So, we know what to look for now. That's a big help with all the RV's out there. It's so true, what they say. If you don't like the RV you're looking at there are a bazillion more out there, so don't give up. After continually striking out on Craig's List, we decided it was time to visit a dealer. We were open-minded about either a new or used RV, especially since there are no motors or mechanical engine parts to worry about. Well, I suppose there are mechanical parts to consider but they aren't going to get us stranded in the middle of nowhere if they break down. Well, hopefully!
We visited our first dealer and met a nice salesman who wasn't pushy or condescending at all. In fact he was rather laid back. I liked that in a way. He did know his business (well, pretty much) and that was good, too. When we told him the features on a travel trailer we were looking for, he said he had none that fit our criteria. I had been pouring over the dealer's website for the past couple of days, so I asked him about the Z-1's I saw there. He slapped his forehead, I assume to clear the cobwebs of laid-backness, and said he'd forgotten all about them. He just happened to have the one we were interested in right in the next room, on the display floor. Go figure! Maybe I should have been offered a huge discount for doing his job for him?
We toured the trailer and it was very nice. There was some doubt though, but I couldn't put my finger on it right then. We left with some papers on the trailer we'd seen and a little (erroneous) information about how much our Trailblazer could pull. Salesmen sometimes tell you what you want to hear just to sell a unit to you. Just as we were leaving, there again was a nagging doubt rearing it's ugly but useful head when the salesman said, "Well you won't be pulling it in any mountains, will you?" He said it as more of a statement than a question. This kept rolling around in my mind.
We went home, talked and bided our time. Time is your friend, if you let it be, when making a big decision like this. I did more research and figured out that we didn't like the first trailer we saw and why. We needed a more comfortable sleeping arrangement. We have two little Chihuahuas that sleep with us, we sleep in separate beds otherwise there is too much fighting for bed space and blankets. The dogs don't get along in bed either! In the first trailer there was a queen-sized bed and a nasty little fold out couch... "little" being the operative word. It wasn't really nasty but I tend to be a bit "flowery". One of us would be comfortable and one would be miserable. That wasn't going to happen.
It didn't have an oven, in fact, none of the Z-1's we looked at did. Not a deal-breaker but definitely something to consider.
A week later we went back and looked at another trailer. It was much better in the bed department but we would learn through the internet that there was still something wrong with this picture.
We were getting a little weary of all the thought and time we were putting in on this venture and when I get that way, I tend to settle. Thank goodness we didn't knee-jerk and buy that trailer. I found out that the numbers (wheel base, weights and towing capabilities) were VERY important! Gee, no one had bothered to tell us that! Wake up, Mr. Salesman! This trailer was way too long for our Trailblazer, which is extremely wheel-base-challenged. We needed a trailer that was much shorter to be safe from the dreaded sway that plagues the unaware RV'er. We were looking at 28'-30' trailers...we needed closer to 21'-22'. I didn't find that out until I spent more time on the internet after seeing that second trailer. Now, we were planning to have a good Reese hitch and heavy duty sway bars, but I am a worry wort and wanted to stay within the parameters of safety.
Besides, on an RV forum they said to.
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