Buying advice HTT Aerolite and kodiak 18ft

[erdvm1]

I am looking for advice on buying.
I am considering a new or used Aerolite Aerolite 174ES
as well as a Kodiak 172E

First I will tell you that I will be traveling with myself, wife 6yo and 4 yo. We have a fleetwood E1 we will be selling so we are aware of the advantages and disadvantages of tent sleeping.

I'm looking for opinions on the quality of these two HTT and what people have been finding to be the problems with these models. Things I should be aware of and speak to the dealer or private seller about. Areas I should inspect closely before purchasing

If I buy from a dealer what price should I pay and what options should I be getting for this price? Special ways that I should negotiate to get the most from the dealer?

Lets say a 2013 version. What have you all negotiated into the purchase price. What about extended warranties. Are these a good value and what should I pay for that?

Lastly, What do you all think is a fair price to ask for my E1

[Cotay]

bikendan wrote:

Cotay wrote:

bikendan wrote:

erdvm1 wrote:
That is why I am looking at those two. The kodiak seems to have less options and slightly lower grade finishes. Do you have any info about the questions I posed above?

as far as i know, they are built with all the same materials, so the quality should be the same because they are twins. as far as options, don't know about that.
but their rep for hybrids hasn't been that great since the Thermarest ends disaster.

Thor has been doing some weird things in the past few years. they don't seem to be able to make up their minds about their hybrids. for one brand to have less models than the other, even though some are twins.
Aerolite has only 3 hybrids and Kodiak has 4. they share the same model for the one you're looking at but the other hybrids are different.

Kodiak seems to have a longer list of standard/optional features than Aerolite has way more floorplans for their whole line.

like i said, they used to have the exact same floorplans, model for model. and they were made in the same factory, on the same assembly line. they had the same materials, standard features and options.
if that's changed, i've never heard or read that has occurred.
since the Thermarest debacle, Aerolite/Kodiak hybrid sales took a nose dive and they haven't recovered since.
i think that's why, along with the economy, Thor has cut back on the number of floorplans that are available.

In this case the Aerolite has more standard features than the Kodiak. As an owner of the Aerolite 174es I can confirm that the Kodiak is not as well appointed but it is close. The Coleman version is the best appointed of the three however.

well, then things have changed with both lines because they used to be exact twin brands.

It may still be the case with the higher end models (whatever that actually means), but the 172 doesn't have the glass cabinet doors, the cable TV connector on both sides (it appears to be on the non-door side however), the sanitation/black tank flush connector, or the the power tongue jack. Otherwise they appear exactly the same except for the furniture materials (the Aerolite has a leather/leatherette on the Dinette/couch and the Kodiak appears to have a sued in the 2014 models.

[bikendan]

Cotay wrote:

bikendan wrote:

erdvm1 wrote:
That is why I am looking at those two. The kodiak seems to have less options and slightly lower grade finishes. Do you have any info about the questions I posed above?

as far as i know, they are built with all the same materials, so the quality should be the same because they are twins. as far as options, don't know about that.
but their rep for hybrids hasn't been that great since the Thermarest ends disaster.

Thor has been doing some weird things in the past few years. they don't seem to be able to make up their minds about their hybrids. for one brand to have less models than the other, even though some are twins.
Aerolite has only 3 hybrids and Kodiak has 4. they share the same model for the one you're looking at but the other hybrids are different.

Kodiak seems to have a longer list of standard/optional features than Aerolite has way more floorplans for their whole line.

like i said, they used to have the exact same floorplans, model for model. and they were made in the same factory, on the same assembly line. they had the same materials, standard features and options.
if that's changed, i've never heard or read that has occurred.
since the Thermarest debacle, Aerolite/Kodiak hybrid sales took a nose dive and they haven't recovered since.
i think that's why, along with the economy, Thor has cut back on the number of floorplans that are available.

In this case the Aerolite has more standard features than the Kodiak. As an owner of the Aerolite 174es I can confirm that the Kodiak is not as well appointed but it is close. The Coleman version is the best appointed of the three however.

well, then things have changed with both lines because they used to be exact twin brands.

[Cotay]

bikendan wrote:

erdvm1 wrote:
That is why I am looking at those two. The kodiak seems to have less options and slightly lower grade finishes. Do you have any info about the questions I posed above?

as far as i know, they are built with all the same materials, so the quality should be the same because they are twins. as far as options, don't know about that.
but their rep for hybrids hasn't been that great since the Thermarest ends disaster.

Thor has been doing some weird things in the past few years. they don't seem to be able to make up their minds about their hybrids. for one brand to have less models than the other, even though some are twins.
Aerolite has only 3 hybrids and Kodiak has 4. they share the same model for the one you're looking at but the other hybrids are different.

Kodiak seems to have a longer list of standard/optional features than Aerolite has way more floorplans for their whole line.

like i said, they used to have the exact same floorplans, model for model. and they were made in the same factory, on the same assembly line. they had the same materials, standard features and options.
if that's changed, i've never heard or read that has occurred.
since the Thermarest debacle, Aerolite/Kodiak hybrid sales took a nose dive and they haven't recovered since.
i think that's why, along with the economy, Thor has cut back on the number of floorplans that are available.

In this case the Aerolite has more standard features than the Kodiak. As an owner of the Aerolite 174es I can confirm that the Kodiak is not as well appointed but it is close. The Coleman version is the best appointed of the three however.

[bikendan]

erdvm1 wrote:
That is why I am looking at those two. The kodiak seems to have less options and slightly lower grade finishes. Do you have any info about the questions I posed above?

as far as i know, they are built with all the same materials, so the quality should be the same because they are twins. as far as options, don't know about that.
but their rep for hybrids hasn't been that great since the Thermarest ends disaster.

Thor has been doing some weird things in the past few years. they don't seem to be able to make up their minds about their hybrids. for one brand to have less models than the other, even though some are twins.
Aerolite has only 3 hybrids and Kodiak has 4. they share the same model for the one you're looking at but the other hybrids are different.

Kodiak seems to have a longer list of standard/optional features than Aerolite has way more floorplans for their whole line.

like i said, they used to have the exact same floorplans, model for model. and they were made in the same factory, on the same assembly line. they had the same materials, standard features and options.
if that's changed, i've never heard or read that has occurred.
since the Thermarest debacle, Aerolite/Kodiak hybrid sales took a nose dive and they haven't recovered since.
i think that's why, along with the economy, Thor has cut back on the number of floorplans that are available.

[bikendan]

Front Range wrote:

bikendan wrote:
Camping World contracted with Thor Ind., the parent company of Aerolite and Kodiak, to build Coleman trailers, which are twins of some of the Aerolite/Kodiak trailers.

Slight thread hijack but I think it's relevant. Any chance this contracting applied to the Thor Wanderer Lite as well bikendan?

no, i think the Thor Wanderer was built by Thor of California, an independent division of Thor. it had no twin brands. their floorplans were unique to them, especially the toyhauler ones.

[Front_Range]

bikendan wrote:
Camping World contracted with Thor Ind., the parent company of Aerolite and Kodiak, to build Coleman trailers, which are twins of some of the Aerolite/Kodiak trailers.

Slight thread hijack but I think it's relevant. Any chance this contracting applied to the Thor Wanderer Lite as well bikendan?

[erdvm1]

That is why I am looking at those two. The kodiak seems to have less options and slightly lower grade finishes. Do you have any info about the questions I posed above?

[bikendan]

those two trailers are exact twin brands. they're made in the same factory, on the same assembly line.
many of Aerolite and Kodiak trailers are the same thing, just different outside graphics and interior decor patterns.

used to be that both brands had the same exact hybrids, model for model, similar to the Roo/Shamrock twin brands.
now, i believe Kodiak has more hybrid models than Aerolite but you can find the twin of the Aerolite hybrids, in the Kodiak line.
not only that, but Camping World contracted with Thor Ind., the parent company of Aerolite and Kodiak, to build Coleman trailers, which are twins of some of the Aerolite/Kodiak trailers.