Price of the Lance 650

The price of any good is what someone will pay for it. The manufacturers are building at capacity, so apparently they can sell enough campers. RV prices have been soaring as demand is high.

Contact a Lance dealership near the manufacturer in Lancaster, CA, and you will find significant discounts. But how to get the camper to WV? If you want it shipped across the US, someone will have to pay for that.

Look at a Northstar Liberty camper, well made and affordable.

I agree and I see no advantage of a new truck camper over a used Class B/C built on a truck chassis. For $28000 I can find 2012 Winnebagos on a 350 Ford Chassis with a V10 engine.

It must be people that buy without thinking about what is needed vs what their friends think is cool. I still cannot understand why anyone would buy a Harley given all the better options out there....

Frame and axles are cheap so aren't much of the price. A TC has just about as much as a TT, just crammed into a much small space. Then combine the lower quantity being built and the price goes up per unit.

When I have metal parts fabricate, I can get 10 made for 2x the price of 1. And I can get 100 made for only 4x the price of 10. And a 1000 made for only 6x the price of 100. It's all because of order time, management, set up time and repetitive time savings.

How can a truck camper with no suspension or frame cost as much as a trailer??

My question also..

I have been kicking around the idea of full timing again and I could get a new fifth wheel or a new big travel trailer for less than the price of a new truck camper.A Jayco HT 306rk is less than 40K while most 9ft+ truck campers are over 40K and some 50K..

I truly do not understand why with less materials and other things than a trailer or fiver.

I think taking TC complexity the prices are not that bad.
Not only you have engineering marvel, but I compare my Lance to house.
My Lance has more lights than average 3 bdrms house.
No house has 3-way refrigerator, or dual power WH.
Only few stick houses have back-up generators permanently mounted.
All that design to withstands 100 mph winds, when this season we have seen in few states what 70 mph winds can do to stick houses.
If you don't like new sticker value - buy used. Lot of people having disposable income buy new TC, use it once or twice and 3 seasons later sell for 1/2 price.

And those of us that have TCs instead of a fifth wheel or travel trailer do so because we go places where we would not want to tow anything behind us. I have had a TC for 8 years. It doesn't have slide outs and it fits our lifestyle and needs perfectly. 4x4 diesel and we can go almost anywhere at any time of year in snow heat rain and go camping. Nothing like waking up with 20" of snow covering the rig, strapping on the snowshoes and heading out into the forest. Strap on some chains and put it in 4x4 and head on down the mountain when the time comes. No way I want to be going down the mountain in snow with a trailer even if the trailer has chains on it's wheels.

Buzzcut1 wrote:
And those of us that have TCs instead of a fifth wheel or travel trailer do so because we go places where we would not want to tow anything behind us. I have had a TC for 8 years. It doesn't have slide outs and it fits our lifestyle and needs perfectly. 4x4 diesel and we can go almost anywhere at any time of year in snow heat rain and go camping. Nothing like waking up with 20" of snow covering the rig, strapping on the snowshoes and heading out into the forest. Strap on some chains and put it in 4x4 and head on down the mountain when the time comes. No way I want to be going down the mountain in snow with a trailer even if the trailer has chains on it's wheels.

I get why we all have truck campers,I do not get why there so expensive(new) compared to a trailer or fifth wheel.Less everything..

Buzzcut1 wrote:
And those of us that have TCs instead of a fifth wheel or travel trailer do so because we go places where we would not want to tow anything behind us. I have had a TC for 8 years. It doesn't have slide outs and it fits our lifestyle and needs perfectly. 4x4 diesel and we can go almost anywhere at any time of year in snow heat rain and go camping. Nothing like waking up with 20" of snow covering the rig, strapping on the snowshoes and heading out into the forest. Strap on some chains and put it in 4x4 and head on down the mountain when the time comes. No way I want to be going down the mountain in snow with a trailer even if the trailer has chains on it's wheels.

But you can do the same with the Winnebago I mentioned. Plus: you have more room inside, and do not have to get out into the snow/rain to access the cab or kitchen or bathroom and/or drive it off.

To each his own but as the OP asked where is the cost justification.

I can see a TC as a occasional add on to a everyday driver pickup to go up for a few nights recreation, if the cost was not outrageous. The fact is the cost is outrageous and the benefit is not significant over other options.

NMDriver wrote:

Buzzcut1 wrote:
And those of us that have TCs instead of a fifth wheel or travel trailer do so because we go places where we would not want to tow anything behind us. I have had a TC for 8 years. It doesn't have slide outs and it fits our lifestyle and needs perfectly. 4x4 diesel and we can go almost anywhere at any time of year in snow heat rain and go camping. Nothing like waking up with 20" of snow covering the rig, strapping on the snowshoes and heading out into the forest. Strap on some chains and put it in 4x4 and head on down the mountain when the time comes. No way I want to be going down the mountain in snow with a trailer even if the trailer has chains on it's wheels.

But you can do the same with the Winnebago I mentioned. Plus: you have more room inside, and do not have to get out into the snow/rain to access the cab or kitchen or bathroom and/or drive it off.

To each his own but as the OP asked where is the cost justification.

I can see a TC as a occasional add on to a everyday driver pickup to go up for a few nights recreation, if the cost was not outrageous. The fact is the cost is outrageous and the benefit is not significant over other options.

Ask Bryan aka BKA he has been full timing in his TC for years

as for having to walk 20 steps from the drivers seat to the TC if that is a show stopper. what can I say. I have never liked the bigger campers. I spend very little time inside mine except to sleep and eat. We are not campground loungers. We are always out on the Kayaks, bikes, hiking, fly fishing, or snowshoeing. Cost wise. I use mine 50-80 nights per year. the upkeep costs have been minimal. Mine is a 2008 and cost me $20,000 back when I bought it. It is now sitting in the bed of its second truck. the money works out to about what it would have cost to stay in hotels all those nights not including going out for meals.