I'm looking at buying a travel trailer (not fiver) and have narrowed down my choices to between these two.

The Forest River Vibe 272bhs has dual entry's with is nice and also comes with a nationally supported lifetime warranty (so long as I bring it in for annual maintainance). It also has a better one-piece fiberglass front end which hides and contains the propane tanks. I don't love the bunkhouse setup in the rear, but it isn't bad and sleeps the perfect amount of people (we only need to sleep 5 comfortably vs the 9max). The drive out cost is $28,015 (including all charges)

The Shadow Cruiser 280qbs has the better bunkhouse layout that has its own door as well as TV connection and separate rear dining area. The interior layout is almost identical to the Forest River apart from that. It do not have a second entry for the restroom, but that's not too important to me. They both have aluminum structures and have the same 12yr roof warranty (which both do not cover labor past the 1yr b2b warranty). This unit does not have a lifetime warranty, so the appliances and mechinics are covered from 1-3 years max. The drive out cost is $25,437 (including all charges)

Considering that both units weight almost the same. Are roughly the same size with the same slideout configuration and are both bunkhouses, which do you think is a better unit in terms of ergonomics, quality, warranty (if you feel the lifetime warranty is a sales gimick), structure, brand, and experience (if you have owned either brand)?

Below are the brochures for each coach,

Vibe Extreme Lite West Travel Trailers by Forest River RV

S-280QBS - Cruiser RV

Both units come with 2 full propane tanks, deep cycle battery, and a $100 voucher towards for a 5000watt generator.

By the way, I'm paying cash and do not want to spend over $28,500 total..........not even a penny.

I also don't want to leave my area by more than 50 miles to find the trailer. Both of these are within a 30min drive from my house, which is great in case I need to choke someone at the dealership. I hate when yo buy something out of town and have a problem then get told "bring it by so we can take a look"

So if you post a different suggestion from what I've listed, it needs to be a trailer I can purchase within 50 miles of Corpus Christi for under $28,500 drive out. (Freight, TTL, inspection, make ready included in that price). And please post why you think it's better.

I will only look at units with an Aluminum structure as well as solid 1 piece fiberglass front cap.

 

If you're camping with kids, the entrance direct into the bathroom is GOLD. It helps keep the trailer so much cleaner and traffic out of the general space. That alone would sway me towards the Vibe.

 

According to the factory rep at the travel trailer show here in dayton...look at the under belly storage...see if it is insulated...look at the thicknest of the doors and walls at the doors...

The better rv's the wall is as thick as the door, and have insulation under the floor to help keep it cooler inside!

 

The doors are about 2.5" thick and both have insulated under carriages with ducted heating.

 

I would have to agree with the door to the bathroom being a great idea. Kids or not it gets dirty inside quick.

 

Is the wall the same thickness as the door frame?

 

Yes sir. Looks to be pretty thick honestly.

 

The large pass through storage picture on the vibe i snot insulated...not sure if the link will work...

Vibe Extreme Lite West Travel Trailers by Forest River RV

The quality ones you could not see the aluminum tubing....

 

I agree it doesn't have all the features of a much higher priced model, but this is the budget I'm trying to stay in. Not sure I've seen finished storage areas on models under $30k

 

I like the Forest River, I wish they had that model at the dealer when I bought mine, my 16 year old is tall and needs a bigger bed, we settled on a bunk house with the beds the Vibe has but the upper bunk is smaller and my daughter does not have as much room in it.


I noticed there is a 30 gallon black water tank, is that enough for you? I will use my porta tote for grey water but not black, I think my camper has a 42 gallon black.

 

If you can wait till the show next year you will get better pricing plus like cars...1 model year used will knock a ton off the prices...end of the year helps too as people want to unload them...(like motorcycles) Just going to a show will help you get a better understanding of all that is involved with these....

Coastal Bend Boat & RV Show in Robstown, TX - near Corpus Christi in 2015 not sure when 2016's happens

I saw some online...may not be in your area but you could use the prices to beat up your dealer on base price....in the $24,900 range.... its how I handle most of my dealers....tell him to match the price or get close so I don't have to travel to Missouri to get one $3k cheaper.... you can argue the dealer prep fees and such too plus transport fees...

I am looking at quads right now and the list price is $7,100...said he could come down like $500-$600 but I found them online for $5,800...so we will see how it all plays out...

 

At comparable price points, you will get comparable quality. Not in the post, but I would buy used rather than new or wait until the end of the camping season unless you just have to have one now.

If you don't buy from your local dealer don't expect to be first in line for warranty service or in some cases, any warranty service at all.

This really boils down to what you like. Point-by-point comparisons are not usually helpful as most of the points often make little difference to the user. What is important to you?

Steve

 

I would ask for dual 6 volt golf cart style batteries instead of a single 12v deep cycle.

 

If you want to check your local dealer's math, go to Jeff Couch's RV Nation's website. Here you can do a build and price just like on a car website. You have to give them your email but they will instantly send you the quote and will not harass you after that.

Here's a link to build and price your exact model. https://www.couchsrvnation.com/fores...price/164/1262

I got my trailer from them despite it being 800 miles away. They were 36% off the joke MSRP on an ordered trailer. My closest dealer wouldn't come anywhere near that. Actually, once I told them what they had to work against price wise, they refused to return emails or calls. LOL. If you call or email them, ask for Brannon. He's the best guy there. Mention my name to him.

Your local dealer will try and scare you into buying local saying they might not have time to service a trailer bought out of state. Most will still do it and for me, I'd rather fix all but the biggest things myself. Couch's is great about this too. You email their warranty dept. and they will order and send you any part you need. If they want the old one back, they will include a return shipping label. Forest River is also great about dealing with warranty items directly. I've handled it both ways on my new RV and it has been a VERY easy experience.

If you have any questions about buying from Couch's or FR in general, I just went through the whole experience and can help. Feel free to PM me anytime...

 

Don't want to beat the service issue to death, but whether a dealer will do warranty work is a genuine issue and bricks and mortar dealers are in a real battle with online dealers. It is a highly contentious issue right now and service availability really does vary.

If you can do your own work, it is not as great an issue, but it is real. I get calls routinely asking if I can do their warranty work as local dealers will not or at least are telling them it will be at least three months because they bought elsewhere. Many manufacturers will not work with independent service centers at all on warranty.

You should be able to find discounts off MSRP of about 35% multiple places. Warranties on RVs are really not like those on cars and trucks.

Steve