Unique Usage -- Looking to Buy

abimarye wrote:
Good evening,

New to the forums.... so thanks in advance to everyone.

I'm an insurance adjuster who travels 200 plus days out of the year that recently did the math and figured out how much she can save with a trailer rather than hotels. Looking to buy a small trailer and saw one I really liked today, a Jayco 2016 White Hawk 23MRB. I"ll be in this thing for a majority of my year, and am looking for a solid investment. I know a lot of people have concerns about ALL types and brands, but is there anything in particular I should be aware of? What are comparable models to this for me to look into? A lot of the advice I've read so far is the dealer is more important than the brand, but since I travel so much all over the nation, I really have to be hopeful that I would find help wherever I might find myself.


Really, any and all insight is helpful. My dad and I just want to make sure I make the best possible decision I can make before dropping 20k+ and we just know so little...

First and foremost, a RV of ANY type, IS NOT AN "INVESTMENT", PERIOD.

A RV is a DEPRECIATING "ASSET", in other words it LOSES VALUE.

You are not "saving" money, you are THROWING MONEY OUT THE DOOR.

Sadly YOU should know this since you are an insurance adjuster :S

Some other things you really need to consider..

If your job takes you all over the country any time of the year, you might have a rather difficult time in the winter in the northern US states finding a campground that is open. Many northern campgrounds CLOSE for the winter.

Not ALL campgrounds are easy to access even in the summer, many are often miles away from where you might need to be.

If you NEED to move in a hurry (like a large area of major hurricane damage) you WILL find towing a trailer WILL slow you down considerably.. Especially if you are on one end of the country and are needed on the other end..

You WILL get tired of hitching, unhitching, setting up, tearing down in a hurry.. That is labor intensive and takes time to do..

Not all campgrounds are cheap.. You may find yourself paying $60- $100 per night for more popular areas.

Popular campgrounds fill up FAST, some may require advanced reservations up to a year and a few you put your name on a "waiting list"..

More practical side, you have to manage propane, water, grey and black tanks including dumping tanks (think, stinky slinky)..

Heating a RV in the winter is not cheap and the further north you go the more propane you will use.. Not unusual to burn through a 30 lb tank in two days in cold temps and you will find yourself keeping the RV at 50 F to keep it that low..

Towing anything EATS gas.. Yep, forget about the mileage you get when empty.. It is not unusual for a vehicles mileage to drop to 8 MPG to about 10 MPG..

That segways into your next problem.. Finding gas stations..

If your truck currently gets you 300 miles to a tank, you will find yourself having to stop every 170-180 miles to fill up..

Then there is constant maintenance, ALL RVS will leak or break down in some way shape or form..

Leaks often go undetected for a long time causing major rot damage, water can seep in from one place bet yet the damage shows up five and even ten feet away from the leak..

RVs in your price range are not designed for full time use and will quickly wear out especially on the inside.

Personally, if you WANT a RV for PERSONAL RECREATION, then buy it and use it for such..

As a "tool" to save money, forget about it.. You will spend more in fuel, propane, camping fees, cost of buying the trailer than what you will if you stayed at Hotels..

And you of all folks (since you say you are and insurance adjuster) should clearly understand that a RV of any type is not an investment vehicle.. So, you should quit calling it an "investment"..