Buying A New Camper... Any Suggestions?

[TnLRacing]

My price range is about 18,000 or under, I will be looking at new and used, both TT's & 5rs. Must have a Slide, what do you all recommend.

 

[RustyJC]

I'd contact Barry Millet (the moderator of this forum) - he's in the business of buying and selling RV's and could probably give you some excellent advice on what would be the most bang for your buck. All you're going to get from the rest of us are our opinions and experiences - and most of the time, what we have will be what we think YOU should have.



Rusty

 

[GAmes]

For under 18k you won't find much new. Besides how much you want to spend you also need to decide you big a trailer you want and how many bells and whistles you want. The bigger you want and the more accessories you want will drive you to much older RVs. As an example, I have a triple slide 32 ft 5er built in 99. I wouldn't consider selling it for less than 30k.

 

[Ramtough]

The 5th wheel is the best way to go. The most secure towing I've ever done.



I agree RE the price - if you want new @ 18K you'll be buying a very small trailer.



I recommend Fleetwood. I've had 3 Fleetwood trailers and I am amazed at how the company stands behind them. Some of their brands are Prowler, Wilderness, Terry, etc. I don't think you can go wrong with them and there is a dealer in nearly every town in the country.



I just had a major warranty repair. They took the trailer back to the factory to correct a cosmetic issue. I asked them if they would rather give me some money in lieu of taking the trailer 650 miles one way to work on it. Their reply was that they did not want one of their products on the road that was not as it should be.

 

[TnLRacing]

Thanks for the responses...

 

[boonsur]

You should be able to get a decent (new) unit for that price. You probably won't get aluminum frame, or maybe not smooth sides, though. I looked at the Wildwood line, made by Forest River (forestriverinc.com). My dealer came up with a price of 18. 5 for the 32BHSS 5th wheel. I liked the floor plan, but decided to step-up to the Sandpiper, which offers bedroom slides, aluminum frames, & gelcoat sides. Did cost quite a bit more, though.



A friend of mine is getting a Cougar by Keystone (keystonerv.com). It seems like a decent unit (aluminum frame & smooth side), and is priced in your range.



My last unit was wood frame (bought "cheap", to decide how we would like/use it). I had no problems, and sold it before the warranty ran-out. If you're looking to test the waters, then this is a good route to go.



As a rule of thumb, you shoud easily be able to get 10-15% off the first number they throw at you. If you start working different dealerships, you may do even better.

 

[TnLRacing]

Well I currently have a '81 Holiday rambler, that is not smoothside, but Aluminum Construction. I have Found a '98 Holiday Rambler, however sizewise it is not much of a upgrade. I was also looking at a Terry that is wood construction. So I guess my next question is... . Wood or Aluminum? Or is that akin to asking DTT or ATS??

 

[TORQUE THIS]

Originally posted by RustyJC

I'd contact Barry Millet (the moderator of this forum) - he's in the business of buying and selling RV's and could probably give you some excellent advice on what would be the most bang for your buck. All you're going to get from the rest of us are our opinions and experiences - and most of the time, what we have will be what we think YOU should have.



Rusty

Mike, Barry is a great guy to talk too!

 

[TowPro]

I got to find out who you talk to! My 2000 fleetwood has a problem where the plastic strip 1' up from the bottom, where the fiberglass sheets meet has glue failure and came off, allowing water to get in.



In the back DS corner the panneling is all water damaged up to about 8" off the floor. It really don't bother me because its behind a chair, but when I trade it in I know they will put the screws to me.



I talked to someone else here who had good results with fleetwood warrantee so I called fleetwood. more or less they told me "go fish"



I really feal this is a problem with what they used for glue on this strip as it has started to come off all the way around.



Maybe I need to raise hell with them as being nice did not work.



Speaking of buying an RV, check out http://www.nadaguides.com for values on used stuff. In fact it said my 2000 30' 5th wheel is not far out of the range of what your looking to spend.



I also recomend looking up new rigs your looking at, only see what its worth 1 year old, it is scary to see some T??R products loose 30% of there value in the 1st year!

Originally posted by Ramtough



I recommend Fleetwood. I've had 3 Fleetwood trailers and I am amazed at how the company stands behind them. Some of their brands are Prowler, Wilderness, Terry, etc. I don't think you can go wrong with them and there is a dealer in nearly every town in the country.



I just had a major warranty repair. They took the trailer back to the factory to correct a cosmetic issue. I asked them if they would rather give me some money in lieu of taking the trailer 650 miles one way to work on it. Their reply was that they did not want one of their products on the road that was not as it should be.

 

[Rosco]

After doing extensive research of fifth wheels within my price range I am getting ready to order a 29bhbp Wildcat made by Forest River. While I expect to pay between $22,000-24,000 for it brand new a used one may be had for what your looking to spend.

 

[JoelCool]

We recently bought a '98 Nash 24A TT used. I don't think it had 2,000 miles on it. I replaced the sun cracked tires and repacked the bearings, put some caulk on the roof, and that's about it. We paid half what you're looking to spend. Of course we didn't get as much trailer as you're looking at, but for the difference in price, I'm sure you can find something real nice if you're willing to consider used.



We did a fair bit of research on ebay. You can look at the floor plans and get a fairly good idea of what they're going for, and what will meet your needs. When the right deal comes along you'll know it.



www.rv.net is a pretty good resource too.

 

[klenger]

Here's a link to the Northwood owner's forum, which has a classified section for used trailers. Northwood builds Arctic Fox, Nash, and Desert Fox (toy haulers).



http://www.afnash.com/forum/view_forum.php?id=18