We purchased our first travel trailer in February of 2018. We are still learning the ins and outs of it all.
We enjoy it a lot. We like being able to sleep in our own beds with our own bedding, have our own restroom with our own bath linens, and to cook our own food. We find that it allows us to take 3-6 vacations per year for what it would cost us for one vacation in a hotel and eating out every day.
We bought an entry-level Jayco travel trailer and paid cash. I did quite a bit of homework before purchasing, and felt that our trailer, in spite of its lack of the bells and whistles, was built fairly well for a trailer in its price range. The stick-and-tin campers aren't the prettiest or the lightest, but they have been around for quite sometime. If we can keep the frame from getting wet, I think we're good.
We have had at least one warranty item after each trip. The dealer has been excellent at repairing. They do not argue about it, try and blame us, or take six weeks. We find that they make note of it, remind us that it is under warranty, and they repair it in a timely manner (usually within a week or two).
The best thing you can do is start off with RV shows. There isn't a lot of high-pressure selling there, and you can ask questions and look at different models. Imagine how you will use it and consider what your goal is with this purchase. My parents have a fifth wheel that looks to me like a DVC suite without the Mickey theming. They have a king size bed, lots of storage, a nice island kitchen with a residential refrigerator, an electric fireplace, a tv that can recess behind the fireplace for storage, and recliners. Their unit has three slides. They enjoy their fifth wheel; it works well for them because they spend a lot of time in it.
We have a 29' stick-and-tin with no slides. We have an island queen, a set of full-ish size bunks in the back, a sofa that isn't the most comfortable in the world, a comfortable booth dinette, and what feels like the tiniest bathroom in the world. When we are all in it, it is crowded. We joke that we can't fit a water moccasin in it with us if he paid the campsite fees. But it works well for us. First of all, it was in our budget. And our truck can safely tow it (and that is something else you will need to check into. Make sure you have a vehicle that can safely tow what you purchase since this is a safety issue). It has what we need to sleep comfortably at night, the air conditioner works well, we can get cleaned up, fix our meals (or eat out if we want, but we usually make home food), and then we spend most of our time outside of the camper. It works for us.
AS you can see, my parents and I have very different campers at very different price ranges. We are both happy. I do not think my parents would like mine, and not only is their unit out of our price range at this time, but I think I would be intimidated by all the gadgets and the size of their unit.
Join irv2, rv.net, and some other message boards and some of the facebook groups. They are incredibly helpful as you prepare to buy and as you start your adventures.
Take your time. Consider all your variables. Inspect your unit well before you hand over a check. And happy trails.