Newbie RV help please!

cybergreyz · 10-19-2010, 01:22 PM

Hello to all, I'm a complete newb to the RV community and would like some advice from you guys. My wife and I are thinking about purchasing our first RV and would like some suggestions and/or recoommendations. We are interested in a travel trailer that can sleep at least four and can be towed with my suv that has a towing capacity of 8950lbs. We have a budget of 40K and would prefer something non-used. Anything you guys can provide us with would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
David.

Rick&Cheryl · 10-19-2010, 01:55 PM

I think the consensus from nearly all experienced rv'rs will be that you should be thinking used rather than new. That alone would likely save you about 20k. Not sure why you would want new,,when you can get very gently used ones for much less.

Nearly all tt will sleep at least 4, the issue that needs clarification is whether its 4 adults, or 2 adults with children, and whether you need two queen or larger beds versus a convertible bed for the kids.

Identifying you specific use intentions would also get you better responses, ie,,weekend use, or some variation of full-time use.

**RickO** · 10-19-2010, 02:07 PM

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your decision to jump into the RV life!

I'm not a travel trailer guy so I'll leave the specific advice for the experts to provide. However, I do think purchasing used would be something to consider. MANY people purchase RVs and never get to use them as much as they though they would and good deals can be had.

Having said that.... I bought my coach new.

good luck!

Rick

cybergreyz · 10-19-2010, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick&Cheryl

I think the consensus from nearly all experienced rv'rs will be that you should be thinking used rather than new. That alone would likely save you about 20k. Not sure why you would want new,,when you can get very gently used ones for much less.

Nearly all tt will sleep at least 4, the issue that needs clarification is whether its 4 adults, or 2 adults with children, and whether you need two queen or larger beds versus a convertible bed for the kids.

Identifying you specific use intentions would also get you better responses, ie,,weekend use, or some variation of full-time use.

I agree with the used suggestion, my wife just has an issue with buying a used rv, but we may be able to compromise if the savings can be 20K! The use would be limited, weekends mainly. We have two children. The other item I would like some suggestions on, is recommended length and weight based on towing with an 07 durango with an 8950 rated towing capacity, 3.92 ratio. I would like to be pretty well under the GCVW which I believe is about 14000lbs for my setup. The durango is about 5100lbs I believe.

450Donn · 10-19-2010, 05:32 PM

Welcome. Not too sure where you got that 8950 towing capacity? Is that based on the manufacturers numbers? If so then yu really need to load your SUV up like you would be traveling and go to the scales for some accurate weight numbers. Then and only then can you get a reasonable estimate of the amount of trailer weight your SUV might be able to safely handle. Since you conveniently did not mention what you have I am stuck making an assumption. Do you have a Tahoe, Explorer or? That will make a big difference in how much trailer you should actually tow compared to the weight limits.

16521652 · 10-19-2010, 05:57 PM

I agree, new travel trailers or motorhomes are very expensive as apposed to used. This is my second motorhome that I have bought and both were used. I bought a used coach to see if I would use it as much as I thought I would. When I decided that I would use it a lot I started to look for one that I would wanted to keep and enjoy!!

**NLOVNIT** · 10-19-2010, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 450Donn

Not too sure where you got that 8950 towing capacity? Is that based on the manufacturers numbers?

I'm guessing it IS the mfr numbers based on a HEMI & the additional Trailer Towing Group option. We towed a TT w/a Dodge Durango, & although it did have the TTG, it didn't have a HEMI & we could pull only about 5000 lbs.

Don's right, cybergreyz, you have to load your Durango up with a full gas tank, all people & gear you will be travelling with & get to a scale so you'll know how much you weigh loaded. Come back with those numbers plus the model info on your Durango & we'll be able to help you narrow down some choices.

Lori-

Rick&Cheryl · 10-19-2010, 06:25 PM

Find out what specific issues/items that DW has a problem with as being used. Take the savings you achieve from buying used, and replace the "issue" items with new,,ie mattress, toilet perhaps, carpet, or whatever it takes,,you will still come out ahead, and the bonus is that the first owner has likely had all the "new" issues fixed under the original warranty.

Randy the sly old fox · 10-20-2010, 01:17 AM

The new vs new debate is age old and is only one item to consider. However it should take second priority to the floorplan of the TT and overall weights. I highly suggest a unit with bunk beds for the kids, a full bed for you and a dinette that can make into an extra bed for the kids friends. One such model I have seen that fits this bill is the Outback 210RS by Keystone - there are others but overall I feel that the Keystone product is the best for the $$ which is around 1/2 of your budget - for a 2011 model. I found an 06 model for around 13,000 so the savings between new and used was only 10K. Being a newbie I would recommend that you start small and simple until you are sure that you like RV camping and then advance (or not) to larger models. I went from a bunkhouse when the kids were growing up and then went to a lightweight with a full time bed to the Arctic Fox I currently own. My first unit was used - the others have been new.

edj · 10-20-2010, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randy the sly old fox

The new vs new debate is age old and is only one item to consider. However it should take second priority to the floorplan of the TT and overall weights. I highly suggest a unit with bunk beds for the kids, a full bed for you and a dinette that can make into an extra bed for the kids friends.
...Being a newbie I would recommend that you start small and simple until you are sure that you like RV camping and then advance (or not) to larger models. I went from a bunkhouse when the kids were growing up and then went to a lightweight with a full time bed to the Arctic Fox I currently own. My first unit was used - the others have been new.

I agree. We started out in a large 1990 Jayco Cardinal pop-up because I just could not justify paying out big bucks for a full-sized trailer when the usage was going to be limited to weekends and relatively short vacations.

When it came time to move up, we thought we knew exactly what we wanted. WRONG!!!

We bought a new 1999 Sunnybrook 5th-wheel custom ordered to what we thought we wanted. For the most part, the trailer was (is still) a good fit, but we wasted money on various options that we rarely if ever used or needed. We would have been a lot better off buying a 2 - 3 year old used trailer to use a few years to really find out what we wanted. Our second 5th-wheel (2007 HitchHiker) we bought new and it has everything we could want in a trailer. No money wasted on un-needed options and the floorplan is a perfect fit.

Randy the sly old fox · 10-20-2010, 08:39 PM

Sometimes you must also think of resale value when ordering options - on the only TT I have ordered I bought AC (which was used once or twice during the 7 yrs I owned the TT - however it did make about $100 on trade. With my Arctic Fox there are very few options (mine has a power tounge jack - other options include generator, storm windows, and thermopane windows) but the list of standard features is long. Many mfgs are building more standard features into their units as a way to reduce overall mfg costs.

Again I stress keeping things small and simple to start with - buy a rig that can easily be towed with your Durango - seriously I would limit the TT weight to no more than 5000 lbs - keep your CGW to about 75-80% of you CGWR. The Keystone model I referenced earlier is just under 5000 lbs dry wt. Wet Wt is measured with a full fresh water tank (350 lbs) batteries (50 lbs) and lpg tanks (60 lbs) and all your camping gear. Another quick lesson on weights - the tow ratings are determined with a base model unit, and 150 lb driver so any additional cargo added to the Durango (DW and kids, dogs etc) will reduce the tow rating by that amount. The Durango gets its high tow rating because it is a mid sized SUV (larger than an Explorer and smaller than a Tahoe or Expedition) with a similar powertrain. Since the CGWR is mainly based on powertrain the Durango has a similar CGWR but its lower curb weight increases the tow rating. The smaller size also means that one can get into a tail wagging the dog with trailers.

NH Camper · 10-21-2010, 02:53 PM

Another issue to consider is the kind of camp sites you like. The bigger the trailer, the fewer your options. I would suggest you go as small as you can and still have what you think you need. This will NOT be your last camper. If you get into the camping thing you will start looking at new campers very soon so don't go too crazy on this first one.

The biggest thing is get something and go camping and have fun with your family!

Mike

wildtoad · 10-21-2010, 03:28 PM

I agree with NH Camper. Figure out where you want to "camp". Many state parks are very nice but can only handle the small to medium size units. I have a 31 ft mh and can get into most state and federal parks. I have a great time watching folks with large tt's and 5vers trying to get into some of the spaces. They must have a lot more patience and skills than I have.

I recently bought my 1988 mh and have put many bucks into it to make it right but still far less than a new(er) one. It gets us where we want to go, and we have all the amenities we need for a few days/week of "camping". Someday we will upgrade to a newer one but only when we can use it more.