Here is where your negotiation skills come into play. You are the customer and have the $$$. The dealer wants your $$$.
Go with the interior you like and tell the dealer you want a power awning in place of the manual awning. Do your homework on power awnings and pick the one that fits your needs. Do not let on to the dealer that you are in love with the one interior with the manual awning. Approach the situation with the attitude of "we like this trailer, but dislike the manual awning. If you want to sell me this trailer, you have to figure out how to outfit it with the power awning we want." Be prepared to walk away from the deal. The dealer is more motivated to make the sale than you are to buy the trailer. I am not sure of your financial situation, but I know for us, our TT was a very big purchase that we made sure we got just what we wanted. At the end of the deal, if you end up with the TT with the interior you like and a power awning you paid 1/2 price for installed, it is most likely a win for you and the dealer.
Rick & Joan
Rogers, Arkansas
2005 Jayco Eagle 322FKS TT
2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD 2 First Gen Camaros
Hello, we've had both, and as stated above, if you can physically operate the manual, I would take the interior over the powered awning, Especially if the power one cannot be adjusted. I wouldn't want one that can't be lowered. To answer your question, to the best of my knowledge, if the power one breaks, your pretty much stuck.
The Carefree Eclipse electric awning arms are I believe the only ones that can angle the awning just like the manual one. I upgraded our last coach (no slides) to those arms and it was a great upgrade. If your awning is over a slide it will be kind of worthless manual or electric. That is what we have now with this coach A A-E electric awning that goes only almost flat out and being over the kitchen slide you lose a lot of the awning. Going out almost level up as high as it is it provides very little shade.
fordsooperdooty wrote: I have always had manual awnings, and one powered awning. Having tried the powered awning, now we prefer the manual we have now over the powered.
Get the interior you guys like...you have to live with it! KZ builds a nice RV with good quality and a great older company.
x2
I would choose the right interior any day over the power awning. I am not a big fan of my power awning.
I would pick the manual awning as we hardly ever use our awning. We are always out and about and don't want to leave our awning out while we are away as we have seen several people's awning ripped by the wind. So you might also want to take into consideration how much you think you will use your awning. I know some people use their awnings all the time as they tend to stay at the site more than we do. You will be looking at that interior all the time!!
We have a POWER / ADJUSTABLE TILT (not rain tilt) AWNING.
It stopped rolling out one morning after only using it a few times on our second trip (we had only operated it around 30 times that year).
We had took delivery of the new TT in April 2011, so the warranty is good and it goes into an 'RV CARE' shop this month to have the piddling little electric motor replaced.
We always when using the TT....roll the awning away when away from it for the day and also when asleep at night, that is why we opted for a power awning, quick convienience.
So, with our experience, would we still prefer power, yes we would, as the instant convienience is great.
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ 2007 (new shape)
4x4 Crew Cab VORTEC MAX (L76) 6.0L V8 4L70E 4.10 axle
factory NHT Max Trailering Package.
2010 Coachmen Freedom Express 280 RLS
"...a Waldorf Salad?, sorry we are fresh out of Waldorfs!".......BASIL FAWLTY.
synchromeg wrote: Hello, I'm looking into purchasing a new TT. We are looking into getting a 2012 KZ Sportsment S242BH. One of the options and at no extra cost comes with a power awning, but not my favorite interior decor. The other option comes with a manual awning and much better interior decor that I like. I'm torn between the awnings. Every other feature between the trailers are the same. should i go with the interior that i like and manual awning or go with interior i don't like but with a power awning? This will be our first travel trailer coming up from a popup so new to the travel trailer features. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as I am driving my husband nuts! =)
Good TT choice, we just got the 2012 242SBH and love it. We were given the option for the power awning and decided to go with the manual due potential repair costs and the fact that an awning is fairly easy to open and close.
I've been in a very windy locale for three weeks now and notice the folks with the power awnings don't use them much, or only have them out partway. We had our manual awning out until the winds were forecast to hit 25mph. I've always had power awning envy, until now.
2002 Keystone Cougar 286, 8,400lbs loaded, pulled with a 2004 F150 Supercrew, 5.4, 3.73 gears. Retired and enjoying life
this really depends on the camping you do... Basically the power awnings are only good for shade (if even that), and light rain. Otherwise its very useless. BUT, when the weather gets bad, we usually either head out puddle jumping or inside the trailer. so its not a big deal, but we have alot of room in our trailer. Our old trailer 19ft, had a manual awning, and it would get tied/staked to the ground and Ièd usually be sitting outside reading or something.
Different strokes/different folks..
Dont let it be your deciding factor, it can be easily changed.
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