Looking to upgrade. Many questions.

[Samthetramp]

Hey were looking to upgrade from a TT to a 5ver. I?m basically a full timer. It?s mostly just me and the wife comes when she can. I know this is kinda like asking Ford, Chevy or Dodge and I know all manufacturers have problem children and great campers.

I know we want a RLQ style and it has to be as 4 season as my budget will allow. I would really like to have a warranty. Any 5ver will be giving me more of everything than I have right now so being 4 season and build quality/durability are my main concerns. What I?d like y?alls opinion on is

Will financing be easier going new or used?
Will I get a better camper buying used?
Are there manufacturers that quality has declined recently?


Thanks

 

[rbrdriver]

First of all you need to be sure to have the proper truck for the fiver. Especially if you are going to be fulltiming you probably want a fairly large one, so we are talking diesel 1 ton and possibly dually to handle the payload issues. Just saying...???..

 

[Hanr31]

Financing- My bank has better rates for units 5 years and newer. Over 10years old and your better off paying cash.
Used versus new- Theoretically the previous owner has had all the factory defects fixed. Most manufactures have a 1 year warranty. KZ has a 2 year warranty. New versus used is similar to buying a new or used truck. You could be walking into some else's problems. You also can't be sure the history of the unit. I know, an old couple with no pets and non-smokers owned it and they only used it twice.


Quality- some units are budget models and they skimp on quality components and techniques. As with most things, you get what you pay for. You an watch youtube videos of manufat

 

[Frank B]

Besides making sure that you have enough truck for whatever trailer you wish to get, the next thing that will probably be brought to your attention is the floor plan. All manufacturers have good days and bad days as far as manufacturing goes, and they all use pretty much the same off-the-shelf components. Find the floor plan you like.


What I try to do is look at the running gear on a unit. Are the springs and shackles beefy? Do they have greasable wet bolts, or do they have plastic inserts for bushings? Are the axles North American manufacture, or are they offshore parts? What is the maximum loaded weight of the trailer, and compare that to the maximum carrying capacity of all four tires. Is there some leeway?  Or is it right on the edge of being legal? Cheaper units will cut corners. Better units will have better suspensions. Finally, check out the cargo carrying capacity of the unit. That is the difference between it's actual dry weight and the maximum gross weight allowed. The larger the difference, the better the unit will probably be.

 

[kdbgoat]

What is an "RLQ" style? A specific make and model number would help us out with helping you. We would then have something to compare against.

 

[Samthetramp]

What is an "RLQ" style? A specific make and model number would help us out with helping you. We would then have something to compare against.

Rear living quarters.  I can give some m ok cell numbers but they're mostly from floor plan pics that I haven't seen in person so I cant really say if I'm interested. Guessing like trucks the dealers add/subtract things.

 

[grashley]

As you know, the more expensive (new) camper will have better quality components like cabinets, counter tops, fabrics, carpets, axles, suspension, insulation, ...  To fit it into your budget, GO USED!  You can get a much nicer used FW for the dollars spent.  Last November, we bought our FW used.  One owner, well maintained.  Sold new for $71K  We paid $26K.

Same for a different truck.  That is a whole new topic, though.

 

[Memtb]

  As suggested.....go used. That said....you ?must? very carefully inspect the unit!  Most of the best quality, ?TRUE? 4-season units are no longer manufactured...they folded with the recent recession.

    There are quite a few Teton Homes 5th wheels on RVTrader and RVT. There is an awesome (assuming there are no problems) rig for sale on RVTrader. It?s located in Park City, Utah. It?s priced at about 1/3 of it?s new price. It has about everything that you could ever want in a 5er, and can easily winter to a -20 F.

  If we were in the market, and didn?t already have a similar unit, we wouldn?t be telling you about this unit. You will ?need? a pretty good tow vehicle, this unit will weigh around 20 K pounds....once you?re loaded-up and ready to go!

 

[Samthetramp]

+Sorry for the delay in posting. Got caught up in power restoration from hurricane Michael. What brands both new or used are the best 4 season campers?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The more expensive ones.

The low-priced models skimp on insulation. Some of them may offer a "4-season" or "Arctic" package that adds back the insulation they left out in the first place, but that package may or may not be all that good. Higher end models generally come well-insulated to begin with - it's part of what the extra $$ buy.

That said, no RV is all that great. The walls are thin and most have a lot of windows, perhaps single pane rather than dual.  And some have numerous air leaks where plumbing and wiring pass up from below, or around slides.

 

[Samthetramp]

The more expensive ones.

The low-priced models skimp on insulation. Some of them may offer a "4-season" or "Arctic" package that adds back the insulation they left out in the first place, but that package may or may not be all that good. Higher end models generally come well-insulated to begin with - it's part of what the extra $$ buy.

That said, no RV is all that great. The walls are thin and most have a lot of windows, perhaps single pane rather than dual.  And some have numerous air leaks where plumbing and wiring pass up from below, or around slides.

Define higher end. Above $40k, $50k, etc...

Thanks

 

[grashley]

To me, higher end is $75K and higher  NEW in current dollars.  This is why used is such a good deal.
Also, more expensive units TEND to be better maintained, but there are MANY exceptions both ways!

The new MSRP of used units is listed as part of the NADA/RV price listing.

 

[brclark82]

I have been looking for a new (at least to me) 5er for a few months now and I'll give you some of the things I've learned.

1) 20% off MSRP is the minimum discount you should expect.  Probably closer to 25% for a new model year and closer to 30% or possibly more if it's last years (currently I'm referring to 2018 as least year and 2019 as new model year) 

2)  Too many people overpay (many times significantly) for their RV.  Unfortunately this makes buying a used late model somewhat difficult because everyone is asking more than they should based on what they paid.  I have gotten deals in writing on 3 different units that I was unable to find a used same model within 3 years for any less, most of the time the used units were asking more. If you're going used you are either gonna have to get lucky or go 5+ years old.

3) If looking for new don't be afraid to look nationwide but then buy locally.  There was a specific model that my wife loved the floorplan, no other MFR had anything similar (odd because most floorplans are just repeated over and over by different MFR's) but the MSRP was $68k and the dealer said mid $50's was the lowest he could go and our budget was mid $40s.  I found the exact same unit for sale 500 miles away advertised at $39,999 and he told me the would come down to $42k to keep the sale local, thats a big difference than mid $50s!

4) Financing will have better terms for new and like I mentioned earlier if going used you will probably need to be 5+ years old and then financing gets a little more tricky/higher rates etc.

5) Take your time. Find any RV show you can and go to it and look at everything and then repeat.  Even the models you don't think you're interested in. The number of manufacturers and models out there is frankly mind blowing and can get overwhelming so being able to see dozens at one place is very helpful.

Good luck

 

[99dart-WO]

When you find one you are close to making a deal on, have it inspected. Find an RV shop that will go thru the unit top to bottom, testing ALL functions and condition. It could save you heartache/headache down the road. 

 

[grashley]

When you find one you are close to making a deal on, have it inspected. Find an RV shop that will go thru the unit top to bottom, testing ALL functions and condition. It could save you heartache/headache down the road. 

I absolutely agree!

 

[Samthetramp]

Well we pulled the pin on a 2019 Montana 3791RD wit the residential living and 4 season living packages. After taking a trip thru KY,OH and IN and looking at what seemed like hundreds of mostly similar campers this one meets our needs and had the fewest sacrifices. The shower could be a bit wider but there's less time spent in there than anywhere else. Small sacrifice. With the elevated rear den there's a ton of storage that normally is wasted ceiling space. After trading in our 2010 TT price is at $53,500. MSRP was $86,400. They will install 5 slide toppers for $1,500. Were happy and within budget.

Thanks so much for all of the advice that was given. I'd really appreciate it if y'all could help me with the next step. Delivery. I have an appointment to pick it up next Saturday and they said we'll do a walk thru which I'm guessing is them showing us how it all works. I know there's a couple things that need fixing that I'm gonna tell them about today. Will be looking at every little thing I can think of at the walk thru to pin down anything else that needs attention/repairing from them before I sign the final paperwork. There's so much more to look at than in out little TT that had so many fewer moving parts.

Aside from making sure that all systems operate properly, what else should I be looking at before taking delivery?

Thanks again.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Congratulations!  The Montana is very popular among long term RVers so I think you too will be happy with it.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Aside from making sure that all systems operate properly, what else should I be looking at before taking delivery?

"all working correctly" covers it in a nutshell, but is nigh impossible in the brief walk-through that most dealers offer. My best advice is to warn the dealer in advance that you expect to spend a couple hours for familiarization rather than a typical 20-30 minute show & tell.    You want to feel the fridge and a/c get cold, the water hot, slides go in and out, all things powered on battery, propane and electric (not just one of those), find the batteries, fuses, circuit breakers, water shut-off valves,  on/off switches for everything, test inverter power (if equipped), find remotes for tv and other entertainment gear, make sure you learn how to switch among video sources [tv and DVD, antenna, cable &  satellite(if any)], use sound system (if equipped), etc.  Make sure you have keys to all locks, know where LP and CO detectors are and how they are powered (self-contained or RV 12v power).    We have RV Buyer Checklists in the forum Library - look through them and decide what will be helpful to you.

MAKE A LIST!  Write down everything you want to see, hear & do and give a copy to the guy doing the walk-through. Check them off as they get done. Take pictures or even video as you are shown things, cause information overload is guaranteed!

If you are new to 5W, go through the hitch and unhitch process a couple times to make sure you have it down pat. If the trailer has its own powered leveling jacks, learn how to operate them (not the same as stabilizers).

 

[Samthetramp]

Wifey and I will make a list for sure. The hook up and un hook are similar to a semi I'm guessing except for opening the tail gate. The shop installing the hitch has already told us the will be going over that with us. Told dealer today I expect to see everything work.

Although I have experience driving a semi I'm nervous about maneuvering this 5ver. It's my money now.

Thanks Gary

 

[grashley]

Gary pretty well nailed it, as usual.  Make sure this list of things is fixed BEFORE signing off and giving them any money.  This means another inspection where you verify everything was actually fixed to your satisfaction.  If possible, camp overnight "next door" before signing off.