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Old 06-03-2020, 12:43 PM   #1
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Thinking of buying.... eek

Hi everyone and thanks in advance for any help.

We are thinking of jumping in for the 1st time and purchasing a TT. We have our eye on 2020 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 242BHS with a 2018 GMC Sierra SLE 1500 tow vehicle.

Our hesitation is two-fold.

Every review I see is so polarizing! How much should I pay attention to online reviews for both the trailer and the dealer?

What should I expect from a new TT in regards to quality of build and is the extended warranty worth it?

If it matters we are looking at Pete's RV in Connecticut.
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Old 06-03-2020, 12:47 PM   #2
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Buy used and fix it yourself. In my opinion.
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Old 06-03-2020, 01:16 PM   #3
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If you're not going to buy used, the dealer makes all the difference in the world.

A good dealer has a good service department and they have a good relationship with Jayco and a "service mindset". And that doesn't necessarily translate to the "largest number of service bays" like some would have you believe. A good dealer will make the most of your 2-year Jayco warranty; a bad dealer will squander it.

Jaycos are not immune from problems experienced throughout the industry. They are all hand-built, there is no real build standard, and they all experience the equivalent of a severe earth quake EVERY time they go down the road. From what I've read, Jaycos historically have been a little better than the rest for the same money, and even better than some of the more expensive brands.

But that doesn't mean you won't have problems. You WILL have problems (see the note about a good dealer above). So it's good to be a bit handy, willing to learn, have tools and know how to use them, and stay calm. Your level of expectation of the build quality will likely determine how satisfied you are. If you think EVERYTHING should work right ALL the time and nothing should ever need adjusted or ever break, you'll be SORELY disappointed. And that's true no matter what brand you end up in. These are not like automobiles, and the warranty repair process doesn't work that way either.

In my opinion, the extended warranty is not worth it. But then I don't mind taking things apart, learn how they work, and put them back together (hopefully better than I found it). I have plenty of tools, and I know how to use them. And I have a little money set aside in case I need to pay to fix something. IMO, you should put the money you would spend on an extended warranty in an account, and use it for repairs that come up. Short of a MAJOR system failure (like perhaps the roof), you'll be able to fix most anything with that money. And warranty companies (by and large) will try to wiggle their way out of coverage ("the roof wasn't properly maintained" for example).

All of that being said, if you're very handy, have good tools, are able to learn about the various systems and how to fix them, the dealer may not matter. I know of at least one forum member who bought on price alone, knowing they would NEVER return to that dealer. Get the absolute ROCK-BOTTOM price you can find, and use the savings as your "repair budget".
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Old 06-03-2020, 01:25 PM   #4
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Camper_Bob nailed it.

Not much to add just unhappy people are more likely to write reviews than happy.
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Old 06-03-2020, 02:52 PM   #5
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Dealer is most important unless you purchase from an individual.
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Old 06-03-2020, 02:56 PM   #6
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Not much to add just unhappy people are more likely to write reviews than happy.
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Dealer is most important unless you purchase from an individual.
X-2 for both......
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Old 06-03-2020, 03:32 PM   #7
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X3.

Be prepared to learn new things (camping and handyman), be prepared to look at it some days and beam with pride, be prepared to look at it some days and shake your fist at it, be prepared to understand why most of us really don’t enjoy hotels anymore. Be prepared to understand fully why you took this venture on, then be prepared to question why you did this in the first place.

Through it all smile. They are all memories.
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Old 06-03-2020, 03:43 PM   #8
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As you are shopping you also be learning. Look for problems in the ones you aren't going to buy. Then you will notice them when you do buy and start a PDI. If I had it to do over again I would insist of a pre-PDI inspection with no one other than my wife present. Flashlight, notebook, screwdriver and peanut screw driver and really took the time without a dealer guy looking over my shoulder. Don't forget to inspect the roof and the bottom.

Don't take the dealer group 24 battery, junk "free" hose kit. Do some research and buy good stuff the will last and be easy to use.

PS way to many dealers will happily tell you that your truck will pull this Rv.

Many PDI lists for you to download here. Great starting point.
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Old 06-04-2020, 01:49 PM   #9
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Dealer is definitely important, but may or may not be as important depending on your level of handiness. Definitely make sure EVERYTHING is tested and works before leaving the lot. Good dealers will be patient, bad dealers will try to get you off the lot. If you think you can deal with many of the little things yourself, you'll be happier. If you aren't handy at all and everything becomes a warranty visit to the dealer, the dealer is probably most important consideration. Countless threads here of nearly entire camping seasons lost to waiting for work at the dealer. You might get a lemon of a unit, but that's much less likely.

We bought our Eagle new 2 years ago. Everything worked/no issues I found during PDI, but I never thought to test the outside quick disconnect hose. First time I used it, I ended up with a slow leak behind the wall in the closet. Identified a defective connector and was able to repair with parts from a local Lowes. After a long day of driving from Illinois to Utah, we found the weather strip at the top of one of our slides was sliding backwards out of the channel and flapping against the trailer. Found the end of the weather strip was cut poorly, allowing it to slip out of the channel. A small hole, stainless nut and bolt and a little quad sealant and it hasn't budged since. Both of those issues could have been weeks waiting on a dealer to fix.
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Old 06-04-2020, 04:06 PM   #10
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Buy used and fix it yourself. In my opinion.
Agree.
Buy the first one used and save about 50% on the purchase, and find out how much you like it and how much you are going to use it.
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Old 06-10-2020, 07:38 PM   #11
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For what it’s worth, we had a great experience with Pete’s in CT and recommended to our friends who just bought their new camper there as well. Agree with others re: being handy. If you’re in Rutland, VT you’re not going to want to tow back and forth for service.
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Old 06-10-2020, 08:20 PM   #12
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check your payload of that truck then go look at the weight of the trailer... the tongue will be about 12% of the trailer weight empty.. then add propane, and hitch... then you and yours and anything else in the truck plenty of info on that here...

Buy used! Thpse extended warranties are just expensive storage fees... if new then whack off 35% - 40% of the msrp. well maybe later in the year.. you may only be able to get 25-30% off now

Try tenting a couple of times see if you are really into camping maybe you know you are and that is all the much better...

If you buy used you need to check all the goodies like bearings, tires, brakes, carriers, etc...

Good luck...
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Old 06-11-2020, 06:13 AM   #13
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Agree that payload is critical. That said, I pull an almost identical weight trailer with basically the same truck and have no weight concerns. Your 2018 Sierra 1500 SLE has a payload of 1750-2000 lbs depending on configuration, so let’s assume the low end at 1750. The 242 BHS has a dry weight of 5500 lbs with a listed hitch weight of 685. Assume the real hitch weight is 750. You have 1000 lbs of payload capacity for you, passengers, and cargo.
Make sure you get a quality weight distribution hitch. There are plenty of threads on here discussing them. Pete’s sells and installs the Trekker East-Lift which I have and like.
Good luck and enjoy your camper!
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Old 06-11-2020, 06:35 AM   #14
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What should I expect from a new TT in regards to quality of build and is the extended warranty worth it?
Assume that the quality is going to be horrible, then you wont be disappointed.
If you have no mechanical and electrical knowledge then maybe hotels might be a better way to go because something WILL break down and you WILL have to know how to fix it.
As far as buying used, bring a seasoned TT owner with you to look things over for you. I will never buy used because TTs don't have a long lifespan. Don't buy anything older than 3-4 years old, and even then you need to be careful because the average person doesn't take care of the things they own.
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Old 06-11-2020, 09:07 AM   #15
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Did anyone mention the possibility of renting? An expensive lesson unless you discover the one you thought you would like isn't what you really need.

Not sure if there is a rental place near you but even and 3 day weekend rental will give you some real world experience on what you would really like vs. what looks good in a showroom.
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Old 06-11-2020, 09:45 AM   #16
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Did anyone mention the possibility of renting? An expensive lesson unless you discover the one you thought you would like isn't what you really need.

Not sure if there is a rental place near you but even and 3 day weekend rental will give you some real world experience on what you would really like vs. what looks good in a showroom.
+1

We borrowed our in-laws' Class C when we were shopping. We weren't shopping for a motorhome, we were shopping for a travel trailer. But spending a weekend in that camper gave us A LOT of ideas and information about what we could and could not live with in a camper.
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Old 06-13-2020, 06:47 AM   #17
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We have a JayFlight 29RKS 2019. This is our 2nd season with it. It sits in a park, no travel. so far this year our Microwave has died, our A/C stopped working and the awning system failed and was destroyed from heavy rain. Our neighbors have the same model and in their first year had cabinet doors fall off because the screws were too small, had to replace the water pump and had the fridge door hinge break. The lift up bed is not well framed and they will have to add wood to stop it from sinking in the middle. That happened to our previous camper JayFlight RLS. The extra weight makes it very difficult to lift the bed to get to storage. We are very disappointed. We had a 2005 JayFeather that we never had issues with so we stayed with Jayco.
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Old 06-13-2020, 10:19 AM   #18
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Pete's t.v. In ct. Have been very good to me over the 4 years I have owned my rv. They have gone out off there way to fix the small things that have gone wrong with rv. Service department is out standing. Great people to work with.
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Old 06-17-2020, 12:24 PM   #19
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Camper_Bob nailed it.

Not much to add just unhappy people are more likely to write reviews than happy.
Ditto. Good write up.

And buying a good unit used is a great way to go, especially if it’s a newer than 2 years old Jayco with some warranty left on it.

An important buying reminder for first time RV buyers would be to START negotiating at 1/3 off the sticker price. Buying an RV new is not like buying a car, lots of people overpay the first time around.
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Old 06-17-2020, 12:42 PM   #20
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It's been two weeks.... where did the OP go?
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