Chalet TS116

Stickyeye,

You make many good points. Of course, it all depends on you wants and needs.

I bought a new leftover 2007 Host Tahoe DS in 2009. The original asking price was $49,600. It's a long story of patience and 4 months of negotiations... I drove away with the Host in the bed of my Ford 350. I paid $21,000 out the door. And, the dealer thru in Torq Lifts!!

Just because someone asks a certain price doesn't mean ya gotta pay it!!

There are different price points to appeal to different customers. For the buyer who has plenty of money and wants to feel like he's spent more than the other campers in the resort, there's the one you saw. ;)

Duplicate

Yeah, Im probably biased at this point because I'm considering something new and leaning towards a class c. I still like the idea of having a separate truck and not having to tow a car but I also like the idea I can park it and not have to get out for overnighting or quick stops. Cruiseruser, that one of the highest percentage savings (55% or so) I've ever heard anybody getting off a TC, nice negotiating.

Sticky

For me, I wanted the tow rating of a truck and 4wd. This puts you into an expensive Super C which generally has a larger footprint, lower ground clearance and longer rear overhang which limits where you can go.

Spending $60K on a truck and then spending $60K on a TC is a large chunk of money, but buying a capable Super C will set you back more than $120k. When you want to upgrade, the truck + TC combination allows you to do a component instead of an entire integrated unit.

Think about those people that are audiophiles or videophiles and purchase various components for their sound system verses the people that purchase an all in one unit. If the all in one unit has a component that fails or you desire to upgrade, the entire unit needs to be upgraded (if it cannot be repaired). The people that chose components can upgrade from VHS to DVD to Blue-Ray to 3D to Internet video streaming without having to replace the other components. People that buy a TC are more like the audiophile buying components rather than buying an all in one (that may be cheaper due to integration) allowing them greater selection and flexibility than what you get in one big box. Should we be calling them RVphiles?

I am on my second truck with the same TC. Eventually, I will get a TC with different features, more capacity and greater space while being able to retain the same truck.

FYI, the same tax break for the Class-C will apply to a truck camper, ie, the second house mortgage deduction. If you can deduct the interest on the class-c loan, you can deduct the interest on the truck camper loan.

Same with any solar upgrades/tax credits - if you believe you can deduct it on the class-c, you can do it with the truck camper.

Do not, this is not endorsing any tax advise.

My highly customized Host Everest which cost in that range, doesn't require a tag thus there is no property tax or annual tag renewal fees to pay for a third vehicle. Plus I have my second vehicle available any time I need it. Particularly if I need the use of a pickup to haul stuff or when I want to take the boat to the lake for a day of fishing or boating with the grandkids. Not to mention, with higher clearance and 4x4 capability being able to access some places that the other RV's can't, and lastly just because I want to be different and can afford to do so.

We to faced that dilemma when we started looking at upgrading from our pop up. Besides what others mentioned about advantageous of Truck Campers I would note that the ability to separate the two unites allows:

- You have the use of a truck. We keep our camper on most of the time but once in a while we want to haul something and it sure is nice.
- easy service of either unit. The truck at truck places and the camper at RV dealers
- The ability to upgrade either unit separately or to switch to something else. For example, maybe down the road we will want to switch to a 5th wheel. Easy to do in our case.

Other things we might note:
- As others have noted, ground clearance is a big deal.
- Tank capacity. Many of the C's with the same length are pretty limited.
- Crew cab seating capacity. Yes, you can sit more people in the "body" of the C but safety is limited.

Your choice may be different but we spent amounts in your range to get our truck and camper and we couldn't be happier.

There are some weight and price deductions to consider. On the forum, I'm seeing the use of a generator if required to be portable and not built in. The Onan 2.5 kw generator is @ $4,000 if ordered.
If this helps you can consider it this way. I'm guessing the average price per pound on campers is 'roughly" $9.00. Being in construction we're bound to unit pricing (ie. $ per sq. ft.). A lot are in this range and they don't ship them filled with rocks.
My wife and I left the 5th wheel scene because of our move being more remote. We couldn't get it home to load or clean and that killed the spontaneity of heading out at any given time. With 3 slides and a dry bath, generator, 150w solar panel, sat dish, it's still in the $9's.
I'll deflect questions about weight and price but I fit the profile. The Chalet looks to be a nice camper. Good luck-

Considering something like this with 4wd kit. I'm sure this would void the warranty, at least the power train.

Concord