Best time to buy first time RVers

[Jorgeoliva]

Hello were from Miami looking to buy our first Travel trailer when is the best time to buy is buying new better than use. on a 20 ft or smaller is it advisable to buy one with a slide or are slides very problematical. any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Rene T]

Hello were from Miami looking to buy our first Travel trailer when is the best time to buy is buying new better than use. on a 20 ft or smaller is it advisable to buy one with a slide or are slides very problematical. any advice is greatly appreciated

I believe at least in the Northeast, the best time to buy is in the fall. People don't want to hang on to there rv's all winter. Not sure about FL.
I would recommend you buy used especially because it's your 1st rv. If you buy new, you take a huge hit on depreciation as soon as you take it off the dealers lot and rv'ing may not be for you.
As far as slides. That's a matter of preference. What ever works for you. Most people prefer slides because they expand the interior so much.
If you do decide to buy new, do not listen to what the salesmen will tell you. Their main goal is to move rv's and will tell you anything you want to hear especially what size tow vehicle you'll need.
Before buying, come back here and ask many questions.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I agree with Rene T about the advisability of buying used instead of new.

You might spend some time studying RV Trader.  This will give you some good ideas about what is out there and what people are asking for them.

https://www.rvtrader.com/

Do you already have a tow vehicle, or are you going to need to be buying one of those, too?  If you already have one, you will have to be careful about correctly matching the trailer you buy to the vehicle you already have, there are limits to how much weight most vehicles can safely pull and stop.  Tell us about your tv here and we can help.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Slides are not "problematic", but obviously anything mechanical adds one more thing that can break or require care. The value of the extra space makes it well worthwhile for most people, though.

Winter is the peak RV sales season in Florida, so the used RV selection is best in Jan-Feb.  However, the trading action is mostly from snowbirds with larger trailers and motorhomes, so I'm not sure that the 20 ft and under category is affected all that much.  New RVs are heavily discounted from MSRP at all times, anywhere from 15% to as much as 30%.  Miami isn't a great RV shopping venue. The best selection of new & used RVs will be in the Tampa and Fort Meyers areas or around Orlando or Jacksonville.

When RV shopping and negotiating, forget all you learned about buying cars.  An RV is a house more than a vehicle and your criteria needs to be adjusted for house and furnishing concerns, not car-like features.  Further, RV dealership may look like car dealers, but they operate in a much different manner, have different franchise arrangements and warranty policies, and work on far different profit margins and sales incentives.

 

[brclark82]

When RV shopping and negotiating, forget all you learned about buying cars.  An RV is a house more than a vehicle and your criteria needs to be adjusted for house and furnishing concerns, not car-like features.  Further, RV dealership may look like car dealers, but they operate in a much different manner, have different franchise arrangements and warranty policies, and work on far different profit margins and sales incentives.

Would you mind elaborating a little more on this?  I am new to rvs as well and am looking at travel trailers and pricing really has got me confused.  Sometimes I see the mark down you are referring too advertised from some dealers and then other dealers don?t show any sort of markdown but also don?t tell you if they price they are quoting is msrp or already marked down.  I have some experience with this kind of sales because the boat sales market is similar (minimum 20% off msrp with most good deals in the 30% range) but I?ve found it easier to research the msrp on boats.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

FWIW, the NADA guide seems to list MSRP, Average Retail, and Low Retail prices.  They're currently showing 2017, not 2018 models, tho.

http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs

Hope that helps.

 

[Jorgeoliva]

Thank you for all this great advice we do have a tow vehicle its a 2016 Ram 1500 3.6 VVT with a 3.21 rear my GVWR is 6800 Lb so I know I cant go higher than 4600 Lb gross weight weird thing is I just sold my boat a Bayliner 23 ft just the boat weigh 4,000 Lb and the Continental trailer 2 axils weight 1,500 lb that's 5,500 Lb and my truck towed it felt like it wasn't there. but I know that towing a travel trailer is totally different than a boat so to play it sake Ill keep it under 4500 Lb gross.

 

[Prior member]

My take, and this is me:
-the best time to buy is when you want it.
- On the slide(s); make the salesman crank it in and out by hand. If he can't do it or won't do it, I don't want it.
I have read too many horror stories where someone is getting ready to leave a campground and their slide is stuck out and no matter how they try, they can't get it back in, or vice versa when they want to put it out

Jack L

 

[SpencerPJ]

Just keep looking, when the one that is right for you comes along, you'll know if it's a fair price.  You mentioned 20' or smaller.  Do you have a weight concern with your tow vehicle?  Slides are a bit more heavy, and I have a roughly 20' and a slide would be nicer.  I guess it really all boils down to what you plan to use it for.  If you can pull it, and you will be in it extended periods, bigger is better.

 

[Jorgeoliva]

Yes Bigger is better even thou my truck has a GVWT of 6,800 Lb I do have a weight concern on my 2016 Ram 1500 3.6 VVT with a 3.21 rear buttttt I did tow my boat combine weight boat and trailer was 5,500 LB and it didn't even feel like I was towing so I fell if I keep my gross weight at 5,000 lb I think I should be OK and mostly am planning  to keep it in Florida I do live in Miami so Florida is basically Flat even going up Florida.

 

[johnaye]

As Rene said, buy used.  Your first trailer will probably not be what you eventually want.  Spend a lot of time looking at various units.  Visit dealer lots and see if you can find the floor plan you want.  Search RVTrader.com and Craig's list to get some ideas of pricing.  We spent over a year looking at various trailers before we bought one.  When you buy, read the purchase contract carefully if you are buying from a dealer.  Look for things to be slid in that you did not want. Finally, if you buy from a dealer or a consignment dealer, ask about the cost of an extended warranty.  Mine was cheaper when I bought from the selling consignment dealer than I could purchase elsewhere.

 

[Rene T]

Finally, if you buy from a dealer or a consignment dealer, ask about the cost of an extended warranty.  Mine was cheaper when I bought from the selling consignment dealer than I could purchase elsewhere.

Buying a extended warrantee is a subject that comes up once in a while and usually there's a long discussion that goes along with it. That's for another day unless the OP is interested in one now. I'd start another post on it though.

 

[grashley]

Buy used. 
Make sure you LOVE the floor plan -it can not be changed.
Spend lots of time shopping so you will recognize the perfect floor plan when you see it.
Do not get in a hurry.  We spent 2 years looking before we bought.
If you buy from a dealer, make an "out the door" offer.  You pay $xxxx, not a penny more, and you take it home.  They can play all kinds of games with dealer prep fees, title and doc. fees, because it was Tuesday fees, added dealer profit fees, etc.  but if you agree to an out the door price, all of that is already included.

 

[Jorgeoliva]

So my out the door price $XXXXX should be with all fees included another question I thought that when you buy **Used** your buying someone else headache if the 2019 are now coming out how far back in years should I shop for 3, 4 or 5 years. oh and if I buy used should I buy from a dealer or private owner just asking cause I figure used trailer have been inspected at the dealer ship than a private owner trying to unload there lemon. just a thought

 

[Rene T]

your buying someone else headache if the 2019 are now coming out how far back in years should I shop for 3, 4 or 5 years. oh and if I buy used should I buy from a dealer or private owner just asking cause I figure used trailer have been inspected at the dealer ship than a private owner trying to unload there lemon. just a thought

Not necessarily. It may be that the RV wasn't the right one for them and decided to take the big hit in depreciation and trade up for a new one. A rv 3 or 4 years old if it was well maintained should last for several more years.
Don't go into a sale with a dealer and expect that they inspected it. No matter if you buy from a dealer or a private sale, you should have it inspected by a qualified inspector. It will be well worth the money.  If he finds anything wrong, you can use that for leverage for the ending price.

 

[Isaac-1]

When looking at used RV's condition is everything, also remember water intrusion is the number one killer of RV's a small hole in the roof, or gap in roof sealant allows water in and wood gets wet and it rots.  Even a small water mark may be sign of extensive wood rot that is often very expensive to repair (beyond the economic repair point).

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

In addition to wood rot, it can also mean you have a mold problem behind the wall.  Especially in a hot, humid place like FL.  This can cause major health issues.

 

[Prior member]

I guess I am different than most here, but I  will only buy new.
I want brand new -never slept in and never used and I know what I am getting.

jack L

 

[Guest]

Hello were from Miami looking to buy our first Travel trailer when is the best time to buy is buying new better than use. on a 20 ft or smaller is it advisable to buy one with a slide or are slides very problematical. any advice is greatly appreciated

I would say it depends on how you are going to use it, and how many times as well.  For hunting 1x a year, fishing on weekends, family vacation.  What you will use it for and how many times per year makes a big difference between new and used.  Also you can find deals all year long, i dont believe there is a really perfect time or a time better than others.  Those people that want to sell will sell when they are ready to sell and that could be before or after summer. 

So look for deals all the time, thats is how i found my RV 

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I guess I am different than most here, but I  will only buy new.
I want brand new -never slept in and never used and I know what I am getting.

jack L

That's fine, but understand you are paying a BIG premium for that.  Depreciation on new RVs is a bitch!  If the "never slept in" is really that important to you, it would be a Hell of a lot cheaper to throw the RV's mattress out and buy a new one.