WWYD - keep RV or sell it and truck?

[dopeyprincesses]

So a few weeks ago, I posted that we would need a new car. We are having second thoughts now....here's our story - Last year we purchased a new RV and a new truck to tow it. We are family of 4. We knew it would be tough for 6 years to pay the loan on the truck but we also love camping and we (more me) wanted the luxury of an RV to get out of the tent. Thinking back now, maybe we should have bought used RV/truck but I always think you buy someone's headaches when you buy used....esp an RV there could be leaks you don't know about.

Ok so we had a rough year with the RV, minor mechanical things breaking down like the water heater (couldn't take a warm shower), fridge didn't work on one trip.....all these things are under our extended warranty so no cost to us except for the loss of enjoyment on the trip and the time and money to get to the dealer. Then DH got sick right before our last camping trip in May and he said he wants to sell everything - His being sick made him get more aggravated that the RV had to go in for service a few times last year and the cost of having the RV/truck. I have someone supposedly coming to look at RV and truck tomorrow. Today, I asked DH do you really want to sell - he says if I want to keep it we can and we will deal with the maintenance. If we do sell, we would be losing money because you can't get price you paid on RV and truck so I think we would be losing $8,000.

Thank you for still following - If we sell the RV, I would probably rent cabins at the campgrounds.....that is harder to book than a tent site because there are fewer cabins to rent. And I keep thinking when I see an RV on the road I would be sad not having it anymore. Having an RV makes travelling more affordable in some ways you just pull over and feed your family from your fridge.....stop for rest when you want and no hotel bill not to mention the germ factor in the hotels (that's a big ewww with me).

Any and all opinions are appreciated in advance

 

[Cindy B]

I would sell them both. If you have a tent and camping gear, use it.

Since there has been a lot of repairs, I would also sell it.

There is nothing wrong with being reliable used vehichles, I've never had a "headache". Think of how much you could have saved.

 

[MandM-Mom]

Where are you going to lose the $$$ in the new truck? Then just sell the Camper and put that money down on the truck so you can pay it off faster! then you still have a vehicle.

 

[DisneyForLife]

We sold our RV last year because of the gas situation. It was getting so expensive to drive it so we were not using it enough. Although we had a class C and you are towing I am sure it costs just as much for the truck. I really miss it, I would get in there and just relax. I know it was the right decision for us because my husband is more the hotel type anyway and these days it is sometimes cheaper to fly.

Anyhow, those cabins are great at the campgrounds. I think I would sell both and lose the headaches, make your husband happier, and "cabin camp".
Only you can decide. Good luck!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

It's hard for me to offer advice, because we never buy new. Could you sell the truck, then buy a used vehicle to tow the trailer with w/o losing money? We also had a Class C RV. It was falling apart, because we couldn't use it often enough with my DH's work. They have to be used often, to keep them in good shape. I miss ours terribly. We still went on other vacations staying in nice hotels. Our RV was our family bonding getaway vessel. There's nothing compared to camping for family bonding.

 

[tacomaranch]

We bought a new minivan in 2005 and now still owe more than it is worth! I know the feeling. We also want to see and get a small car that is economical but we owe so much on the van. What to do?

DH wanted to buy new, I am a used person. Can you sell the truck and get something used and then pay off the truck and part of the RV? The cabins at WDW are easy to get and they are very nice. A family of four would fit very easy and comfortable. Airfare can be found on sale cheaper than the cost of fuel. More time in Disney but less in the bonding.

I just had DH fix the wood rot in my 76 Road King. We don't go anywhere as fuel is too expensive but it just still keeps going. Maintenance is a life long thing with RV's. Thank God you have an extra warranty.

Good luck and let us know what you do.

 

[KelNottAt]

I like the PP's idea of selling the RV then using the proceeds to pay off the truck.

 

[mamaloya]

From what I understand of the OP, even if they sell either one, there will be no money to pay on either one. It will go to the loan and then there would still be money owed. I may not understand it correctly though.

The cabins are at least $249 per night in the value season, prices going up though. That is a monthly payment on a camper. You can also deduct the interest of the loan on the camper on your taxes. It counts as a home. We love camping and could never give up our camper.

Also, the truck would have a higher resale value, so you would get a better deal. See if you can trade the truck in on an older one. You would still have the amt you still owe on the loan added into the loan of the vehicle, but the payments would not be so much. For example, let's say that your truck is worth 15,000 and you owe 17,000. You go to the dealer and buy a truck for 10,000. They will pay off the loan, but add 2,000 to the new loan. Then, you will only have a loan for 12,000. Not sure how much difference it would make in the payments though. You may have a better interest rate and a longer loan length with the new truck than you would get with an older one.

I would say that as long as you can afford to keep them, keep them. You will save much money on vacations in the long run and be able to go more often. A campsite at FW is only $50 per night. That is $200 per night cheaper than a cabin. A 10 night stay would save you $2,000!!!

Chalk this up to experience. New RVs usually have a few kinks to work out. We are working on getting a one year old one now. We made a mistake and bought a 7yo one. We paid cash so no loan, but OH MY what problems, and NO warranty. YIKES!!! We bought a brand new popup a couple of years ago and had no probs. We always buy used cars and don't have probs.

If you keep it and start to regret it, you can change your mind. If you sell it, you can't and then you will have the $8,000 loss to regret on top of missing the camper. Once the dealer gets all of the kinks worked out, you will be glad you have it. Oh, BTW, the lemon law applies to RVs as well. If you have a certain number of repairs within a certain amt of time, they have to replace the RV. Google the lemon law of your state and mention it to the dealer.

 

[dopeyprincesses]

you guys are great to take the time to help me out with your ideas I'm sorry if I don't explain everything well enough - I appreciate your patience.

We could get enough money to pay off the truck but we put down $6,000. If we get our price for the RV we would still have to pay $5,000 on the loan. If we get a used truck we would have to have the hitch/receiver installed.

mamaloya - sorry you guys had problems with your RV - I hope it all works out for you. I will check into lemon law for RV - I'm still not sure what we will do but for now, we will show it to this guy (supposed to look at rv and truck today) and see what his offer is then think about it for a night or two.

Tent camping is a whole lot cheaper than RVing like PP mentioned but this
40+ body doesn't want to tent camp anymore. This time at Disney we are going with the Dining plan so wouldn't need to bring the RV.

there are a few campers in this thread - pm anytime if you want to talk camping.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

you guys are great to take the time to help me out with your ideas I'm sorry if I don't explain everything well enough - I appreciate your patience.

We could get enough money to pay off the truck but we put down $6,000. If we get our price for the RV we would still have to pay $5,000 on the loan. If we get a used truck we would have to have the hitch/receiver installed.

mamaloya - sorry you guys had problems with your RV - I hope it all works out for you. I will check into lemon law for RV - I'm still not sure what we will do but for now, we will show it to this guy (supposed to look at rv and truck today) and see what his offer is then think about it for a night or two.

Tent camping is a whole lot cheaper than RVing like PP mentioned but this
40+ body doesn't want to tent camp anymore. This time at Disney we are going with the Dining plan so wouldn't need to bring the RV.

there are a few campers in this thread - pm anytime if you want to talk camping.

This is what I suspected. That's why I recommended selling the truck & keeping the RV. You have a much better chance getting close to what you owe on the truck than the RV. Unfortunately, new RVs lose quite a bit of value as soon as they're driven off the lot. I suspect you already know that though. Good luck with your meeting with the potential buyer. I hope you don't regret whatever decision you make.

BTW, we camped at FW several times, when we had our RV. I never cooked anything but an occasional breakfast in the RV. Most of the time we ate that out too. The idea of cooking on vacation doesn't appeal to me. I don't think having the dining plan minimizes the FW RV experience at all. Actually, it would make it better. You have a large fridge for leftovers, & a place to warm them. We also liked having cold drinks & my DH's coffee readily available without having to go out for them.