Forum Discussion

Intrepid_Family's avatar
Intrepid_Family
Explorer
Jul 01, 2017

RV buying comparison guides?

We have just learned that the storm damage incurred on our current travel trailer will "total" it, and so we will have to begin our search for a replacement. We got very, very lucky with this one as we were green-as-grass newbies and stumbled on it used for a price we could afford and bought it without a drop of research. It has served us well for 8 years, but this time around we would like to go into a purchase with more information. We know what we liked/didn't like/found inconvenient with this one, and while we aren't opposed to buying used, we're in a position to be able to look at new as well. Reliability, quality, durability, etc., are all factors we want to look at, of course.

With trusty "Google", I have discovered that one can purchase a variety of "RV comparison guides" that claim to list detailed information regarding pros and cons of all makes/models and so on. Again, very willing to do this, but is it worth it? Are they helpful?

What resources have you used in making your purchase? Can you recommend sites/references that you found useful? We won't be making our purchase for several months at least - we would like to have something by June of next year, but can go without until then, even though we'll miss our favorite camping seasons. :(

What is the best time of year to get the best "deal"? I know there are great prices at the RV shows we've been to in February in our area, but I wonder if the fall would be an even better time?

Any advice/insight you could offer on the broad topic of buying a new travel trailer would be very welcome!
  • rbpru's avatar
    rbpru
    Explorer II
    Jul 01, 2017
    Buyer guides list models and features. As far as I know they do not list service and repair rates.

    Name a brand and the board will give dozens of good and bad reviews.

    What we know is that TTs are built to a price point. This means that for any given TT size, the more expensive units generally have upgraded features and construction methods.

    Some manufacturers are noted for there higher end products and associated higher costs; Air Stream, Lance, Nash, Arctic Fox, to name just a few. Other are known for their unique construction. Casita, Scamp, Bigfoot come to mind.

    In my world the most important things are the floor plan, the loaded for the road tongue weight and the cost. Also floor plan lasts when all else is forgotten.

    As for best time to buy, that is highly regional in nature. Where I live in Northern Indiana there are a lot of dealers and they are busy all year around. That was especially true for the last there years.

    I though the snows of February would be a great time to shop only to discovered that was when they were placing customer orders for early spring delivery.

    I suggest you go to the RV shows and see what is out there and get a feel for floor pans and pricing.
  • bailer6334's avatar
    bailer6334
    Explorer
    Jul 02, 2017
    rbpru gave good advice. Even the most expensive RV's can have problems, as the major appliances, and electrical parts are all made by the same manufacturers. Depending what season(s) you will be using it in will depend on what type construction you should look for.

    Above all do your own research and don't believe most of what any sales person tells you. Also make sure your tow vehicle can safely pull what you buy.
  • pyoung47's avatar
    pyoung47
    Explorer
    Jul 02, 2017
    At one time, there was a company selling a buying guide for trailers that was a compilation of other buyers' experiences. I'm not sure if it is still out there. With all of the forums now-days, that is rather outdated. Remember that you should be able to get at least 25% off list for a new RV -- finding the true list might be tricky, but there are plenty of new RV listings on the internet to allow you to do that. You are in the "catbird" seat, since you are not trading a used RV. Don't forget to elicit bids from the on-line sellers, since these prices will give you a guideline for negotiations.
  • Intrepid_Family's avatar
    Intrepid_Family
    Explorer
    Jul 03, 2017
    pyoung47 wrote:
    At one time, there was a company selling a buying guide for trailers that was a compilation of other buyers' experiences. I'm not sure if it is still out there. With all of the forums now-days, that is rather outdated. Remember that you should be able to get at least 25% off list for a new RV -- finding the true list might be tricky, but there are plenty of new RV listings on the internet to allow you to do that. You are in the "catbird" seat, since you are not trading a used RV. Don't forget to elicit bids from the on-line sellers, since these prices will give you a guideline for negotiations.


    Ah, this is interesting! I was feeling that we would be at a disadvantage by not having a trade-in.

    We are doing a great deal of online research regarding prices and have picked a general floor plan we prefer. At least four different companies have that floor plan or similar enough to be a wash. What we are trying to figure out now is the pros/cons of fiberglass vs aluminum and those sorts of things. We usually do one large trip every summer and lots of weekend jaunts locally. We have 4 kids and a large dog, and the RV is used often in the summer time as a "guest house" in addition to our vacationing. We really need quality/durability/something that tolerates being hauled around a lot. :D Researching for peace of mind. haha

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