RV Shows
RV shows are something of a puzzle. On one hand, you get to see a lot in a short period of time. And yes there are some good deals to be had and you’ll see things you might not of heard read about before hand.
However, after attending a few of these shows I discovered what I call, “RV Show False Equivalency”
At shows, RV’s appear mostly equal.
Here I’m referring to Class A motorhomes. Travel trailers may be different.
The danger here is that you’ll look at a gas coach that’s half the cost (or more) of a diesel. The gas coach will look great and might even have more features like drop-down beds and built in hammocks.
It’s tempting to to see a coach tens of thousands less that seems to have all the same bells and whistles as the their more expensive counter parts and think I could get by with this.
Think again.
There’s a reason those other coaches are more money and it’s in places you can’t see. More robust axles, beefier transmissions, bigger batteries, better tires, etc. Unfortunately, it takes a bit research and digging through numbers and web sites to really understand the capabilities and limits of an RV.
I came close to pulling the trigger twice on coaches only to bail just before signing the dotted line. Why? Because I listened to more experienced voices and did the research.
So go to RV’s shows, but don’t buy there. Make appointments to visit the dealership, signup for rebates and show specials but don’t get caught up in the glitz of the show.
Next time I’ll talk a bit out all those strange numbers you see in the
back of brochures like GVWR and NCC. Make no mistake, their
important and it’s where that extra money goes in higher priced RV’s.