Buying an Aerolite 213

[Redtail cruiser]

Apparently, the 213 unit that I was going to purchase was severely damaged during shipment. The large storm earlier this week (Patricia) flooded the roads and the carrier and trailer were amongst the casualties. They told me via email that I can place an order for replacement .

My thinking is maybe if I order a unit this winter, I might stand a better chance of getting one that is not as rushed thru the assembly process, as it would if I waited till early spring when demand will be much higher. Does that sound plausible, or am I kiddin myself?

[wyo]

Redtail.... That's a bummer.. I would think winter, the weather being rougher, the work force would rather be home staying warm than in a large cold plant making trailer for the rich and famous(like us)lol ..... Of course a lot of RV shows will be happening in the next couple months and good deals come with them.
On another note Our Bumper mount and grill came yesterday.. from the deal we made at the show when we bought ours... Nicer than I anticipated..

[lcv800]

Talk about bad luck!

[lcv800]

Just thinking, perhaps the dealer will throw you a bone of some type if you re-order from him?
Rusty

[wyo]

Breaking day last Saturday morning. Parked at the shooting range in Ridgway, Pa. Lovin life.

[Redtail cruiser]

Has anyone bought their rig from RV Wholesalers? They tout having 30 to 35% discounts off MSRP and having a nationwide network of service centers. The reviews I've read are mixed, some say their great, while others say their the worst. I've just sent in an email quote request on the 213RBSL I want, so I'll see what kind of price they offer, but I would like to hear about any first hand experiences.

Thanks,

[wildwest450]

No experience with them, but after reading horror story after horror story on bad and non existent RV service, I would only buy one from a local dealer, my dealer is 50 miles away and I don't regret it for a minute.

[Redtail cruiser]

Well, now I'm really torn between to different trailers. Because of the issues my local Dutchmen dealer's having getting a hold of a 213 Platinum that hasn't been damaged or wrecked, I went to a Lance dealership this past weekend and looked at their 2295 model. Aside from the fact it only has a queen size bed (60"x 80"), the Lance offers everything that the Aerolite does and then some. The storage in the 2295 is amazingly plentiful both inside and out. The MSRP's on both units is comparable, but the Lance typically sells for a few thousand more: however their resale value stays higher as well. Now I have a decision to make, but considering the Lance is manufactured here in SoCal and won't have to be shipped thru flooded roads and hurricane winds, maybe it will be a "no brainer".

[wyo]

Yes it does sound like a no brainer...

[DesertRat]

Tim
I would go with the Lance. Made here in Lancaster with 2 year structural warranty. Other thing is there are lots of nice places to RV here at this time of year.
You can sign up for a factory tour to make sure it's a no brainer.

I know my nephew has a Lance camper & he sure hasn't had any problems. It's just getting to small for his family now.

[wahoonc]

I know that given the choice I would go Lance. We are shopping right now and if we go TT it will be a Lance. We may go small moho, but that is still up in the air.

Aaron

[wyo]

Pretty happy guy here.....
Got my camper back last friday ..
New Shower door(slider) "warranty issue" no more climbing over toilet...
Bumper mount grill "promised in sale"
Then I added this valve to drain down my Hot water heater..
and a couple shelves (not shown)
Liking it better all the time..
Next: going to put draws under the bed(wife doesn't like having to pick up bed to get in that storage area) and draws under dinette seats.

[hddecker]

I wouldn't even need the factory tour, I took a look at the videos on the Lance web site and when I saw how they string their wiring harnesses (yes they make real wiring harnesses) and some of their other construction techniques I knew I made a mistake buying my second Thor product.

Look at the Lance videos, then go check out the Dutchmen videos. Lance is the hands down winner.

[GTWags]

Dang it! I shoulda asked for a door.

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by wyo

Then I added this valve to drain down my Hot water heater..
.

Nice shower door!

Not to be a downer but, if you run across the same kind of problems with water that we do, you may want to rethink your drain on the HW tank.

Every year when I dump the HW tank, I have to flush it 4-5 times to get all the crud out of it.
You will pick up all kinds of sand, rust and stuff when your on well water. Most of the camps we stay at are on well water, so if your only camping were they are on city water you could be OK.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by hddecker

Nice shower door!

Not to be a downer but, if you run across the same kind of problems with water that we do, you may want to rethink your drain on the HW tank.

Every year when I dump the HW tank, I have to flush it 4-5 times to get all the crud out of it.
You will pick up all kinds of sand, rust and stuff when your on well water. Most of the camps we stay at are on well water, so if your only camping were they are on city water you could be OK.

I use a filter at the entry point to stop crud from getting in. Currently using this one from Wally mart. Gets changed every year. I stick it on the hose before filling the fresh water tank too.

Aaron

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

I use a filter at the entry point to stop crud from getting in. Currently using this one from Wally mart. Gets changed every year. I stick it on the hose before filling the fresh water tank too.

Aaron

I'm doing something similar, but I am going to be using the ex-water filter out of the camper.

Some genius thought that a good place to have the filter would be right out near the wall. Now I ain't got quite the fat a$$ I used to have, but even after I take all the crap out from under the sink and disassemble half the base cabinet, it was all I could do to get in there to change the filter.

Cut that sucker right out of the line and put in a straight Pex fitting. Pex to water hose fittings on the canister and I have an old angle iron a- frame that I've had kicking around since I don't know when. Hang the filter on the a-frame, hook up the water and the whole system will have filtered water

We'll see how that works out and if we need a filter for taste and odor I'll put one of them inline jobs, or use the Brita.

[Redtail cruiser]

I want to thank everyone for helping me make my decision on which TT to buy.
I decided on the Lance and ordered one in December. We went on the factory tour in January an saw our unit in the final build stage (very cool). While waiting for delivery I built a storage shed to keep her in. We took delivery the first week in February and took her on a shakedown run to Doheny State Beach two weeks ago.
We are very happy and again thanks for your guidance.

Here's a few photos

[hddecker]

Tim

Congratulations, I think you made a wise decision.

Lance would be on the top of the list if we were going to buy a new TT.