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Congrats on the pending upgrade. Good luck with the "negotiations".
We are not fulltimers, but have been RVing for 14 years, take dozens of trips per year, and are on our 4th unit. So my 2 cents worth:
1. Never had slide awnings, so I cannot speak with authority on them. I will say this - in seven years with slides without awnings, I have had to climb on my roof exactly 3 times with a broom to clean them off. In 14 years with other awnings I have had to bring them many, many times due to high winds causing them to flap and shake the camper (even with de-flappers). I have also spent many hours cleaning awnings to remove mildew and "graying". So I'd say - if you have a broom and are physically capable of climbing onto your roof, save the bucks. If not, then the awnings may be for you.
2. We used to boondock a lot, almost never anymore. Since we are always with hookups, I did not get a generator. I have a portable one I take if we do boondock. Don't see much of a need for one in the basement personally, but it depends on how you'll be camping. Can't say much about the noise. My portable is a bit loud though.
3. I'm still deciding on the extended warranty on the 3400 I just brought home. IMO they are a crap shoot. For every person that gets their money back, another person spends 2 or 3 thousand bucks and never uses it. I have had some pay for themselves and were easy to use, others rarely got used and it was like pulling teeth to get the company to pay. They are all 3rd party insurers - so be careful who you choose. Lots of insurers going under these days.
4. Absolutely would not buy a unit over 30 feet without a second A/C. Fivers have very high ceilings compared to your TT and hold lots of hot air. My last unit was 32'. One summer we towed 4 hours to Myrtle Beach on a 95 degree day. The single AC ran 24 hours straight and the rig was still warm. It never caught up all week. Needless to say the new one has a second AC.
5. No opinion on the washer dryer since we are rarely out more than 10 days at a time. When we start to go out longer, I could see them being very convenient. Campground laundromats are often so busy you can't get in. And trips to other laundromats often make me wish I had a concealed carry permit!
Best of luck!
Butch
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