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qbakawnik's avatar
qbakawnik
Explorer
May 19, 2016

Diesel or Gas? Resale value

Hello,

My name is Kuba, I am a musician, originally from Poland and I live in Nashville, TN for 10 years.
My DW (a Texan girl) and I owned a small TT we bought in 2012 and traveled with our daughter during my concert tour. We absolutely love camping. I have another concert tour coming up this year (Sep & Oct) and the next year, 2017 (Jan, Feb & Mar), and we are planning to buy a MH class A this time.

My biggest concern is to have a reliable unit because we will be at work rather than on vacation and have to arrive to our next venue on time. We will be driving almost every day, and almost every time we will spend the night on a campground and take over again in early morning (our average distance will be around 250 miles and the longest 2000 miles). I am considering a diesel for bigger storage underneath and also for longevity and dependability. Thoughts on gas vs diesel are welcome. Another question would be how much that reliability costs.

I would like to set my budget for $35,000-40,000. We prefer practicality over luxury, but I am hoping to have a unit possibly not older than 10 years old and will consider to spend more if necessary. I will likely upgrade after the tour in which case I would also like to have a MH which has a high market desirability. I’m wondering if there are any stats that show the best price range of used MHs in terms of ease of selling?

My tour starts on Sep 10 and I also don’t know how much time I need to prepare the MH (my last TT was 1 year old and I didn’t have to do much before hitting the road). I also consider class A for a few reasons, i.e. having a laundry machine and bigger storage.

Thank you for reading and answering my questions.

Btw, here is my website if you would like to check out what kind of music we play: www.kubecca. com

Kuba
Class A
  • qbakawnik's avatar
    qbakawnik
    Explorer
    May 19, 2016
    Artum Snowbird wrote:
    I had a quick look at Craigslist for Nashville. There is options for sure. With your tight schedule, and need to keep moving, IMHO you might was to go a bit shorter than full size just for the easy of getting in and out of campsites.

    There is a 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire with V10 gas available. It's $34,000, and is 34 feet long. Certainly Newmars enjoy a positive niche in the market.

    Getting up into build in laundry might require a bit longer, but like everything, there is a tradeoff. What would you need to tow behind? Certainly, there is diesels to do the job, but the V10 gas engine is pretty easy and quick to fix, versus having to find a CAT shop to work on your diesel.

    Enjoy the search. Nice music!

    Thank you! I actually don't need to tow anything. I saw that post on craigslist (Newmar), but if it's $34,000 and it's 2001, do I have to spend some extra money for possible repairs?
  • qbakawnik's avatar
    qbakawnik
    Explorer
    May 19, 2016
    darsben wrote:
    2 of you or 3 of you?
    PETS?
    How many nights on the road?
    My thought is MAYBE A CLASS "C".
    Rent a trailer for a month from U-Haul

    My wife, 6 yo daughter and I. No pets. We will leave Sep 9 and arrive home Nov 6, so 2 months on the road. I think that class C may be to small (storage wise).
  • Artum_Snowbird's avatar
    Artum_Snowbird
    Explorer
    May 19, 2016
    I had a quick look at Craigslist for Nashville. There is options for sure. With your tight schedule, and need to keep moving, IMHO you might was to go a bit shorter than full size just for the easy of getting in and out of campsites.

    There is a 2001 Newmar Mountain Aire with V10 gas available. It's $34,000, and is 34 feet long. Certainly Newmars enjoy a positive niche in the market.

    Getting up into build in laundry might require a bit longer, but like everything, there is a tradeoff. What would you need to tow behind? Certainly, there is diesels to do the job, but the V10 gas engine is pretty easy and quick to fix, versus having to find a CAT shop to work on your diesel.

    Enjoy the search. Nice music!
  • darsben's avatar
    darsben
    Explorer II
    May 19, 2016
    2 of you or 3 of you?
    PETS?
    How many nights on the road?
    My thought is MAYBE A CLASS "C".
    Rent a trailer for a month from U-Haul
  • MarkTwain's avatar
    MarkTwain
    Explorer
    May 19, 2016
    Two Jayhawks wrote:
    How fun! I think for what you want your starting budget is a bit low. Yes you can find units that might fit the bill in that range but I thing the reliability won't be there. I also wouldn't lose any sleep over resale value. You will already be doing everything you can to hedge plummeting value by going with one that is already depreciated. Best of luck to you both!


    Two Jayhawks has good advice and realistic overall perspective on RVing.
    My thoughts:
    1. Class A's sounds like it would meet many of your needs for your touring activities.
    2. Unfortunately your current financial funds at this time will be a real limiting factor in your search for a "reliable diesel Class A'. You migh get lucky and find a Class A from a private party who for personal or medical reasons have to give up RVing. You might find a class A for $50K but it will be older and probably need some repairs or have continued maintenace issues
    3. Diesel engines is the only way to go IMHO and experience. You also have plenty of pulling power.
    4. An alternative plan:
    a. keep your current trailer or take a look at the Lance trailers.
    b. then buy a new or used Dodge Diesel truck 2500 min. ideal 3500. No disrespect to Fords or Chevy trucks.:)
    c. Save some more $$$$$ until you can afford the Class A you really want:)
    b.
  • Two_Jayhawks's avatar
    Two_Jayhawks
    Explorer
    May 19, 2016
    How fun! I think for what you want your starting budget is a bit low. Yes you can find units that might fit the bill in that range but I thing the reliability won't be there. I also wouldn't lose any sleep over resale value. You will already be doing everything you can to hedge plummeting value by going with one that is already depreciated. Best of luck to you both!

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