Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Jayco RV Owners Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 07-15-2014, 06:15 PM   #1
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Madison
Posts: 36
Potential Owner

Hi. New, prospective owner. Over the past year or so, we have been to local RV shows, starting from not knowing what we were looking for, to liking a particular brand, to liking a particular floor plan, to changing our minds over brands and preferences, to starting from scratch.

So. Here we are. We are a good 10 years from retirement, so have downgraded our original thought of a full-time style 5th wheel, to a model we won't mind having in storage more than camping. Also, I want a unit that is light enough to be towed by a 3/4 ton diesel as the tow vehicle will also be a daily transport vehicle. We found that out pretends is a rear kitchen 5th wheel, preferably with a double slide to open up the living room.

Our usage will be weekending as often as possible, with an occasional week-long trip. Now, we have been looking new, but am new to looking at Jayco and am curious as to used units, and how old would be considered too risky for replacement parts.

Would love to hear from any owners with a rear kitchen to hear of experience with it and what models you had liked. I will say the the unit my wife fell in love with was a Heartland Big Country with a sunken living room, in the the rear kitchen had a step up to it. We just determined that a full time unit like that would be wasted for our current ability to use it.

Cheers
javankrona is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2014, 08:11 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Brownie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Greater Grand Rapids
Posts: 1,392
Welcome to The Forum! And good luck in your search. I've only purchased new trailers and have no experience with used ones. Although, I'd have to say I wouldn't have purchased the 10-year old trailer I traded in on my Eagle. My Eagle 266RKS is a rear kitchen travel trailer, and I love it! Only has the one slide, but it's perfect for just me and the dog. I, too, will be full timing (in two weeks) and found the rear kitchen to be more open-feeling. Everything is easily accessible, they have a lot more countertop space than the typical mid-kitchen models, and they generally have more wardrobe storage, as well. I, personally, dislike a second slide-out if it's on the starboard (door) side, because it cuts down on your patio space. But that's a personal bug-a-boo of mine, and may not be of concern to you.

Some folks who owned older (10-15 years) rear kitchen trailers & 5'ers complained about the jostling their kitchens took, being behind the axels. I've heard their pots, pans & dishes would end up on the floor by the time they made it to their destinations. I've also heard that problem has all but been eliminated by the wide-spread axels and better suspension systems on todays trailers. I've only made one trip in mine - almost all freeways - and didn't have a single problem.

Getting back to new vs. used: In your situation, I might suggest a gently used 5th wheel as sort of a "Guiney Pig". Maybe a 2-4 year old with a floor plan similar to what you might want for your "retirement home-on-wheels". Just like cars, the biggest depreciation hit comes in the first year, so you might find one at a pretty good price. You can learn about the camping lifestyle, and what you do and don't like about the make, model, floor plan, etc. Then, when you're ready to retire, you can upgrade to the "home of your dreams". Just don't get something too much older than that, and plan on keeping it for 10 years. While there are exceptions, 10 years is about the average life of a trailer/5th wheel. You'll want to have something left to trade in on your new one. It doesn't seem to matter if it gets used a lot, or sets in storage. A rig can rot in a storage lot or the back yard as easily as it can on the road. And, in ten or so years, if you like the lifestyle and do decide to upgrade to a newer, nicer 5'er, you'll probable be ready for a new tow vehicle, as well.

That's JMHO, for what it's worth. Hope you enjoy your search, and will post some pics when you make your decision and bring home your baby. Best of luck!
__________________
2013 Eagle 266RKS
2011 Ford F-150 w/3.5L Ecoboost & H.D. Tow Package
Brownie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-16-2014, 03:14 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
tinlizzie23's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Luray, VA (central Shenandoah Valley of VA)
Posts: 1,430
Can't say much one way or the other about rear kitchens, not having had one, but will say that we've had several trailers in 30+ years of camping, from a 13 foot with no bathroom or kitchen, to several TT's up to 29 foot, to our present 33 foot Jayco 5er. Every one was used when we got it, and we have never regretted buying used. The current 5er was 7 years old when we bought it, now 10 years, and we have had way less problems with it than most new ones talked about on this forum. If you go over a used unit carefully before buyng, and don't mind not having the latest gadgets, you can often find a real gem among the gently used population. We use ours about once a month, with occasional week long trips, and do regular maintenance, and plan to keep this 10 year old Jayco at least another 10 years, if not longer. By the way, our Jayco is definitely better constructed than any of our previous trailers, and Jayco is very good on answering questions and giving needed help, and obtaining replacement parts has not been a problem. Hope this helps, and good luck on your search.
__________________
2003 Ford F-350 V-10 Crew Cab 4WD Long Bed
2004 Jayco Designer Medallion 29 RLTS 5th wheel
Bill, Gayle, Teddy (Jack Russell terrier), and Honey (Beagle)
Retired at last !

Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
tinlizzie23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-16-2014, 08:39 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Missouri City, The Republic of Texas
Posts: 5,063
We started small with the X23B as our 1st TT. We thought we'd like trailering and I wanted to try it out. We were super pleased with our selection and had several great trips in it. We decided pretty quick that a larger TT would be in the cards. I'm about 2 yrs from graduation (retirement) and we've just upgraded to the 5th which is also an excellent TT.
I will say that I'm happy we chose small to begin with as it was my first experience pulling a TT. The 5th tows very nicely but required a pretty big jump in towing skills. Skills that I haven't mastered yet but getting better. Our longest road trip in the 5th has been just shy of 1700 mi.
So there's my life story.
Enjoy your choice and safe travels!
__________________
Cheers,
T_

2013 F-350 CC SB 2WD 6.7PS
2013 Eagle Premier 351 RLTS
-SOLD- 2012 X23B
-SOLD- 2003 Ford Expedition 5.4, Bilstein shocks
RedHorse1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-16-2014, 12:17 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Redhorse 823's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Plant City FL
Posts: 721
"Your first RV is an investment in your education." Some guy talk at a free RV seminar. That being said...I would buy used and see how you enjoy it. Not really "If" you enjoy it, rather do you like RV parks or State Camping? Moving from site to site or staying put?

Our First was a 2 year old 25' Hybrid...Loved it. Great deal
That is how we found we wanted the Bunk House and around 33' seamed to be a good size.

GL
Keep us posted
__________________

Tom
2015 Eagle 324BHTS
2015 Silverado 2500HD 6.6 DirtyMax
Redhorse 823 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jayco, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:09 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2002-2016 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.