Advice on buying a new travel trailer on a budget?

[Scotty092278]

Hello, I'm a young husband and father of two in Idaho. A little over a year ago, my family and I spent a small amount of money on a 1971 Road Ranger 16 ft. travel trailer. It was simply a way to dip our toes into trailer camping without breaking the bank. (We spent considerable time going through the trailer and giving it a good "refresh" with things like new brakes, tires, wiring, floor, wheel bearings, etc. To date, we've invested only about $1800.)

After trips around Idaho and to Yellowstone last year, it's become clear this is something my family and I really enjoy and are now willing to invest more resources in it. The idea of having a brand new trailer that no one else has stayed in, along with some of the more modern creature comforts, appeals to us. We're blessed with moderate income to be able to consider this upgrade.

But I admit to being very new to the game and therefore very green on the RV buying process. We are fortunate to have numerous dealers in our area. They range from the smaller family operations to the giant, national companies.

That said, what should we be on the lookout for? Are there brands to stay away from? We're willing to camp this season again in our current trailer if getting the best deal means waiting till fall or winter. We're looking at $13K or less, most likely. And based on the layout of our property, it needs to be 18 ft. or shorter. There are four people in our family.

Any advice would be very much appreciated. I'd love to hear what lessons you all have learned in this arena over the years. Thank you very much.

[afidel]

falconbrother wrote:
One other thought.. You sound pretty young. Get the most you can afford now. In a few short years when you don't have to trade you will be glad. Over the years you can waste a lot of money making trades.

I have looked at a lot of used RVs. The problem as I see it starts with the rubber roof. It's good for 10 years or so before you start the never ending battle against leaks. EPDM is better than TPO but, both will eventually leak. It's light weight so.. Our first TT was a Prowler that had a metal like, tin roof. It would have last forever with a little maintenance but, I suppose it's heavy. If an ad says water damage I would be concerned.. If money were no object I'd get an Airstream and be done with it.

Both Amerilite and KZ use metal roofs on their <3,000lb 18' trailers with slides so they can't be that heavy. Unless you're talking am airstream of clone you still have to maintain the seams so they won't last forever and they might be more susceptible to some types of damage than a rubber roof (I was thinking hail but then I remembered a coworker had a complete roof replacement to his rubber roof for hail damage)

[falconbrother]

One other thought.. You sound pretty young. Get the most you can afford now. In a few short years when you don't have to trade you will be glad. Over the years you can waste a lot of money making trades.

I have looked at a lot of used RVs. The problem as I see it starts with the rubber roof. It's good for 10 years or so before you start the never ending battle against leaks. EPDM is better than TPO but, both will eventually leak. It's light weight so.. Our first TT was a Prowler that had a metal like, tin roof. It would have last forever with a little maintenance but, I suppose it's heavy. If an ad says water damage I would be concerned.. If money were no object I'd get an Airstream and be done with it.

[rbpru]

We did two things, first we rented a TT similar what we thought we wanted. Second we hunted for a good used unit.

Both turned out to be good ideas on a limited budget.

[colliehauler]

My first 3 RV'S I bought new. Every RV since has been bought used. I would rather have a quality rig bought used then a cheap rig bought new. My preference others may disagree.

I consider myself a educated buyer on what to look for in a used rig. Others might not have the skills necessary to feel comfortable with the purchase of a used unit.

[jwadd]

Both our RV's have been used. The first was a camper. Bought the camper privately used it for three years and sold it at a profit when child number two was born.

We then bought our current trailer from a dealer. Both units were less than two years old when we bought them. We saved many thousands off the new price. Both have been good to us. Regular maintenance and attention to all the usual areas of concern is essential.

I have been looking at new trailers with different bunk layouts as my children have grown in the last 6 years. Just can't justify the money they want for a new unit. When the trailer I want becomes available in great used condition I will buy it and save thousands again.

My advice is know what you want. Plan for future growth. Be patient. And be willing to travel to make the purchase. Do a thorough inspection before handing over any money.

[falconbrother]

Right now is the time to buy, almost too late. Dealers are flushing out the 2017s and waiting for the 2018s. I started buying used in 1988-ish. We just put money on a 2017 26ft TT. The price was better than a lot of used units I have seen. I agree with you on wanting new. Used one's have been good to us overall. The last one, a motorhome never left us stranded but, required tons of roof maintenance on top of changing oils, lubing the chassis, $2,700.00 in tires, Generator repairs, etc, etc.. Unless I go long term to full time I'm done with motorhomes. Nevertheless, new is a good idea if you plan on using it for a few years..new tires, bearings, roof, etc.. We are financing just like most people do I suppose.

[DutchmenSport]

FYI, the Summerland Mini with Bunks sell for under $15,000. Here's some dealer website links:

American RV

North Side Family RV

RV Trader, $9999, $12499, $10996

RVUSA -- $11996, 10996, $12999

So you know? You can buy new and still stay within your budget.

[afidel]

My trailer was $13k new and it's towable by anything with a 5k lb+ tow rating (technically 3,600 but that did't work so well), it's big enough for 4 large people, but unfortunately it's 20.5' bumper to bumper which is over what the OP says they need (which if it's a hard number means only 14' boxes would work but those will be very tight for 4)

[Scotty092278]

Thank you. I appreciate folks taking the time to share their thoughts. Very generous of you.

[trail-explorer]

MitchF150 wrote:

I've not seen anything under $20k brand new these days?? That's even those little R-Pod things.. Guess that's why I still have that old 2003 TT to this day!

Wet side of WA must not have much market for the small trailers.

I see a lot of $13-$18k baby trailers in the Spokane area.

[trail-explorer]

What is your tow rig?

How old / tall are your kids? (boys, girls, one of each?)

Can you store an RV at your house or does it have to reside at a storage lot?

I'd probably recommend one of the small bunk house models

[trail-explorer]

donn0128 wrote:
Spend your money on a used Northwood Mfg product. Nothing like going quality vs new.

The problem is, they are long and heavy... unless you get one about 10+ years old when there were some short Nash models available.

[DiskDoctr]

We recently purchased a used TT. Saved well over $25k vs new in this model, 12yrs old in excellent condition.

You can go 5-8yrs old and still save a BUTT-LOAD, without worrying about replacing a fridge and stuff like that.

In the end, get what YOUR family wants. We all like sharing how much we like our campers and why. If you have similar needs, take a closer look, or rule that one out.

For example, our 34ft TT is well outside your towing length desire.

If you're careful, you can get a WHOLE LOT of camper for that money 😉

[westend]

We're good on tow capacity up to 8,000 lbs....

Doubtful, that is probably a rating number on the vehicle and does not represent real towing capability. Search the Forum for "payload" and see how that changes things.