Good morning!First time TT buyers, looking for advice on brand, etc. We live in Riverside, CA., and have been to about 5-6 different places, and have a decent idea on what we think we need.We have a 2017 Nissan Armada 2WD, with a max towing capacity of 8,500 lbs, so we're thinking a 6,000 lb. TT max.Family of 5, with two oldest boys being 17, and probably off to college and jobs within a year or two max, but right now we do need to sleep 5. Looking at bunk floor plans with pull-out dinette. I know you can sleep 5 without bunks in many floor plans, but it seems a hassle to break down the dinette table every night, or convert a couch and put sheets on it, etc. Then un-do it all again the morning. We want beds ready to go.Preferably new, and the wood-frame TTs are our price range ($19-$24k)Our driveway parking location is 30 feet, sidewalk-to-roof overhang, so that needs to be taken into consideration. Ideally I'd like the tongue of the TT to not be sitting literally on the sidewalk line.So far we've looked at the following, with their factory listed dry weights:Aspen Trail 2340BHS (5,599 lbs.)Coleman Lantern 244BHWE (5,500 lbs.)Jay Flight SLX 242BHSW (5,335 lbs.Salem CruiseLite 241BHXL (5,165 lbs.)Anything I've found online in regards to most TTs, has been from dealerships, so looking for actual user-based experience with those brands, or even those specific models.Thanks! :D

As a newby new is really a bad idea. Unless your ready to absorb the huge depreciation of a new trailer, instead buy used.OK, now for some numbers. Your Armada does not have a real world tow rating close to 8000 pounds. Once you load your family on board you will be lucky to be at 6000 pounds. Even at 6K your tongue weight is going to be north of 700 pounds. With all your family and junk on board how much do you weigh? Between that and its GVWR how much capacity do you have?As for picking, and being in Riverside find a used Lance.As for trailers, stick the kids outside in tents would be far smarter.

I would look at toy haulers and convert the rear to a bunk house sleeping area. I was thinking it might be more weight friendly but maybe not?Jay D.

Buy used for your first RV. You may be selling or trading it in a year or two.Yes, setting up and taking down a dinette/couch every day gets old, real quick. It's okay for occasional use, just not all the time.Don't be in a hurry to buy. Look at everything and ask lots of questions BEFORE you give a seller any money or sign any agreements.Salesmen are not your friend. Their only goal is to sell you something. You'll find that some of them know less sbout RV's than you.Someone on the forum will have an answer to your questions. Don't hesitate to ask.Enjoy your travels.

Payload capacity on that truck is less than 1600 lbs. 5 people is going to eat a lot of that without even starting on the trailer tongue. If you dont mind the kids travelling separate you would have upwards of 1000 or so still available after you add 100 lbs for the weight distributing hitch along with whatever else you carry.When looking at trailers, forget the empty weight the salespeople all point to. The only time that trailer weighs that is as it leaves the assembly floor. Before you ever get it you have to add for the battery/batteries, propane tanks and contents, as well as any options added by the dealer. If possible you may want to try to rent a trailer similar to one that your considering, see how your truck does, and learn a little about what you do and dont like in the trailer. As to the "buy used" suggestions, new folks coming in to this often go through 2 or 3 units in a few years time learning what fits for them, taking that depreciation hit becomes a 2 or 3 time event which can hurt. Also when talking to salespeople require "out the door" pricing, Car dealers are fairly standardized and competitive in their markets, RV dealers while competitive are varied in the approach they take. Some will advertise extremely low prices to get you excited and on the lot, and then hide thousands of dollars in "fees" to the transaction after you have agreed to a price. Make sure you can compare apples to apples. Some dealers are very upfront and will immediately give you the out the door price, and are proud of that, others are a little less forthcoming.

I'm in the other camp when it comes to buying new vs. used. Unless I knew the person selling the unit and knew how it was maintained, I would never buy used. Even among the folks who post here, there are a lot who simply don't maintain their campers, and they do need to be maintained. I don't want someone else's junk!As for the armada, I agree it might be a bit light in the payload department for a trailer AND a family of five. You might be able to get away with it, but it might not be a comfortable drive.I would try renting first to get a better idea of how the vehicle tows and what you might like.

Complete Newbie to TTs Here. First-time Buyer Advice

PAThwacker
Explorer
Apr 04, 2018
Most likely camper to fit your tribe is a three tent hybrid. Crappy tanks but fully utilized sleeping areas x 3 queens. I have always owned canvas either in pups or hybrid and never have to worry about bears. Black bear a plenty in my region of PA.

Most of the 3 bed hybrids are 23 feet bodies with gross weights at your sweet spot 6600 pounds Gross. Another spec is your storage space and hybrids meet that requirement. Less than 30 feet bumper to hitch. I'd upgrade vehicle to 3/4 ton truck as kids go off to college. I use a k2500 Suburban which is 2405 pounds of payload and 7600 pounds of towing. Purposely built to beat the piss out of towing campers/boats.
ppine
Explorer II
Apr 04, 2018
coolmom42 knows what she is talking about.
rbpru
Explorer II
Apr 04, 2018
You can do what we did, we looked at the size TT we needed. Then rented a similar sized model.

With just dumb luck we had chosen a TT that kept us within our max cargo capacity. Max cargo is on the door jamb and It is lot less than the towing capacity and will fill up easy with kids toy and other must haves. We learned that a bit late in the game.

Finally by renting we learned a lot about RVing, mileage, performance and most important Floor Plan. Then we could walk away and think on what we learned before we spent the big bucks.

Since the TT we rented was two years old and in excellent condition we decided that there were probably other used one we would like.

We ended up with a three year old model and have not found anything we like better in the last four years.
Xanthais
Explorer
Apr 04, 2018
2012Coleman wrote:
As for advising you to tell the older ones to sleep in a tent, I'm sure you know how that will go down. People give that advice a lot - but most likely never followed it. So you big kids - were going to buy this new camper and go on great trips, but yea, your going to have to sleep in a tent - if you could do that, it would be great. Sounds like a line from Office Space...

Exactly. LOL

As to the Armada tag, here it is.
2012Coleman
Explorer II
Apr 04, 2018
So normally, I'd say phooey to buying used for a first timer. I bought my first one new - no way would I have considered a used TT. And my first one was a Coleman. Agree withe the comment made that this is a entry level trailer. and the fit and finish was cr@ppy, but better than others I looked at in my price range.

But you stated that you won't need the extra sleeping room after the oldest move on - then you will be stuck with bunks your not using. so either buy a used bunk house that you won't take a deprecation hit on when you sell it due to not needing bunks. Or suck it up and find a new one and break down/set up beds. It's not a big deal.

As for advising you to tell the older ones to sleep in a tent, I'm sure you know how that will go down. People give that advice a lot - but most likely never followed it. So you big kids - were going to buy this new camper and go on great trips, but yea, your going to have to sleep in a tent - if you could do that, it would be great. Sounds like a line from Office Space...

You need to figure out the payload capacity of your Armada. Look at the door jamb and post the number where is says weight of cargo and passengers not to exceed xxxx lbs. Tow capacity is a fantasy. don't rely on it.
searfoss
Explorer
Apr 04, 2018
gbopp wrote:
Buy used for your first RV. You may be selling or trading it in a year or two.
Yes, setting up and taking down a dinette/couch every day gets old, real quick. It's okay for occasional use, just not all the time.

Don't be in a hurry to buy. Look at everything and ask lots of questions BEFORE you give a seller any money or sign any agreements.
Salesmen are not your friend. Their only goal is to sell you something. You'll find that some of them know less sbout RV's than you.

Someone on the forum will have an answer to your questions. Don't hesitate to ask.
Enjoy your travels.

I absolutely agree, our first was a brand new 2005 Palomino 21SD, awesome rig. But it got small as our kids got big. We went that small because of towing capacity (92 Chevy Conversion Van which struggled on every hill). I originally had my eye on something 2 feet bigger which in hindsight would have served us longer but was 500 lbs heavier so had to pass. 13 seasons later we have a 28 ft rig (our third).

You may not be able to plan 10 years out for your needs but look at the next 5. Age and size of the kids, any pets going.

Think it through, RV are always "on sale" somewhere. Don't shy away from used if the price is right. We've had one ordered from the factory (1st HTT) one used off the lot and one new off the lot. On getting used, my advice is this, if you smell mildew or mold when you walk in then walk away.

And the sales person is not your friend, he/she is focused on earning a commission check to put food on their table. Once you leave he/she is on the next buyer.....
ppine
Explorer II
Apr 01, 2018
It is difficult to chose the right RV the first time. I would definitely plan on a used unit and one that is not too big. There are some great RVs now under 5,000 pounds or even under 4,000 pounds. They make everything easier and still have room.
coolmom42
Explorer II
Mar 31, 2018
I would let the 17 yr olds sleep outside in a tent, and not buy a trailer specifically big enough to sleep them. If you do buy a bigger trailer to accomodate them, buy a used one, so you can downsize in a few years.
BizmarksMom
Explorer
Mar 31, 2018
The Nash 22h was mentioned above. I own one, and love it.

But... I normally camp solo with my 2 dogs. When a friend and I went on a 2 week desert road trip last year, I got the bed and she slept on the sofa we kept extended into a bed for the entire time. It worked well after stopping at Wal-Mart and buying a cheap foam topper to put on the sofa. It was plenty of space for 2 ladies who come from a backpacking back ground. (Compared to a sleeping bag on the ground covered by a tarp, any RV is a palace.)

Also, I primarily boondock and dry camp - so a trailer that can hold up on dirt roads and is completely self-contained was my priority.

In a nutshell, what kind of camping do you like? If you are towing on good roads to a paved full hook-up site, you will probably do fine with a nicer looking ultra light trailer. If you go to more primitive places, you will want a better built trailer to handle that. I bought my Nash after trashing the suspension on my first trailer - a Keystone Bullet, never meant to leave pavement.
gbopp
Explorer
Mar 31, 2018
Xanthais wrote:

As for cost, depreciation, and buying used, is that primarily in case we don't like it, or figure something out and realize we need to sell that one, and get something different? Makes sense. I've always been a little wary of used, though.

Yes, you may realize you don't like the RV life. (I doubt it).
But you may find out that you don't like the floor plan, want a larger bathroom, more kitchen counter space, etc..
Buying used will result in less of a depreciation hit if you decide to sell or trade.

If you're more comfortable buying new, that's okay. Just make sure everything is working before you buy. Being new does not mean it is trouble free.
Don't fall for the 'buy it today and we'll fix it tomorrow' tactics used by some dealers. Remember, their goal is to sell you something.

If you're not able or chose to not do the inspection, consider hiring a mobile RV Tech to do the inspection.
Don't listen to the dealer if they tell you they will inspect the unit. Do your own inspection.
I'm not saying all dealers are bad. Just do you homework.