Buyer BEWARE!!

As with anything like this ... shopping for a new RV ... you better be at your best.  Buyer BEWARE is the name of the game.  Let's face it ... RV companies and their salesmen do NOT have your best interests at heart.  

Oh there are a few manufacturers that do, take Tiffin for example.  You can tell right when you walk in the door that they are well made with things like real WOOD instead of the cheap plastic stuff covered in wood contact paper.  

Anyway, the first order of the day was to see if my truck would fit in the garage.  Yahoo!!  Made it by a few inches.  Next, I was off to the RV world to see what I could find.  I've already done a lot of homework and know pretty much that I want a Keystone Cougar.

Small is the name of the game for me.  I really don't need a lot of room since I'm not living in it nine months a year any more.  These pictures are from the Keystone website.  Wasn't I lucky that Camping World actually had this one in stock.  

Let it be known I am NOT a fan of Camping World.  You drive it off the lot and they practically chain the gate shut behind you.  The horror stories are numerous.  Want to buy a folding chair?  The doors are wide open.

Here's the interior kitchen.  It's got plenty of room with fake hardwood floors (not a problem, I have dogs) and really nice white cabinets made of something akin to paper mâché,  but with glass doors, or maybe that was plastic.  It's very pretty and I love the white.  It also has a fireplace!!  Woohoo!!  I actually liked this rig a lot until I discovered when the slide is closed, you cannot access the bathroom.

Next one up, actually a 31 foot rig, has everything you could ask for, including comfy theatre seating.  It also has one solar panel installed to keep your two batteries going, with plenty of room (and pre-wired) for more.  A satellite dish is also pre-wired, a MUST in my book.  

It also has heated holding tanks if you're going to Texas.  Lots of bells and whistles here which I appreciate.  There's even plenty of room to strap Jonathan to the table, although during travel, he will have to be in the truck with the two dogs.  Won't THAT be fun!!  Cage fighting with a parrot referee!!

This one has a couch that makes in to a bed and a standard bench seat dinette area.  It has three slides, including the closet in the bedroom and does NOT close off the bathroom when they are closed.  That's a BIG plus.  You can even access the fridge ... I think.  

Outside, they all look alike.  It appears you have easy access to the dump handles without crawling under anything, as well as a 50 amp hookup.  That's a big plus for when it's hot and you're running the AC unit 24-7.  

The last time I was in Laughlin Nevada in the summer at 115 degrees, I blew the first hookup pedestal.  When hooked up to the second one, I never could get the temperature below 110.  I packed up and left because it was cooler inside the truck going down the highway.

So ... overall I'm not at all impressed with the cheapness of the build.  Flimsy panels, cheap materials, but it is what it is.  Time to get a price.  After all, Camping World was having a HUGE sale just for me!!

I have to admit, she was a very nice gal, not hard sell at all.  Here we go:

MSRP        $58,000

Discount      14,500   WOW, right?

Blah Blah Blah      Bottom line   $49,100

Interestingly enough, I had looked this rig up on Keystone's site.  After showing the paperwork to Dan, we discovered KEYSTONE'S MSRP was only $47,800.  How in the world did the MSRP climb the ladder of success by almost $9,000??  I even TOLD them I was an accountant!!  They should have known better.

Not that it matters, because I won't buy from them, but I hate it when they lie to you right off the bat.  They make people THINK they are getting a $14,000 discount.  WHAT A DEAL!!!  I'll be looking elsewhere.

Today I'm hanging with the puppies.  They are so happy I'm not that mean old grinch who yelled at them for two days.  I'm hoping they have short memories, helped along with a few new treats.

The hunt continues for a new RV.