Price of the Lance 650

Here is an example off of rv trader of what the op asked..

Jayco 306rkds-35ft 9 inches.....$34,495

Lance 850.......................$36,059

Lance 975.......................$48,231

Lance 1172......................$56,876

So why are the truck campers so much more money "New" than much larger travel trailers or fifth wheels?..Way less materials without any frame/axle/tires or furniture...

Seems the cost should be less for the much smaller truck camper,not more..

It's a small market. No economy of scale. A number of folks "always wanted one".
People are paying the asking price.

NMDriver wrote:
I agree and I see no advantage of a new truck camper over a used Class B/C built on a truck chassis. For $28000 I can find 2012 Winnebagos on a 350 Ford Chassis with a V10 engine.

It must be people that buy without thinking about what is needed vs what their friends think is cool. I still cannot understand why anyone would buy a Harley given all the better options out there....

You are correct on both accounts. $/sf, a New TC costs more than a carefully selected used motorhome and more than a comparable TT.
And yes it is about 100x cooler than a cousin eddy RV! Lol

But seriously, yeah they cost a bit more than some comparable RVs

You guys don't understand the difference between working on big, open unit like TT and working in coffined spaces where you are on your knees, or sticking arm in the hole most of the time.
Try to call security company and ask them how much cost wired alarm system on open construction and how much more it would be on painted house.
And again, all self-contained TC I have seen do have more lights than TT twice their size.

NMDriver wrote:
I agree and I see no advantage of a new truck camper over a used Class B/C built on a truck chassis. For $28000 I can find 2012 Winnebagos on a 350 Ford Chassis with a V10 engine.

It must be people that buy without thinking about what is needed vs what their friends think is cool. I still cannot understand why anyone would buy a Harley given all the better options out there....

We bought our TC "CAUSE" we think she's "KOOL", not to mention no extra, motors,tires,insurance (it's cargo),plates or tags, DMV fees, sales tax,no registration, etc.... When was the last time you rode a Harley ? Option's can't touch the Milwaukee 8, or the new suspension these Harley's have today, my FLTRU HD @ 900 plus lbs. handles like sport bikes I had 40 yrs. ago, take a test ride. Another reason is that I can only ride a bike w/ fwd. controls for the last 10 yrs. Oh ! BTW, I think She's really Kool also. :B K.

I've read with much interest all the posts on this topic I started. Keep in mind I have owned 4 truck campers. Two were crank down soft side Skampers and two were hard side models with A/C. When we traveled with truck campers we never called ahead for reservations because all the private owned RV parks would let us park somewhere. Once in Cody Wyoming they were having a big Saturday night rodeo and the local campground was full. When the attendant found out that we were in a truck camper he told me to pull alongside the camp office and plug in with the soft drink dispenser at the side of the building. We were never turned away.

Another thing that is upsetting about truck campers is depreciation!! Dealers simply do not want them on their inventory. Most require a very heavy duty pickup and really should be on a dually. Not many people have a truck that can handle this weight. The first two truck campers I had were the light weight crank down roof models that weighed less than 1200 lbs and I sold those very quickly to guys with half ton pickups. Big market for these light models. The two hard side models I ended up trading in and practically gave them to the dealer!!

jaycocreek wrote:
I get why we all have truck campers,I do not get why there so expensive(new) compared to a trailer or fifth wheel.Less everything..

No, same everything, just crammed in a smaller space.

More difficult to build, more specialized labor == more expensive

There's also a much smaller market for them.

Fewer units, less economy of scale == more expensive

mkirsch wrote:

jaycocreek wrote:
I get why we all have truck campers,I do not get why there so expensive(new) compared to a trailer or fifth wheel.Less everything..

No, same everything, just crammed in a smaller space.

More difficult to build, more specialized labor == more expensive

There's also a much smaller market for them.

Fewer units, less economy of scale == more expensive

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