"Couples Camper" advice..

[Cumminsfan]

I bought my Northwood 5th wheel 5 hours and 307 miles from my home. Northwood and ORV will help with any warranty work needed. They will find an independent RV shop near you that can help if any warranty work is needed. They all need a little tweaking, so if you're the least bit handy and don't mind working on one, you can save yourself a lot of time. Google and YouTube are very good for RV work. We had a slight water leak from a bad part in the 1st week we owned our 5er. Northwood located an independent RV repair shop near me and the leak was fixed as I waited at the RV shop.
We had a few very minor things that needed attention after that. Going in to our 5th season in a few months. Couldn't be happier.

[dexters]

Originally Posted by SnS

HI-


--I've done a LOT of research online and talking with folks at shows, etc. To be honest, I'm also thinking of just bagging the whole idea of getting an RV based on all the problems and maintenance issues I see. At this stage of life, I want to have fun and travel not spend my time trying to get something fixed or repairing "China Bomb" tires alongside a narrow mountain road. I do remember the GREAT times I had as a kid in our family travel trailer though.

Bag it. It isn't for you. RVing provides its own challenges and problems. From what you wrote it isn't for you.

[nothermark]

Sounds like you have your porta cabin mostly figured out. The only other thing I will add is watch length. Depending on the model the height changes significantly in the 24-26 ft range. Heavier running gear needs more room so the height jumps up a foot or so. I don't think you will be going there given what you are looking at now but it is something to keep in mind when doing the what abouts.

[NITEHAWK]

What you probably didn't notice when you were: a kid in the family trailer" was your father taking care of all the maintenance issues and fixes while you were out playing.
Anything you buy or even borrow will require repairing or fixing anything that goes wrong. I can't believe you have a car or truck that NEVER needed anything done to it? Not even adding fuel?

[blueridge-fl]

If you are shopping in Florida, I recommend checking out LA Mesa RV in Sanford. That is where we bought out Winnebago and were well treated.

Of course, YMMV....

[tapex]

Worth checking into maybe?

[Rednax]

Try questions more basic.

How many years will you keep the trailer?

How many nights aboard annually?

How many miles towing annually?

When each of these becomes a high number, the better to consider a TT that doesn't fall apart by 50k miles or less than ten years (which is is all the square box trailers).

My parents, grandparents and I all recognized that a TT would be a long term possession. An asset to low or controlled cost travel.

In those fifty years, nothing has changed the advantage of an aerodynamic, all-aluminum TT. My folks kept theirs 27-years. My grandparents travelled the whole of the US, Canada and Mexico. I'm restoring mine as I work toward retirement. Every dollar I spend would be reflected in an increased sale price.

One needn't buy new. A quarter century old and still better than what's mainly at the RV shows.

A seasoned RV dealer used to steer his customers towards boxes if "travel" was a day or so away, and consisted of a week or more at a location before returning home. Those who really would travel he'd point out the advantage of aircraft type construction. An indefinite lifespan is just part of it.

I'm 6'2" 200#. I've no challenges to height in my 35' Silver Streak. Nor lack of storage, etc. And on the flats average 15-mpg as to other one ton Dodge diesels pulling similar trailers.

One doesn't need a truck this size unless, like me, one is full time and carrying a garage worth of tools, etc. plenty of nice SUVs and sedans can do the job, better, as well