Community Forums

slotdoc973 · 08-30-2012, 07:25 PM

We are new to RV camping. We are looking for our first tow behind camper. We own a Toyota Tundra with a towing capasity of 8300 pounds, 4.6 Liter V8, six speed automatic, with tow package, four wheel drive. We are shoping around for a new tow behind trailer and are overwelhmed by the choices. We were wondering if there is a particulare make or modle of trailer that is better than others. Example: if I was buying a car--- Honda & Toyota have better resale than a Saturn. We have a budget of about $30, 000-- No particular preference on a new or used model. We have been shopping around and have a general idea of the set up we like, but worry about getting ripped off over common problems that can occur with various types of trailers. We have read many of the posts on here and they seem to have been very helpful answering many of our questions. We just want the best value of our budget with the least amount of problems down the road. We have saved for this for a long time and don't want a wrong decision to cost us dearly. We plan on using it for our family of four on weekends & week long vacations. We live in New Jersey and would really like to explore other areas of the country. What are some dealer pit falls we should be aware of???

thank you-- any information would be much appreciated.

MSHappyCampers · 08-31-2012, 08:09 AM

Welcome to IRV2! It's good to have you with us! Sorry that I can't help with your decision, since all my experience has been with 5th wheels until a few months ago when we got the Class A. Good luck & God bless!

**Petro** · 08-31-2012, 12:09 PM

slotdoc973;

Welcome to iRV2. We are glad you found us. Sorry I can't help you either as all my camping experience has been with a class A. I would suggest you visit our Travel Trailer Forum with your questions. Click Here

Don

TN Blondie · 08-31-2012, 09:31 PM

Welcome! We are currently towing a 2003 TravelLite 28 foot TT. I'd say to remember what your vehicle is capable of towing, and what you're comfortable towing. My husband has a second business that involves towing an 18' trailer with about 5,000 lbs, so he's used to a brake controller and the feeling of towing something heavy. (ME - not so much. I haven't driven our truck with the TT behind it yet).

Definitely get a brake controller and if you're going to travel highways, a weight distributing hitch with a sway bar.

I personally would not buy new from a dealer (the depreciation is KILLER), but I was comfortable with checking used trailers - took about a month before I found what we wanted, in the price range. Now, if you don't know what you want, hit a dealer or two and spend some time walking around their showroom. Don't limit yourself to your price range, but look at what you think you want. For instance I thought a 20 ft TT was what we needed until I stepped in one and had to walk around my husband and the salesperson. Then I realized it was not going to work for us.

Also, they have pop-ups, hybrids, hi-lo, and then the trailers with or without slides.

If you are patient, you will be able to find exactly what you are looking for. Some very good advice I saw in another forum: Do not settle for "not quite" what you want - over time, you will only see the "not quite what you wanted". At this price range, you will find plenty to choose from.

We travel both with and without our three labs, and space can be an issue. Make sure you have enough that you don't want to commit murder on vacation.

I found LOTS of great information, and things I hadn't thought of in the various forums. Good luck and enjoy!

MickBrennan · 08-31-2012, 09:35 PM

There are so many personal decisions associated with the purchase you are contemplating, I join others (from similar threads) in suggesting that you rent before coughing up your hard earned money.
Good luck with your search and may your learning curve be gentle!

historyljc · 09-01-2012, 01:33 PM

Hi, welcome to the forum. Good luck on your search.

harv12 · 09-01-2012, 05:23 PM

I agree with Mick. We rented a Class C for about a month while in Arizona. We fell in love with "RV Lifestyle", but realized with our two big dogs, the Class C just wouldn't be big enough. After 6 months of mind numbing research we ended up buying our 2007 used 40' Winnebago Vectra. Whatever you get will have some issues, but it is really a lifestyle decision that only you guys can make. It sounds like you're definitely on the right track, researching and asking first.
Best of luck of please keep us posted!

slotdoc973 · 09-01-2012, 10:48 PM

We just wanted to thank everyone for thier input. It has been very helpful. The other day we went to camping world and looked at a keystone light weight trailer. It was our first time out at a dealer. They seemed very helpful and didn't show us anything above our towing capasity. Today we went to another dealer. They were not so helpful. We told them that we didn't want anything over 7300 pound of tow weight (we want a buffer for our actual tow weight of 8300 pounds) and the sales rep continued to show us travel trailers that were too heavy for our truck. In addition, we looked at rockwood- ultra light trailers. We were not impressed! They were all brand new and had very visable defects. The shower/tubs had warped walls, moldings were falling off. Carpets were coming up off the floors, the steps up into the trailers were rusting in corners.... the dealer insisted they would fix this if we purchased from them--- but first impressions were a turn off for us. If we buy something brand new, we don't feel it should need immediate fixing out of the gate. Oh and there was antifreeze in the sinks, tubs, and toilets that appeared pink and dried all over the surfaces. The rockwood layouts were nice, but the workmanship appeared somewhat poor. Does anyone have suggestions on a better quality brand? Thank you all again for suggestions--- they have been helpful. We are taking or time and are not in any sort of a rush.

Thank you so much, from New Jersey,

Lisa & Steven & Family