Considering Purchasing a Used Travel Trailer

[ckc3]

Hello,
Our family recently decided to take up a new hobby. Weve run the financials on both other hobbies, talked to owners themselves. Now i turn to you for your knowledge. Our list of hobbies is based on limited cashflow, so i will now list the details of the other two hobbies.

We looked into paintball. It was $2k startup cost purchasing gear, and $150 for a 1 day trip paintballing with two people. Owners said thr markers were extremely unreliable, said they would be in the shop more often than being played.

We looked into a 1989 open bow speedboat for $3000.Each fishing trip would have cost $75 a day. We have a 5.4l ford suv to tow with. Our 3 kids could have actually participated in this hobby with us. Problem is we have zero knowledge of boats. My husbands a diesel tech...he knows nothing of boats. Owners said boats of that age were nothing but money pits.

Now i come to you with travel trailers! Like i previously stated, we have a 5.4l suv to tow with. My husband can tow anything, says he can fix just about anything on a travel trailer. We were considering a 1990 30ft dutchman for $4,000 OR a 1998 24ft fleetwood tracker for $4300, or a 2004 26ft dutchman for $4500. Figuring $45-$50 to camp per night. Also trailer would just be stored outside on our property.

Now generally speaking, are these travel trailers considered huge money pits like boats? Obviously, we arent buy buying to make profits. We will use the trailer 12-20 times per year. Any input would be appreciated, we like to know what we are getting into.

[opnspaces]

ckc3 wrote:
Well i wont be joining you guys here after all. Ive decided we are going to dive into camping, but not with a TT. We are going to start looking at hybrid popups, and a few popups.

What you think you will get rid of us that easily? :h Not a chance, most of the people on here post in multiple if not all of the forums. So if you post in the Popup or hybrid forum here you will get a lot of replies from the same people. 🙂 What can I say, we just love camping and these forums so we look at them all.

I have a popup and I really like it for what it is. If you go with a popup I would make sure it has a heater and an actual refrigerator. Sometimes they just put in an icebox with a refrigerator door.

With either a popup or hybrid you still want to open it up and make sure there are no rips or tears in the canvas. look along the edges and in the corners of the floors for wetness or discoloration that might indicate a leak.

Good luck with your search, I know my kids enjoyed the heck out of camping for many years. Now my oldest (15) says he doesn't really like it anymore, but the other three still do.

[michigansandzil]

Good call. Start out with something less expensive and see if you like camping in the first place.
You can always upgrade to a TT to get more amenities if your family turns out to be the camping type.

[PAThwacker]

I own a hybrid bunkhouse camper. Sleeps 6 adults easily and use it for fishing, hunting, family trips, and amusement park base camps.

[PAThwacker]

I have two daughters aged 3 and 6. Our camping hobbies involve $1k into a canoe setup, $1,200 in mt bikes, 600 to 1,000 in Thule racks, burley bike trailer, and kids bikes.


Normal weekend 3 to 4 bikes and a Canoe are standard camping gear.

[CavemanCharlie]

Yup, Glad you decided to get the kids out of the house in one way or another. You can get a nice pop up in your price range. Just make sure you let them dry out before you fold them back up so they don't get moldy.

[boosTT]

Good choice. A lot of campers start with a pop-up.... we did. Resale value seams to hold better with popups if you decide to upgrade. Plus they are so much easier to tow.

[ckc3]

Well i wont be joining you guys here after all. Ive decided we are going to dive into camping, but not with a TT. We are going to start looking at hybrid popups, and a few popups. You get get far nicer units in our price range and newer as well. My father was a doctor when i was a child, quite honestly the only good memories i have of him is deer hunting, camping, fishing and just being outdoors. Kids need the outdoors, especially more now than when i was young. Here in three years, im going back to work when the kids start school, so i will finance this endeavor from there out. Also im choosing a popup or hybrid, due to fact that i dont want to push my navigator too hard.

[michigansandzil]

I think you are asking a question that is impossible to answer.

The cost of owning a TT can be extremely variable. You can stay close to home and limit fuel costs. You can stay at state parks and hike and swim, that's about $30/night here in Michigan. If you bring all of your food with you, your food costs wont really change either.

You've asked if they are money pits.....well aren't houses and cars money pits? They need constant care and upkeep and the list never ends.

The part that is hard to explain is how much you can "get" out of camping that isn't measurable with money. That's how you determine if it's worth it to you or not and that's the part that's hard to explain to someone else, especially someone that isn't sure if they like to camp. It's like those credit card commercials that say things are priceless.
How much is it worth to you to have your kids make friends with other kids on a beach on Lake Michigan? Play from sunset to 11pm while running up and down the beach. How much is it worth to you to teach the kids how to make smores over the campfire? How much is it worth to you to see your kids running through the woods with walkie talkies while you sit at the site? How much is it worth to you to walk down the beach and find a random stream full of tadpoles? There is so much variety out there to explore. It's never doing the same thing over and over again, that would get so dull.

You can't really measure these things with money.
For us, it would be worth it for just about any cost. But not everybody enjoys camping. I think it's something you should try out before you make the investment.

[boosTT]

Staying in a cabin is going to be cheaper period. Renting an boat is going to be cheaper. Renting paintball gear is going to be cheaper.

Depends how you want to spend your money. Most kids really enjoy camping.

[dewey02]

IF you go with buying a travel trailer, you should consider two things for the options you listed:

1. Given that you have 3 kids under 4 years old (will you have more?), you need to plan for a TT that will accommodate your family. Remember that it does rain and you will all be inside the trailer for extended periods of time. And those kids will grow and get older and take more room. Personally, I would find something with a bunkhouse on it. Some TTs have a separate room at the back that has bunks, closet and a door.

2. All other things being equal (maintenance, no leaks, etc.) generally, the newer the TT the better. While some trailers can last a long time, when you start getting 25 years old, you are asking for problems. If everything else was equal, I'd shell out a few more hundred bucks and go for the newest TT you can get. 10 years old is better than 25 years old. Even newer would be better.

[doxiluvr]

Since you are just starting (sort of) the camping life, you might want to try a pop up camper. When we were younger and had the 4 kids that is what we did. Found a very good used one and I liked the openness of it and we had enough sleeping space and it was great for weekend camping in Wisconsin. I think newer ones now are a lot easier to set up than years ago also. We usually stayed at campgrounds that had some facilities and always tried to get a spot near the bathrooms for obvious reasons (for the middle of the night treks. Good luck in your search and have a good time with whatever you decide upon. I never liked tent camping....too close to the ground.

[ckc3]

Im still kind of considering this to be honest. Also, ive seen a few permanent travel trailers on campgrounds for sale in our price range. I know even less of them, than i do of travel trailers. When my laptop gets charged, i will post my numbers for prices compared to cabins. At this point, i dont really feel like comparing a travel trailer to a hotel is fair anymore. In a hotel, your stuck in one room, no kitchen. Basically, your either cooking everything in a microwave or have to order in all the food. Rental cabins have kitchens, heat/ac, bedrooms, most of them around here provide the linens as well. Anyhow, i will be back to put those numbers up.

Actually ive been considering a 60s-80s motor home that needs engine repair. My husband could get a good deal, have it repaired in the off season. Just another option.

[CavemanCharlie]

It's good to get kids into the outdoor when they are young. It helps them build up immunity, decreases the chances for allergies, and teaches them to love the outdoors early and they will keep that love going for the rest of there lives.

[wannavolunteerF]

OP, before you decide that you can truly compare hotels to an RV of some type with traveling with children, check out this couples blog and especially this article. They provide some real insight to traveling with small children.

I love my TT and hope to fulltime one day, but didn't really consider the real advantages to RV'ing over a hotel, until 2 specific times last year.

First, I spent a weekend attending a training session and staying at a hotel that turned out to be party city. Both nights, I was woken by partiers coming in and down the hallways at 2-3 am. The first night, I actually got up and read the hotel rate and rule sheet on the door, looking for when quiet hours were. Well there weren't any!

The second time that really helped convince me, I babysat my 1 year old granddaughter, while her mother attended a training seminar. Didn't have issues with the partiers, but I found trying to get her to sit and eat in the hotel room (without toddler seat or anything even close to highchair) was a real challenge. Eating in the restaurants at hotel was extremely expensive and I was challenged trying to find appropriate food in the restaurants too. Naps were also a challenge, as there was no where to go but 5 feet from her.

I have also babysat same baby girl in my TT and had the table to sit her at. She can play in floor of TT or outside at campground, I can put her down for a nap and be away (in the other room) and she can rest without me disturbing her.

consider those intangible things that make travel so much easier.