Unique Usage -- Looking to Buy

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Without answering the trailer question, I'd like to suggest sharing what you plan to tow it with.
This is an important consideration because different tow vehicles have different maximum ratings and we would like to help you stay within the safety range for your tow vehicles capabilities.
:)

Ohh good point -- Thanks! I've got a 2016 Chevy Silvarado with the 5.3 engine, full towing package - transmission cooler and brake assist built in.

Some more information:
They've got the price on the White Hawk at $21,999, they came down to $21,610 plus the equalizer hitch at $795.

It is almost always wise to buy used. The first owner gets the "kinks" worked out. Quality control appears to be non existent in the RV market.

I'd suggest you rent for one trip to see if this really "fits" your lifestyle.

abimarye,
Welcome to the forum. You said you travel 200 days per year, but didn't say how long you stay in each location. Each time you move, you'll have to disconnect and pack up, then set up on arrival at the next stop. That's time-consuming. If you are parked in one place a week at a time, it's not a big deal. If you're moving daily, setup/takedown time adds up. If you're moving often, I'd suggest looking at one of the a-frames.

Also consider where you'll stay. You may not be able to just show up and find a full-hookup campsite in a convenient place. Consider where you go and where you could stay. If you stay in private campgrounds, the nightly cost will be higher, but you will have more amenities (laundry for example) that you may want.

The idea of renting a trailer to try out first sounds reasonable. It won't be the exact model you want, but the basic idea will be the same. If you decide a trailer is not the answer, you're not out much $$.

Good luck.

I usually am in the same place for 3 -8 weeks at a time, which makes it easier. I've looked into locations etc for major areas and while it may affect daily drive time, the savings is much greater. I've already got at KOA membership for the cabins, and would be looking at others as well. The nice thing is during major states of emergency, many fire/police departments etc set up connections for people in my field so we can get people helped quicker.

It is in the works to rent one for a week to be sure this is what I want, but I'm more concerned with what product is the best investment for my money. We are skeptical ourselves of used units for the lack of warranty, which is why Jayco is so appealing. It's hard to tell the "horror" stories from unrealistic expectations of the consumer... And it is hard because most people don't have experiences with many different brands. Frustrating for me as I like to research comparisons on everything... lol

pianotuna wrote:
It is almost always wise to buy used. The first owner gets the "kinks" worked out. Quality control appears to be non existent in the RV market.

I'd suggest you rent for one trip to see if this really "fits" your lifestyle.

Is this more accurate than the reverse, than the first owner fails to care for the unit? What would you look for when buying a used unit?

Look up the bluebook value of a 1 and 2 year old of the same model year.

Also consider that most dealerships will mark up the price about 40% for the retail price, so when they come down by 10% they are not losing any money on the deal.

Consider this. Say they can buy a unit for $10,000 and mark it up by 40% to a $14,000 retail MSRP. Giving up 10% discount for a newspaper sale would bring it down by only $1,400. Giving you an additional 10% off because you asked for it is only bringing it down an additional 1,400 or $2800 below the "Yes we would love to sell it at MSRP or even more if we could price". But still they are making a profit.

So your unit with it's $22,000 MSRP might have cost the dealership about $15,000 - $16,000. The dealership also pays interest on the inventory that they keep on hand. So if they have $100,000 in new stuff, they probably have to pay $12,000 a year in interest, or about $1,000 a month. They also probably pay $4,000 a month for the parking lot they are in, and additional for buildings and such.

They can make a lot of money on a few units, or make a lot more money by selling lots of units with a $2,500 profit margin. You can find several dealerships online with internet specials, and if they are giving great prices, they will be the one to buy from, with lots of volume and little overheat per unit sold.

Are you working as a independent contractor? IF so the business can own the trailer and it will be a complete write off. You can start a corporation and let it own the RV, then use it as needed, letting you write off more expenses than if you owned it yourself.

If you do not want to be tied down to a campground all the time, consider a few solar panels, 500 - 1,000 watt PWM inverter, and pair of golf cart batteries. With about 400 watts of solar panels, and your need to use more power in the day time than at night, you will not need more than 2 deep cycle batteries.

You can run a ink jet printer from a PWM inverter, while a laser printer needs pure sine wave power, a much more expensive inverter. You could use a 750 PSW inverter just for the laser printer (much faster print time per page) and use the MSW inverter for everything else (portable for use in your car, and with the laptop).

Sunelect.com has solar panels with a aluminum frame for a great price.

Good luck!

Fred.

Look at the grand design imagine 2150 or 2600rb, bigger bed , and bigger bathroom too

steve-n-vicki wrote:
Look at the grand design imagine 2150 or 2600rb, bigger bed , and bigger bathroom too

Oh wow, beautifulllll. I'll have to see if I can find one in my area.

Hi abimarye,

Let me be totally blunt. The words "quality" and "RV" should never be used in the same sentence. The designers and makers are not folks who actually use RV's. Fit and finish are barely acceptable. Everything is made with the lightest (and therefore weak) materials that can be found. There are lots of horror stories about new units that spend months and months waiting for the dealer to get around to fixing serious faults.

When buying a used unit look for leaks. Then look even harder for leaks. Finally LOOK FOR LEAKS.

You will know within ten seconds whether the owner has maintained the RV. Just look at it carefully. You know what to look for for insurance so you are miles ahead of most buyers. Ask if you can have it independently inspected. If they say "no" say "thanks" and walk away.

abimarye wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
It is almost always wise to buy used. The first owner gets the "kinks" worked out. Quality control appears to be non existent in the RV market.

I'd suggest you rent for one trip to see if this really "fits" your lifestyle.

Is this more accurate than the reverse, than the first owner fails to care for the unit? What would you look for when buying a used unit?