What to buy? 177 or 178.
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Topic: What to buy? 177 or 178.
Posted By: Jdub
Subject: What to buy? 177 or 178.
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2013 at 8:18pm
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First time poster, first time RV buyer, in other words clueless. After looking for quite some time at the smaller Airstreams to Casitas and have moved on to thinking an R- Pod would be just about perfect. Have a Suburban so towing weight isn't a critical issue but price, ease of use, longevity, etc. is. And we have friends who have a 177 and love it. So..... Went and kicked tires at the local shop (SLC) with the 177, and saw the 172 that has the same U shaped kitchen table as the 178....but they do not have the 178 to directly compare. The 177 was the deal closer...everything looked great but the extra length of the 178 might be better. We could drive 5 hrs to Boise and see a 178 in person. The sales guy was fine but really dumped on the U shape table of the 178 but I am not so sure. Hence the dilemma.... Any opinions on either the bench table of the 177 or U shape of the 178? Anybody got a 178? If so, why did you buy that instead of the 177 since it is a bit more $$. Worth it? Thanks for any input.....we will figure out what to do in the next week or two.
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Replies:
Posted By: JACKPOD
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2013 at 8:35pm
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We can't help you with 177 vs 178 as we have a 176. However, we love our u-shaped dinette. We've removed the larger and heavy table that came with and substituted a smaller collapsible/adjustable table that we found at Costco several weeks ago. It's just big enough for 2 plates and drinks or 2 laptops and much lighter. As hubby's bed is the dinette area, he cut a board the correct shape and I covered it with cloth. Works great. Whichever R-Pod you buy, sure that you'll love it. ------------- Pam and Jack Abby the Bichon RP 176 towed with 2013 Nissan Pathfinder |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2013 at 9:56pm
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Welcome.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 17 Mar 2013 at 10:13pm
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The 177 is a very popular model. From the forum signatures I'd guess the 177 is probably the most popular model. When we bought our pod we were not interested in the 177 because we preferred the bunks and lighter weight on the 172. We wanted a dining area separate from the sleeping area and bunks so we wouldn't have to crawl over one another getting in and out of the queen bed. That being said, and if we had been interested in the 177 layout, we definitely would have gone with the 178. The 178 was not available when we were looking, but I would have screamed bloody murder if we had bought the 177 and then had the 178 come on the market a few months later. We walked through a 178 at our new local dealer last weekend and really liked it. The U shaped dinette in the 178 and our 172 is really great. Lots of extra room for pillows, coats, mags and books, and other such stuff. And if you can use the room, the u-dinette makes into a larger queen bed. And it looks like the 178 has an additional outside accessible storage bin. You can really use that extra space for outside type stuff. I predict that the 178 will soon take the place of the 177 in the FR lineup. The extra 100+ pounds and 1'4" length will be no problem for your TV. You will be happy with either one, but I'd recommend the 178. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2013 at 4:15pm
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If I was buying today, I would choose the 178. That extra foot makes a difference. I don't care a whole lot about the u shaped dinette per-se.. There are just the two of us and the dogs, but the extra room after I removed the u dinette and built some stacking drawers on the door side and folding table and bench on the street side would be nice.. That is our next mod on the 177.. it will free up a fair amount of dog room... and we very rarely use the table/dinette area anyways. ------------- |
Posted By: coopercdrkey
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2013 at 4:43pm
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We love our 177 and would not trade it in for a 178, but if we were back at square one, and the 178 was available for a modest premium over what we paid for the 177, I would go for it. Originally I thought it might be pushing the limit of our TV, but the specs, once published, seem well within the capacity of our Grand Cherokee. Our (my) biggest complaint about the 177 was the cheesy entertainment system- (see my previously published rants....), and the 178 seems to offer some options that I would have liked to exercise- such as "let me do it myself!"- then I would only have myself to blame. If you opt for the 178, and if you have the option to tell FR to delete all media junk, I encourage you to do so, and then build the entertainment center around your requirements. (Which, then, range from "nothing" to "full-blown".) I would be interested in, if you choose to disclose, the difference in actual quoted price between the 177 and the 178. ------------- Bob and Joyce Jennifer and Baxter, the Campin' Cocker Spaniels RP 177 "Key Pod" Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT / Z71 |
Posted By: yellowstonestu
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2013 at 5:49pm
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Smaller, collapsable table? Costco? May be just what I've been trying to create on my own. What are the dimensions of the table? Manufacturer? Any info that would save me scratching my head in the shop would be greatly appreciated! ------------- Yellowstonestu & Bela the Vizsla 2008 Toyota FJ 2015 RPod 179 (Pod #2) |
Posted By: JACKPOD
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2013 at 6:04pm
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Our Jackpod is back in storage for a few days. We'll be picking it up again on Friday to load up for our trip to Louisiana and I can measure and check the mfgr. of the table at that time. I haven't seen those tables on our last couple of trips to Costco but perhaps they'll get them back in stock for the summer season. Will post info. on Friday. ------------- Pam and Jack Abby the Bichon RP 176 towed with 2013 Nissan Pathfinder |
Posted By: Goose
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2013 at 6:09pm
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Wecome to Jdub. yellowstonestu you might look at Wal-Mart for the TV trays. Goose ------------- Mother Goose's Caboose..2011 RP171..07 Grand Cherokee 
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Posted By: Camper Bob
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2013 at 7:06pm
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When we ordered our 2013 171 HRE from our dealer, we had them delete the tv center and antenna. No problem. Just an FYI. Safe Travels. ------------- Camper Bob and Camper Sue Gracie the Wonder Dog (12 LB. Mini Dachshund) 2013 Rpod 171HRE(ORPod) 2016 Lance 1685 2015 Nissan Pathfinder |
Posted By: kymooses
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2013 at 10:17am
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From a 181g owner, trust me, that extra length you'll get with the 178 makes a big difference in a lot of ways!! ------------- https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=cnBvZC5zcG90dGVyQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ - RPod Rallies https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1W1foQXGtrjf8aYly1uh0b-bHPfI&hl=en_US - RPod Owner Map |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2013 at 11:54am
Here the window sticker difference is $800 or so, so my guess with our dealer it is $550 or so off the lot difference. ------------- |
Posted By: coopercdrkey
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2013 at 5:16pm
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Sounds right- Thanks! I would have most likely have paid the whole sticker price difference for a 178, which in no way should be construed as any criticism of our 177, which we love! I just think the 178 is a fine and desireable advancement, especially considering the negligable gross and tongue weight differences. ------------- Bob and Joyce Jennifer and Baxter, the Campin' Cocker Spaniels RP 177 "Key Pod" Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT / Z71 |
Posted By: EmptyNesters
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2013 at 7:10pm
| We chose the 178 over the 177 without even a second thought, more room and more storage. |
Posted By: Jdub
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2013 at 9:27pm
About 16,900 for the 177 and 17,500 for the 178. Thanks to all for the advice and suggestions....put the credit card down for a 178 mid April. We will mess with it a few times and then take a week or two in July/August in Idaho/Montana for a real break in cruise.
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Posted By: coopercdrkey
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2013 at 11:58am
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Congratulations! We have been fortunate, with the Florida "winter", to have been out once every month since we took delivery in August of last year. This month our 177 will sit idle in the barn because our business is such a zoo ! But mid-April, like you, we will be on the road again ! Can't wait ! We are reserved at Silver River State Park, (not to be confused with "Silver Springs", although it is just down-river), one of the many wonderful spots that Florida has preserved for the enjoyment of residents and visitors. Probably quite a road trip for you, but you are welcome any time !  ------------- Bob and Joyce Jennifer and Baxter, the Campin' Cocker Spaniels RP 177 "Key Pod" Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT / Z71 |