Would You Buy A TAB That’s Been Open On Display At A Show

rbtx · September 2019

There‘s a local show featuring lots of travel trailers this weekend including TABs. The focus is on close-outs of the current year models but new 2020’s will also be there. Would you buy a trailer that’s been at a show? I think about the hundreds and hundreds of people that go in and out of those trailers throughout a 3-day weekend with plenty of hands touching everything from cabinet doors, appliances, to electronics, people stepping in and out of showers to size them up, etc. Seems to me it would be more potential wear to a trailer in 3 days then we’d experience in a few years in our own trailer. We’re not planning to buy at the show, but part of me thinks it would be smart to take photos or keep track of any models of interest to be sure we don’t buy any of those show trailers returning to the lots, but buy one of their brothers or sisters instead. Is it just me that thinks that way?

Sharon_is_SAM · September 2019

I guess I would consider the show attendants viewing the TaB as a little stress test. If the TaB is in good shape after all that viewing, I would say that is a testament to the nuCamp quality. And you may get it for a good price to boot because they don’t want to transport it home!

webers3 · September 2019

I bought a used home, I bought a used car, I bought a used trailer, don't see any problems with buying one that has been in a show. You still have to do the due diligence and check to be sure all is well with it before buying, as you would with anything else, right?

VictoriaP · September 2019

Non issue. Anything wrong with it—and there shouldn’t be, T@bs hold up better than most to the show environment—should be fixed by the dealer prior to purchase.

jameskuzman · September 2019

Assuming it underwent an inspection by factory reps and I had the opportunity to do a first-hand inspection at show's end as well, it wouldn't put me off at all - especially if you get a good deal (which you should).

rbtx · September 2019

Interesting feedback so far. I recognize broken knobs or hinges, etc. can be replaced. I was thinking more along the lines of a thousand pairs of feet shuffling across the floor, hundreds of bodies up and down on the cushions and even mattresses trying them out. All will probably look fine after the show (they should). But that gives it all quite a head start on wear that isn’t necessarily visible and a person presumes they’re buying new (referring to trailers that didn’t sell at the show and are returned for sale as new on the dealers lot), but it wouldn’t seem as good as new to me as something that didn’t appear at the show. I had the ‘privilege’ last year of walking through a few RVs just returned from a show and no corrective measures or cleaning measures yet done - they definitely saw some abuse, no doubt. Thanks, all, for the viewpoints thus far. Love this forum. Best group of forum travel trailer owners out there!

Cbusguy · September 2019

Depends.......

Everything has a life cycle. Drawer pulls, hinges, faucets, valves,. The trailer gets several years worth of wear in a week.

We looked at a show model. Dealership offered no discount. The cushions were very abused, the refrigerator didn't close correctly, and who knows what else. It had wear issues.....

No thanks. I can wait for the one I ordered

Tundra57 · September 2019

I bought a tab 400 that had been driven to one show. The seller had been careful with it. There was no external sign that it had been shown. The plastic covers had been left on everything. They reduced a little and it was the only one around with the color and options I wanted. I have had no issues related to it's showing and am very happy with it. I guess it depends who showed it and how responsible they are.

Lil_Lucy · September 2019

In 2015 we attended an RV show and my wife fell in love with a new 2016 T@B 320-S. The dealer was offering a decent show discount so we put a down payment on it and signed all the paperwork right there at the show. When we left the show I told the salesman to make sure everyone wiped their feet because that was our trailer they were going into.
As I look back on it all, this was before I knew anything about “zombies”. So I suppose a boat load of them went through our unit but the salesman was there to answer all their questions. I didn’t have to keep repeating the same things over and over again.
We’ve been using it for 4 years now with all the original appliances and equipment that came with it. No problems or issues. We still love it, except now I have to deal with the zombies on my own.

atlasb · September 2019

We purchased our 320 that was set up for the shows. It had ALL The Options and none of the issues. Got it at a great price as end of the year.I think most people that looked at it, peeked in the door with out going in. No problems with it at all. used it for several years and moved up to the 400 when they came out. Same great product and service! Love the 400.

MiquelCamo · September 2019

Most of the wear on a trailer occurs when towing or when actually using the systems (refrigerator, stove, black/grey tanks, Alde, etc...). It's likely that folks looking would not even sit down, only those who were reasonably serious which is a small subset of the RV community. Even if everyone walked in and sat down I wouldn't have a problem getting a great deal on a trailer from a show.

rbtx · September 2019

After attending the show yesterday, I definitely would not buy a show trailer, but that’s just me. Those trailers got used hard - at least the ones of interest to us. There was a constant flow of people in and out of them, people trying out every surface, kids climbing all over anything they could, drawers and fixtures being manipulated, etc. We even went in one that seemed to have an odd odor when we walked in - upon opening the bathroom door it was obvious somebody had just been in there and smoked pot. It was overwhelmingly strong. At an RV show! I had been in a couple of these exact trailers at the dealer lot recently and the new wear on them was obvious at places. Sure, some of it can be cleaned up, but I’d bet there’s a fair amount of scuff marks, scratches, etc. that won’t. Not to mention repeated opening and closing of drawers, compartments, etc. I don’t know. If I’m buying new, I want it to look and feel new and seeing what these trailers went through didn’t give me that feeling. And we were just there a couple of hours out of the 3-day show. I realize many people are mostly concerned about the main functions and components that wouldn’t see wear at the shows, but I just see a lot of head start on internal wear, among other things. Most trailers have enough issues on their own without the help of this much extra wear. Of course, someone could say we were part of the problem since we were looking, too, but we are very careful compared to what seemed to be the norm. I think it was a good show for the dealers - lots of people and often waiting for lookers to clear out so others could get in.