Deciding On our First Travel Trailer

hsk1977 wrote:

falconbrother wrote:
We are also looking for a TT, our second. We've had TT, a camper van, a cabover and a motorhome. For what we do the travel trailer is the best. We are looking at new or nearly new. Our first one was used and it was fine but..with used you may find some neglect. Neglect can look minor and be major if it involves a leak that has gone unaddressed over a long period of time.

The new units do experience depreciation but, nothing like a motorhome from what I have seen. Mostly, I want a TT that I don't have to work on for a while. But, from what I read some people have a lot of issues with brand new units. So, when you get yours take it camping near your house and try everything so that if something's not working you're close to the dealer. RVs are mostly pretty simple but, better to let the dealer fix it under warranty.

Thanks for the comments! Yes, one thing that concerns me about buying used on our first RV is just the fact that we just don't KNOW what to look for. I don't want to end up with a unit that has been neglected, has major issues that we couldn't see, and then be stuck without a warranty. To us, it's totally worth the extra money to buy new & have a warranty.

We will definitely take it out nearby soon after we purchase one and try it out. We are very excited about getting an RV. We've been tent campers for years and have borrowed a pop-up camper a few times. We look forward to many more camping trips once we finally make our purchase.

Water is not your friend when it comes to damage on an RV of any type. In our experience there is a tipping point where the damage has gone too far. A little leak that get's fixed may not be a big deal at all. Rubber roofs suck but, it's what we're stuck with. Our 1991 Prowler TT had a metal roof. Yea, it was a heavy camper but, that roof was easy to maintain and could potentially last a lifetime. Rubber roofs are sneaky little boogers. They can have small leaks that go for years and worse, they trap water between the rubber and the wood. So, you can have a mold situation. Rubber roofs have a life expectancy of 20 years if maintained properly. I suspect that if they are maintained they will go longer than that. But, how many RVs do you see sitting and ignored in storage lots and driveways across the land? I'd argue that 99% are ignored till it's time to camp. I get on the roof a couple of times a year and I have recoated it a couple of times. My old RV is 27 this year but, in exceptional shape. At the place where I store it I see a whole lot of neglected RVs. The guy who owns the place talks about it all the time. Someone buys a 1/4 million dollar motorhome, takes a couple of trips, and then lets it go to seed in the lot. There's a motorhome a few down from mine that was a sweet ride in 2010 when the guy parked it there. It's hasn't moved, been started, had air put in the tires since then.

So, I would totally buy a used camper. But, with 25 years of RVing I hope I would know what to look for. A little water stain on a ceiling or wall may not be worth worrying about if the price is right. But, it could be indicative of major problems. Also, I have repaired more of that stuff than I ever want to touch again in my lifetime. So, part of my motivation moving forward is laziness, pure and simple. I'm tired of the never ending punch list on old RVs. I can't tolerate something not working, leaks, rust, old tires, etc.. Doing the numbers vs. aggravation + age (of me) it's making sense to go with a new/newer TT and avoid the temptation to buy one that needs some "TLC". That "TLC" term can be loaded. Back in the day it was fun. Now, not so much. The good news is that when something breaks at the campground I have always been able to fix it right there with very little fuss.

Anyway, I say all that to make my case that although with new you have the new unit depreciation but, you also have a warranty. You have some reasonable expectation that the roof won't give you issues for a few years. The tires are new, the wheel bearings are new, the fridge is new, etc, etc.. Some parts seem to last a very long time..furnaces for example. I have never had one go bad. Refrigerators in RV seem to go maybe 20 years or less. I have never had a water heater go bad. Just drain it in the fall. I only use the pink anti freeze in the drains. I used about 20 PSI of compressed air and blow out all the lines when winterizing the motorhome. I'll let it blow through the system with the valves open for about 15 minutes. Been winterizing that way for a long time and never had a water line break in the winter.

I have rambled enough..