New to the Forum

[jimmyriley]

Hello All,

Wanted to say hi and looking forward to viewing posts and learning from the experts. DW hasn't ever camped so we are going to try something new. I have not camped since I was a teenager and miss the outdoors. My passion is actually boating, as I am in the Navy for 25 years now, but I cannot afford to purchase a Frigate or Destroyer so DW and I decided on a TT

I am looking at either the Passport or Bullet due to weight limitations on my TV and they appeal to us the most.

Funny how out the 5 dealers I have visited so far, they all seem to say "you can tow 6700 pounds so lets look at this one that is 6500 which is under your limit". Even I know that is not accurate (with gear, people, water, etc...) but still smile understanding they are trying to make a sale. One non Keystone dealer told me I could get a 7500 pound Trailer and just buy another TV if it was greater than my GCWR. Another smile.

I appreciate your help in advance and look forward to conversing with you all.

 

[Festus2]

Welcome to the forum and hope we can be of some help to you now and in the future. If you are considering either the Passport or the Bullet, there are members on here who have both and should be able to provide you with their recommendations and observations.
You can do a search on this forum (if you haven't done so already) using the Search option and type in "Passport" and "Bullet". You will get a number of results if you do this for each one of those RV's. Some of the posts may provide you with some insight to help your decision-making somewhat easier.
It is good that you have already recognized the "You won't have any trouble pulling this...." pitch that nearly all salespeople tell you. You seem to have a good idea of what your TV capabilities are - leave yourself sufficient wiggle room - and don't let someone talk you into buying an RV bigger than what your TV can safely handle.
Owning an RV isn't quite like owning a boat where you are pictured in the shower throwing $$$$ bills away. I have been there and done that myself. Now I shower and only throw away $$ bills.
Welcome aboard and glad to have you with us.

 

[antiqfreq]

Welcome Jim and DH:

We look forwarding to hearing about your purchase and camping experiences.

Please keep us informed!

Jo/ Moderator

 

[Flyguy-KEY]

Welcome to the forum, glad to have you here. The Bullets and Passports are some of the lightest TT's around and having owned one for the past 3 years I still don't feel that I have given up anything to get the lower weight even against the new ones out there. Your Trailblazer is listed at 6800lbs of tow capacity for the setup that you have and you are correct to consider the Passports and Bullets, my 280BH grosses out at 6040lbs with an empty weight of 4580lbs and we tow at a total weight of about 5600lbs, ours is a 2008 and the new ones are just a bit heavier. Whatever you deceide to buy here's a PDI checklist to go through with the dealer to make sure that your new purchase passes muster: http://eaa1358.com/Passport/Pre-Delivery Inspection Checklist.pdf and your welcome to visit my homepage and go through all the info that I have stored there and download whatever you like. To access it just click on Flyguy in the upper left of this post and follow the menu to my home page. Now's the best time to buy a TT, most any dealer will want to deal on a 2011 and especially on a left over 2010. Look for a dealership that works out of a small dirt or gravel lot and not a big cement Tajmahal, he will be most willing to deal. Make your target range between $19,000 and $25,000 and you'll be fine.

 

[jimmyriley]

Thanks for the help so far

Flyguy,

I appreciate all the information you have provided. Wife and I are taking a trip tomorrow to RV Outlet USA in Danville, Va tomorrow. We will be looking at the 245RB, 250BH, and the 285RL (this one may be a little heavy though) to take a look. They have some pretty low prices already so should be interesting. I will take a look at the PDI sheet you provided the link for. Now today I stopped by our little Gravel lot Bullet dealer and talked for about two hours and asked well over 50 questions and when walking outside and tucked in the last row was a Bullet 250RKS with more cabinets than any other TT I have looked at. In addition, it had the bigger glass type enclosed shower that the DW really wants. Was quite impressed with the TT and an OTD price of just over 20K which includes installation and set up for an Equalizer WD w/ Sway control, Brake Controller, and Transmission cooler. They provide an upgraded Black water tank hose, Battery, charged lb bottles, Water regulator, adapter for the electric connection to house 110V so can plug in at the house, White freshwater hose, and a few other things I cannot remember right now. Also discussed extensively about Warranty and how they relate to customers. This is just another reason I am thinking about the Bullet as this place is 5 minutes from my house but the Passport dealership is about 3 hours away. This dealership provides cell phone numbers to each customer so they can call the lead tech at anytime day or night with questions. The dealership even has 2 camping trips each year for all their customers and they Cater/pay/ and sponsor the event. It is like a family. I was thinking this is either to good to be true or a great down to earth dealership. Will keep you posted.

 

[Flyguy-KEY]

Hey now that sounds great and just the deal that you need, I wish every member of this forum would take the sound approach that you seem to be taking, just remember, don't hand over any money until the PDI is done and anything on the punch list has been fixed! If you do that while it dosen't guarantee no problems at all it certainly takes you down a much safer road. Good Luck!! And keep us posted.

PS- There is a gas strut on the top of the Bullet door, check to make sure that the trailer wall mount is sturdy and secure, I have seen some where the mount bracket is flimsy and looks like it's about to come off so check this out.

 

[Firecapt-KEY]

Jim,

Welcome to the forum!!

Your local dealer sounds great if everything he tells you is true. Remember to check not only your towing capacity but also your max hitch weight (the total weight you can put on your truck hitch).

Remember, it's always best to be at only about 80% of your towing capacity on whatever your buy, and that's fully loaded. It's not just a matter of whether your TV can pull the load but a matter of safety as well.

Don't let any dealer talk you into anything, and don't get so emotionally invested in a particular trailer that you get blinded to what you really need.

I couldn't agree with FlyGuy more!! A comprehensive PDI is a must, since this will be where you "catch" any problems before the trailer leaves the lot. In fact, I advocate doing the PDI first, before signing any paperwork. That way you can stipulate that all repairs must be done before the ink is on the paper.

Good luck and I'm sure that whatever you end up buying you will have many incredible and memorable camping trips.