Quote:
Originally Posted by terry and jo
First of all, consider where you will be staying for a time before buying a tow vehicle and actually traveling with the RV. I'm not sure the Tradition has the same insurance package that the Elite and Mobile Suites models have. We have a 2010 Mobile Suites and have been comfortable in temperatures ranging from up to 115 degrees and down to -6 degrees. The one issue we have had is that at about 0 degrees, the hot water line from the water manifold to the kitchen sink freezes up. It is only the hot water line, and we've never detected a leak, so I'm presuming that the PEX lines are why they don't.
As for structural problems, I've not heard of a lot of problems there, but then, mostly what are discussed here and at SOITC are for the Elite and Mobile Suite models and not the Tradition. Incidentally, while SOITC's website is operational, the search function there is not picking up posts that were made prior to the forum software upgrade. Their website:
SOITC (Suites Owners International Travel Club)
And Joe is right in that problems occur all across the RV spectrum of brands. Keep in mind that forums tend to attract people who are looking for the solution to a problem, so it tends to look like "brand x" has a lot of problems. However, the number of participants on the forums are very minimal compared to the number of owners of that (or any other) brand.
If you'd consider a used Mobile Suites (better insulation and frame), check out Rolling Retreats. They generally have a selection of good used ones and Joe is right that they have a good reputation for their PDI.
Rolling Retreats
Terry |
Terry: Thanks for the inputs! I have seen that you are a regular and informed contributor here, and in fact I downloaded your PDI checklist to use, so I particularly appreciate your input!
We are located in Austin, Texas, where the winter nightly lows are typically in the mid to high 30s, with only a handful of light freeze events per year. Plus, once my wife retires, we will make it a point to NEVER stay where the temperature can drop far enough to be a threat to our RV or uncomfortable for us! We plan to move only a handful of times per year, but to plan the moves based on climate! So, the somewhat lower R factors of the Tradition are not a problem for us - they are still WAY better than any of the prior 3 RVs we have owned! Plus, the Tradition we are looking at has the optional heated tank strips as well as the furnace-blown heat to the tank area, and has dual pane windows.
I looked at the Rolling Retreats website at their used models, but did not see anything that excited us, right at this time at least.
We would love the DRV "toyhauler" version, as we have a Harley that I really love to ride, but they start around $145k or $165k MSRP (we have seen conflicting info) which means a new actual selling price in six figures, and it hard for us to afford, and justify, that level of cost. I don't see any used ones yet.
There is an older version of the toyhauler (around 2012 model year?), but its low sales volume at the time limits its availability, and it had a very strange "movable garage wall" setup unlike the far more convenient current setup that has a glass sliding door between the garage and living area. With the old setup, there is no way of going from the living quarters to the garage without going outside and lowering the ramp!! And, the moving wall means you can't have anything "permanently stored" anywhere in the pathway of the wall!
Jim G