Noob steep learing curve
... many noobs bought on time [monthly payments] and now see they are paying for a product they don't use every day.
The RV market will suffer some from the glut of vehicles but some folks wanting to upgrade for a fraction of new cost can do so -- it pays to wait.[/QUOTE)
My noob experience began nine years and about 11 months ago when I paid cash for my first camper, a 2012 Jayflight SLX 185RB. Pulled it off the lot in Tulsa, and to my dad's house (he was living in an assisted facility) ran a chain through both rear wheels to keep it from leaving involuntarily and began planning my first misadventure. Did a 'shakedown' run to Palo Duro Reservoir (Hansford County Texas) without incident in late May. Nice to have water, electricity and a dump station handy! Things went so well I booked a site in New Mexico in Cimarron Canyon in June. Pulled into Tolby campground about 300pm and found my reserved spot. No water...no power...no nuttin...even though the reservation said had 'full hookups'. It didn't. I had 10 foot sewer hose and a 20 foot fresh water hose AND THAT WAS IT for a week of dry camping. And the first morning I woke up in the mountains, no propane. I had watched a man from Texas pull in the night before and rig up in about two hours. He appeared to know what he was doing. I began troubleshooting and found no propane to the water heater, fridge or furnace although the solo tank was full. The man came over and offered assistance.
His name was Lee, he told me he had been coming 'to the mountains' every year since 1946 either with his parents, or wife, so he knew a thing or two about 'camping'. He tapped on the propane tank and asked for a blade screw driver. Long story short, I had gone to Eagle Nest and bought a $35 regulator for the cook top, that didn't fix it. Lee vented propane from the overfilled tank and presto, I was in business. Over the next 10 days my soon to be DW and I got to know him and his DW and early on in our getting to know each other he laughed one night and said "You appear to know a bunch about a whole lotta things, but you don't know anything about campers and camping!" He was right, and set about enlightening me about 'the lifestyle'. In late July they stood up for us at the Vietnam War Memorial in Angel Fire and we are good friends to this day.