Travel Trailer Buying/Financing Questions

2012Coleman wrote:

Rjpoog1989 wrote:
I wish there was a like or thank you button on this forum. I appreciate everyone who has tried to answer my questions. I’ll clarify a few things here:

We are looking at a small unit. We know the limits of my truck and we’ve found several floor plans we like. I want to get something as short as possible, with bunks, to eliminate the risk of scraping the backend coming into my steep driveway. I also am limited by garage space for it, as I plan to keep it indoors when not in use.

I’ve only ever bought 1 thing I didn’t need. I don’t live some extravagant lifestyle spending endless amounts of money. There’s not much to just simply cut from my budget and start saving on the scale needed to buy what we want. That being said if we get one we like we will keep it for a long time.

Case and point: I will absolutely be buying a camper prior to March 2020 and will absolutely be financing it.


My in-laws have a camper and we have gone on some trips with them. I have a pretty good understanding of what goes into all of this.

Please don't feel the need to justify your choices to the trolls on this forum. My credit score is like yours because like the poster above states - I use it and make on time payments.

But you are a lot better off getting your own financing - Here is some good reading on what people have found by going with the other alternative you mentioned.

BTW, no matter what, if you are buying new, you should negotiate at least 30% off the MSRP - do it after they give you their sale price. 30% off the MSRP will most likely be lower. Be ready to walk if they don't bargain with you. Seriously - have your calculator on your phone and do the calculation while sitting there. You can google to find RV buying strategies. You can look on RVTrader.com and see prices for new and used to get an idea.

One more thing - pass on the extended warranty, interior fabric protection, and exterior sealers. The fabric inside isn't worth the money you spend on some protection plan, and you can wax the thing your self once or twice a year.

Good luck and happy camping!