Totally confused trying to buy travel trailer
I am totally confused and overwhelmed. I am looking to buy a 16' or 19' travel trailer but the more I look at all the information on here and online the more confused I get so I thought I'd take a ch...
Forum Discussion
Casita and Scamp TTs in 16-17 foot size come down to around 10,000 dollars at 12-15 years old, and sale at that age is pretty rare. People either sell them soon after buying because they find they can't deal with a space that small, or they love them and keep them forever. It is a tough market for buyers.
There are other, similar egg trailers, some brands no longer manufactured, some more upscale than Casita and Scamp, others smaller, lighter, simpler in fittings (so they might be towed by your V-6 whatever, or even a compact car).
I don't know of any trailers in this class built for 4-season, particularly Montana (or northern plains) winter conditions, but maybe Bigfoot TTs come the closest, of the molded fiberglass type. Bigfoot makes a 17-footer, but it is somewhat heavier than a 16 Scamp or 16 or 17 Casita, and about twice as expensive when new.
Many TTs can be made warmer with some modification, some work in setting up a more permanent (mobile home) installation, but you have to pay somebody to do that work if you are not up to doing it yourself.
Dinettes are almost universal at that size, because it is usually also the main bed, or at least a secondary bed. To get away from that might mean finding a custom builder or getting an empty shell and furnishing it yourself. That works better for RVs assembled as a box of walls, because furnishings in molded trailers tend to be molded into the shell, part of the structure.
There is a forum somewhere for owners of molded fiberglass trailers, where you might find information about what has been manufactured, how they are used, how people customize them, and possibly even a market where you might find something.
Yes, sales people will sometimes try to sell you what they have, convince you that is what you need. "If you don't know what you want, don't waste my time" was my worst salesman experience. But I've also had better experiences, people trying to help me figure out what are my needs, and how to fit them. This is particularly the case with the sales department at places that do direct factory sales, and sometimes will be able to discuss special needs, though modifications likely have a price.
Your price point is more likely to be met, 2-3 years old, at about 19 foot, in TTs that were sold new in the 10,000 to 12,000 price range. I see those kinds of prices on entry-price models like KZ Sport and Gulfstream's Amerilite, but these are nothing like a Casita, nor even like an modern box trailer assembled from sandwich panels.
There are other, similar egg trailers, some brands no longer manufactured, some more upscale than Casita and Scamp, others smaller, lighter, simpler in fittings (so they might be towed by your V-6 whatever, or even a compact car).
I don't know of any trailers in this class built for 4-season, particularly Montana (or northern plains) winter conditions, but maybe Bigfoot TTs come the closest, of the molded fiberglass type. Bigfoot makes a 17-footer, but it is somewhat heavier than a 16 Scamp or 16 or 17 Casita, and about twice as expensive when new.
Many TTs can be made warmer with some modification, some work in setting up a more permanent (mobile home) installation, but you have to pay somebody to do that work if you are not up to doing it yourself.
Dinettes are almost universal at that size, because it is usually also the main bed, or at least a secondary bed. To get away from that might mean finding a custom builder or getting an empty shell and furnishing it yourself. That works better for RVs assembled as a box of walls, because furnishings in molded trailers tend to be molded into the shell, part of the structure.
There is a forum somewhere for owners of molded fiberglass trailers, where you might find information about what has been manufactured, how they are used, how people customize them, and possibly even a market where you might find something.
Yes, sales people will sometimes try to sell you what they have, convince you that is what you need. "If you don't know what you want, don't waste my time" was my worst salesman experience. But I've also had better experiences, people trying to help me figure out what are my needs, and how to fit them. This is particularly the case with the sales department at places that do direct factory sales, and sometimes will be able to discuss special needs, though modifications likely have a price.
Your price point is more likely to be met, 2-3 years old, at about 19 foot, in TTs that were sold new in the 10,000 to 12,000 price range. I see those kinds of prices on entry-price models like KZ Sport and Gulfstream's Amerilite, but these are nothing like a Casita, nor even like an modern box trailer assembled from sandwich panels.
