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Forum
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RE: Buy local or go long?
Well this old thread has been resurrected! To update... we have been using the 261 all summer and love it. I have had 2 warranty items come up, a broken cable valve and a leaking anti siphon valve. I removed both items and shipped them to my dealer, who promptly returned new ones under warranty. So far my experience has been great. I am so happy that I did not pay the "ransom" to the local dealer!!
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clokman
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08/17/08 06:44pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Jayco makes a "quality trailer"?
I think Jayco must be all over the place with their quality. We were down to 2 brands and really gave each a good long look before purchase. We could look past the poor pipe work, but gaps along the door frames large enough to actually see through sent us running to brand X. I have no doubt that they can still build a great RV, but I know that they can also do the opposite, and it can make it all the way to the dealers lot.
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clokman
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08/11/08 09:50pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Can I tow it??
I picked up a 5300# Spree Sat. and towed it 120 miles with a 4.7l Tundra that is rated to pull 7800# lbs. On the way home I weighed the whole rig at a truck stop. I am within every spec: 200# under TV payload and 1500# under CGVW. (Actual is 12000, TT is rated for 13,500). Everyone here was so helpful and played a big part in our decision. Most experienced RV'ers recommended staying 20% under the combined gross weight. I am around 10% under and my truck was really working hard! I was very surprised at how much labor the truck was under. It pulled it OK and nothing got hot, but I could not imagine trying to tow right up to the stated limits of the truck. I am now a firm believer in the 20% guideline. And remember, once you buy it and pull it off the lot, its' yours!!
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clokman
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06/16/08 07:14am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Purchace price haggling?
It seems to me that the OP is the one that let the deal fall through over $1000, not the dealer. The OP is that one that stopped negotiating.
I wonder how many folks on the forum are willing to sell their services at a 30% discount. :S
I call it exercising my option to shop around, but call it what you will. I wasn't asking for a 30% discount. 7-10% return/profit is what I expect in my little world and thats all I'm willing to give someone else. If you want to pay 20-30% go ahead.
I'm satisfied with the second dealer's offer, we go in Saturday to get the order placed.
Amen Brother!! Nobody is asking for a discount on a man's services or time, we are seeking a reduction in an inflated profit margin on material goods. I work in the professional service side of a retail business, we will always consider lowering the price on merchandise, and do it when we can, but we do not negotiate the rate that we charge for our services. I made all my offers with this firmly in mind!
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clokman
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06/13/08 07:08am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: towing question for someone looking to buy
As far off as you may be from being able to pull that trailer I KNOW you could find a salesman somewhere that would tell you it would be OK !! We wont talk about how I know that...
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clokman
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06/11/08 10:08pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: K-Z Spree
We searched for 3 mos. to find the right trailer for us and our truck. After looking at dozens and dozens of trailers we settled on a Spree. Comments like those seen in this post were a big help in our decision. When we pick up our trailer Sat. I think I will tow it home with a sign that says "Thank you RV.NET".
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clokman
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06/11/08 07:32pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Purchace price haggling?
I think by price shopping we are rewarding the dealer who can run his business in such a professional manner that he has can sell for less. I fully understand and support the idea that everybody needs to eat, and pay for 4.10 gas...but why can dealer A make money at 20k while dealer B turns down 21k and wants 22k? Both are in the same area, same state, pay same destination charges, and are each selling the exact same unit. If Dealer A has a proven track record and is in good standing with the manufacturer then he is the better businessman. It would be foolish to buy elsewhere.
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clokman
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06/11/08 07:24pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Purchace price haggling?
SilnJohn your dealer and mine must be related. Our stories are exactly the same, even down to the dollar amount! I think you are doing the right thing.
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clokman
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06/11/08 07:24am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Purchace price haggling?
I just went through this last week with a Spree 261RKS. The BIG local dealer would not come close to what other smaller dealers were asking. I ended up at 31% off.. but I have to drive to a dealer that is 2 hours away. The thousands of dollars saved more than justify the short drive! I pick up my new Spree Sat. morning. If your guy wont budge walk away because I promise you can find a deal.
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clokman
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06/10/08 10:50pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Buy local or go long?
All is well that ends well. I was so impressed with one of those "short distance" dealers willing to cover my warranty work that I decided to talk with the sales department. They didn't have the exact trailer we wanted but they did have choice no.2..the Spree 261RKS, and they too were able to beat the local guy by thousands. They are only 2 hours away! We will be picking it up 6/14..what a Fathers Day gift. Thanks again for all the replys and help. Next week the real questions will start!
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clokman
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06/07/08 01:18am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Buy local or go long?
longtrailer48 you bring up some excellent points, but I have a very hard time giving respect to a dealer who is charging a 2300.00 premium for his merchandise under the threat of no warr. service. Really, this is issue is dead. I am not going to ever do any business with the guy so my question has been answered. I am glad his business is doing so well that he can turn away customers. And by the way, not all KZ dealers share this view, I have talked to two service departments who will be more than happy to do my warranty work.
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clokman
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06/05/08 10:50am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Buy local or go long?
Well thanks for all the replys. Kind of a mixed bag. I got the same story about "we can only handle our customers". Well then how do they handle a new customer if they are already so full they have NO extra time? Its a bunch of hooey..I am not giving my hard earned money to this local Spree dealer. Since I will basically be left with no warranty on the long distance deal I will have to shop another brand.
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clokman
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06/04/08 09:09am |
Travel Trailers
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Buy local or go long?
I got so much good advice here about the size of trailer to buy that I am now back for advice on where to buy it. We have a choice of a Spree 260RBS or Jayco 25F. We really like the Spree, and the local dealer has one to sell for 22K plus an extra 300 to swap the jackknife for a hide a bed, so its $22,300 firm. Another dealer has the same unit with the hide a bed for 20,000, but he is about 9 hours away. I offered the local guy 21,000 he said "no, and that if you can really get it at **** for 20,000 then go for it...but good luck getting any warranty work done". I am new to this RV business, are the dealers really this petty and unwilling to price match? Will I really have no warranty? Would you drive 9 hours (spending 5 to 6 hundred) to save 2,300? Choice 3 is the Jayco at a different local dealer for 20,500. We really like the Spree but Jayco may make more sense...sorry for the length.
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clokman
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06/03/08 07:14pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Will hitch weight kill this deal?
Yes, many thanks to all of you without a dog in this hunt. I did pull the plug on this deal. I dont see any way of getting into a 3/4 ton PU so we are going to shop for smaller trailers, something that will end up loaded down and on the road with 5500 on the TT axles and 500 on the PU as hitch weight(after WD). Those numbers put me 200 under GVWR (I have been to the scales) and 1300 under max CGWR. That is still a lot but almost all of my towing will done at sea level and over flat terrain.
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clokman
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05/15/08 11:20pm |
Towing
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RE: Is tow vehicle powerful enough?
For really short trips once or twice a year, sure. Anything more than that and you'll regret it IMO. That little 4.8L will be absolutely screaming pulling any kind of load larger than a pop-up.
You cant possible mean that!!
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clokman
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05/14/08 11:13pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: How to increase tounge weight?
Well this sounds like a much more manageable problem than too much weight...thanks for the replys! I don't own the TT, was just thinking about it, and yes those weights are dry. Your ideas about the propane, batteries, and proper loading should get the 10% balance. I would hate to have to add water or any other dead weight, if I thought it would require that I would not buy the trailer.
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clokman
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05/13/08 06:12pm |
Towing
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RE: Will hitch weight kill this deal?
MitchF150 I'm not sure I see where your concern was after the visit to the scales. You were at the GVWR but had not exceeded it. You were well below your tow weight..was the problem with your CGWR?
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clokman
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05/13/08 05:57pm |
Towing
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How to increase tounge weight?
I am looking at a TT that weighs 6100# yet has a hitch weght of less than 500#. Is that a problem and if so why do they (Keystone) make the TT that way? Is there any way to know how it will act like without actually towing it? The 6100 is within the weight limit of the TV with this hitch weight. Will the sway component of the hitch handle the problem?
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clokman
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05/13/08 12:12pm |
Towing
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RE: Will hitch weight kill this deal?
Well here is an update. My dealer is now telling me that I can still pull this trailer, with the use of air bags and the WD. I am getting this from the manager at a very large dealership in a very large city. I made him repeat this twice and had my wife witness because I did not believe him:
His exact words were "Air bags remove hitch weight".
Please tell me that I am right in saying that he is wrong. And please answer another question for me. It seems that in doing these weight calculations that we are adding the hitch weight twice, once when calculating payload and again when adding the overall trailer weight. For example (not the above referenced TT), if the TT weighs 5900# with a hitch weight of 900# then 900# is added to truck payload when hooked up. Wouldn't the TT weight then effectivley become 5000# because you have removed 900 from the TT axles and place them "in the truck". You are not losing the 900 pounds and it still counts in the GVWR and CGWR but why would you still figure trailer weight at the full 5900#?
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clokman
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05/13/08 07:15am |
Towing
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RE: Will hitch weight kill this deal?
Thank you all so much. Whoever would have thought that a truck factory equipped and rated to tow 7800 pounds would really be limited to around 6000. The things they dont tell you!! I may be stretching things with a 4800 UVW Passport, which is the 3rd choice.
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clokman
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05/11/08 05:36pm |
Towing
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