Thinking about buying my first :)

[Gsragtop]

Need some advice and I hope you guys can help..

First, we are thinking of getting an TT for weekend trips (me my wife and a 7 and 3 year old).. My first question is are we better off just staying in hotels ?? I mean I love the idea of camping, but for the investment we fear we won't use it often enough.. One reason I'm thinking of getting a TT is that I have to travel two month a of the year for work. Right now I stay at a hotel and collect points we use to travel throughout the year. However with what I could save in hotel fees vs campsite fees I can pay the TT's payments for the year plus.

We have already picked out the unit we are thinking of buying a 2015 Conquest 198bh, we like it because it has bunks for the kids and a full time queen for my wife and I. It's also 2800 lbs which means it can be towed easily by or minivan which has a 3500 lb towing capacity. The dealer pice is $9999 but I think I can get it lower, the question is how much ?? It has a msrp of $15.000 (or about that)

Why new vs used ?? Because I need light weight for my van which means newer and it seems everything I look at used is in the same ball park price wise.. Also new means warranty and no previous owner issues. ALSO my wife does not like popups / hybrids. She wants a solid side unit only.

I guess my second question is how much more room for negotiating do you think I have, I was going to try to negotiate in a anti sway hitch, screen room, all the hoses I need for hooking up, power hitch jack, spare tire, electric brake controller for my van, and an rv cover. Thank that may fly ??

Also what is a typical interest rate for someone with good credit ?? They are saying 7.9% which seems high to me.

What other questions am I not asking.

[ckclgs]

I got my loan through CHECK Marketing. They hooked me up with a better rate and a better term than my dealer! Give them a shout if you have not already bought it. They may be able to re-finance it at a lower rate also! Call Chris at 419-582-6000 or Charlie at 812-786-6545.

[rbpru]

Dwight,

Reminds me of our first trip. We knew zip about RVs so we rented what we thought we would like. Our truck has enough weight capacity to easily handle a 5K TT but it only has a small 200 hp. V-6.

We had fun but it was slow going, about 60 mph on the flat and 50 mph in the Ozarks.

We learned a lot about towing, floor plans, gas milage, RV parks and etc, which was the reason for renting the TT. We move up to an Eco-Boost and a similar sized trailer.

[Community Alumni]

Just my 2-cents. Last year we bought we bought a hybrid TT that has a 4,500 lb GVWR but has a dry weight of about 2,600 lb. I owned a 2003 Kia Sedona with a 3,500 lb tow rating. This was my first trailer and I really didn't know any better so I bought it. I said the same things as you. I'll never fill the water tank or load the trailer very much, etc. From a power and drive train standpoint, the Sedona towed just fine for short local trips on level ground. I even hit some moderate hills without issue. The longest trip I took was 1.5 hours away. I do think the tow capacity is underrated. The real issue is tongue weight. It pushed the back down significantly which takes weight off the front drive wheels. Highway speeds were a nightmare. It felt like a struggle to keep control especially when a truck flew by. A little wind made it even worse. I did have a friction sway control on too. The trailer was driving the van at times, not the other way around. It was nowhere near safe. Talk about stressful. This year we picked up an F-150 and it's no comparison. It tows like a dream.

Take the advice of those more experienced. There are a lot of veteran RVers here (not me). Either look at a different tow vehicle or get a pop-up. The salesman will tell you differently but he just wants your money.

[rbpru]

Well it is obvious you have received a ton of advice but the big issue is what you expect from “camping”.

RVing has little in common with camping. With a TT you have all the comforts of home because you brought your house with you.

In a TT can eat, sleep, bath, have a pantry for your food, store your cloth, watch TV, and pretty much do what you do in your house.

However, this convenience comes at a cost; you need the right TV and the right TT at a cost you can afford. There is no way around that.

If you want to camp, even in a small trailer or large Pop-up, you will be giving up some of the above mentioned items.

RVing, camping or tenting, it is a family affair and it is important that everyone understands and enjoys the experience.

[dbucher]

I sell cars. Your kia will not do the job. Trans will not hold up.

[anaro]

To the OP we get quite a bit of winds here in NC. There are days I won't haul my 7300 lb tt with my 3500 rated to tow 13000 lb tt because the winds are bad. I wish you luck but I also hope I never pass you on the roads down here for my family's safety.

[shelbyj]

The frontal area is the same as your 2012 F150. 60sf.

[dadmomh]

Yes, that's the truck and trailer. They've been to the scale and we're good. The F-150 has factory tow, 5.4, etc and is rated for 8000#....even triple checked with our trusted dealer and they pulled up all the info to be certain. The GVWR on the trailer is 6629 and we're plenty below that. IIRC, dry weight is 5585, for what it's worth. We were actually a bit on the skinny side on tongue weight and shifted a few things forward.

Our HTT seemed to gain a bit of weight over it's almost 8 seasons with us and when the time came to move from the ROO to Rocky, it was Weight Watchers time.

[fx2tom]

Francesca Knowles wrote:

Jetta03 wrote:

dadmomh wrote:
In taking a peek this morning to see how this thread was going I found one thing...the OP wanted an opinion, got many and didn't like them. I think he's probably going to go right ahead with the proposed TT and the Kia....and then wonder why things didn't work out so well. I don't think he understands there is a huge difference between "can I tow" and "can I tow SAFELY".

Do you tow the trailer in your sig with the truck in your sig? If so I'm willing to bet you are running closer to your capacities than the minivan with that 3500lb trailer. Just saying....

You'd lose that bet...at least according to this Jayfeather link, which thoughtfully lists both the trailer/tongue weights of "Dadmom"'s trailer,AND the mfr. given capacity of the truck they're towing it with.

That tug/tow combo is well within capacity.

Did not see where in the Jayco flyer they referenced a Rockwood trailer (made by FR)

Jetta is pretty close. Even the MAX 2003 F150 SuperCrew would be pretty close, if not already, overload with a Rockwood 2604

Max tongue is 880 lbs. The GVWR of that TT is 6,691, that at 13% would be 869 lbs (not including the weight of the WDH)

MAX frontal area of the TT on that year F150 is 60 sq ft. Do the math, 8*10 = 80 sq ft

[Francesca_Knowl]

Jetta03 wrote:

dadmomh wrote:
In taking a peek this morning to see how this thread was going I found one thing...the OP wanted an opinion, got many and didn't like them. I think he's probably going to go right ahead with the proposed TT and the Kia....and then wonder why things didn't work out so well. I don't think he understands there is a huge difference between "can I tow" and "can I tow SAFELY".

Do you tow the trailer in your sig with the truck in your sig? If so I'm willing to bet you are running closer to your capacities than the minivan with that 3500lb trailer. Just saying....

You'd lose that bet...at least according to this Jayfeather link, which thoughtfully lists both the trailer/tongue weights of "Dadmom"'s trailer,AND the mfr. given capacity of the truck they're towing it with.

That tug/tow combo is well within capacity.

[Jetta03]

dadmomh wrote:
In taking a peek this morning to see how this thread was going I found one thing...the OP wanted an opinion, got many and didn't like them. I think he's probably going to go right ahead with the proposed TT and the Kia....and then wonder why things didn't work out so well. I don't think he understands there is a huge difference between "can I tow" and "can I tow SAFELY".

Do you tow the trailer in your sig with the truck in your sig? If so I'm willing to bet you are running closer to your capacities than the minivan with that 3500lb trailer. Just saying....

[shelbyj]

Not sure how much camping you plan to do but you might look into renting a motorhome. Its not cheaper then a hotel but it will give you the camping experience. Just a thought.

I tend to agree with the others that a minivan isnt a good choice for towing a regular trailer. Maybe it will be fine, maybe not. Imo its not worth it long term. You will either burn up the tranny or be so unhappy driving it that you will end up buying a bigger vehicle in a few years. Then you will want a bigger trailer and the cycle begins. 🙂

The dealer says you can take it for a test drive. By all means do it. Load it up with water and put as much weight in there as you can to simulate your actual camping setup. Bring the whole family with you and load up the van with stuff too. Take it on the freeway and see how it pulls at 60 and also how it stops.

[PAThwacker]

Minivans are not good for anything. Heck, GM bailed on them. We tote our youngsters around in a 5.3 v8 trailblazer.

[APT]

Do not buy an RV to save money.
Towing any high walled RV will not be pleasant for a minivan.