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Askibum02's avatar
Askibum02
Explorer
Aug 19, 2016

Where do I start?!

I've been wanting to buy a travel trailer for years now and I think I'm finally ready. I rented a 30(ish) ft travel trailer from Ft. Bragg MWR about 6 years ago, and it seemed to work fine. We had 4 adults and 2 kids, and things were a little cramped but we made it work. I never really "shopped" for the trailer, it was either a pop up or the trailer we rented, and this guy isn't staying in a pop up. It's been a few years now, and the trailer was already a few years old when we rented it so I'm sure things are totally different. I want to finance it, but don't know what length loan to consider. Do people really finance travel trailers for 20 years? Do I buy new or used? How bad is the depreciation hit if I buy new? How much cheaper can I expect a used trailer to be over new? Just like I don't walk into a car dealer without doing research, I don't want to walk into an RV store and say I want to buy a trailer and have the salesman take me for a "ride."

Based on my previous experience I would probably want something similar to what we rented previously. Around 30', a bunkhouse, at least one slide. Another limiting factor I have is my truck. I currently have a '14 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel with the highway gearing, so I can only tow 7700#. I don't know if you saw my other post, I'm thinking about buying a new truck to so I can eliminate weight from the equation. Given the tow capacity of my current truck, can I find a trailer that meets my need or do I need to reconsider size?
  • lanerd's avatar
    lanerd
    Explorer II
    Aug 19, 2016
    Since you will be buying a new truck also, I would first find the trailer that I really wanted and then get the truck that is MORE than capable of pulling it.

    New or used is always a decision only you can make. Personally, I would shop around for a used one that is not more than three years old that someone has taken good care of.

    Depreciation hit on a new one will probably be around 20%. However, if you intend on keeping this trailer for many years, I would probably buy new. I think you'll find however, that most will buy their 2nd trailer within a few years of the first one.

    Financing a new one for 20 years? I wouldn't. Maybe five years. I would look for a used one that I could pay cash for or finance for three years at most.

    Go to rv dealers and just look, look, look. Don't let the salesman talk you into ANYTHING until you have done your research. This forum, and others, are a good source for finding out the particulars of a certain brand/model and what other owners have to say about them.

    Most of all, don't get into a hurry. Determine exactly what you want before you're ready to buy.

    As for the truck, don't be misled about the mfg'ers "tow capacity" bull. It is only an advertisement gimmick. Payload and rear axle capacities are more important. For trailers, take about 12% of the trailer's GVWR for tongue weight. Trailer mfg'ers quoted tongue weight is normally much less that the actual tongue weight.

    Hope this helps

    Ron

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