Recommendations? Good value inexpensive travel trailers.

[qwerty1111]

I am looking for a good value, but inexpensive, travel trailer. A couple of years old to new. Under 4,500 lbs. I know some of these cheaper trailers have build quality issues and poorly chosen materials. What I am looking for are the most inexpensive models that do not have bad build quality or poor materials. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

[klutchdust]

I can answer using motorhomes as an example. BIL owns a Monaco, another friend leans towards Prevost, high end Prevost, the cost of a small house Prevost.
They all have issues. The more options the more issues. Slides don't slide, cabinets loose, wiring nightmares. One Prevost the marble floor had to be partially removed to repair a slide cylinder.

i purchase a 32ft. Wells Cargo gooseneck cargo trailer, ordered it with the roof to be one foot taller. i installed 12 ft. of living space myself. It was as nice as if the factory had done it at half the cost. I hauled my Jeep in it to the desert etc. That trailer was as rugged as heck and the frame and structure was strong because it started out as a cargo trailer.
Sold it for a class C Cambria and now back to a toy hauler. I have a 25ft. Work and Play by Forest River. It too started it's life as a cargo trailer and then the living quarters are installed. It is rugged but heavy. I really like it. The frame and structure is solid.
All RV's use basically the same appliances. Easy to repair if you have mechanical abilities. You tube is amazing to get pointers. i personally dislike aluminum sided trailers. I prefer the one piece smooth sides without slides.
As was mentioned, hit the rv lots, look around. You can walk into trailers and immediately say " I would not buy this". If you look up trailers and related issues I think you will find they kind of even out with complaints.
As a pickup owner....Ford, GM or Ram. Each has their good and bad.......

[MitchF150]

There is no direct answer to your question.. It's all opinions and luck of the draw and whatever it is you desire in an RV..

What I like in an RV is probably not what you like or want, or visa versa..

You can have two exact same rigs on a lot, you buy one, I buy the other for the same price. Take them out and maybe one ends up leaking or a cabinet door falls off, but the other one is fine... How do you quantify that result?

You can't..

If you want an answer, the 2019 Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite TT I have is the best built rig I've ever had... 🙂 It's only my second TT in some 20 years. The first one was a 2003 Fleetwood Prowler Lynx and it also was a very good TT and traded it for the Rockwood and got a heck of a deal..

If you bought the same 2 rigs, you may or may not have the same results?

In the end, get off your computer, go out to an RV lot and look at them! 🙂

You'll know if it's a pile or if it's got potential and what you are looking for in floorplan, size and such. Price is usually only a concern if you are on a budget or on the verge of homelessness.. 😉

So, take the "free" advice and opinions on the internet and go from there I guess.. You'll still have the same chance of getting a good one or a bad one either way IMO..

Good luck! Mitch

[Thermoguy]

valhalla360 wrote:
Quality doesn't vary significantly across the price ranges. The higher ranges are usually about image and bling...and fancy bling tends to mean more stuff to break.
- If you buy new, expect to have bugs to work out initially.
- If you buy used, someone might have worked the bugs out or might have let it rot (and that rot can happen quick with abuse). Without experience, good luck telling the difference.
- Then there is ongoing maintenance. Every time you travel it's like taking a house thru a combined hurricane and an hours long 7.0 earthquake simultaneously. If you don't keep up on maintenance, expect things to fail.

If you are expecting automotive type quality control, where you just drive it for 100-200k miles without issue, I suggest picking a different hobby.

PS: Go on youtube and search for RV repairs...put in the high end brands like airstream...you will still find plenty of expensive repairs.

This is a good answer to the OP's question IMO. I don't have a lot of experience only owning 1 RV in my life, but reading, it seems it's hard to have different quality when everyone is using the same parts. When I was shopping, weight seemed to equate to quality, the nicer something was put together, used thicker interior walls, nicer hardware, it was heavier. But, that's just my opinion. I also think Airstream has a reputation for higher quality, less issues, but that is not from experience. I have a friend with one, and he loves it. Not sure about your weight restrictions. Have you thought of something like a Sprinter class B series van? that would use a lot of the car like materials such as roof, siding, etc, but then have RV materials inside. Small but seems nice. People that have them like them.

[Lwiddis]

Used trailers inspected closely can be a good deal.

[valhalla360]

Quality doesn't vary significantly across the price ranges. The higher ranges are usually about image and bling...and fancy bling tends to mean more stuff to break.
- If you buy new, expect to have bugs to work out initially.
- If you buy used, someone might have worked the bugs out or might have let it rot (and that rot can happen quick with abuse). Without experience, good luck telling the difference.
- Then there is ongoing maintenance. Every time you travel it's like taking a house thru a combined hurricane and an hours long 7.0 earthquake simultaneously. If you don't keep up on maintenance, expect things to fail.

If you are expecting automotive type quality control, where you just drive it for 100-200k miles without issue, I suggest picking a different hobby.

PS: Go on youtube and search for RV repairs...put in the high end brands like airstream...you will still find plenty of expensive repairs.

[Bobmontana]

A few years ago we bought a new Puma trailer. At $26k it was total garbage. We traded it in less than a year later on a Sabre that was twice the $. Fortunately the Sabre was excellent quality. We sold that Sabre for a smaller older R Vision and although the R Vision is well put together for a lightweight trailer , there is no comparison in quality to the much heavier and more expensive Sabre. It seems that in the RV world you do tend to get what you pay for.

[qwerty1111]

Thermoguy wrote:

qwerty1111 wrote:
If inexpensive is a $40k trailer, thats fine. I'm just not wanting to spend more than necessary.

I'm not sure I understand your question. You want a inexpensive, under $40K trailer with good build quality?

If you can't find what your looking for new, look for used. A used trailer will have all the kinks worked out. Older trailers typically had higher build quality than the units that were rushed to put together over the last couple years.

A good deal is what you decide a good deal is, not the market. Right now prices are all over the board. People who purchased during COVID want to get their money back even though they purchased at super inflated prices. My unit is worth more now than when I bought it according to NADA. When I bought it, used, I thought I got a good deal. I might not consider paying that same price 6 years later a good deal, but someone else might.

If you really want a good deal, start shopping now, wait for the economy to tank, then pick up something someone has to sell quick just to get out of the payments they can't afford.

I’m willing to pay what I need to get quality. I want the most inexpensive options for this. Whatever the price is, it is what it is. This isn’t a “I don’t want to spend more than x.” I’m willing to spend what I need to. I just don’t want to spend more than necessary.

[Thermoguy]

qwerty1111 wrote:
If inexpensive is a $40k trailer, thats fine. I'm just not wanting to spend more than necessary.

I'm not sure I understand your question. You want a inexpensive, under $40K trailer with good build quality?

If you can't find what your looking for new, look for used. A used trailer will have all the kinks worked out. Older trailers typically had higher build quality than the units that were rushed to put together over the last couple years.

A good deal is what you decide a good deal is, not the market. Right now prices are all over the board. People who purchased during COVID want to get their money back even though they purchased at super inflated prices. My unit is worth more now than when I bought it according to NADA. When I bought it, used, I thought I got a good deal. I might not consider paying that same price 6 years later a good deal, but someone else might.

If you really want a good deal, start shopping now, wait for the economy to tank, then pick up something someone has to sell quick just to get out of the payments they can't afford.

[Skibane]

qwerty1111 wrote:
If inexpensive is a $40k trailer, thats fine. I'm just not wanting to spend more than necessary.

Casita still builds a small, lightweight trailer with good fit and finish. The 2-piece molded fiberglass construction holds up very well over time - which helps explain why they hold their resale value better than most other brands.

Until their price bump with the introduction of the 2023 models several weeks ago, their shower/bathroom-equipped "Deluxe" models were selling for around $26K, decently-equipped.

Escape also builds a very solid small trailer with molded fiberglass construction - has a lot of customization options.

[NamMedevac_70]

Unfortunately they no longer make my good quality R-Vision 2001 Trail Cruiser Lt built by Monaco Coach that sold the TT division many years ago or was taken over by another RV outfit.

[ssthrd]

Good luck satisfying your last requirement.

Our first TT was a Keystone Springdale 202QB which served us well for a couple of years when we upgraded to a bigger unit. Dry weight was 4300 lbs. no issues in that time.

Try rvt.com and do a search.

[qwerty1111]

If inexpensive is a $40k trailer, thats fine. I'm just not wanting to spend more than necessary.

[CA_Traveler]

I think your wants are a oxymoron.