1st time buyer (TT)

[Bammer4]

My wife and I are looking at buying a new TT this weekend and I wanted to know from experienced RVers what kind of little things we should look for in the TT. Ya know like things only ppl who have done this for years would know to look for.

Also anyone know a good site where we can find a lot of detail about the TT we are looking at? (Construction type, frame spacing, etc.)

In case anyone wants to know we are looking at"
~Alpha Wolf 26DBH-L
~Tracer Breeze 26DBS
~Sunset Trail Super Lite SS262 BH
~Revere 27BH


Thanks in advance,
Overwhelmed Newbies

[afidel]

2012Coleman wrote:
Don't stick your head in the sand regarding weights. As advised, post the number from your door jamb sticker that states total weight of cargo and passengers not to exceed xxxx lbs.

And don't think that the show prices are the best deal you can make. Standard haggling point is 30 - 35% off the so called MSRP.

Don't make the mistake of getting into a how much payment you can afford and then extend financing. You'd be better off getting a loan through your own bank or credit union. If you do decide to take dealer financing, make sure you figure out what you will end up paying at the end of the finance period.

Be extremely cautious of paint/fabric protection plans and extended warranties. Jayco has a 2 year warranty.

I say forget MSRP totally, look at RVTrader and others and you can generally find out what the cheapest online prices in the country are for your unit, use 10% off that as your starting point for negotiations. Luckily for me for my unit one of the two cheapest dealers in the country was nearby and they had no problem doing a 10% off deal since it was November and they were happy to move a unit.

[APT]

Manufacturer web sites will have the most information, in PDFs of brochures. Don't rush it. You can customer order any of those and be ready before Memorial Day, and probably at a lower price than the shows.

[2012Coleman]

Don't stick your head in the sand regarding weights. As advised, post the number from your door jamb sticker that states total weight of cargo and passengers not to exceed xxxx lbs.

And don't think that the show prices are the best deal you can make. Standard haggling point is 30 - 35% off the so called MSRP.

Don't make the mistake of getting into a how much payment you can afford and then extend financing. You'd be better off getting a loan through your own bank or credit union. If you do decide to take dealer financing, make sure you figure out what you will end up paying at the end of the finance period.

Be extremely cautious of paint/fabric protection plans and extended warranties. Jayco has a 2 year warranty.

[rbpru]

My standard advise is to take your best guess at what you want, then rent a similar unit.

We rented a unit for a ten day trip to the Ozarks. You learn a lot quickly.

[The_Owl]

Some of the things we looked for have been mentioned already. Such as, the television location and sewer number and location. Having a second connection and under a slide just seems dumb on the part of the designers. Another thing for us was counter space. If it seems too small,it probably is. Well done and quantity of storage is important. I am not a fan of the super small exterior storage put on some budget units.

[profdant139]

The biggest shock will be how much fun RVing is. I wish someone had told us earlier -- we were in our 50s before the light dawned. Better late than never, I guess.

[mitw44]

I am on my 3rd travel trailer. I have learned never to leave the RV dealer without swapping out the manual tongue jack for a power jack. Also, just take your time on the delivery inspection, so that you can learn how the various systems work, and also on how to hook up the weight distribution hitch. Also, it sounds minor, but I like my television to be straight across from the seating I will be using to watch TV. After about 5 minutes of having to turn your neck 90 degrees to watch TV, you will know what I mean.

[campigloo]

If you’ve never done this rv thing before picking according to what your tv is capable of is the first consideration. Almost as important is will you even enjoy it. There are plenty of people who find out the expensive way that they hate it. Hope it doesn’t happen to you but for your first one a used unit can save you several thousand dollars. My wife and I have been doing this for close to 30 years and have gone through four floor plans before we settled on one long term. This time of year the trade shows will start happening. It’s a great time to look at lots of different models and you may be able to work a really good deal on a trade in.
Most of all I hope you really like whatever you get.
Welcome to the forum!

[Terryallan]

I would suggest you pick the TT YOU like, and that your TV will tow. YOU are the only one you have to please. It really doesn't matter what we think.

Having said that. I would take care about buying a Tt that sits low to the ground. They drag easy.

I would also pay close attention the where the sewer connection is. Seems many builders have taken to putting them UNDER the slide, and you can't reach them when they are under the slide. so IF you need to dump during your stay. You will either need to crawl under the slide, or bring it in. Either is a deal breaker for me.

As for most other stuff. Find a floor plan you like, and make the deal

[Second_Chance]

Double-posted. Reported.

[Lwiddis]

SG, honest good salesperson! The maintenance is fun for me.

[sgfrye]

SoundGuy wrote:

Bammer4 wrote:
My wife and I are looking at buying a new TT this weekend and I wanted to know from experienced RVers what kind of little things we should look for in the TT.

Overwhelmed Newbies

You didn't ask, perhaps because you're newbies, but the place to always start is with your tow vehicle ... what have you got and have you yet determined exactly what it can safely tow? :@

t

X2 on this

Wife and I had a good salesman last summer when we bought our 1st TT.

He asked these questions

What's ur towing vehicle? He looked up specs
What's your budget?
What type of floor plan? Couples model or do u have kids?

After this info he narrowed down about 30 choices on the rv lot down to 3 to choose from.

He spent time in each of the 3 units with us going over details then suggested we go back thru all 3 just wife and I and talk it over.

We both liked 1 of the 3 the best.

We spent a whole day there then agreed to go back the following weekend to finish the deal and take delivery with financing and paperwork

8 months later we are still happy with the choice.

Early on I realized that I needed to learn how to inspect, maintain, and repair as needed. Including plumbing, electrical, roof etc etc. i have learned what's going on on our TT from bumper to bumper. if you have to deal with ANY rv dealer service dept be prepared to wait along time for service. Service departments can't keep up with demand. Here in North Carolina most are booked out 2 months for appointments. Rv industry is booming. That's the downside but honestly by learning you can take care of most things yourself. Rv maintenance has become a hobby in itself. You will encounter problems regardless of what you buy. Rv' s and travel trailers are rolling earthquakes. Not brick and stick homes.

[Lwiddis]

There goes Soundguy again with sound practical advice.

[SoundGuy]

Bammer4 wrote:
My wife and I are looking at buying a new TT this weekend and I wanted to know from experienced RVers what kind of little things we should look for in the TT.

Overwhelmed Newbies

You didn't ask, perhaps because you're newbies, but the place to always start is with your tow vehicle ... what have you got and have you yet determined exactly what it can safely tow? :@

[Lwiddis]

One post sufficient! Be patient!