Buying a travel trailer...experiences

I think I am going to pull the trigger on a travel trailer. Living in AZ there is so much here to see and when its's 110* outside, who the hell doesn't want to get out of the heat for a few days. My GF does not like to tent camp, BTDT with her once (I will camp in anything anywhere).
I have narrowed my search down to about 4 similar models (Murphy bed with single slide), however, finding any of them used locally has been next to impossible.
I am not particularly thrilled about buying new due to depreciation after driving it off the lot.
There are some 2020's locally and I plan to look at one tomorrow.
For those of you who have gone thru the process, I presume it is not much different than buying a car.
What I would like to know is what is a reasonable expectation off of the dealers already advertised online price. When comparing the same model from state to state, I find the difference can be a couple of thousand dollars.
I am not really willing to travel over 1000 mi's to save $1K.
Please share your experiences.

UPDATE***
Thanks for all that gave their input. Went to 2 dealers today and looked at several models from Passport, Coleman and No Boundaries. It came down to the Keystone passport 199MLKE or the No Boundaries 19.6.
The build quality was so much better in the No Boundaries and the floor plan is just perfect if you want to entertain. Got a reasonable price including weight distribution hitch/sway bars. Will be having the brake controller installed this week. I know I'm pushing the limits of the taco with the trailer weight/tongue weight but most of my trips will be less than 150 miles but will include mountain passes.
Here is a preview:
https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/travel-trailers/no-boundaries/NB19.6/4763

 

Whatever you are looking at, use google. Check for recalls, complaints, and so on. One that I looked at had a known water intrusion issue. I was buying it (had down payment in and was waiting for them to do a detail and fix some things that it was suppose to have but didnt). Told them to check one particular spot. When I was scheduled to go pick it up, they called and told me there was water intrusion to the point that the trailer had to be shipped back to the manufacuter for a full frame off rebuild. I got my money back and decided to build my own.

 

We bought back in October. We looked at new and used and ended up buying a 2017 model Rockwood Mini Lite from a dealer that primarily sold toy haulers (so it wasn't his thing and he wanted to move it - it was a trade in). Just be patient and keep your eyes open. Do a good walk through and test everything. Look for water damage. The dealer I bought from really stood behind it (he put two new batteries in without me asking and even replaced the electric tongue jack two months down the road, without me asking, as I was there for some follow up services).

 

Been there. However, I had a living quarters that was custom made from a extended tack room on a goose neck 3 horse trailer. Thing leaked like a seive.
I plan to put a cover on it when not in use and since I am in AZ luckily rain days are few and far between. I have been trying to do as much research online as I can. Just like anything else, people who have complaints are those that are most vocal and may only make up a small sample size.

The Rockwood mini lite 2104S is on my list of approximately 15 murphy bed/slides that I was considering. There was a 2017 model in New River AZ for a little under 20K but it has sold (was that you?), everything else is 2020 or 21 and in the 26K range.
I will be looking at a Keystone Passport, the parent company is Dutchman who also makes colemans and several others.
Rockwood is Forest River. Thank you for some sound advice.

 

We looked around and figured out the layout we wanted, then started looking at new vs used.
Ended up buying a 2011 Keystone Hideout that was for sale on consignment at the RV Dealer.
It ended up being $11K vs new $18K+ and was spotless.

Don't forget all the other goodies that go with a trailer, eq hitch, brake controller, sanguage, airbags, sway bar, etc etc..

 

I would suggest looking at Nucamp
Intech
Casita
Lance

Much better quality than your typical RV manufacturers.

 

dealer dealer dealer

I thought about buying out of state and having it shipped to Washington since PNW prices are absurdly higher than most anywhere else when it comes to travel trailers but the shipping fee was going to be like $4000 so it was kind of a wash. Also it seems basically everyone says dealerships won't do warranty work on trailers not bought from them directly. I'm sure if you're the confrontational type that is willing to spend hours fighting, you could convince the dealership to do the work, but I prefer efficiency and ease.

My dealer has mostly been great in dealing with repairs. They ask when my next trip is if I have service and get it back to me before then so we don't miss out on any adventures. They took care of necessary repairs before handing the trailer over, etc.

All mass-produced trailers are complete trash. Forest River, Thor, etc. They're all owned by one of like three companies and they're all pretty shoddy quality off the assembly line, so I personally believe having a decent dealership is worth more than the brand (speaking in regards to mass-produced stick-built trailers).

Lance seems to be about the best mass-produced quality you can get for a "reasonable" price but even they were bought out by a large corporation and I'm seeing more people being skeptical about their quality as the model years move forward.

I've got a NoBo 16.5 produced by Forest River. I should have negotiated the price but I wasn't quite sure what the ballpark was supposed to be at the time so I basically said out the door for list price and they agreed to it. That trailer instantly dropped $4000 when I drove it off the lot but we were going for inexpensive as we weren't sure how deep into trailer camping we were going to get.

Now that I know how much we enjoy it, I would have done things differently and just dished out twice the money to get a real quality trailer like Escape that I know will last a lifetime and have minimum concerns about water intrusion etc.

But from what I've researched and seen, it doesn't matter whether you spend $10k on the lowest quality brand or $500,000 on a coach: driving a lazily put-together house through what amounts to basically a multi-hour long earthquake is going to break shit. So having a nearby, reliable service center is a huge benefit.

I'm hoping to abandon the NoBo in the next two years and get an Escape 19 or 21 built specially for us. I'm assuming I'll lose at least $5000 selling the NoBo but I suppose that's the lesson that you have to learn. The NoBo is fine, but I really prefer to subscribe to the "buy once, cry once" method and this time around, I let my skepticism get in the way. Next trailer will hopefully be a "buy it for life" trailer.

 

What model did you end up with and if you don't mind sharing the price range.
There is a dealer listing a 2019 Imagine XLS 19 RLE in Columbus Ohio for $18,495. I liked it but the new ones are a bit pricey. Looking to keep it around 20 or less.

 

Mike I looked at the Lance the 1985 was on my short list but unless I can find a used one, new is out of my price range. They do have very nice fit and finish.
This trailer is going to be for weekend getaways primarily northern AZ at some of the places I used to car camp. I have several friends with trailers and would like to get away with them.

 

At 5160 dry weight obviously too much for a tacoma. The Imagine XLS 19 RLE at 4200# would be pushing it. I'd probably not haul much past Payson/Forest Lakes or Prescott/Cottonwood. Occasionally to the rim.
My last truck before my 2nd Gen Taco was a F350 dually crew cab with the older diesel 7.3?L. I pulled (3) 1200# horses and a living quarters with it to KY from AZ. So BTDT.
It will be my GF and me with likely food for the weekend. Most of the campsites should have water on site, so I can fill up once I am there before settling in.
So I figure about 5000-5100 loaded without water.
Plan to add trailer brakes, weight distribution hitch. Will see if I can do a test drive before purchasing to see how it handles. I'm used to gooseneck trailers.

 

Cheapest route may be a new girlfriend, then do your camping in cooler months to avoid swelter.

 

The thought has crossed my mind
It's not the heat for her, it is the cold at night. She has degenerative disc problems with her neck and it causes pain and numbness going down her arm.
So...I'd rather have something with the creature comforts.

 

What dealer did you go thru? we are looking at a lance.

 

We owned a 2104s. A lot of open floor space for the length and Murphy bed. Very nice when you HAVE to be inside longer than you wish. But a few things to be aware of related to the Murphy bed.

a) It's makes the trailer hitch heavy (for a Tacoma) with the bed up at the front of the trailer (even without water/waste). You can get over payload VERY quickly. The pass through (relatively large) storage is in the front; adding to the hitch weight. Add a couple people and other gear in the bed and it adds up fast. And since the trailer sits so high the wind can be an added factor. Shorter trips can be fine if you are careful and have a good hitch.

b) The bed itself is poorly constructed. The barrel bolt latches that hold it up simply push into the fibre wood frame and wallow out quickly. Also Google problems with the piano hinge that the bed rotates on. Not a problem that can't be dealt with but fore warned is for armed. You don't want this Murphy bed if you need to be on any dirt roads. We did not, but our dealer had a very bumper gravel driveway that they used to move our trailer to a back lot waiting for service. Abuse by them, but it literally cracked the front fiberglass skin of the trailer. Fixed under warranty.

c) The Murphy bed makes it hard for them to put much *inside* storage for that size trailer. May or may not be a problem for you.

We had the 2104s for just under 4 years and enjoyed it immensely on very short trips. My wife wanted better interior storage so we traded for a 2109s last year. Lower to the ground, and a round vs "squarish" front so less wind resistance. No Murphy bed - whole thing lighter. All told a MUCH nicer trailer to *pull* with all the same gear/truck. And 1-2 gallons per mile better mileage. But less interior floor room.

Good luck with your search.

P.S. At least around here, Covid-19 has kept most of the parks closed (now beginning to open to in state folks). Some dealers are more desperate to sell than they would appear as they are paying interest on everything on their lot.

 

Thanks for the info. Didn't give much thought to the effects of the dirt roads on the structure of the trailer with the Murphy bed up.
Maybe leaving the bed down while traveling would make a difference to relieve the stress on the exterior.
Tomorrow I will be looking at the Keystone Passport 199MLWE to see how the layout is and build quality.
I will also look at some that have the queen bed in the front but facing rearward to avoid having to climb over each other to get out of bed. Ideally I want to look at models with a rear kitchen and slide for more living space if I go that direction. Making a list of those now.

 

An Escape 19 is on my shopping list in the next couple years. However I’ll be pulling it with a F-150 V8.

We’ve had an old Boler 17 for a few years and the thing is awesome. 40 + years old and it tows like an arrow and everything still works. It really sold me on fibreglass trailers.

A used Escape 17 is very light and somewhat affordable for towing with the Tacoma.