James_A wrote:
so the wife and I just can't seem to figure this out.
we have 3 kids (11, 8, and 5) and just got back from a trip and rented a trailer. loved it. didn't like the feeling of staying in a rental though.
last year we rented a class A. again, had the time of our life.
thinking about buying a trailer and trading in my jeep for a 2500HD. I think with the trade-in we could go all in for about $1200/mo after new vehicle, new TT, and storage.
Then we starting figure that's about 15K a year. The financials start looking ugly.
I know it's not a financially savvy investment. It's much like a boat. It's expensive and a lifestyle investment. Just having it will make us do more weekends away and I'm sure there will be times where we are sitting at a campsite, the kids are playing with new friends, we are grilling and we nod and think "yeah, this was an awesome idea". You only live once. The kids will be young once. But our weekends are fairly booked up with soccer games, and other commitments and the reality is different from the dream of getting away often.
Also, when renting, you tend to think about spending the money on other things. If we had an investment, we would feel obligated to take the extra steps to hit the road. When we are on the road, we adore it.
But the logical side of me has a hard time pulling the trigger.
Love to hear your thoughts...
First 2 yrs of family rving towed a used popup with my underpowered f-150, then I bought a small entrance level TT and continued to tow with my underpowered F-150 for another 7 yrs. Finally bought a Tacoma in 2007 but continued to tow with the same TT for another 4 yrs.
In the big picture of things its not what your camping/rving in but more about spending time with the family.
Mike
