Buying first trailer/ advice for recent graduate

[4Runner03]

Hey everybody, first post. I've been reading through the stickies around the forums and learning heaps.

I am looking to buy my first travel trailer and need some advice.

I just graduated college and moved to Washington from Colorado. I am a forester and spend a lot of time in the woods. In my next few years it looks like I could be moving around quite a bit again with work. To me a travel trailer seems like a great idea. I've been living in my boss' '22 Nash and don't mind it one bit, I actually love it. So here are my goals and please correct me if I'm wrong:

Keep living costs low (student loans)
Have a sense of home wherever I go, tired of packing and moving every year
Possibly cheaper than apartments, in my area without utilities ~$650 Rv lot w/utilities $350/month
Have an asset when done, if I can purchase one where depreciation has slowed
Love the freedom of going anywhere

I recently found one at a dealer and negotiated what I think is a fair deal, but I would appreciate some input!

It's a 2008 Komfort Ridgecrest 181. http://www.clearcreekrvcenter.com/rv/2008-KOMFORT-RIDGECREST-181-4406
I negotiated down to 8,200 and have the financing ready to go at $130/month at 6%. Would likely pay double that to not get upside down.

Cliff Notes:
Is a travel trailer a good idea for me in your experience?
Do I have a good deal set up?


Cheers

[gmw_photos]

Slowmover wrote:

gmw photos wrote:
Regarding the post about "regular" travel trailer being ready to s**** out after six years, that's not been my observation or experience. There are literally tens of thousands of RV's that are twenty years old or older still being used. And as to an Airstream being superior in that regard, that's wishful thinking. They deteriorate like any other RV. Their steel frames rust away, suspension sacks out, the wood floor rots away, components ( furnaces, fridge, etc ) are the same as what the rest of the industry uses, so they fail at the same rate as in other trailers. Honestly, at the end of 25 plus years, that brand is simply a shiney shell, with all the underpinnings needing restoration. Some of those folks go back in and spend from $20K to $40K to restore them.
Let's face it, all of these RV's require constant attention and some level of work to keep them usable. Just like a sticks and bricks house....you have to take care of your "building".

You've no experience with the type, have you? Zip, zero, nada. Nor I'd imagine have you ever looked into it even though the Internet makes that easy as can be. Design, construction and maintenance. They all matter.

I'm third generation on this trailer type. Mines a quarter century old and has none of these problems you cite. Appliance cost is meaningless compared to structural rot. Given even minor maintenance it's the common condition to have no serious problems. Not so for the boxes. They were never intended to be anything but disposable.

The cheapest trailer is the one that lasts the longest. Plenty of good used examples of this type all over the country. Easier to tow and with a wider range of vehicles. So that cost can be comparatively lower as well.

...a little followup to this thread. I'm sitting in a CG right now because it's close to a horse show we are showing in. Just did a little walk about with my dog, so I thought I would count and estimate the age of trailers here. For what ever it's worth, in this little sampling, unfortunately for this discussion, there are no Airstreams, Avions or other "cousins" like that. All 47 units here are "other white boxes". Out of the 47, 15 are "stick and tin", in the age range of 10 to 20 years old. The rest are "smooth side" laminate type construction. Most are in the 10 to 25 year old category ( hard to guess on some of these ). Most are faded, but still functional. I see none with obvious signs of delamination, etc.
The rest are newer stuff ( some class A's and class "C's" and a few newer higher end like DRV MS, etc.

Point is, there are a "lot" of older trailers here that folks are using, and most look to be in workable functional order. Yes, a bit faded, and showing their age, but if you gave me a day with the boys, and a buffer and some compound/wax, I could make them look pretty darned good again.
There are many, many brands of various construction that can be used for decades. A walk around any CG you stay at can confirm that.

[toedtoes]

In 2009, I bought a 1986 Shasta "box trailer". It had no structural damage and it was 23 years old. It's still out there being used.

[gmw_photos]

Slowmover wrote:

gmw photos wrote:
Regarding the post about "regular" travel trailer being ready to scrap out after six years, that's not been my observation or experience. There are literally tens of thousands of RV's that are twenty years old or older still being used. And as to an Airstream being superior in that regard, that's wishful thinking. They deteriorate like any other RV. Their steel frames rust away, suspension sacks out, the wood floor rots away, components ( furnaces, fridge, etc ) are the same as what the rest of the industry uses, so they fail at the same rate as in other trailers. Honestly, at the end of 25 plus years, that brand is simply a shiney shell, with all the underpinnings needing restoration. Some of those folks go back in and spend from $20K to $40K to restore them.
Let's face it, all of these RV's require constant attention and some level of work to keep them usable. Just like a sticks and bricks house....you have to take care of your "building".

You've no experience with the type, have you? Zip, zero, nada. Nor I'd imagine have you ever looked into it even though the Internet makes that easy as can be. Design, construction and maintenance. They all matter.

I'm third generation on this trailer type. Mines a quarter century old and has none of these problems you cite. Appliance cost is meaningless compared to structural rot. Given even minor maintenance it's the common condition to have no serious problems. Not so for the boxes. They were never intended to be anything but disposable.

The cheapest trailer is the one that lasts the longest. Plenty of good used examples of this type all over the country. Easier to tow and with a wider range of vehicles. So that cost can be comparatively lower as well.

Ross, for every 25 year old airstream you can show me, I can show you ten "other box" trailers that are still being used. I travel all over this great country of ours, and stay in lots of campgrounds. They are all over the place. You really should get out of Texas more often and look around, there's lots to see. ;). And lots of folks using loads of different kinds of trailers to enjoy traveling.
I'm not saying Airstreams are bad. I'm simply saying there are many other brands of "the other design" that are very usable as well. Your comment that white box trailers are junk at six years shows your bias. Best regards, I hope to see you sometime in camp. Would love to sit and buy you a cold one and talk trailers and towing.

[sh410]

We stay in a 5th wheel on San Juan Island near Friday Harbor from April to December. During the latter part of the stay, we were going through a 30# (7 gal) propane cylinder every 3 days to maintain 60 degrees.

That may give you some idea of the heating expense during the winter. 10 refills in a month at $3 per gallon= $210 for month of November.

[Slowmover]

gmw photos wrote:
Regarding the post about "regular" travel trailer being ready to scrap out after six years, that's not been my observation or experience. There are literally tens of thousands of RV's that are twenty years old or older still being used. And as to an Airstream being superior in that regard, that's wishful thinking. They deteriorate like any other RV. Their steel frames rust away, suspension sacks out, the wood floor rots away, components ( furnaces, fridge, etc ) are the same as what the rest of the industry uses, so they fail at the same rate as in other trailers. Honestly, at the end of 25 plus years, that brand is simply a shiney shell, with all the underpinnings needing restoration. Some of those folks go back in and spend from $20K to $40K to restore them.
Let's face it, all of these RV's require constant attention and some level of work to keep them usable. Just like a sticks and bricks house....you have to take care of your "building".

You've no experience with the type, have you? Zip, zero, nada. Nor I'd imagine have you ever looked into it even though the Internet makes that easy as can be. Design, construction and maintenance. They all matter.

I'm third generation on this trailer type. Mines a quarter century old and has none of these problems you cite. Appliance cost is meaningless compared to structural rot. Given even minor maintenance it's the common condition to have no serious problems. Not so for the boxes. They were never intended to be anything but disposable.

The cheapest trailer is the one that lasts the longest. Plenty of good used examples of this type all over the country. Easier to tow and with a wider range of vehicles. So that cost can be comparatively lower as well.

[westend]

It is the upfront costs that are critical. A wood box trailer might last ten years if moving around is contemplated. They're built for a six year lifespan (normal length of first ownership), and eventually rot in place in some field or some back lot trailer park. Thus, one winds up having to replace them pretty often (as I see it)

Heh, heh :B

[Majja13]

I have a buddy up in Port Angeles that is a ranger at Olympic. Beautiful Country.

Even though I have never lived in my TT I think it could be done. Like others have said if you can get one that is well insulated. You may need to build some skirting for the long periods of cold. If you have hook ups you can use a radiant electric heater to off set some of the cost of propane. This sounds great especially if you are seasonal ranger.

[GMandJM]

While I generally agree with the "don't buy an RV to save money" and don't think of it as an asset advice, the OP is in a unique situation - different than most of us who sell the house and go travelling full time.

He's a forester, which likely means a freebie place to park (like workampers get). And if he's not going to be tied into a lease, like with an apartment, then if a job comes up in Atlanta and he's in Maine, there's no lease to break or buy out. (I sort of get the impression those guys travel alot).

There are alot of plusses in what he's talking about doing....as long as he doesn't let his pipes freeze and doesn't mind going broke in the winter from paying for propane.

Now, where's that guy who posted about his underwear getting frozen to his camper's wall? That guy could probably give the OP some good insights 😉

[gmw_photos]

Regarding the post about "regular" travel trailer being ready to scrap out after six years, that's not been my observation or experience. There are literally tens of thousands of RV's that are twenty years old or older still being used. And as to an Airstream being superior in that regard, that's wishful thinking. They deteriorate like any other RV. Their steel frames rust away, suspension sacks out, the wood floor rots away, components ( furnaces, fridge, etc ) are the same as what the rest of the industry uses, so they fail at the same rate as in other trailers. Honestly, at the end of 25 plus years, that brand is simply a shiney shell, with all the underpinnings needing restoration. Some of those folks go back in and spend from $20K to $40K to restore them.
Let's face it, all of these RV's require constant attention and some level of work to keep them usable. Just like a sticks and bricks house....you have to take care of your "building".

[GMandJM]

Or you could build one of these: tiny house.

We met a workamper last winter who built one of her own (on wheels, of course). They're really catching on.

[rexlion]

I'll throw out an option you may not have thought of. Buy a cargo trailer. Add double pane windows and a buku of insulation, and finish the interior rather plainly but functionally. You can have just what you want in it, where you want it, and nothing extra. It might save money up front, and you'll gain when it comes time to keep the interior temperature comfortable.

[Gdetrailer]

JimNH wrote:
I was talking to my wife yesterday about this sort of thing...for what my daughter was paying in rent for student housing, we could get her a $6000 trailer and a $3500 seasonal/annual campsite on a lake (or about $2600/year in other places, we haven't really shopped around as this was all just speculation) - $20,000 for four years vs. $800/mo in rent - or $38,400 in rent over four years (and you don't get any equity out of that either!)...so the "asset" of the trailer could be completely depreciated over four years, and you'd still be almost 50% ahead...assuming that utility costs were the same for both. If you aren't worried about freezing to death, I'd definitely look into it!

JIM in NH

Once again.. "false economy".

Your assumption is flawed and does not take into account a LOT OF planned and UNPLANNED maintenance expenses. You do not simply buy a RV and live in it without the need to repair or replace things. Not to mention depending on where you live heating a RV can be extremely expensive (average nightly temps of 40F or less can eat up a 30lb propane cylinder in less than a week and that is keeping the inside temps at 50F)..

RV require maintenance, things like dumping grey and black tanks, replacing caulking along roof, doors windows, fixing broken items. Most RVs are designed for CASUAL usage, full time usage will wear out materials (flooring like vinyl and carpet, drawers cabinet doors and such) and expensive equipment (A/C, furnace, water heater, water pump, fridge) at a much faster rate.

Failure to address the caulking results in a severely water damaged RV to the point of worth nothing more than a few hundred in scrap materials in a short amount of time!

Getting a RV repaired means you LOSE YOUR "HOUSE" if you have to take it to a dealer.. Better plan on being your own "handi person" or having a backup plan for living until it is fixed..

Finding folks who repair RVs is not easy nor is it cheap.. Try finding a RV furnace repair person on a Sat night or Sunday morning, heck even after 5 PM on most any day would be pretty tough..

Then there is the grey and black tanks, and RV toilets to consider, not a lot of "fun" to deal with occasionally, it would get very old in a hurry if you had to dump tanks every few weeks the rest of your life or in the winter or have to figure out why the toilet no longer flushes and you have a full black tank of "stuff" that won't empty..

Freezing water lines in the winter add some special moments to living in a RV..

I see the allure that you might have a "asset" (even if it only a few hundred dollars) but in the end the savings will be so small it simply is not worth the hassle..

In general RVs are built to be part time "toys" after all RV stands for RECREATIONAL VEHICLE.. You use it during your RECREATIONAL TIME.

"TOYS" do not increase in value and never "save" you money..

I worked with a guy that loved his boats.. He told me, Boats and RVs are pretty much the same.. Insert money into the toilet and DUMP the black tank..

Don't buy a RV to save money..

[JimNH]

I was talking to my wife yesterday about this sort of thing...for what my daughter was paying in rent for student housing, we could get her a $6000 trailer and a $3500 seasonal/annual campsite on a lake (or about $2600/year in other places, we haven't really shopped around as this was all just speculation) - $20,000 for four years vs. $800/mo in rent - or $38,400 in rent over four years (and you don't get any equity out of that either!)...so the "asset" of the trailer could be completely depreciated over four years, and you'd still be almost 50% ahead...assuming that utility costs were the same for both. If you aren't worried about freezing to death, I'd definitely look into it!

JIM in NH

[azrving]

As Bubbachris says right here:
"First find a mobile RV tech that you can hire to thoroughly inspect any trailer before you sign any purchase paperwork. You want this on your dime, so he/she is accountable to you."

If you hire someone, you need to be there when they inspect it. If the guy isn't looking in every nook and corner and all over the roof and underneath it, he's not doing you any good. Water water water. If you get a rig and the refrigerator dies BE HAPPY as you will have a NEW updated frig.