Question on purchase of travel trailer.

[USMCCpl]

Sorry Ladies and Gentlemen I did not know where to put this. My wife and I are looking into travel Nursing, well she is I am going to find a odds and ends job.
Our questions are:

1) Open Range lite 308BH is this a good travel trailer? (Cold weather use as well?)
2) we have been to many dealers in the area and noticed that some rvs list at 47 to 50k and the sell for 27 to 30k. The one we looked at list at 47 and dealer said sale of 40k. So how do you know if you are getting a fair price?
3) What would you all recommend for a family of 3 with 3 dogs if you were going to be almost full timing? (We will only be in our home in NH for 13 weeks in the summer. Rest will be 13 week stays at RV parks.)

Thank you all for your time. Any and all advice is welcome.

Cpl. Barnhart USMC

[USMCCpl]

4Kellys wrote:
What's the payload of your truck, that matters much more than towing capacity!

2310lbs

[4Kellys]

What's the payload of your truck, that matters much more than towing capacity!

[USMCCpl]

darsben1 wrote:
Have you thought of going into the RV detailing business while you are on the road.
In the south in the winter there is a demand for this service and if you are in the park you might get some business.
Low initial investment and not a lot of big equipment necessary. The biggest piece might be a pressure washer.

I have the equipment I detail boats at the marina when I am not doing mechanic work. I have a little electric pressuer washern and a small gas powered one. I also have silicone spray for tires and seals, compound, wax, 303, clay, orbital and rotary buffer. Great idea as I love to clean.

[USMCCpl]

proxim2020 wrote:
The 30% discount is passe at this point. Every dealer is going to expect you to come in asking for 30% off MSRP. When you see big asking prices there's a good chance they've already rolled that 30% discount into the asking price. Probably one of the reasons why it's so easy to negotiate that amount right off the top these days.

There's a couple things you can do to help save you some money. Once you've settled on a model that you would like, search the internet for prices on that same unit. Dealer websites and sites like RVTrader.com can give you an idea of what other dealers around the country are asking for. Take the location of the dealer into account. Typically dealers located near the factories will have the lowest prices since there's little to no transportation costs. Depending where you are in the country, transportation costs can run up to a couple thousand dollars to get the trailer to your area.

You can also go to Nada Guides. You can look up the used value for 2016 models. This is how much the trailer will be worth the day you pull it off the lot. Dealers have to run a business and need to make money so you won't be able to buy your trailer for those prices. However it doesn't make financial sense for you to grossly overpay for a trailer either.

One more thing, often times dealers will gladly show you the invoice, showing you how much they've paid for the trailer. They're trying to show that they aren't making much money on the sale. The truth is that price the dealer actually pays for a trailer is a carefully guarded secret that isn't offered up to the public willy nilly. If they're showing you an invoice then there's almost certainly a holdback tied to it. Money paid back to the dealer after the sale of a trailer.

Thank you for the great advice. We really appreciate it. At least now we are armed with info.

[darsben1]

Have you thought of going into the RV detailing business while you are on the road.
In the south in the winter there is a demand for this service and if you are in the park you might get some business.
Low initial investment and not a lot of big equipment necessary. The biggest piece might be a pressure washer.

[Community Alumni]

The 30% discount is passe at this point. Every dealer is going to expect you to come in asking for 30% off MSRP. When you see big asking prices there's a good chance they've already rolled that 30% discount into the asking price. Probably one of the reasons why it's so easy to negotiate that amount right off the top these days.

There's a couple things you can do to help save you some money. Once you've settled on a model that you would like, search the internet for prices on that same unit. Dealer websites and sites like RVTrader.com can give you an idea of what other dealers around the country are asking for. Take the location of the dealer into account. Typically dealers located near the factories will have the lowest prices since there's little to no transportation costs. Depending where you are in the country, transportation costs can run up to a couple thousand dollars to get the trailer to your area.

You can also go to Nada Guides. You can look up the used value for 2016 models. This is how much the trailer will be worth the day you pull it off the lot. Dealers have to run a business and need to make money so you won't be able to buy your trailer for those prices. However it doesn't make financial sense for you to grossly overpay for a trailer either.

One more thing, often times dealers will gladly show you the invoice, showing you how much they've paid for the trailer. They're trying to show that they aren't making much money on the sale. The truth is that price the dealer actually pays for a trailer is a carefully guarded secret that isn't offered up to the public willy nilly. If they're showing you an invoice then there's almost certainly a holdback tied to it. Money paid back to the dealer after the sale of a trailer.

[USMCCpl]

I will give you guys a little background on myself and family. I started out as a mechanic in a garage in high school. Was a diesel mechanic in the marine corps. Security at harley davidson. Assistant manager at a coal power plant. Then in 2001 moved to NH with my wife who was from NH. Got a job as a cdl truck driver and heavy equipment operator at local town. In 2015 due to child care issues I left the town and got a job at a cnc machine shop. Work four 10 hour days then watch child while wife work her three 12 hour days as a RN. We have done many camping trips to PA to see family and friends either tent or borrowed a TT from friends for a couple weeks at a time. I do know not to believe the sales people. I towed a friends open range 310 and all the stuff they had in it when we borrowed it, he has the same truck as I and I dont know how he does it. If I recall correctly when I weighed just the trailer he was way over loaded at 10.7k. I would not want to tow that everyday! Almost forgot firefighter and emt-b from 2005 to 2013 as well.

[USMCCpl]

We have looked at many used units and it seems that they have been poorly maintained. Water damage, smoke damage, just lack of maintenance. Some if not most of them stunk, a few of them we had to walk out of. We will keep looking.

Again thank you all for the advice. It is greatly appreciated.

[USMCCpl]

2014 F150 4x4 crewcab short box 3.5l 9600lbs towing capacity. I work at a marina as my second full time job. So I have towed boats up tp 12k with the truck for 1 mile trips, the lighter boats are much better towing but we have a couple in the 9 to 10k range that I have towed to other states for customers. They are easy towing if the trailer brakes work.

[USMCCpl]

No offense taken.

1) I was not clear on this, i do apologize. We will be heading south, southwest for fall, winter months. I was more concerned about the cold weather as I have lived in many southern states and I know it gets cold there as well.
2) 30% of list price, I will make a note.
3) as a CDL holder the last time I checked in a majority of the states it is illegal to haul any person or animal in a travel trailer while it is under tow. As a person whom believes that dogs are part of the family and not pets, those who do put their animals in the trailer should a) have to endure the same ride in the trailer. b) should be charged with endangerment and cruelty of animals.
We have made plenty of road trips with the baby and dogs to many different states 10 to 12 hour rides at a time. Crewcab handles them, even all of them buckled up.
Have had better luck with RV parks accepting 2 15lb dogs and a 60lb dog than finding a appartment that accepts three dogs.
Wife will take TV to work all I need to do is walk dogs and watch baby.

Again no offense taken.
As I stated before open to all advice, suggestions, and comments.

Thank you for your time.

Cpl. Barnhart USMC

[4Kellys]

Thank you for your service. Like others have asked, what do you plan on towing it with. That is a big rig so you need at least a 3/4 ton so you have enough payload. Don't buy the dealer rhetoric when they say, 'you can tow anything on the lot, trust me'! Not many salesman really know anything about towing. The dealers really need to educate their employees, but probably never will!

[rbpru]

Full time RVing is a mindset. It is definitely not for everyone. I suspect that for the cost of a TT, the park rent, maintenance and depreciation, you can rent an appartment or small home.

[Still_Searchin_]

IF this is your first RV, sure do recomend buying a used unit, as that experience will also help you get one that fits your lifestyle much better when you get your second rig! Many of us get a couple rigs before we find the match that works well, not to mention the significant savings of buying used. JMO!

[Sandia_Man]

A quick search at RvTrader.com came up with roughly 80 hits showing new 2016 units as low as $31.8K and new 2017 models as low as $36.8K, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than your current local dealer's price. When I am interested in a particular rig I peruse RvTrader.com to check prices across the country.

Being a nurse she can find assignments anywhere, choose locations where you are not exposed to extreme heat or severe cold for long periods of time. Open Range units are well insulated and tested for comfortable living at 0 and 100 degrees, although those temps should be avoided just to make RV life simpler.