Tips Needed for Buying first Travel Trailer
My husband and I are in the market for our first travel trailer. This decision is mostly the result of several recent tenting expeditions in the cold and rain. We were overwhelmed by the variety and ...
Forum Discussion
Something few people seem to do but would be first on my list would be to visit campgrounds in my area and talk to people about their current trailer and what they had before and what they plan to get next. You will learn about all kinds of things that would not otherwise occur to you as of importance in terms of the use and maintenance and other concerns.
I have found people to be very eager to talk about whatever RV they have and what they like and dislike about it and to compare it to what they had before. One couple had a 28' 5th-wheel which they replaced with a 35' 5th-wheel and now have a 32' motorhome. They regretted selling the 28' and getting the longer 35' trailer as they found that many of the places where they had been able to squeeze in the 28' were too small for the 35' trailer with their tow vehicle.
The smaller the trailer the more I would want to learn about how the space is used and what is provided for storage. Airstream trailers have lots of drawers which makes it easier to find things than having a large cabinet area into which you have to put plastic bins.
I agree with the post on buying used but you do need to be sure that the trailer has not had any water leakage anywhere or has other problems. More than half the RV manufacturers went out of business between 2007 and 2008 and the resale value of their products dropped greatly as a result. If it is a quality trailer it may be selling for the same or less than a lower quality trailer from a company that is still in business.
There is another factor that also comes into play in the new versus used RV and that is that the prices for new RV's has jumped considerably over the past 15 years to where people are paying double the price for the new ones being sold in 2013 as compared to the same make and model when it was sold in 2003. If the person selling their trailer bought it new in 2003 for $20,000 they are happy to get $10,000 for it used and that can compare to the same trailer model selling new for $40,000 today. The difference can cover the cost to replace a AC or furnace or fridge or bed mattresses and still have a huge savings.
I was surprised initially when looking at used RV's how lightly used the majority were that were for sale. Often people would only use them 2-3 weeks out of the year and quite often had not used them at all for the past several years. I saw numerous ads where it stated that the stove had never been used or the toilet was never used by the owners. I know people, including my wife and I, who have never used the shower in their RV's preferring to use the ones at the campgrounds and parks.
The one advantage of some of the newer trailers is that they may use metal framing and better insulation and have slideouts. Slideouts is what is inducing many people to get a new trailer. You can get more interior space without needing to tow a longer trailer. Slidouts are point of failure as you can readily find many posts regarding various problems people have experienced.
I have found people to be very eager to talk about whatever RV they have and what they like and dislike about it and to compare it to what they had before. One couple had a 28' 5th-wheel which they replaced with a 35' 5th-wheel and now have a 32' motorhome. They regretted selling the 28' and getting the longer 35' trailer as they found that many of the places where they had been able to squeeze in the 28' were too small for the 35' trailer with their tow vehicle.
The smaller the trailer the more I would want to learn about how the space is used and what is provided for storage. Airstream trailers have lots of drawers which makes it easier to find things than having a large cabinet area into which you have to put plastic bins.
I agree with the post on buying used but you do need to be sure that the trailer has not had any water leakage anywhere or has other problems. More than half the RV manufacturers went out of business between 2007 and 2008 and the resale value of their products dropped greatly as a result. If it is a quality trailer it may be selling for the same or less than a lower quality trailer from a company that is still in business.
There is another factor that also comes into play in the new versus used RV and that is that the prices for new RV's has jumped considerably over the past 15 years to where people are paying double the price for the new ones being sold in 2013 as compared to the same make and model when it was sold in 2003. If the person selling their trailer bought it new in 2003 for $20,000 they are happy to get $10,000 for it used and that can compare to the same trailer model selling new for $40,000 today. The difference can cover the cost to replace a AC or furnace or fridge or bed mattresses and still have a huge savings.
I was surprised initially when looking at used RV's how lightly used the majority were that were for sale. Often people would only use them 2-3 weeks out of the year and quite often had not used them at all for the past several years. I saw numerous ads where it stated that the stove had never been used or the toilet was never used by the owners. I know people, including my wife and I, who have never used the shower in their RV's preferring to use the ones at the campgrounds and parks.
The one advantage of some of the newer trailers is that they may use metal framing and better insulation and have slideouts. Slideouts is what is inducing many people to get a new trailer. You can get more interior space without needing to tow a longer trailer. Slidouts are point of failure as you can readily find many posts regarding various problems people have experienced.
