November 5, 2019 - Purchasing a travel trailer
Several weeks ago we purchased a brand new travel trailer to replace our aging small motor home. I was very tired of climbing up into the overhead bunk to sleep and our grandkids were needing more room as they are getting older. They like traveling with us and we like traveling with them. Plus it's one less vehicle to maintain a power plant system on.
What's really significant about this purchase is that it's the first vehicle that we've ever purchased that was brand new. I've always purchased used vehicles and have had pretty good luck with them. But for this trailer, we both had been impressed with another model that we saw last July when driving back from the beach. Throughout our long overseas trip to Australia, we continued to talk about it and check availability. Upon our return, we paid a visit to Angela's brother and sister in law and looked at a few trailers but couldn't find the exact model we sought after. They had also just purchased a new trailer during the summer while we were gone and for the first time were traveling in it.
We found ourselves looking at trailers on a Sunday afternoon and after visiting a few dealers, we ended up at Fife RV and expressed our desires to the salesman. He didn't have any in stock, but found another dealer who had the exact model that we were looking for at another dealer. So we paid that dealer a visit, examined the trailer and determined that it wasn't the right trailer for us. It was simply too short for what we wanted in a trailer. The next day we returned to Fife RV and our salesman was not there, but another salesman helped us and we struck a deal on a 22MBK which translates into a 22 foot trailer with a Murphy bed and two double bed sized bunks. It's also equipped with an outside kitchen and shower, TV & radio, and the other normal features of a travel trailer like a refrigerator, stove, microwave, furnace, hot water heater, air conditioning, and a shower.
We already had a pickup truck large enough to tow the new trailer, so all we had to do was to install an electric brake controller in the truck (it was pre-wired for it and www.etrailer.com was the source of the controller) and then go to the dealer on Tuesday, November 5 to do a 2 hour orientation and fitting of the equalizer trailer hitch. The orientation was pretty easy as we're accomplished RV'ers and everything checked out. We left with two full tanks of propane, full water tanks and were ready to make some new memories. In order to avoid the freeway, I drove home via US99, and all went well.
Once home we began ordering small things that were needed and also transferred items from our motor home. We wanted to take an inaugural trip in it, but our schedule was a little busy with a hockey trip to Canada and deacon matters at church. But we were able to find camping at Fort Worden State Park for Wednesday, 11/13 to Friday 11/15. We'd never been camping there and it looked to be an interesting spot.
Stay tuned for our first trip to Fort Worden State Park.
We also once had a class C motor home, and grew tired of crawling into the overhead bunk. But, we tried a Roll a Home for a few years before going to a travel trailer. Once we started looking for a trailer, the key item we were looking for was a bed that you could walk around.
ReplyDeleteWe ended up with a 26' Springdale bunkhouse model, with one double and one single size bunk. We also frequently have grandchildren with us.
We now have decided that we want something with a slide out so that we have a little more inside.
I doubt we will buy a new one, as most everything we have ever bought was used. The only vehicles I have ever bought new were both the Goldwings, and the Roll a Home.