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Old 03-03-2016, 02:58 PM   #1
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New to RV World/Test Drive Camp Axis out of St. Louis

Forum members, I'm planning on Test Driving and Camping an Axis 25.2 before purchase. First RV ever. Out of Saint Louis later part of April Early May any suggestions for a newly retired RV Newbie......

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Old 03-03-2016, 03:26 PM   #2
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Although test drives are normal test camping is not.

For the test drive, the method I employ is

Find an empty parking lot large enough to maneuver making tight turns and backing. A first timer should pay particular attention to the coach pivot point and tail swing while doing this. Think of this as entering and exiting a gas station.

In and around on local roads and state or US highways.

A minimum of 20 miles on the interstate allowing for trucks to pass to determine the effects of wind and drag on handling.

The test drive on my current Challenger was 50 miles and took 1.5 hours. I set the terms for the test drive and never allow a dealer to dictate those terms. If I purchase a coach that does not handle well it is my fault. I have walked away from numerous dealers because they balked at my test drive conditions.

Also, and this is extremely important, test drive the specific unit that you are interested in purchasing. Do not allow a similar model to be used for the test drive even if is the same year and floor plan. Due to the assembly process things that impact handling can be different. Tire pressures, alignment settings, engine performance can be different and make the difference between a successful or failed test drive.

Not sure about your state, but in mine there is no cooling off period for an RV. When we purchase the deal is over so I am a total a**hole when it comes to the test drive and purchasing process.
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Old 03-03-2016, 03:46 PM   #3
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Thumbs up

Thanks Dave, I bow to your experience and plan now on being an a***e also Will also push for actual unit, for the test camp.
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Old 03-03-2016, 03:59 PM   #4
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You'll want to get a copy of the crowd sourced Axis/Vegas manual (found on this thread here http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f17...ists-2488.html ).

It will give you a feel for the kind of questions to ask the dealer and things you should be looking for.
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Old 03-03-2016, 04:10 PM   #5
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Don't forget about all the discussions on alignment issues.... Our 24.1 Axis pulled to the right during the test drive and I thought that it was going to be fixed when we picked it up at the dealership. In hindsight, I would have told them that I would make the purchase if they fixed the alignment issue beforehand. Now, I will probably have to pay for the alignment myself.
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Old 03-03-2016, 04:36 PM   #6
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Thanks, I knew I'd get great advice in this community!
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Old 03-03-2016, 04:42 PM   #7
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I have done some research locally on the Dealer https://mbthomasrvsales.com/, MB Thomas RV in Saint Louis. Anyone have any first hand experience? It certainly pays to investigate, it helped me eliminate at least three dealers.
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Old 03-03-2016, 04:57 PM   #8
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Athenn,

For my two cents, look at the coach batteries. If they are Harris Batteries request they be changed out for another brand. I (and others on this forum) have had problems with Harris Batteries. Mine went "sulfate dead" in the first 4 months and NO ONE honored the warranty: Harris flat out refuses to honor the warranty for batteries in a Thor product that has WFCO converter, Thor does not cover batteries under their warranty, WFCO (the company that makes the charger/converter) says it is not their fault and Camping World did not have a dog in that fight so they did not cover the batteries.

Bottom line: the owner (me) got stuck buying two new batteries. I got two Exxide batteries from CW (with a CW warranty) and have not had a problem the past 4 months!

Doc
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Old 03-03-2016, 05:00 PM   #9
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Look them up on RV Service Reviews
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Old 03-03-2016, 05:00 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Athennesy65 View Post
I have done some research locally on the Dealer https://mbthomasrvsales.com/, MB Thomas RV in Saint Louis. Anyone have any first hand experience? It certainly pays to investigate, it helped me eliminate at least three dealers.
We bought our 2015 Chateau from MB Thomas in July 2015. They were great to deal with (although the salesman walk through was not the best). We had it in for some very minor warranty repairs and they got it done in a week. They even found a corrected an item or two that we didn't know about.

Oh, and their price was WAY, WAY, WAY better than we found elsewhere. I don't want to talk amounts on here but if you are interested send me a PM.
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Old 03-03-2016, 05:19 PM   #11
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If/when you decide to pull the trigger don't be afraid to add conditions of sale to the purchase offer. On my prior class c I included vent covers and replacement of al CH751 cam locks with combination cam locks as a condition of sale. For my Challenger I included full tank of fuel (80 gallons), full tank of LPG, 2 vent covers, rear tire valve extenders and correction of three items found during the test drive as conditions of sale. The only item the dealer had an issue with, surprisingly, was the full tank of fuel. They were only willing to include a half tank (40 gallons) max.

Do not sign the final contract until after the PDI is complete and the conditions of sale are met. In my case during the test drive I found the message center info button was sticking and when it was not corrected for the PDI (I checked all COS items before starting the PDI) we left the lot and told the dealer to call us when the switch was replaced. They called us 2 hours later and the PDI began. During the PDI we found 2 items they had to correct. We initially arrived at the dealer for the PDI at 9:00 am and signed the contract at around 5:30 PM. We have been extremely happy with the purchase except for the fact we have not taken it out more than we have.
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Old 03-03-2016, 06:48 PM   #12
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Great advice above. And as Dave points out, do not sign and drive out with just a promise from the dealer to fix things discovered in the PDI. Tell him you'll be back to sign the paperwork and give him a check after he calls you back and says everything has been corrected.

The manual I sent you is specific to Vegas/Axis; however, you should still find a lot of it useful no matter what model you decide on.
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Old 03-03-2016, 10:47 PM   #13
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Thanks again Ed, have my eye and heart set on an 2016 Axis 25.2.
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Old 03-03-2016, 10:53 PM   #14
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For a rental fee, I'm going to test Camp the unit I'm interested in, first time RV Camping. Any Suggestions, thought I would stick to KOA campgrounds?
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Old 03-03-2016, 11:14 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Athennesy65 View Post
For a rental fee, I'm going to test Camp the unit I'm interested in, first time RV Camping. Any Suggestions, thought I would stick to KOA campgrounds?
There is a Yogi Bear campground right out I44 so it would be close to the dealer... assuming you are renting a unit from MB Thomas. I have not been there in a long time but it used to be nice. Also close to Meramac Cave State Park. Cave tour is great if you have not been gone.
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Old 03-05-2016, 04:55 PM   #16
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Welcome ! Our 2016 Axis 24.1 found a happy home.
We are in Kansas and made our purchase from Camping World in Grain Valley, MO east of KC...in addition there is a CWorld in Columbia. In past years we have visited most of the RV dealers in St. Louis. We drove the unit in a nearby parking lot and on I-70 for a number of miles. We are experienced campers, so knew exactly what we wanted.
If available, compare units which have the living room slide, as opposed to the bedroom slide in the Axis/Vegas models.
I cannot add any additional information, ... to reiterate...be ware and make sure you are comfortable before leaving the lot ! Our 'shakedown' was the drive home..about 1 1/2 hours .. in 35 degree weather...Ron tested everything he could while driving down the road...all went well. Someone will advise that you have the front aligned ... some have it done by the dealership ... some prefer to have it done by a 'truck' center (our preference) ... yes it is $$$ out of pocket, but he feels it worthwhile. .. Even tho ours drives very well out of the lot, he plans to have the alignment done before we hit the road.

Enjoy !!
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Old 03-05-2016, 07:30 PM   #17
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Smile

Thanks, curious about the comment" If available, compare units which have the living room slide, as opposed to the bedroom slide in the Axis/Vegas models." do you think there is an advantage I'm missing? Or operational problems?
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Old 03-05-2016, 08:39 PM   #18
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I think one of the things you need to be aware of is how the bed folds so that the bedroom slide can be retracted. Compare the bed layout in models without the bedroom slide to those with a slide. Do you prefer fulltime twin beds, a king bed (configuration option), of a queen? Do you put a premium on having more lateral space in the kitchen area that a living room or dinette slid provides versus having no slide in the living area? Do you want a corner bed or one you can walk around?

So what is handy to answer those questions or to make those comparisons is to actually see each of those models rather than just looking at a floorplan. All those bed options have real differences in how easily or hard it is to make a bed. You can also try the mattresses and see if any configuration has one person crawling over the other in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

Especially with the new floorplans for 2016, I would not just want to look at a 24.1 to make a decision about the other floorplans.
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Old 03-06-2016, 12:04 AM   #19
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Great advice, Our choice is motivated by the crawling over one another to get out of the bed. Had not thought too much about what happens when it is retracted, thanks again.
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Old 03-06-2016, 12:11 AM   #20
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I agree with Ed. We have had a corner bed, a hide a bed, and another end bed...we made our decision on the 24.1...as we did not want to climb over one another...hide a beds, even with an upgrade mattress leave something to be desired...we are older and do not mind the twin bed configuration of the 24.1 and if we decide to make a king out of it, we can ... We have had a dinette and we have returned to the couch ... We enjoy the additional space with the slide in the living area.
So, as Ed said...take the chance to view and have the slides operated on each different unit..then make the choice which best suits your personal preference.

Looking forward to hearing about your decision ! K
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