Getting a Travel Trailer..

[cookiebrito]

I had a Captiva with bunks and a pull out queen bed and that was great. I noticed that alot of the 2008 have bunks. Look around and try to attend a RV show if you can. Good luck and have fun shopping around!!!

 

[cajunpeach]

we are just starting to look also. I love the bunk idea, I hadn't thought about it. MUST have walk around queen bed. After many years of borrowing my parents TT and can honestly say I hate to sheet wrestle the sheets onto a built-in nonwalk around bed. I really like the idea of slide outs to give more room.
We've never owned ourselves so this will be a whole new adventure

Our delimma is we have a boat that we would love to take with us on some of our trips. However, pulling a camper will not allow us to do this from what I understand. From those of you that own a motorhome what are the pros and cons? If we pulled a boat, we couldn't tow a vehicle. Is this a no-no? I can't imagine having to pull up camp when we wanted to explore... any thoughts?

 

[stacktester]

In regard to the post about double pulling I don't think it's illiegal to pull 2 trailers. I pulled my 21' Tailgator in 2005 to the keys with a 17' Aquasport behind it. From what I learned you have to be under 60' from the front trailer tongue to the end of the 2nd trailer. I filled up before we left and filled up at a truck stop in south florida. I had 10 gallons of diesel as well that I put in at a rest stop in Brevard County. I was very careful not to put myself in a prediciment to have to back up because that's not going to happen. We're pulling a trailer with atv's to north Georgia this December and I expect to have no problems. See it all the time. I'm looking for a wireless camera so I can see my back rig just to be safe.

 

[cookiebrito]

we are just starting to look also. I love the bunk idea, I hadn't thought about it. MUST have walk around queen bed. After many years of borrowing my parents TT and can honestly say I hate to sheet wrestle the sheets onto a built-in nonwalk around bed. I really like the idea of slide outs to give more room.
We've never owned ourselves so this will be a whole new adventure

Our delimma is we have a boat that we would love to take with us on some of our trips. However, pulling a camper will not allow us to do this from what I understand. From those of you that own a motorhome what are the pros and cons? If we pulled a boat, we couldn't tow a vehicle. Is this a no-no? I can't imagine having to pull up camp when we wanted to explore... any thoughts?

I can relate to the "sheet wrestling. My old rv had one of those difficult beds. I can also relate to your boat delimma. My DH always had to rely on someone to tow his boat to the keys (our favorite after FW) or take it down the night before. Well, finally this weekend we purchased a Class A Damon Daybreak. I love it!!! We bought it at LazyDays in Tampa, Fl.

 

[fla.boy]

first of all don't believe any salesman. take your time do your homework and find one that meets your family's needs. good luck, see ya at the fort

 

[Dirtslinger]

http://www.readybrake.com/cgi-local/a4-235e.cgi

http://www.boatus.com/trailerclub/gulf_laws.asp

These sites may help on the towing laws for Florida. It cleary states no on the two trailers. I have a towing guide for the US and it also states this. This is just so people are aware of the law. If some can get away with pulling doubles then more power to them. Good luck

 

[Gatordad]

Please change your avatar, it is the same as Stacktester. very confusing

 

[MBMacs]

Salesman called Peg today, told us he had the financing/pricing, etc done on this one trailer we looked at, with bunks, a Keystone Outback, nice little unit. When he told Peg the sticker price, she politley explained that was all well and good, but sticker price was not going to work. She explained we "want" a trailer, we dont "need" a trailer. We are waiting to hear back his best offer on this one. I told Peg to ask him if he "wants" to sell a trailer or does he "need" to sell a trailer. We will see what happens, but not going to rush to do anything untill after the trip.

 

[4daubers]

Hang in there. There may be some wiggle room depending on the popularity of the RV and since you are willing to wait. Glad you're not rushing into anything.

We began looking for a new 5th wheel in March and finally made the decision and will be picking up our new camper on Tuesday. We are using a Pre delivery Inspection checklist from one of the RV forums especially since we leave for WDW on Saturday. Nothing like cutting it close. We'll have to do a short shake down trip. I don't think a 1700 mile trip would be good for the maiden voyage...and don't want to spend valuable WDW time on RV problems if we can help it.

You're going to have great fun with the RV. We began tent camping when our kids (twins) were 2 and bought our first 5th wheel when they were 7. They're now almost 16 and still love to camp with us.

 

[Shorty82]

In regard to the post about double pulling I don't think it's illiegal to pull 2 trailers. I pulled my 21' Tailgator in 2005 to the keys with a 17' Aquasport behind it. From what I learned you have to be under 60' from the front trailer tongue to the end of the 2nd trailer. I filled up before we left and filled up at a truck stop in south florida. I had 10 gallons of diesel as well that I put in at a rest stop in Brevard County. I was very careful not to put myself in a prediciment to have to back up because that's not going to happen. We're pulling a trailer with atv's to north Georgia this December and I expect to have no problems. See it all the time. I'm looking for a wireless camera so I can see my back rig just to be safe.

It is illiegal in Florida. I know this from a former Florida Highway Patrolman. They will pull you over and either make you drive the other vehicle towing the boat/etc. or call a tow truck. If they see you they WILL bust you.

It might be less convenient to tow separately but it is A LOT safer. Passenger vehicles are not designed for tandem towing and vision and manuverability are shot. It is dangerous enough on the Interstate but is even worse on any other road.

 

[mamaloya]

MBMacs, good idea to be patient. In the fall/winter, you can get really good deals especially, but you may not find the exact camper you want. If they do still have it, you will most definitely get it for a steal as they want to get rid of it.

Good Luck!!

 

[MBMacs]

Well so much for my judgement of this sales guy. The guy calls Peg back today and says sticker price is it. Then says he can't tell us rate, terms or payments of the financing, untill the back has a commitment letter from us.???????He tries telling Peg the bank is setting the price, and he can't do anything. Hello????Peg asked who owns the trailer, he said Camping World, Peg asked why then does the bank care what you sell it for.....Long story short I am gona swing by in the am Saturday and ask him where the word stupid is tatooed on my forehead. Something aint jiving with all the mystery...Why would we sign a commitment letter with out knowing ANY of the terms.....Well it is as it is....

 

[Shorty82]

Well so much for my judgement of this sales guy. The guy calls Peg back today and says sticker price is it. Then says he can't tell us rate, terms or payments of the financing, untill the back has a commitment letter from us.???????He tries telling Peg the bank is setting the price, and he can't do anything. Hello????Peg asked who owns the trailer, he said Camping World, Peg asked why then does the bank care what you sell it for.....Long story short I am gona swing by in the am Saturday and ask him where the word stupid is tatooed on my forehead. Something aint jiving with all the mystery...Why would we sign a commitment letter with out knowing ANY of the terms.....Well it is as it is....

Sounds to me Camping World and/or the salesman are trying to taking you to the cleaners, as the old saying goes. It takes a lot of guts to ask for a commitment letter when you don't even know how much you are going to owe on the thing. The bank doesn't care how much it is being sold for, all they care about is getting their share of the interest on the financing.

 

[stacktester]

Macs please don't sign a thing. Just get out of this deal. I have bought all 3 of my campers from Suncoast here in Jax. The 1st camper was a 21' Tailgator. The dealer told me $18.5k at first. I found an ad in the RV Trader for $15.5k and called them on it. They said it was a typo but they would honor it.

2nd camper was an 07 Keystone Hobbi. Went in to inquire and was told it was $24.5k list but I could have it for $19.2k. I offered them $17k and they refused. The guy said the price he offered he was already losing his butt. Once again I go get an RV Trader to see what was comparable. Their own ad again was lower. They had it listed for $17.5k. I went in the next day and showed the salesman his own ad. I was like all you had to do when I offerd you $17k was counter me at $17.5k and we both would have been happy. I did a lot of shopping for a few days all over the country. I found one at Tom Johnson in Charlotte for $15.5k and Suncoasts' owner said he would match it. I was pretty mad for a few days but finally got it. The store manager who I dealt with on the Tailgator wasn't there when they originally quoted me $19.2k so I forgave them and moved on.

When I decided on my Cougar I went in and offered them 25% off sticker and they didn't even argue lol. I have always read to offer 25% off sticker and anything under that is a bonus.

I guess my point is there are a lot of models that are very similar. You can find the deal you want if you're patient. RV dealers will call you back believe me. Walk out and you'll see. Find what you like offer 25% off and leave.

 

[4daubers]

There are many 2007 RVs out there that dealers are trying to move off the lot for the 2008 models. Many with discounted prices OFF the sticker. Stacktester is right, pull out the RV Trader for comparison and do some online price quotes. Many of the dealerships have online pricing and payment calculators so you can have some information early in the process. You'll have many dealers calling or emailing you back with offers.

We've dealt with the good, the bad and ugly of RV salesmen with both of the RVs we've purchased. When they act like we're too stupid to know how stupid they are, they don't get our business. If they're willing to tell you a line of BS on purchasing, can you imagine what they'll do with service and warranties? Not an place where I want to do business. Tell them you are looking for a dealer that will give you a straight up discounted deal, hang mistle toe on your shirt tail and move on down the road to another dealer.

We're picking up our new RV on Tuesday. It wasn't our original choice and we actually went to this dealership to look at another brand. As we were walking through the lot, we saw this one that had a pretty steep sticker discount and while we were looking at it, the price dropped another $2000.00....and it's really a new unit and not one dragged through the desert or won in a card game. Because of the discounted sticker price and additional discount, we could afford this RV which is a step up from what we were orginally going to get. We put a refundable down payment on it, so we could come home and research it. We did online comparisons of similar RVs and their price and also called different dealerships. We usually don't have this kind of luck but it really is a decent discounted sale price so we went ahead with the purchase. Of course, they aren't losing any money but we appreciated their approach of sale without the hard push, overt scam. They didn't have to. We saw the unit, liked it, researched it and the price was right.

All this to say that there are dealers that will sell at reasonable prices and it can be a win-win for both the dealer and the buyer.

You can also call Keystone Mfg directly and ask for a different dealer that sells the RV you want.

 

[bentleygirl22]

we have a salem & Love it !! Here's a photo of us driving it out of the lot!! We are very proud owners..

 

[kmccain]

So sorry the deal fell through, but there is a reason for everything. A lot of people just jump into these and then have buyers remorse. You guys are doing the right thing!

Since it did fall through, here is something else for you to think about. You mentioned wanting to tow a golf cart. Did you think about a Class C?

We love our travel trailer, it had tons of room but would like to move to a Class C some day. We never dreamed that DS would end up 6' and 250 and not be able to fit in his bunk! The couch makes out but that is too short too. He is 17 and won't be going with us forever but I want to take him as long as he want to go!

We have considered a Class C with the bed in the back for us and the bed over the cab for him and the couch or half the bed over the bunk for DD.

If we had the Class C we could travel more, not having to stop to eat and it would be easier to boon dock in the truck stops on our way there.

Just something else for you to think about!

Good Luck!

 

[mamaloya]

You may try visiting other dealers in your area. There is a dealer in Wilmington, Hawley's Camping Center. google Hawley's camper wilmington and see what ya get. We bought our first popup at the Hawley's in Fayetteville and liked them. When we bought our hybrid, they did not have any, so we went to Camping World in Greensboro. We also got our new one there. They are "salesmen". First time, we got taken. I stood my ground this time. I did not know my stuff last time and they will take advantage. I think any dealer will. I did my research this time and stood firm. They kept telling me no and then telling me yes.

Check out Hawley's they seemed like good people to me. Just do your research because they won't voluntarily give you the cheapest price. I mean, think about it. If someone walks in and is willing to pay your asking price, why would you offer to drop 3K?

I have also found that all of the dealers have better prices online. The one we bought was listed at a certain price online, but the sticker at the dealer was 2K more. When we started talking numbers he wrote down the sticker price. I showed him my printout from the internet and he corrected it. I think they figure if you are just showing up, it may be an impulse buy and you don't know your stuff. If you are online, they want to lure you in with a good price. I also checked many other dealers and this price was well below any other prices I could find.

Oh, and one more thing, when you do pick it up, do a THOROUGH PDI. We found a couple of issues that they corrected right then and there. www.disneycampers.com has the one that I used, but there are many out there on the internet.

Happy camper hunting!

 

[MBMacs]

Went yesterday and talked to the salesman and told him what I thought. He insists it is as it is. He told me if I came with my own financing, sticker prcies would get slashed. I am backing away for a few weeks, and will look while we are down @ the Fort. Was also in a class c last night @ the pro cup race that both Peg and I liked. My buddy offered it to us to take to Disney whenever we want to try it. Think we are just gonna take our time and see what we like @ the Fort. SO if you see us writing down makes and models, it is for our sake and we are not reporting you to the management....

No matter what we do, I know it won't be with this dealer,we will just take our time.Thanks y'all for your help.

 

[stacktester]

No matter what we do, I know it won't be with this dealer,we will just take our time.Thanks y'all for your help.

I was hoping you would say that Mac. If somebody is going to put the screws to you at the door it's not going to stop. I'll be bringing my laptop and I'll show you some models that I think you would be good with your present truck. I think you should get some kind of toy hauler being that you have a golf cart. By the way, you gonna give me some marinade recipes so I can make some good kabobs lol. I got all the meat today just need to marinade it when I get ready.