Travel Trailer Buying Advice?
Hey everyone! I’m new here but I’m hoping to buy a travel trailer sometime soon. I’ve been doing a lot of research and actually started a site about them to force me to learn, ha. I’m doing an expe...
Forum Discussion
1. Rent one first. You can find some campgrounds that have rental units on them. That's how we got our first introduction and we learned a few good things from that experience. It's also what got us hooked.
2. Don't go out spending a bundle of cash on your first TT and don't spend another bundle of cash on mods and upgrades to it. BTDT. There's a good probability that it will not be your last and you may not have it that long. The value of new TTs plummets from new and you could lose a lot of that bundle of cash if you go and sell it down the road. Once you get into RV-ing and see other units and go to RV shows, there's gonna be something that is waaay nicer than what you have. Again, BTDT too...
3. Learn what to look for in TTs when you go around and look at them in person. Look under the trailers and see how the frames differ. Some are awful and some are good. Frames don't usually get looked at much, especially by first-time buyers. See if floors feel soft. Look inside cabinets and see what the fit and finish is like and look for things out of plumb, level & square. Some cabinetry can be really poorly put together. When narrowing down, spend some time inside a unit. Sit down and picture yourself doing various activities and think about functionality. Where would you hang coats when you come and go in rainy or cold weather? TVs can be in difficult to see locations. Storage can be inadequate and poorly laid out. Is there enough kitchen counter area? Pass-through doors can be too small while some are generous in size. Some pass-through spaces can be much larger than others even though they are located similarly under the forward facing queen bed. Look at the cargo carrying capacity between makes and models. Sometimes the CCC is almost nothing after you have the TT all loaded up for camping while some manufacturers are realistic and generous on CCC. Download one of the pre-purchase checklists from the internet for ideas of some things to look for.
4. Bonus item. Get a pair of walkie-talkies for backing into a site. This may just save a marriage one day. (Another BTDT :))
Oh yeah, and as said alluded to above, never ever believe what a salesman tells you. All they want to do is sell you something, anything, that puts cash in their jeans....
2. Don't go out spending a bundle of cash on your first TT and don't spend another bundle of cash on mods and upgrades to it. BTDT. There's a good probability that it will not be your last and you may not have it that long. The value of new TTs plummets from new and you could lose a lot of that bundle of cash if you go and sell it down the road. Once you get into RV-ing and see other units and go to RV shows, there's gonna be something that is waaay nicer than what you have. Again, BTDT too...
3. Learn what to look for in TTs when you go around and look at them in person. Look under the trailers and see how the frames differ. Some are awful and some are good. Frames don't usually get looked at much, especially by first-time buyers. See if floors feel soft. Look inside cabinets and see what the fit and finish is like and look for things out of plumb, level & square. Some cabinetry can be really poorly put together. When narrowing down, spend some time inside a unit. Sit down and picture yourself doing various activities and think about functionality. Where would you hang coats when you come and go in rainy or cold weather? TVs can be in difficult to see locations. Storage can be inadequate and poorly laid out. Is there enough kitchen counter area? Pass-through doors can be too small while some are generous in size. Some pass-through spaces can be much larger than others even though they are located similarly under the forward facing queen bed. Look at the cargo carrying capacity between makes and models. Sometimes the CCC is almost nothing after you have the TT all loaded up for camping while some manufacturers are realistic and generous on CCC. Download one of the pre-purchase checklists from the internet for ideas of some things to look for.
4. Bonus item. Get a pair of walkie-talkies for backing into a site. This may just save a marriage one day. (Another BTDT :))
Oh yeah, and as said alluded to above, never ever believe what a salesman tells you. All they want to do is sell you something, anything, that puts cash in their jeans....
