Are you thinking of buying new or used? Either way, I'm sure Bankston would be glad to have you (back) in the fold.
I had a 2002 TM, then a 2006, and now a 2020. Although the newer ones are a bit sexier, I'm not sure I see a lot of difference in build quality. A reasonable first step would be to let Bankston know about your level of knowledge of TMs - you are not a newbie. Let them know about the previous setup/takedown issue. And let them know that you will not take delivery until you have had a chance to do a thorough inspection, in their lot or some other open space, without a helpful salesman hovering over you.
As part of the inspection, you will do setup/takedown of the shells several times, do interior setup/takedown a couple times, try out all the appliances (which means they will need to provide electric and gas), and do a quick look for dings-dents-gouges-loose-stuff. Make it clear that you will give them a "punch list" of things you find, and you will expect the items to be dealt with before you take delivery. And be prepared to compliment them on the quality of their prep work, too.
Arrange for a dealer follow-up visit maybe a month down the road - and by "arrange", I mean "schedule it", not just handwave about it. Plan a camping trip (even if it is just Camp Driveway) before the follow-up visit. If you have no issues after camping in your new TM, you can always cancel the follow-up visit, with a cheery well-done-thank-you-we-love-it at the same time.
I think Bankston is a good dealer, and they should have no problem with any of this, especially if you are buying a new TM. And you can also casually mention that you have queried the Forum, and expect to report your experience there.
It probably should go without saying that you should approach all of this as friendly but firm. You may not get everything you want, but you should get most of it.
Let us know how it goes.
Bill
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