We just bought an 2017 Outdoors RV Timber Ridge 25RDS (Mountain Series) a month ago, so maybe our experience could be of some interest. We settled on this particular make and model after multiple years of visiting various RV shows, and it was based on a few factors:
1. Price. Four-season use was a requirement, and this was one of the mid/lower-priced ones in that category.
2. Build Quality. Many other makes we looked at had the appearance of corners being cut -- trim not extending all of the way to the edges, nailing up of the wall panels through the wall paper, ceiling joint strips popping out, cheap-looking countertop materials, etc.
3. Appearance. The finishings in this manufacturer's trailers look very nice and, when seen in person, look like they'll hold up better to use than some others we've seen.
4. Weight. This is the heaviest dry weight I can tow while still having enough capacity to fill it with cargo.
The Outdoors RV trailers have a number of options available and various dealers order different ones standard. My personal #1 requirement was the slidetopper awning. Since we intend to use this when there may be stuff falling on the top (e.g., snow, rain, tree debris, etc), I felt that would help a lot with its weather resistance. My #2 was the off-road suspension, which this particular trailer did not have. I later bought the same MorRyde CRE3000 (~$225 including the wet bolt upgrade) that the manufacturer uses as the upgrade option and put it on myself. We do not have the larger wheels, but I think the equalizer provides most of the benefit of that option.
Finally I'll cover the negotiation process: The MSRP was $43,659 and the dealer was asking $36,000. For a ballpark dealer invoice, we guessed it to be around $26,000-27,000. Our initial offer was $31,000. After some back-and-forth we were at $32,000 and the dealer was at $34,000. We did a final offer at $32,500, and the dealer came down to $33,000. We walked out. Later that night we got a call saying they'd meet the $32,500. I feel we probably could've got them to $32,000, but I can live with the extra $500.
When it came time to actually do the sales paperwork, the dealer attempted to sneak in an extra $2000 into the price (making it $34,500, a price never once discussed by either side) under the guise of a typo. We caught it (maybe we should have left then) and forced them to correct it. The trailer was ready for pick up the following week.
