Hi Polly and welcome to the forum!
My advice about being in the dreaming/planning stage of RV buying would be to take almost everything that any salesperson says with several large pinches of salt. Some of them will straight up lie to you about their products, trying to get you to think they're helping. Like in response to my question about an AC - "This won't be comfortable in 90° temps". Or at another dealership about the location of the plug on the outside of the trailer - "We'll have to get you a generator too, to charge your batteries, shore power won't work".
Going to a dealership and actually stepping inside the different units/models is a very good idea. It's a way for you to get a feel of how that RV will work for you.
The dealership doesn't have that same goal for you that you have for yourself. Their goal is for you to spend as much money as possible. Often that means trying to steer you into choosing an RV that's way bigger than you need, want, or ask for. Or trying to convince you that you require a service they provide. Or some accessories. Or camping gear. You get it...
For me the most irritating thing was trying to get me into a longer trailer. I said several times to the salespeople that I didn't need anything bigger than the 20' trailer I ended up getting, but two different dealerships kept finding ways to bring up that choosing something bigger would be a better deal. Ya know... cuz I'm "saving" money by spending thousands more, lol. Needless to say I didn't buy from them.
If you tour enough RVs, maybe rent one for a night or weekend, do your research, and end up deciding on a particular model, DON'T let the salespeople talk you into buying something you don't want. Their job is to sell every last unit on the lot. Your job is to think honestly about your needs, do your research, find a unit that fits into your life, fits your needs, and is a tool you can use to live your best life how you want to live it.
So, #1 - I'd recommend taking someone with you who can help, maybe someone with a little experience with RVs, or even anyone who might LOOK LIKE they would know about RVs or mechanical things. It sucks but it's a cruel truth that uninformed and uneducated people sometimes get taken advantage of.
#2 - Tell the salesperson you aren't going to be buying today, that you are there researching a future purchase. Ask for information from the manufacturers. It'll have the spec sheets so you can apples to apples compare models later.
And #3 - research the manufacturers/makes/models. Does a particular RV model tend to age nicely? What do the owner reviews say?
Good luck + have fun,
~angie
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