain, it won't last long. They are not made for that kind of travel. But highway travel, with good maintenance, cleaning, and upkeep, they can last for a VERY long time.

Of course if the kids kick a hole in the wall, you can't blame that on faulty construction. The walls are not make to be as strong as a gymnasium floor, but are made to keep rain and sun out! It's all a matter of using them for the purpose they were designed for.

[mbopp]

You can buy used and save a lot of money. But - unless you know what to look for and are handy at DIY repairs you may be better off w/ a new unit.

That 8200# tow rating is only part of the equation, you need to consider payload also. IMHO - way too much trailer for a 1/2-ton 'Burb. With 5 people even a 1/2-ton crew cab P/U will run out of payload when it's loaded and ready to go.

[Iraqvet05]

We bought a new bunkhouse last year for our family of 4. It was our first TT and my wife was a bit apprehensive about the entire idea at first but it didn’t take long for her to come around and she really loves it! I was apprehensive about buying a used TT because I didn't have many friends with TT knowledge to help me at the time and I wanted a something with a warranty. Our TT is great for our family of four (our two kids are 6 and 10) but it does get a bit cramped in the kitchen area. Eventually we would like to get a TT with a slide as our kids grow and as they start to bring some friends but a descent sized slider maybe on the borderline of the capability of a half-ton TV. I can tell you pulling my loaded TT (4365 lbs dry) with my 5.3 Silverado and 4 speed is not bad on open, flat roads but it’s not a great experience in moderate inclines. I think if you went with the Keystone a newer 6 speed 1500 or a 2500 (3/4 ton) would be better suited to pull that weight. As others have said, you will probably run out of payload capacity with that weight and a 1500.