TT shopping

[jnslprd]

Hello all.
This is my first post, been lurking for a while. My wife and I are in the market for a new TT in the 23 to 30 foot range. After going to the dealerships and doing a lot of reading, we are at a stand still as to which way to go. We had our hearts set on the Coachmen Catalina 243rbs. My wife is all about the interior looks and we like the floor plan. After doing some reading I am noticing nothing but horror stories about Coachmen products as well as most of the Forrest River products. Now we are uncertain of our pick and have started looking at better quality products with our next alternative being the Artic fox 25w. I liked the Grand Design offerings, nut my wife hates the dark interiors.

Here is my question. We plan on being only weekend worriors and will hopefully get out a few weekends a summer and maybe a week or 2 vacation. Do you guys think it pays to purchase something that costs twice as much for the amount of camping we will do.

When looking at used trailers my wife is repulsed no matter how clean they are, so this unfortunately` wasn't an option from the beginning.

Thanks everyone, sorry for the long post.
Joe

[jnslprd]

Thanks everyone

We are sitting at 2 separate computers watching videos and reading articles for weeks now. I'm not so bothered by a used trailer but my wife wants new. Not too many good deals by me anyway.

[Halmfamily]

If it were up me I'd wait until November or December when it's a buyers market and you will get a better deal. All RV's will have issues, do a thorough PDI and learn to fix things yourself. Buy the one that suits you best.

[BarabooBob]

The first thing to know about buying a new trailer from most dealers is that they will lie about what it takes to pull any given trailer. They are interested in YOUR money becoming THEIR money and nothing else. Do you research before you buy. We bought a used TT and on the first trip decided that we love having a trialer, but not THIS trailer. We sold it when we got back from our first trip (6000 miles) and broke even. We then went shopping with a better idea of what we wanted and ended up buying new. We only owned the first trailer for 5 weeks.

[profdant139]

I don't know anything about Coachmen or Forest River -- but after years of reading complaints about various trailers, I have concluded that every manufacturer makes misteaks, even the high-price companies. And only the unhappy people post -- we rarely see "gosh I like my trailer" threads. It is hard to say which company has the highest percentage of customer satisfaction. (Are there JD Power Awards for RVs, like there are for cars??)

You are absolutely right to look at the complaints as part of your decision-making process. But on the Internet, what you see depends on what you ask. So if you look for Coachmen horror stories, that is what you will find.

Hang in there!

[Merrykalia]

I know where your wife is coming from....I don't like other people's dirt, either.

BUT....I also know that it's not a good idea to purchase new the first time. You never know if you will actually enjoy it, you don't know what you want until you experience a few night/weeks in a camper, being new doesn't necessarily mean that it's clean.

So, remind her that she: 1. eats in restaurants where you never know how clean the kitchen is, but she can clean a used one as easy as she can clean a new RV. 2. She uses public bathrooms and she can clean an RV bathroom to get it to her standards. 3. She probably stays in hotels where she sleeps in beds that others have slept in and they just "HOPEFULLY" changed the sheets. 4. You can always purchase a new mattress if that is a problem. 5. Purchasing a 3-4 year old RV will save you thousands in depreciation and it will probably retain it's original value from your purchase if you have made a mistake.

We have had 5 different RVs and have been into camping for more than 20 years. Our last fifth wheel was our first new one. I plan to have it for 10+ years or until our daughters are grown and gone.

[lhenry8113]

We recently bought a 1 year old used Class C with a Chevy chassis and Coachman camper by Forest River.{about 8000 miles on it}, from a Dlr. My thinking is the original owner had to take care of the problems on either the truck or camper-hopefully under warranty, plus it is still under warranty if something develops. Previously, we have owned 2 Arctic Fox 5th wheels and traveled extensively in them. Just got back from a 4000 mile trip-5 weeks- with no problems with either the truck or camper. I am leading up to buy from a reputable Dlr. with a "GOOD" Service Dept.--after you make your purchase-it's you and the Service Dept.

[downtheroad]

We have had 5 different trailers from 5 different manufacturers....
Arctic Fox by far has been the best quality....but, like donn0128 says above, they are heavy and expensive....

Keep in mind that no matter what you buy...cheapo or mega bucks...they all require lots of maintenance. It's part of the RV'ing adventure.

Good luck with your choice.

[jnslprd]

donn0128 wrote:
You will not be disappointed with an Arctic Fox. But be aware they are heavy, so plan on having a big enough truck. It is never wise to buy new if its your first RV or you dont plan to use it much. Depreciation is a killer in the first 10 years of ownership. Alao for a weekender think smaller not bigger.

Thanks for the quick reply.

I have a chevy 2500 to tow with.
Any of the used trailers by me are so closely priced to new it hard to justify buying used. Private sales are similar with the trailers either being dirty or overpriced. We are still leaning towards the Coachmen, just don't want to buy something that is going to be a nightmare. The dealership is 2 hrs away , so trips back for repairs are going to be expensive and difficult.

Thanks

[donn0128]

You will not be disappointed with an Arctic Fox. But be aware they are heavy, so plan on having a big enough truck. It is never wise to buy new if its your first RV or you dont plan to use it much. Depreciation is a killer in the first 10 years of ownership. Alao for a weekender think smaller not bigger.