Possible Redwood Purchase...

thomas861 · 11-03-2015, 12:39 AM

In the next few days.

Hello everyone, just registered and wanted to say hello and ask for some advice. My wife and I were on the road full time from early 2014 when I retired until this past August. We sold our home and put enough furniture in storage to furnish a small place if we wanted later. We recently decided to take a break and moved into an apartment in early August. After 3 months we both are missing the freedom of full timing in the RV.

We currently have a 2013 Cedar Creek 36ckts. It's served us well for the most part other than having to replace one of the air conditioners 6 months after hitting the road. We were in a hot spot and due to some family flying in to stay with us we couldn't wait for the warranty to take care of it and had to replace it out of pocket. After that I began to wonder if we would wear the RV out in only a few short years with continued full time living.

I have to say that anytime I passed a Redwood on the road or one pulled into the park we were staying, I'd always take note of how nice they looked. They all look brand new. Fast forward to now, I'd done some research on "higher" end RV's that might be more appropriate for FT use but never really thought we could upgrade anytime soon. Yesterday we decided to go check out a small RV show that was going on locally. The first unit we came to was a 38RL. It was similar in layout to our Cedar Creek but the extras and the build made us take note.

We moved on and looked at some other units including a Montana that had we had some interest in. The layout was nice but the quality just wasn't there. After looking at the Redwood everything else was a waste of time. We decided to take another look at the 38RL on the way out and ended ups spending a long time with the Redwood Rep in town for the sale. He indicated that he could offer some extra help to try and make a deal work for us. We had no intention of buying when we arrived but decided to let them see what they could do.

Just got a call from the dealer and the terms on the new 16 model, while pretty good were just beyond what I wanted to do. The dealer said he had been in touch with the Rep and he had found a new 2015 model identically equipped as the one we looked at. With the clearance pricing and factory incentives the payment is within 20 dollars per month of my Cedar Creek. Obviously I'm adding a few years to the financing but I feel like I'm upgrading my unit significantly. Pretty sure we will do the deal but I'm wondering what the 2015 will be missing that the 2016 might have ? Also looking for anything that I should specifically look/ask for before taking delivery ?

Thanks in advance for your input,

Thomas

Ford truck guy · 11-03-2015, 12:52 AM

If your comparing an early 2016 to a 2015, they are real close...if its a later version (fall release) the differences are a bit numourus .. The biggest is the straight roof line (standard)the energy manegement system, the 3rd ac,, (options).
We almost purchased a 2016 Cedar Creek ,until we saw the RW.. Like you, we could not do it, until the Redwood Sales Rep got involved with the dealer.. Between the incentives , push/pull , the dealer and RW, we got lucky!!!!
I hope it works out for you!

**Dave&Ginny** · 11-03-2015, 12:53 AM

Thomas,

the main thing that would turn me to a 2016 over a 2015 would be the possible 3rd a/c unit and the energy management system. Also, you have to consider the "lot rot" that happens on ALL rvs that sit on a lot for any length of time. Some of this "rot can be as simple as fine scratches in the paint from the dealers using brushes while washing or doors that have been slammed in RV shows. I would advise you to see what the build date is on the 2015 unit.

Good Luck

brenkco · 11-03-2015, 12:59 AM

Thomas,
Funny that you'd ask as a buddy of mine and I were going over the options for the 2016's. I don't know specifically what was available on the 2015's but if I had it to do again (we have a 2014 38GK), I'd want in addition to what we have:

8000lb axels with H rated tires
Disk brakes
Power reel cord
Wireless backup camera

FYI, our rig has:
Residential refer (would not go back to the RV frig)
Dishwasher (love it)
Fireplace
Replaced Trail air rotoflex with Trail Air Flex Air
Gen prep
2nd air
Heat pump on main air
Uniguard awnings
Slide in slide

We have also added Lippert's center point suspension

Ken

Ford truck guy · 11-03-2015, 01:11 AM

Look on the thread labeled 2016 equipment changes,,,there you will find a few attachments that show the options on the early and late 2016 models

thomas861 · 11-03-2015, 01:39 AM

Thanks !

The Residential Refer is a must. The first thing the wife said when I mentioned the 2015 was...dishwasher ? The 16 did have a heat pump on the main air and that would be something new for us, how does it work out ? I'm pretty sure we'd like to have that too.

brenkco · 11-03-2015, 01:45 AM

Thomas,
The nice thing about the heat pump is that you use the parks electricity to heat the rig. It works great until temps drop below about 40 or so. Then you have to rely on the furnace and your own propane (or the fireplace!)

Ken

slideone · 11-03-2015, 01:50 AM

The 2015 will have the heat pump. Power cord reel on our 15 was a must so the dealer installed it in the deal, no big deal. The straight roof line leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion, makes it look to square.....just sayin.

thomas861 · 11-03-2015, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brenkco

Thomas,
The nice thing about the heat pump is that you use the parks electricity to heat the rig. It works great until temps drop below about 40 or so. Then you have to rely on the furnace and your own propane (or the fireplace!)

Ken

Thanks, I thought I remembered someone telling me the heat pump was only good until a certain point. Still worth having it seems.

Ford truck guy · 11-03-2015, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomas861

Thanks, I thought I remembered someone telling me the heat pump was only good until a certain point. Still worth having it seems.

This is the first trailer I had with both the heat pump and fireplace... Both are a great addition... And I am NOT a fan of the straigh roof line either... As far as the dishwasher , my wife LOVES it... It all depends on the options that were ordered on that "15"

thomas861 · 11-03-2015, 03:07 AM

I found one 2015 on the dealers web site and if that's the one then there is very little difference in how it's equipped when compared to the 2016. In fact I like the paint scheme better on the 15. It doesn't have the gas stove or the second awning. I was surprised about the awning and a little disappointed. The wife preferred the gas stove but neither of the items would be a deal killer.

Of course saying all this, it may not be the unit they called me about. It would seem to be easier to sell the one you have in stock rather than going to another dealer.

Ford truck guy · 11-03-2015, 03:18 AM

That was a deal breaker for us..some items we did not want-- link pad , electric cook top , washer/dryer , generator.. Some MUST have options-- king bed , slide in slide , gas range and oven , 2nd air , sofa bed, 2 awnings , dishwasher, fireplace , heat pump , residential fridge to name a few..

thomas861 · 11-03-2015, 04:44 PM

Dealer called and it was the unit that I saw online. Headed down and if all goes well we will be making a purchase today.

Ford truck guy · 11-03-2015, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomas861

Dealer called and it was the unit that I saw online. Headed down and if all goes well we will be making a purchase today.

Good Luck!! Remember , Don't settle for anything.. Make sure it s 100% what you want.. If not walk away , something will turn up!!

thomas861 · 11-04-2015, 01:52 AM

Went to the dealership and after some discussion the wife decided that she wanted to see it personally. We hopped in the car and drove an hour to the location where it was and after an hour and a half of going over it from front to back, other than it having the induction cook top and not having the second awning we could tell no difference visually between it and the 2016 model we first considered. Actually there was one other thing, the paint was the black & maroon which I would have preferred anyway.

Went back and completed the paperwork. We think the dealer did a great job of working out the details to fit our needs. The Redwood factory rep's involvement also was a huge factor in this working out for us. Sunday we are just looking and dreaming and today we are the owners of a beautiful 5th wheel.

We are planning on heading to Kentucky right after thanksgiving on a 2 week "shakedown" trip. If there is anything that needs tweaking we will have plenty of time to take it back to the dealer for corrections before some more serious travels next year.

Thanks for taking time to chat with me here. I believe this is a great group of people and I'm sure I'll have more questions in the future.

I'm not sure if you can tell or not but we are two happy campers !

Thomas & Shana

Ford truck guy · 11-04-2015, 01:59 AM

Remember 1 important thing..... In the online world of forums , it really didn't happen unless we see pictures !!

Congratulations on the new RW !!!!!!!!

mhs4771 · 11-04-2015, 02:21 AM

Thomas, if you have access to a good current meter, connect it in line with the Induction cooktop and check the current draw using just a single element. Set at a power level of 10 it should draw 12 to 15 amps, if the max that us see is only 6 or 7 amps, it has a problem. Seems there is a software glitch preventing the unit from suppling full power. We just went through that issue with ours, would work to cook somethings, but never did get a large pot of water boiling for some pasta. Replace our unit and now all is good in Induction land.