nomadicoasties 1 Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 Seasoned tent campers BUT we are RV Newbies. Stayed in a rented TT at the Fort this summer caught The Fever Tow Vehicle 2003 Ford Excursion 6.0L 4X4 TT wants:UsedNeed purchase price to be under 15K (10K would be better ) Sleep 4Possibly a toy hauler set upbunkhouse with full or queen wold be nice :) ANY advice, suggestions, brands, dealerships will be appreciated! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
parrothead7368 aka Norm 101 Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 Where are you?? Could help with dealers. Best Regards,Norm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
swimmarz 72 Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 yea where are you?I had a great experience buying from LazydaysThey will match/ beat anyone's price on new units as for your price of 10-15 there are new units that fit the bill, they will not be toy haulersfor example this uint http://www.lazydays.com/rv/new-rvs-for-sale/tampa-fl/travel-trailer/coachmen-clipper-rvs-005 will sleep more than 4, no bunk though, and asking is $15,298 but id bet you can get a couple grand off easily for used they just got this in, 30 ft bunk house2006 for $10,000 no pics just yet but if your local go check it ouhttp://www.lazydays.com/rv/used-rvs-for-sale/tampa-fl/travel-trailer/trail-lite-trail_cruiser-rvs-001 because they have no pics yet I suspect this is the model on youtube, this is not the unit for sale just a similar oneskip the first min or sohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRBsHkhKR9s Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stockboys10 2 Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 Your towing capacity is @ 11k lbs so youll have a lot of options. Just remember to have whatever unit you buy checked out by a mechanic, their expertise will help find the hidden gems some of the older units have. With that said we just sold out keystone springdale TT, It was a nice layout with rear Full size bunks and real doors to close off the rooms. Ours was an 08 and in nice shape and sold for right in the middle of your range. There are good and bad units from all manufactures so just because someone had issues with brand x model y doesn't mean that they all will have issues. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nomadicoasties 1 Posted August 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 Thank you everyone! We are currently stationed at Camp Lejeune NC but are willing to drive a pretty good ways for pick up if the deal is right.As far as having it checked out what are the things to look for,avoid etc....? DH is pretty mechanically minded but again neither of us has any RV "stuff" experience. Are there better construction materials than others or I guess a certain type of trailer,not brand specific butin general materials used? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 Thank you everyone! We are currently stationed at Camp Lejeune NC but are willing to drive a pretty good ways for pick up if the deal is right.As far as having it checked out what are the things to look for,avoid etc....? DH is pretty mechanically minded but again neither of us has any RV "stuff" experience. Are there better construction materials than others or I guess a certain type of trailer,not brand specific butin general materials used? Which one is or are both of you Marines? No one on base selling one because they are shipping out? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nomadicoasties 1 Posted August 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 DH is active duty Coast Guard (prior service Army) and an instructor at the Special Missions Training Center here on base. There are a couple of TTs on the lemon lot here, but we haven't looked closely at them yet...we have been back and forth for a few months about wether or not to sell the tow vehicle and go class C or keep Excursion and buy TT. We have started to travel more frequently lately for our daughters Archery tournaments and even though it is one or two overnights at a time we know we can save $$$ on lodging and food costs with an RV. Now that we have finally committed to a type we begin the serious research. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 The advantage of a TT or fifth wheel is you can disconnect the tow vehicle and go places leaving the trailer hooked up. With a Class C you either need to get a toad or disconnect anytime you might want to go do something. If you already have a vehicle that can be towed behind an RV then I would think the Class C might be an option. If you have to go out and buy one I think you would be better off keeping the Excursion and getting a TT. As far as RV dealers I like Bill Plemmons as they did a good job when I needed some warranty work done on our trailer that I would not take to the incompetent dealer we bought from. I have also ordered parts and supplies I've needed for maintenance and they seemed to be reasonably price and had fast delivery. They have a small dealership in Raleigh and a larger one over in the Winston-Salem area. As others have said there are new trailers in your price range. It all depends upon what you want and the best way to determine that is to look around RV lots to see what is out there. The NC RV Dealers show is this weekend at the state fairgrounds and would be a good place get a feel for the different manufacturers. Military are $5 and kids under 12 are free. Their website has full details just Google it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nomadicoasties 1 Posted August 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 Thanks for the info Keith..OF course we were in the Raleigh area last weekend lol. We do have a small toyota that can be our toad hence the indecision on our part of which type of RV to go with. We settled on the TT for the reasons you mentioned. Plus we really love our Excursion and didn't want to part with it. I will definitely look at Plemmons and the RV show site. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 As far as RV dealers I like Bill Plemmons as they did a good job when I needed some warranty work done on our trailer that I would not take to the incompetent dealer we bought from. I have also ordered parts and supplies I've needed for maintenance and they seemed to be reasonably price and had fast delivery. They have a small dealership in Raleigh and a larger one over in the Winston-Salem area. Glad to hear you are happy with Bill Plemmons. We've not had great experiences with them and tend to go out of town for service. Maybe we should give them another try. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 Glad to hear you are happy with Bill Plemmons. We've not had great experiences with them and tend to go out of town for service. Maybe we should give them another try. I haven't been to the Winston-Salem facility so it might be different than the Raleigh one. One of the things that impressed me was I wanted one of the items repaired a specific way which was different from what the factory said to do. I took it in and sat down with the service manager to go ever everything and he did whatever he needed to get it done my way. From my perspective they were also pretty good about keeping me abreast of what was going on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TN22.....Brady 22 Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 Regarding advice on TT's I have always held to the belief that 10 years is pretty much the lifespan of the roof. If I am buying used I certainly want to look at the roof, and know the age, and understand that buying an 8 year old unit means I will be replacing the roof in two years. Others may disagree, if so, great! I would like to hear others chime in on their experiences with units 10 years and older. I know there are exceptions, like the ones kept in a temperature controlled garage, but not many of those exist. By the way...Thank You both for the sacrifices you have endured to protect this country. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted August 26, 2015 Report Share Posted August 26, 2015 We had a 25-year-old Airstream product and never had problems with the roof. Our current motorhome is 13 years old and we've not had problems with the roof. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted August 27, 2015 Report Share Posted August 27, 2015 You'll want to check the TT for any soft spots (walls, floor, exterior). Soft spots are not something you want to feel in a camper. Check EVERYWHERE for water leaks; open cabinets, lift up and look under things... check it all. If something is structural sound, you can change the cosmetics. We just purchased a new TT only because we wanted to use our current TV (then we got the new trailer and found out we really needed a diesel to tow in comfortably, so we had to buy a new TV ). All that to say, I would have bought used in a heartbeat, if I new we were going to buy a new TV. We had a used Trail Cruiser hybrid before this TT and were happy with that brand. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nomadicoasties 1 Posted September 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 Thank you everyone, after much research we have decided on a pop up lol. off to ask more questions. I SINCERELY appreciate all of your advice, suggestions and info. THANK YOU! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 Lots of the same things to check for in a PUP as with any camper, plus more... How good is the canvas Does it go up and down smoothly How old are the tires We have an 86 Coleman that we bought last year. Stove or sink don't work (I could fix them but we wouldn't use them anyway). it has some other things that need fixing, but it does what we need it to. Check out swimmarz thread got a few mods installed today to see the "fun" he's been having with his brand new PUP. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nomadicoasties 1 Posted September 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 Thank you for the PUP info. I will definitely check that thread out :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
swimmarz 72 Posted September 6, 2015 Report Share Posted September 6, 2015 Hey now, new and used have their issues.. Luckily mine are under warranty for the most part. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nomadicoasties 1 Posted September 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2015 Hey now, new and used have their issues..Luckily mine are under warranty for the most part.AGREED! We are leaning towards new because of warranty and we have the garage space for it so we can save $$ for indoor storage. We are looking around and doing our research at this point. But a PUP seems to be our best fit. Up until we rented the TT at The Fort this summer we tent camped exclusively. A PUP seems to be the best of both for us. AC a must and simple is always better for our lifestyle. I sincerely appreciate all of the input from all the FIENDS. Your hindsight, insight and experience are proving invaluable! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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