Towing vs. Hauling Trailmanor Across Country

[Craigrrr]

I too would have to agree , look at it in person before you buy. I drove 1300 miles to look at one, I was told it was good. Even pics all looked good, but when I was there I had found that the bathroom had pee all over the wood trim and turning green the shell did not close properly . It just was not as good as I was under the impression. I passed on what I thought was going to be a good deal. I drove home and looked some more. I then found a newer unit 8 years newer to be exact and it was only 40 miles away.

So the moral of the story is LOOK in person, your idea what good, bad and excellent condition varies person by person.

Oh one other one I made a tentative deal with was with a dealer, at the last moment he had told me there had been a tree branch that went through the roof and the front of the unit , but it was repaired. . PASSSSSS

[digditches]

We are also in Southern California. We have been looking for something within driving distance that's the model/year we're interested in for about six months and have found nothing. So, we decided to expand our driving range. We just found something in Nebraska. A friend of a friend purchased a TM two years ago and also had to go out of the area. I don't know the details, but I think they went to Idaho.

It's interesting that you posted this today because when I mentioned our find to a co-worker today, he suggested using an auto transport. After reading all the comments, we're going to explore that as an option. Currently, we're planning to make a bonsai run to Nebraska and back. We're concerned because of the potential weather and road conditions at this time of year ... not only as we go farther north, but also getting over the Cajon pass if our weather turns bad.

We have a feeling that the cost of using an auto transport vs. driving is going to be a wash. If we use an auto transport, we get to save our vacation days. If we drive, we get to walk away if we don't like it.

Before we even called about the unit, we spent a lot of time studying the pictures that were posted. Then, we spent a lot of time on the phone asking questions. They offered to do another video for us besides the one that was posted on their web-site. The salesman did point out a repair on the video that he wasn't aware of when he spoke with us on the phone. We feel comfortable that the unit is in good shape, but also nervous about buying something sight unseen.

Good luck to you. I'll be interested to know what you finally decide.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Hmmm...yes, cross-country trip with 1 and 3-year olds would be a bit dicey. You might end up giving the dealer money and not taking the camper.

As for buying a unit sight unseen, in addition to what's already been discussed, you can always take a red-eye to the east coast, or where ever you are going, to arrive at the airport at 6-8am, ask the dealer to pick you up (they will be happy to do so), spend a few hours checking it out, and then get back on a flight no later than 4-5pm. You'll be back home within 24 hours, and the whole trip will only cost you airfare.....maybe $400-$500. Free if you use miles or points.

Or, there are lots of forum members here that, if the unit is nearby, would very likely be happy to check it out on your behalf.

Another thought -- for some reason I was on the phone with the Casita factory several years ago. Casita doesn't have any dealers, so if you want to buy a new one, you have to pick it up in Texas. Or, you give the retired guy that lives next to Casita, whom they call upon often, and he'll bring it to your house. That kind of arrangement is more comfortable to me than a Uship bidder, but obviously much harder to make happen. Know any retired or unemployed friends or family that want to make some money?

Dave

[OCfamily]

I'll try to update as best as I can. We did ask for the video run down of the TM from the dealership and we should be getting that soon. Another point to add is that because it is a 2010 model, only 6 years old, that we would be more comfortable with buying sight unseen. We actually got the dealer to come down to 8k for the TM plus he thew in some minor extras. Right now I'm sitting at $8500 with all paperwork and state inspection. So hopefully if the delivery comes in at $2000, we feel that might be worth the risk of buying sight unseen. If seems like the forum feels hauling is the route to go if we decide to go with this unit.

Thank you

[HIKERZ]

If I were to have a unit such as a TM hauled on an open platform I would insist that it was not hauled positioned backwards. I think the wind/rain could have a negative impact on the shell and A/C unit.

[ChefLamont]

If the dealership is so large, they should have a rolodex full of shipping contacts. Have you pressed them for options? I would tell them that you haven't been able to find any reasonable shipping quotes and that is jeopardizing the deal. That might incentivize them to get you something reasonable.

I too given the choice would haul vs tow, but right now it doenst seem like you really have the luxury of the option. When you said 2K for hauling all the way cross country, that sounded low to me.

[Bill]

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but if bottom-line cost is a big deal - and of course it is - and if your wife can stay home with the kids for 10 days, then I'm still thinking road trip. If you calculate the per-mile cost of actually running your car, you might be surprised at where it comes out. I used to tell myself that it cost about 25 cents a mile to run my Explorer, but that is when gas was $3.50 a gallon. Now that gas is down around $2.00 average, the per-mile cost has dropped to about 15 cents. Gas is by far the biggest cost driver. Oil and tire wear are both about a penny a mile. And I don't count insurance since it is a fixed cost regardless of how much you drive, and I don't count value at trade-in since 5000 extra miles will have little effect. You can use different assumptions if you prefer.

So if you say 5400 miles at 17 cents per mile, you are at $918. Add $400 for 10 nights stay (cheap hotels on the way out, campgrounds on the way back) and $75 for tolls, and you are sitting sat about $1400. If space on a multi-vehicle 18-wheel car-hauler ends up costing $2500 or $3000 - well, you can do the math and evaluate it.

Just my thought. By the way, gas is now running $1.50 here in greater Phoenix, and will be less than that all across the midwest. Don't let those California prices discourage you!

Bill

[br2_wdc]

Originally Posted by OCfamily

Thank you Br2
I plan on taking the TM to a TM dealer in Ontario CA to have everything checked. The reason why I think it's a great deal is because in the west coast, a 2009 2619 at the Ontario CA dealership goes for almost $19k and anything 2010 and up is at least $15k-20k plus in nearby western states.

Thank you,

I believe I see your point, if what I see on rvtrader.com for the Ontario, CA RV dealer is correct: 2005 3124 for $15k? That seems quite high ...

Originally Posted by OCfamily

Thank you everyone for all the great suggestions and input. My wife and I frequent this forum quite a bit before we seriously considered buying a TM. The cross country road trip would be nice, but we have a 1 year old and a 3 year old so that becomes quite prohibitive. As for the 2619, we will be towing with a 2013 toyota sienna with towing package. I've read quite a bit of discussion regarding that as a TV (I'll spare everyone another discussion)...I have a 800 lbs wdh with sway control and tekonsha p3 ready to go. Because of our TV, we feel we are pretty much limited to the 2619 or 2720 model. We don't mind the smallest model as it fits our family needs...for now. And we live in an hoa complex so the TM would need to fit in the garage. So far my measurements puts this particular TM very tight in the spot where I'm thinking of putting it. The garage sits on a steep driveway, again another discussion at a later date.

As for the dealership, I've read all the reviews and agree that with such a large dealership that they'll be some unhappy customers but overall they have been good to deal with. I think we are pretty much set on this one just barring the delivery issue. At the beginning when we were shopping for shipping quotes, we were adamant about having it hauled, however the price is over $3500 and the current quote of $2000 to haul is going into its 3rd week as the broker is trying to find someone willing to fill a load. That's the reason why we are now contemplating towing it as the broker found someone willing to tow for 1700 but we declined initially.

The same dealer appears to have just put online a 2009 2619, but no price, which I am guessing is going to be equally inflated, but I'll post it below.

IMHO, no question spending a bit more and having the ability to take it back to the dealer you purchased it to hold them to their word if there is an issue makes the most sense to me, but again it's not my money.

I'll also play devil's advocate on one aspect of shipping cross country: proving damage occurred while shipping. Whomever insures your shipper would need proof, and how would you prove it haven't not seen it yourself? I guess you could have the salesman vouch for it and maybe use the pictures they took, but once they have your check/money, I am predicting they will be hard to reach. To me that also raises the risk factor for this unit, because over 3,000 miles a lot could happen.

Continued good luck with your options, and please keep us posted.



http://www.rvtrader.com/dealers/Cust...2619-117234164

[Bill]

That reminds me. Your shipper may not offer partial insurance. When we shipped a houseful of stuff and a car via ABF-UPack, the only insurance they offered was catastrophic total loss. They did a bunch of damage during shipment, none of which would they cover.

Bill

I have had experience with the So Cal Trailmanor dealer and all I can say is good things. I suspect anything used that comes off their lot has been scrupulously inspected and is in good repair. This might be why their used trailers are more expensive.

If I were in the OPs position, I would also feel comfortable and confident that I could ask the advice of the So Cal people about this rig - show them the pictures.