1st time trailer owner

When we got our 171 the windows were not sealed properly and we had te dealer caulk them

Hopefully you are purchasing from a reputable dealer.  On the walk-through record everything on a smart phone or other digital device, it will be well worth it as a lot of info will be covered.  We were like you, moving up from a '93 Jayco popup that slept six to a brand new (at the time) 2011  model 177.  Fortunately we have not had any issues with ours, except for owner error.  We have been blessed with our 177 going now on year 6.

Welcome.

Good luck on your new RPOD. We have not picked up our 180 yet so cannot tell you about our experience, only what we have heard.  RV dealers are not like car dealers. We always buy our cars at the cheapest dealer and then service them at our closest dealer.  Never had a problem.  In fact just being nice, giving xmas presents etc and we get always get royal treatment even not having purchased the car at that dealer.  However we have heard horror stories about RV dealers refusing service or taking many weeks for an appointment.  We called Forest River and they strongly recommend you buy at your local dealer.  they especially warn against buying from distant dealer and having the RV shipped.  In case there is warranty work needed they will fix it from a local dealer since forest river shipped the RV to them at their risk, but will not fix it if you had it shipped.  Thats due to the fact they do not know if the shipper damaged the RV.  Since you picked up the RV yourself that should not be a problem however you may find it difficult to get service at your local dealer.  We already know we cannot go back to one dealer that is 40 miles from us because we did not buy from him (he wanted $3000 more plus another $2000 for "options").  He said his service dept cannot handle more RV's than they sell.  A second dealer refuses to answer our emails or call us back.  So when we get our 180 we will have to drive the 100 miles to get service.  That being said most items are third party and any RV repair place can fix them (eg heater, refrigerator, hot water, stove, ac etc).  Only construction issues (leaks, loose doors, wiring, etc) need to go back to the dealer. 

Thanks for all the replys. The dealers seem decent, (Sprads in Reno), talked us out of the Lance even though we could afford it as it wasn't as off road ready. They did tell us to plan on at least 2 hours for the walk through and we were encouraged to video tape it. Hopefully it all goes well. Has anyone used the forever warranty they give out these days. They said for an annual $150 "inspection fee" pretty much everything is covered for the life of trailer. Seems like a scam to get you to use their service on pretty basic maintenance. I'm guessing most failures happen in the 1st year or 2, but like I said total newb to all the conveniences of these trailers.