Opinions on Travel Trailers

[SMKR]

Ive owned trailers, rented trailers, lived in a trailer for a short time, vacationed all over in them, and pulled them over 30,000 miles.

1. Dont buy new unless you plan on living in it
2. I would never suggest living in one, they are not made to be lived in
3. I would find one rarely used, couple of years old, one owner, by a senior citizen that did not live in it but maybe used it a few times a year and kept it in climate control.

these things drop in value worse than a 97 Camaro. Pay 30k for a new one and two years from now be lucky to get 15k. Shit will break, need repair, make sure you repair it right, with the highest quality products.

Get to know a good local RV mechanic, he can save you a fortune. Current going repair rate is $95/hour for labor. I did most of the repairs myself, but when it came to a generator or heavy electrical, I had to take it somewhere.

[SMKR]

I'm thinking about going and looking at this one.

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/rvs/2640588306.html

My wife wants this one. It's nice as hell but expensive. Plus the couch fabric is ugle imo.

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/rvs/2598123699.html

Oh it looks nice sitting there all purty, just take it on a few road trips, and you get to your campsite and half of that "really nice purty stuff" is all over the floor due to 'boucing off the walls" on the road trip. Been there, done that.

[Chopped54]

My buddy spent $55k on a new one that has spent one or two times a year in the shop since he has owned it. I will get one eventually, BUT I would never buy new, and would never finance one.

[dcs13]

Jayco is not on the "higher" end of quality...That's a lot for those trailers. The guys are right. You can find some really good deals in this economy.

[SMKR]

I will say we did enjoy the 4 week trip we took in a 2010 Airstream.

[BERT]

Jayco is not on the "higher" end of quality...That's a lot for those trailers. The guys are right. You can find some really good deals in this economy.

Better than buying a Forrest River product. STAY AWAY FROM FORREST RIVER, they are junk. Getting into the slow season you should be able to find some good deals. Look at Hayesrv.com and see if we have anything you're looking for. I'm not a salesman so i don't pay attention to what we get in. But i do know this month started out very slow on the sales front, so they might be desperate to sell you something lol


SMKR was right on a lot of his points. These things WILL break, they are not made to last forever. That's why when we get people that live in them, we see them in service more than the occational traveler.

[Chili]

Leah and I looked at trailers several years ago, and even then found some awesome deals on used trailers from RV Dealerships. We were really close to pulling the trigger on a 28' we saw at a local dealer. It was in flawless condition, like 3 years old, and was only like $9k. There are plenty of deals to be had on nice used trailers.

We ultimately did not buy because we didn't want payments AND to have to pay to store it, since we don't have room to park it at the house.

[CJ]

I will say we did enjoy the 4 week trip we took in a 2010 Airstream.

$$$$$$$$$$$

[mardyn]

Mercbuff has one that's about 3 years old. He bought it to live in while his new house was being built. He's wanting to sell it, but it's out on a 6 month lease right now.

mardyn

[forbes]

i have a 40 foot envoy with 4 slide outs etc etc.. and 5 or 6 comfortably in it doesnt happen....and i have learned, you will spend more money in storing it then you will on it in the long run. the value drops so fast you might as well expect to have to give it away when your done with it. and as far as fixing anything on something like that.... it's a crap shoot. almost any part will have to modified, and the roof sealant will break you if it's bad.

i also drove by a place that has some decent looking pull behinds for 149 a month... they were off 35 on my way to OK. ill find the name for them

[stephen4785]

The wife and I have been thinking about the idea of buying a travel trailer. We don't need some huge 5th wheel just your average travel trailer that can sleep 5 to 6 people but will probably only be used by us two. Since we are only 2 hours from the coast I'd probably just leave it down there for part of the year. Other times it would be used to go out to West Texas. Our budget will be about 15k and we would probably want a new one unless we could find a used one that is practically brand new at a good price. I don't want to buy someone else's junk.



I was just wondering if anyone here owns one. Do you think benefits of having one outweighs the monthly cost? Also if you do own one have you ever figured out the monthly cost of it. Adding up payment, insurance, storage, and park fees.

No matter what brand there all built pretty crappy. The top of the line ones just have a lot more silicone and better appliances.

[Chas_svo]

It has been said several times above, but trust me they bleed equity faster than net. Buy 2-3 years old and check everything on them, or have someone check them out. Look at the classifieds, and don't buy the brand that is the most listed. You can get a deal, and I wish I knew this before I bought the one I had to nearly give away. And NADA values mean nothing except for the loan you can get.

[SMKR]

Some of the best feedback I've gotten is talking to other campers in rv parks.

[Katrina]

My coworker bought a 27" Cougar at the RV Show earlier this year. She actually traded it in and got a smaller one. BBBUUUTTT, she got a really good deal on the first one, so she has "profit" in the first one. Both are 2012.

I bought my popup off Craigslist. Come to find out, the roof was rot and the frame was rotting away (bought it from a guy that used it for most of it's life in Florida). My dad and I fixed the roof and sold it a few months back. I didn't lose any money on it though. But def do NOT buy brand new.

[76 Maverick]

No matter what brand there all built pretty crappy. The top of the line ones just have a lot more silicone and better appliances.

This

The best 2 days of an rv owners life is the day they buy it and the day they sell it.