Keystone, forest river, jayco, thoughts on reliability?

One more reply about the "interest tax deduction" including the 2nd home.
As with many deductions, there is the ifs, ands, and buts. You have to be able to file Sch."A" to use the interest deduction. Most can't.
A n RV used in your business can be 100% or less deductible (depending on amount of actual business use).

Nice thing about Northwood MFG is if you don't have a dealer near you they will find an independent RV shop to do your warranty work. I don't have a dealer in my town and actually bought the trailer from a dealer 300 miles away. NW set me up with an independent shop in town for warranty work. I would never decide on a trailer brand based solely on a dealer. What good is a dealer when you're out of warranty? Also not every town has a plethora of dealers. I have 4 and only one carries a brand I would consider if replacing our current trailer. Problem is that, that brand dealer is the only dealer between Seattle and somewhere in central Ca. Consequently they've jacked up the prices beyond reasonable. If I were to buy that brand I would be visiting Jeff Couchs RV nations 2500 miles away and save close to $9,000. So while a good dealer helps, it only helps if they carry exactly the brand you want and offer a good deal at the time of purchase.

You should choose your dealer with the same care that you choose your trailer. We purchased a new Cougar this spring and have been very happy with it. No flaws or problems to date. We visited 12 different dealers and looked at 18 brands of trailers. Some dealerships have a minimal service department and poor service. They want to sell you a trailer and never see you again. Other dealerships have good service departments and want to establish a long term relationship with you so you will buy your next trailer from them.

Redwhitenblue wrote:
Thanks again guys for the feedback.

We went through the entire northwoods and outdoor mfg line and we like them quite a bit more than the rest.

We have three trailers in our sights: the outdoors rv creekside 21rbs, the creekside 23rks, and the jayco 235 eagle ht 5th wheel.

After looking under the Oregon made trailers I can see why they have such a good reputation. Even the tires are bigger and Goodyear brand compared to some no-name on the other keystone, forest river, etc...

We've found that for just the two of us and the turd that even going to a 24' TT felt bigger than we need, so we're going for small but nice.

Last question, what kind of % off "MSRP" should we target? It seems like such a ridiculous process with dealers marking up to $35 and $40k and not selling anywhere near there.

Thanks again for all the feedback it has been valuable.

The general rule is if you get around 25-30% off sticker price you are doing pretty good. You may not get quite that much off of the ones you are looking at, but I would think you could get at least 20-25% off sticker. Of course "sticker" is a little bit tricky, since a lot of manufacturers do not list MSRP. Jayco does list MSRP, which is nice.

ONLY ONE THOUGHT,, get the heavest AXELS you can afford. Period. Trust not want not.
Keystone puts in only what is needed for the highway to the office and back.
Been there with that. And not anouther one.

Baja937 wrote:
A second home must have sleeping, cooking, and toilet facilities. If your travel trailer meets these conditions, it can be a second home. You can deduct interest paid on a loan used to purchase your second home.

You can only deduct interest for two homes—your main home and a second home. Real estate taxes or personal property taxes can be deducted on any number of homes.

You can enter both of these deductions under Federal Taxes > Deductions & Credits > Your Home.

https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/2178178-how-do-i-claim-my-recreational-rv-travel-trailer-as-a-second-home

Yep, if your accountant isn't doing this, time for a new one. :) Travel Trailers have always been a write off. Not so with a Pop Up though.

Buy your dealer. That is the most important thing.

brand is secondary.

Thanks again guys for the feedback.

We went through the entire northwoods and outdoor mfg line and we like them quite a bit more than the rest.

We have three trailers in our sights: the outdoors rv creekside 21rbs, the creekside 23rks, and the jayco 235 eagle ht 5th wheel.

After looking under the Oregon made trailers I can see why they have such a good reputation. Even the tires are bigger and Goodyear brand compared to some no-name on the other keystone, forest river, etc...

We've found that for just the two of us and the turd that even going to a 24' TT felt bigger than we need, so we're going for small but nice.

Last question, what kind of % off "MSRP" should we target? It seems like such a ridiculous process with dealers marking up to $35 and $40k and not selling anywhere near there.

Thanks again for all the feedback it has been valuable.

I've had 3 Jaycos, ang currently have available FR. Only had one significant problem, and that was a leak on the roof \ wall seam on my first Jayco. My dealer and Jayco both stepped up to the plate and took care of it (relatively) quickly. (You don't replace a roof and exterior wall over night). But other than that, no issues at all.

Haven't owned a Keystone, so have no comments there. A friend has one and he hasn't had any issues except for fading on the nose cap decals.

I'd buy either another Jayco or FR w/o hesitation.

One only has to look at the TT companies’ and other online videos of the trailer construction methods to see that Amish or not it is the output that drives the TT worker. Fine craftsmanship take time and time is one thing that is at a premium.

You have just so many seconds not minutes to do the task and if you exceed the daily quota you make more money.

The majority of the TTs work just fine and sales increase every year. There really is no incentive to change of fix what is working.