I could really use some advice
Hello! I am new to this forum but have been reading for the last couple of months. Dh and I would like to purchase a TT for our family of 8 (6 kids) and are running into some road blocks. We are totally new to the world of rv'ing but due to health restrictions and the size of our family we feel it is best to invest in rv'ing for family holidays, plus we all love being outdoors all the time.
Here is where I could really use some advice and would appreciate your not laughing at our mistakes. We didn't know better and we are now trying to make things right.
Last year, our mini van died suddenly and we were forced to purchase a new vehicle. We had always had it in our minds that we would like to get a TT and decided that since we needed to get something new we would get a good TV and purchase a TT the following year (2013). We settled on a 2012 Suburban and our sales guy assured us it could tow. We hadn't looked too much into TT's yet as we had to get a vehicle first. (I know this was a mistake, please, we already feel stupid enough). Being that we have 6 kids we were very limited in options for a vehicle and since I was not ready to make the plunge into a full size van we bought the 9 seater Suburban, allowing us the flexibility to take along an extra passenger when needed.
Our Suburban (as most of you on this forum already know) maxes out at 5000lb. We can't tow anything. Dh and I are currently looking at the JAYCO WHITE HAWK 31DSLB with a dry weight of 6215 (GVWR 8200) or the SPORT TREK ST310VQB with a dry weight of 6550 and a GVWR of 8300. Again, because of family size there aren't a ton of options that will fit us all. Plus, I know the kids will only get bigger so getting a unit with smaller beds is only going to force us to upgrade sooner than later. These are the lightest weight units with a bunk house and outside bathroom door that we have been able to find so far.
We only have 2 choices for a vehicle and one of them I am not sure of. We're looking at getting either a 2012 Expedition Max with tow package or a 2500 Suburban. I do realize that we need to fully calculate that these vehicles will for sure be able to tow the TTs we are looking at but at first glance it appears they will. We plan to follow the advice on these forums and take the TV for a 24 hour test drive, load up and weigh both axles at the scale. I'm quite confident that the 2500 Suburban will do the job but not sure on the Expedition.
Here's the thing: Because we bought our useless (for towing) Suburban last year (it was used, but current year) and the cost of what we are looking at, we are looking at having to spend about $12,000-$15,000 to get into something else. Ouch. I'm also not keen on driving a 2500 Suburban full time because of gas consumption. I know the 1500 Burb isn't great but the 2500 is definitely worse. I also hate the thought of losing $15,000 because of the bad decision we made last year. Plus, we will very likely lose our 9 seater vehicle just to tow a TT 4 months out of the year. It's quite the sacrifice.
For the $15,000 we could potentially pick up a 2007 Suburban 2500 with 110,000 miles on it. It would be a third vehicle for us and would only be used for towing the trailer. This means it would go into storage for about 8 months out of each year. I know nothing about putting a vehicle into storage for so long or if it would be a good idea. I think the extra cost of insurance for a third vehicle would be comparable to the cost difference in gas in driving a 1500 daily vs. a 2500 daily so I feel that cost is a wash. What do those of you on the forum think of this? Is a 6 year old vehicle with 110,000 miles on it still reliable for towing? (it is at a dealership so I would get the inspection and all that but who knows what the vehicle is really like).
I'm torn and really upset that we were so uninformed last year. If only we had known we could have bought the proper vehicle in the first place. We really want to do this for our kids (get an TT and spend our summers camping) and could use some advice on how to best make this happen.
Does it make it sense to get a vehicle just for towing purposes? Does anybody do this? Or are we better off sucking up our losses and replacing the one we have? Being in Canada camping season is not very long. :(
I appreciate any and all advice you have to offer.
Here is where I could really use some advice and would appreciate your not laughing at our mistakes. We didn't know better and we are now trying to make things right.
Last year, our mini van died suddenly and we were forced to purchase a new vehicle. We had always had it in our minds that we would like to get a TT and decided that since we needed to get something new we would get a good TV and purchase a TT the following year (2013). We settled on a 2012 Suburban and our sales guy assured us it could tow. We hadn't looked too much into TT's yet as we had to get a vehicle first. (I know this was a mistake, please, we already feel stupid enough). Being that we have 6 kids we were very limited in options for a vehicle and since I was not ready to make the plunge into a full size van we bought the 9 seater Suburban, allowing us the flexibility to take along an extra passenger when needed.
Our Suburban (as most of you on this forum already know) maxes out at 5000lb. We can't tow anything. Dh and I are currently looking at the JAYCO WHITE HAWK 31DSLB with a dry weight of 6215 (GVWR 8200) or the SPORT TREK ST310VQB with a dry weight of 6550 and a GVWR of 8300. Again, because of family size there aren't a ton of options that will fit us all. Plus, I know the kids will only get bigger so getting a unit with smaller beds is only going to force us to upgrade sooner than later. These are the lightest weight units with a bunk house and outside bathroom door that we have been able to find so far.
We only have 2 choices for a vehicle and one of them I am not sure of. We're looking at getting either a 2012 Expedition Max with tow package or a 2500 Suburban. I do realize that we need to fully calculate that these vehicles will for sure be able to tow the TTs we are looking at but at first glance it appears they will. We plan to follow the advice on these forums and take the TV for a 24 hour test drive, load up and weigh both axles at the scale. I'm quite confident that the 2500 Suburban will do the job but not sure on the Expedition.
Here's the thing: Because we bought our useless (for towing) Suburban last year (it was used, but current year) and the cost of what we are looking at, we are looking at having to spend about $12,000-$15,000 to get into something else. Ouch. I'm also not keen on driving a 2500 Suburban full time because of gas consumption. I know the 1500 Burb isn't great but the 2500 is definitely worse. I also hate the thought of losing $15,000 because of the bad decision we made last year. Plus, we will very likely lose our 9 seater vehicle just to tow a TT 4 months out of the year. It's quite the sacrifice.
For the $15,000 we could potentially pick up a 2007 Suburban 2500 with 110,000 miles on it. It would be a third vehicle for us and would only be used for towing the trailer. This means it would go into storage for about 8 months out of each year. I know nothing about putting a vehicle into storage for so long or if it would be a good idea. I think the extra cost of insurance for a third vehicle would be comparable to the cost difference in gas in driving a 1500 daily vs. a 2500 daily so I feel that cost is a wash. What do those of you on the forum think of this? Is a 6 year old vehicle with 110,000 miles on it still reliable for towing? (it is at a dealership so I would get the inspection and all that but who knows what the vehicle is really like).
I'm torn and really upset that we were so uninformed last year. If only we had known we could have bought the proper vehicle in the first place. We really want to do this for our kids (get an TT and spend our summers camping) and could use some advice on how to best make this happen.
Does it make it sense to get a vehicle just for towing purposes? Does anybody do this? Or are we better off sucking up our losses and replacing the one we have? Being in Canada camping season is not very long. :(
I appreciate any and all advice you have to offer.
