Get a new TT or stick with the old

[Fisch06]

I am relatively new to all of this. Purchased a 1997 jayco eagle 230 to hunt out of. Now wife and dogs and I are planning to camp. Quarters are a bit tight and we went to a show and drooled over the new ones. We looked at jayco and rockwood. Loved them both and really liked the windows on the rockwood. Loved two year warranty from jayco and the fact that everything seemed high quality in both the mini lite and the jay feather.
So knowing we are only a couple with two lazy hound dogs, do we give it a go in a tight old school eagle or trade for slides and luxury keeping in mind I will hunt out of it again. TV is 2012 sierra 2500 6.0
Help!

[theoldwizard1]

New RVs loose a lot of value in the first couple of years. Shop for one that is 2-4 years old.

[scbwr]

If you are going to be using a travel trailer for new purposes i.e. traveling to new places, extended camping trips, seeing the country then I would suggest getting a newer trailer. But if you're not sure what will really meet your needs, save a few bucks and buy a lightly used trailer. You need to travel in a trailer to see how much space you really need and what ammenities are important.

We really like having an outdoor kitchen and use it a lot. However, it is a feature that isn't found on many trailers. We take longer trips (6 weeks or so) and like to have storage space. And we like to have a decent sized bathroom. We bought our 2201DS because it had those features but could be easily towed by our Tundra. But we did get tired of only having a dinette and no couch, so we just took out the dinette and replaced it with a couch and end table which I think we are really going to enjoy when we head out for trip down south next week.

I do like a lot of what I see in the Jayco products and we were looking at them when we discovered the Winnebago line of trailers. I would suggest that you take a look at the Winnebago line as most owners have been very happy with their products. And now that they have been back in the TT business for a few years, you can find used trailers that can save you some $$.

If you want to consider a four season trailer, take some time to look at Arctic Fox/Northwood or Lance trailers. If I had your truck, I would consider the benefits of a true 4 season trailer with better insulation, thermal pane windows, etc.

[qtla9111]

If your TT is in good shape, why not give it a facelift and put the money in the bank. I hope we can keep ours for a long time.

[Jebby14]

my sig says it all. I like my solid old rig that's long been paid for

[bikendan]

Fisch06 wrote:
Loved two year warranty from jayco and the fact that everything seemed high quality in both the mini lite and the jay feather.

the mini-lite dealer didn't tell you that Forest River offers a 2nd year factory warranty for only $150.
they prefer to sell the expensive 3rd party extended warranty that they get a commission on.

[AJBert]

Keep in mind there is a difference between a camping rig and a hunting rig. Yes, you can use the same one for both but you will treat a new camping rig much different when hunting, particularly if you have hunting buddies that will also use your rig.

When my wife and I ended up getting our TT we both had to compromise. It works for us though I think it has too much and she wishes for more. I wanted it more for hunting and her for camping. She still gets made at every little nick or stain where as I'm fine with little things as I use it for hunting mainly. Heck, she even wants to put a TV in it! I want to pull the a/c and microwave out.

Compromise is the name of the game.

[Old-Biscuit]

The bug has bit......

Swami sez "I see a new trailer in your very near future"

[Dick_B]

If DW hasn't camped with you before suggest giving it a few times out to see if she likes it. Wouldn't want to spend $$$ on a new rig and end up by myself.

[Terryallan]

It really is all in what you want. New it great. I would personally be wary of towing a 20 year old TT around. Especially knowing the improvements, and advancements in the new ones.

I would however suggest buying from a Reputable LOCAL PRIVATE and if possible Family owned Dealer, as opposed to a huge company franchised dealership.

[junmy3]

Just my experience. We had a 2005 25ft. Sunline Solaris with no slides. We sold it and bought a 2016 Jayco. We have had a lot of little things wrong with it. Also have had a lot of problems with CW doing the warranty work. Sometimes they blame Jayco and then Jayco blames CW. If I had to do it all over, I would have spent some of the money we paid for the new Jayco and fixed up the Solaris.