60k Budget truck and camper

[Oldtart]

Hi There
New member here although have been lurking for quite a while.

Soon looking at becoming a solo full timer.
I'm newly retired this year and my plan is to go the truck camper route for the flexibility in getting in places easier then a motorhome
As stated in the subject line I'm going to try to stay around 60k for the truck and camper.
Both used of course.
So that I don't look back later and wish I'd chosen differently my thoughts are to go with a 1 ton dually

I'm thinking 35-40 for the truck and the balance for the camper.

Does that sound reasonable for a package that could give me comfort and reliability for some years of service.

Need good four seasons capability in the camper.
West coast guy here and plan on going southerly at times but also have lots of connections in coastal Alaska so could see myself traveling that way as well.

Anyway I know it's a broad asked before question but looking for input on truck and camper choices in the used market based on above.

Thanks!

[Bedlam]

Vinsil wrote:

Kayteg1 wrote:
I might go to Michigan next time I'll be on the market for dually.
Last year I research whole West Coast fur used dualies and all I could find were beaten up utility bodies, or lifted CC F350 made to limos with price tag over $50k.

Salt kills trucks up there. It's why our coast the trucks cost more and are more desirable. I'm seeing the same thing here, a new truck is the same price as a 3 year old truck with 50k on it...

There used to be a couple companies in the 70's and 80's that would buy low mileage rust heaps and swap the power plants into a high mileage prestine chassis. I haven't seen a business doing that in long time although I still see people doing this on their own.

[zb39]

I have no idea why anyone would pay the same for a used truck if they could get the exact same truck new for the same price. It does not make sense. Maybe the used trucks are loaded and have a ton of after market parts and the new trucks are basic models. That would make some sense.

Do not let anyone "scare you" about DEF or smog gear. I heard all kinds of **** about my 2011 RAM 3500.
I never had it to the dealer even once. I never got an idiot light or a single message telling me anything bad, etc. I hauled my fiver to the west coast and back and over the Rockies twice. ZERO issues. Tons of power and I love the exhaust brake. My 2016 is even better......The new ones are awesome. In my area a new crew cab, 4x4 can be had for about 48 after dealing and rebates. If you have a EIN from a business you can shave a few thousand more.

[Grit_dog]

Vinsil wrote:

Kayteg1 wrote:
I might go to Michigan next time I'll be on the market for dually.
Last year I research whole West Coast fur used dualies and all I could find were beaten up utility bodies, or lifted CC F350 made to limos with price tag over $50k.

Salt kills trucks up there. It's why our coast the trucks cost more and are more desirable. I'm seeing the same thing here, a new truck is the same price as a 3 year old truck with 50k on it...

Ain't that the truth! Not trucks, but looking for a car for my sister who lives in the upper Midwest, looking in the 5-10 year old range budget wise and everything up there seems to be "only a little rust on one fender" type thing. (Yeah right, I grew up there. On a quiet winters night you could hear cars rusting in their driveways!)
Or anything that is pristine garages or a "southern car" was priced at a premium.
Here on the wet side of the PNW I maintain that it is the best environment for vehicle longevity of any climate in the US.
Little to no salt/de icers on the road and what does get put down for idiot drivers on frosty mornings gets undercarriage washed off the next day in the rain.
No extreme hot or cold doing its work on components.
Cloudy most of the time = much reduced UV damage for vehicles out in the weather.
And, the predominantly wet pavement is easier on tires and drive trains because you can't punch it from every stop light without spinning out, thus acceleration and braking efforts are reduced a bit in general.
Sorry for the off topic, but would def look in MI. Not opposed to something that's only seen a couple years of road salt personally, but after living elsewhere I'd be hard pressed to buy a daily driver from the salt belt more than a few years old. Put up with that too long as a kid before the internet and knowledge that all vehicles don't magically rust.

Regarding the prices on late models around here, we all have sticker shock that have bought big diesel trucks new or like new for 30-40k in the past. But the economy up here is also brutal on prices. High wages good economy cheap fuel = carte Blanche to upcharge.

[Vinsil]

Kayteg1 wrote:
I might go to Michigan next time I'll be on the market for dually.
Last year I research whole West Coast fur used dualies and all I could find were beaten up utility bodies, or lifted CC F350 made to limos with price tag over $50k.

Salt kills trucks up there. It's why our coast the trucks cost more and are more desirable. I'm seeing the same thing here, a new truck is the same price as a 3 year old truck with 50k on it...

[Kayteg1]

I might go to Michigan next time I'll be on the market for dually.
Last year I research whole West Coast fur used dualies and all I could find were beaten up utility bodies, or lifted CC F350 made to limos with price tag over $50k.

[SidecarFlip]

Grit dog wrote:
$40k will get you a low mile dually gasser no problem and $20k buys a very nice used camper with slide out.
With a dually you'll have minimal $ in upgrades to hold the camper. Tie downs and maybe something for the rear suspension depending how big a camper you get.

I'm seeing a ton of late model used trucks around here lately and not 1500 series either. 3/4 and 1 ton srw's and dual tired jobs.

I think a lot of people bought them as status rides or leased them and now it's time to get real.

[Vinsil]

You can a nice setup in that price range. I'm buying a new truck and larger TC as we have outgrown it and you would be $10 under budget with my combo. 96k miles on it and fully setup.


It can be done!

[Kayteg1]

There is always lot of scaring myths on new stuff.
I hear lot about DEF engines before buying onw. Now closing 10,000 miles I filled the tank 3 or 4 times...... At $1.49 a gallon and whole tank is 8 gallons.
It is bigger deal on my Mercedes, where DEF tank deleted spare wheel and you should not use pump nozzle to refill it.
New truck come with warranty and that is all you should worry about for few years.
What will happen in 3 years? Why would I worry about it now?

[dave17352]

I have read a couple post mentioning the smog stuff. This I totally agree with on diesels and totally disagree with on gassers.

[adamis]

Something worth considering that I don't believe has been discussed is that IF you are going used, don't overlook the cost of SMOG repair bills if your used truck ends up without a warranty. I'm not an expert and others will have better suggestions but when I went shopping for my truck, I initially started looking at used trucks ranging from 2009 to 2014. What I found was that most of the trucks in that range (and were in my budget) had between 120k to 200k+ in miles. The mileage didn't bother me at all but it seemed that the newer engines with the more complicated smog requirements could be costly to repair / replace (especially the catalytic converters). The thing about Smog repair is that even if the truck is running just fine, if the check engine light is running, the nanny state won't let you register till it's fixed.

I ended up going with a 7.3 specifically because it was pre-smog. I don't have all of the bells, whistles and power the newer trucks have but I'm not worried about future smog repairs either. (I believe in 30 years the 7.3s will be sought after similar to how the 60s and early 70s muscle cars because of the lack of smog equipment).

Back to the camper section... If you are full timing and plan to put a LOT of miles on the road, don't underestimate the benefit of simplicity and light weight. Trucks today are built to handle the heavy loads pretty well but the stress put on your truck from a 3000lb camper versus a 5000lb camper will eventually show up. Also, though slides are nice and give lots of extra space, they also introduce failure points and areas for water penetration to occur. Again, this comes down to the number of miles your putting in on the road. A couple of hundred miles a year, no big deal, but full timing consider the use of those mechanical components and the exposure to the elements the seals will have to endure.

These considerations led me to conclude that I wanted a fiberglass camper because I anticipated being on the road a lot and though I really liked the space a slide(s) provided, I was concerned about how long it would last with the mileage I intended to travel.

[996Pilot]

I found my loaded 2015 RAM 3500 SRW Laramie Longhorn Mega Cab Cummins Turbo Diesel (in 2016 one year old) with 28,000 miles on it and purchased it for $48,000.00 with FCA 8 year 120,000 mile warranty (from a dealer with 1.9% financing). This truck is not the IDEAL camper truck (it is for us with our Outfitter Apex 8), but just to show you what you can find for the money. I think you'd be able to find a really fine 2013 or later RAM 3500 CTD with all of the bells and whistles in the 40's range and a really descent used camper for about 20K. That will get you all of the haul/tow capacity you'll ever need. JMHO

[Grit_dog]

With older campers, if in good condition and light use (a real possibility with a camper, not so much with an older pickup truck), the required repairs for long life will be mostly "tinkering". Some caulk here, fix some screws there, replace a faucet or pump, etc. Easy stuff mostly save for replacing a fridge or slide out assembly. AND very few things go wrong w a camper that render it inoperable. And even if it was, you still have a TRUCK.
By comparison, there are MANY things can render a truck inoperable, simple or not, that can't be remedied in the woods with some gorilla glue and a couple stainless steel screws, lol.
Thinking from worst case scenario working backwards, it makes sense to buy a top notch tow rig and a less expensive camper.

[Grit_dog]

Redwoodcamper wrote:
For full time towing and camping I would not buy a gas tow vehicle. For 25-30k there are many, many drw common rail Cummins available that will give you decades of relatively trouble free ownership. It is very doable.

While I agree with this, $25-30k gets you a 10year old truck with 100k miles giver take.
This is nowhere near the end for these trucks and 200kmi I believe is the new 100kmi for vehicles.
What I do know, is that, in general, between 100k and 200k, regardless of brand, one has the large possibility of dropping $5-10k just in parts to keep a big truck 100%. As well, now you're dealing with a 10-20year old vehicle for 10 years compared to a 0-10 year old vehicle. That doesn't bode well for someone full timing, having to crawl under the truck in the dirt with a basic set of tools only EVERY time something goes wrong......oh, then it's rusted on and could use an impact wrench or torch to get it loose because the truck has been sitting out side for the last ___ years in a row.

Point is old trucks are great for some of us, myself included, but if I had the means, I would not want that hassle while "camping."

If I had $60k not a penny more that I had to drop on a full time TC setup, I'd be looking at $45-50k trucks that were either DEF diesels or deleted and low miles, ❤️ years old and a $10-15k camper. And with my experiences, I'd have a hard time looking past Arctic Fox unless a screamin deal.

[Grit_dog]

Redwoodcamper wrote:
For full time towing and camping I would not buy a gas tow vehicle. For 25-30k there are many, many drw common rail Cummins available that will give you decades of relatively trouble free ownership. It is very doable.

All depends on the miles you'll be putting on and how much/where you're hauling or towing it primarily.

Gas vs diesel, all your changing is the engine and about 10grand in resale if you care about resale. Very few will want a 150kmi used gasser dually for any real $. Few will bat an eye at a 150kmi diesel. It's perception, it is what it is.

Either way, $60k will net you a very nice setup. Trucks aside, $40k give or take will get you a fairly new dually, our last 2 campers were/are 10year old full featured, slide out, big tanks, 4 season blah blah blah, in very good condition for $12k and $10k respectively. They will have a similar service life as a new or almost new camper with a few repairs along the way, if you choose wisely when buying used. (If you're handy and don't think every thing that needs fixin on a camper requires a trip to Camping World!)

[Redwoodcamper]

For full time towing and camping I would not buy a gas tow vehicle. For 25-30k there are many, many drw common rail Cummins available that will give you decades of relatively trouble free ownership. It is very doable.