We hate to say it, but it can be easy to make a few mistakes when buying an RV, especially if you’ve never done it before. The salespeople are sweet talkers, and whatever they say they make it sound pretty good. If you’ve bought an RV, you know this to be true.
When you bought your current RV, would you say you made buying mistakes? If so, after you vote will you please tell us in the comments what you think those mistakes were? You can use a nickname if you don’t want to share your full name. We’re curious to hear your stories, and they might save other buyers from making the same mistake(s). Thanks!
Remember, it can sometimes take a few moments for the poll to load. So stand by: it will be right along!
We bought a 2010 20 foot travel trailer in March of 2021. It is not perfect but it was cheap. That was the biggest selling point in last year’s ridiculous market. Most problems have been cosmetic. Dirty, dirty, dirty! Even the black water tank was full when we brought it home. We worked for several months cleaning, painting and replacing what needed cleaning, painting and replacing. We took it out for a month last summer and two weeks this winter plus some small trips in between. It has been great fun and we are pretty proud of how it looks now. I use it as a guest room and as my “she shed” when it is sitting in the driveway (we had a 30 amp plug installed at the house). I do wish it was a little bit larger and had more seating but then we couldn’t fit it in our driveway or camp in some of the small spots we have maneuvered into. So, 50/50. We like that the trailer is small but we wish it could be a little bigger. 🙂
I wish I had taken one with a bath and a half as tuff when both of us needs the bathroom at same time and the extra room with sofa bed and storage for nights when hubby snores so loud.
The RV we bought had been sitting in Texas for more than a year, but it was THE floorplan that DW wanted. We ended up getting 40% off MSRP on a 43′ DP. We replaced the tires early (at 6 years rather than 7 even though they still appeared sound and safe) and replaced the 8 AGM house batteries at 6 years because they clearly were providing less power compared to two years earlier. All other “problems” that might be associated with sitting in Texas for 12+ months were addressed under warranty, so we think we did very well. Had others shared our preferences more closely, then we would not have done so well. Sometimes it pays to be an outlier in society’s preferences distribution.
I purchased a C Class and found with two big dogs, it just didn’t work. We now have a 34 foot trailer and the layout is much better.
We purchased a 26′ Rockwood Ultra Lite. We had a few minor problems that were taken care of, but the biggest problem was buying it from Camping World at the Hershey show. The “best deal” is like getting something free. The four hour trip to the service department, after telling them what I needed, turned into “Yes, that is the problem. We’ll order the part and let you know when it is in.” It took me about 30 minutes and I had the camper in the shop being fixed and the service rep packed and walking down the street. Not even Camping World wants bad publicity from law enforcement. I complained to the company who builds Rockwood and I now take it to my local dealer 30 minutes away.
We purchased a well-used towable smallish 22′ trailer. We’ve been happy with it.
We have no guilt when it sets in the driveway and does nothing and when we take it out on a road trip it is no problem, works fine.
We purchased a Winnebago 27PE, small Class A Gasser. Our plan was to use the rig for extended stays in areas such as Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New mexico, etc, but we bought it just at the onset of COVID. Borders closed, travel was severely restricted and we simply could not use the rig for what we purchased it for.
Unit was great, but as we couldn’t use it as planned we sold it, and are waiting for life to return to some semblance of normality before we purchase our next RV.
Yes. I believed the Jeep marketing that said the Grand Cherokee could tow a 7,200 lb trailer. Got our 23′-long, 5,700 GVWR trailer, and found the Jeep could not handle it. Not long enough wheelbase for stability (yes, used a properly-set WDH), and not enough power for long grades. Got an F-150, and all is good.
We have a 07 GC and a 20 foot TT that weighs under 3000 lbs. GC pulls the TT just fine here in the Badger State but last year a trip GTNP and points west seemed tax the GC somewhat, so like you went with the Ford Expedition with the HD tow package. Camping season starts in about 7 weeks for us so we’ll find out. Yours in camping
We bought a lightly used but old Class A. Any problems we have had are because we have lived in it full time for 27 months.
We bought privately and the person we puchased from is a friend. We knew how well the coach had been taken care of.
We ordered our coach and picked out everything we wanted. We’ve had it 2 years and are still happy with the choices we made. There have been problems, but there always are.
I say RV stands for Ruined my Vacation. The bigger the dealer the worse they are. Check the batteries before you pull the first dealer put old ones in as he knew I was leaving the area for good. Soon as you sign papers they basically leave you in your own.
I’ve only had two RVs. The first was a 2010, 17′ Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer. It was a WONDERFUL way to test the RV lifestyle without spending a fortune. Fiberglass “egg” trailers tend to hold their value MUCH better than “traditional” RVs so, when I sold it four years later, I recouped much of my original purchase price. In 2014, after three years of searching, I “graduated” to a TRUE Super-C, Diesel Puller (a 2015 Dynamax DX3-37RB). Being my first motorhome, I was woefully unprepared to do (or have a professional RV inspector) a PROPER inspection. Like most RVs, it was heavy on “flash” and VERY light on build quality under the surface. Like many (most?) RV builders, Dynamax was NOT big on Quality Control. I suspect that my DX3 was built by Moe, Larry & Curly. Fortunately, the Freightliner base was built like a tank. I’ve made numerous upgrades & fixes in the ~ 7 years I’ve owned it. It DOES have the BEST floorplan I’ve ever seen (although later models changed that).
I had to say no because it asked about the current RV. We, like so many people, can say that because we’ve made mistakes that we learned from and I have been RVing since I was 5 years old. I called our first RV “the learning curve” cause we made some bad mistakes!😀
We looked for 6 years before settling on the 5th wheel that we custom ordered. The first one that we got had serious issues and the manufacture built us another one no questions asked. #2 was just fine but as my son says, RV’s are just a kit that you have to finish the way you want! Have customized it to our liking and really enjoy it. Have had since 2015. It is a 40′ model.
We should have ordered fabric furniture instead of vinyl.
Totally agree. The fifth wheel was great except for the leather look sofa and recliners. Totally cracked and peeled within three years. Only fabric going forward.
We like the Jayco trailer we bought, but not the dealer. We bought from a dealer in Aberdeen MS. When we picked up the trailer we found several problems and pointed them out to the salesman and manager. We were told they would not fix them then and it did not matter because we had a 2 year warranty. They basically showed us where the trailer was and that was all. I fixed most of the problems myself. We went to another dealer in Southaven MS about a bad switch on the trailer jack and were told it would be a month to get parts. A month later we called and they went and picked up a switch locally and fixed it. The general manager there had a very hateful attitude toward us. I called Jayco and the directed me to a dealer in Jonesboro AR. The Jayco dealer in Jonesboro was GREAT he made repairs, let us talk to service man about how to maintain the trailer and told us that they loved warranty because it was money in the bank. BEWARE Our trailer has a loaded weight of 8k and 2-3.5k axles
Can’t really think of any. Which is why on February 10th we celebrate our 02 Newmar Dutchstar’s 20th birthday!
My mistake was agreeing to a 7-year, $7000 extended warranty that was tacked on to my total cost that was financed for 20 years. That $7000 will eventually cost me twice that amount by the time my coach is paid off. Big mistake!
Bought our 1st TT in 2019. Found out that a bed you can’t walk around is a terrible idea. Managed to sell it without losing money. Bought a 2021 with twin beds. Very nice unit just not enough storage for camping months at a time. Sold it last year for what we paid and got the Flagstaff Micro Lite 25FKBS which is working out great for 3 months in AZ. Thinking in a few years of getting a 5th wheel.