Pop-up question

[Tuffcookie]

Here we are one week away from our first camping trip to FW. We will be sleeping in a dome tent this time around. Because it's our Spring Break it won't be too hot and we can get away with a tent but I'm thinking, "What if we really like this!" I would like to be able to go in the summer months but with Florida's heat I don't think I would want to sleep in a tent. So, I have been surfing the net and gathering information on pop-ups. I am so confused as to what options would be the best. I just missed the RV show in our area! Also, I was wondering if anyone here knew what financing options are offered at the dealerships. What is the "average" interest rate you pay to finance a pop up? Do the manufacturers ever offer low rates to first time RV buyers? After oldest DS gets married and we get back from WDW I hope to visit a few dealers. Thanks for your help! TC

 

[Disney Campers]

When you visit the dealers resist the urge and dealer pressure to buy the first one you see, do your homework and you will come out ahead.

First decide what the towing capacity of your towing vehicle is, this will give you an idea what you can safely tow.

Visit sites such as www.popuptimes.com or www.irv2.com , www.rv.org and ask lots of questions.

<Font Size=2><Font Color=blue>Scott</Font><Font
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Co-Moderator Camping @ Disney Board


DisneyCampers@wdwinfo.com
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[Tuffcookie]

I got the manual out for my car (camry-4 cyl). It says to not exceed 2,000 total weight. I will have to get a smaller pop-up and not put too much in it in order to tow. I have never driven a car, towing something behind. How hard is it to get use to it? I will definately take my time before deciding. TC

 

[We4mickey]

tuffcookie try www.popuptimes.com. They are all pop up owners on this site. You might be able to get some useful information and some questions answered.

 

[Tuffcookie]

Thanks. I bookmarked it!

 

[Kermit]

We just bought a pop-up a little over a month ago, and we were not impressed with the financing. We bought ours at an RV show, and the lady told us that we were getting a special rate because of the show, and then told us that the rate was 9.5%. That really surprised me since I'm used to buying cars at around 2-4%. 9.5% sounds like it should be average, not spectacular.

The good thing about pop-up loans is that you can deduct the interest on your taxes just like you do for your house as long as it has a toilet and shower. It qualifies as a second home. They also offer really long financing terms, so you can make small payments. They wanted us to pay for ours over 12 years. We went with a much shorter period since we plan on upgrading in about 5 years, but the payments would have been around $150 for a loaded Coleman Niagra.

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[plutolover]

Kermit,
I hate to disagree with you but, we can deduct our pop-up and it doesn't have a toilet and a shower. I can't rememeber what our financing was but we did get a great deal because we bought ours in January.

 

[DMRick]

you said:
I hate to disagree with you but, we can deduct our pop-up and it doesn't have a toilet and a shower. I can't rememeber what our financing was but we did get a great deal because we bought ours in January.
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I don't care what anyone claims on their taxes..it's really up to you, and it's your business..you can actually deduct anything you wish..but will it hold up in an audit..that's the question.
You might want to check out Publication 936 on the IRS site. I think you are making a mistake claiming the interest deduction on the loan of your pop-up without a toilet. Here is a snippetof the Pubclication:
Pub 936, Home Mortgage Interest Deduction. Qualified Home:
A home includes "snip" trailer "snip" that has sleeping, cooking, and toilet facilities. (The snips are where they said boat, camp, etc.). As a tax preparer, I have never found a pop-up without a toilet to qualify. You might want to check with your tax professional..you may have to do some "fixin" on past taxes.

 

[Tuffcookie]

Does a "port-a-potty" in a pop-up count as a toilet? TC

 

[plutolover]

I was only going by what the dealer told us. Thanks for the info. We only bought it in Jan. So I will definitly check more into it. So I may have to eat crow!! Sorry Kermit!!! And I also need to know if a porta-potty counts. We also have an outside shower, do you think that counts?

 

[Kermit]

I've only briefly read the tax publication previously mentioned, but my guess is that a portapotty wouldn't qualify. I mean, you could keep one in your car if you wanted.

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[DMRick]

Does a "port-a-potty" in a pop-up count as a toilet? TC
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I believe it is suppose to be part of the camper. As far as I can tell, it is suppose to be part of the second home's plumbing. I know that when I had questioned it for a client, IRS told me it had to be an intrical part of the second home. Always ask your accountant or tax preparer..give them the full story, so they don't think a portapotty is part of the pop up.

 

[jenbren]

We've had a pop-up for a couple of years now and we love it! It is easy to tow, you can see over it to what is behind you and we can put ours up in about 5 minutes (handy when it's pouring!) We have a Coleman Santa Fe. The way we started was by finding a good used one. A local dealer here rents some new ones for one season and then sells them the next season at a good discount. Ours had only been out a couple of times and was like new but we saved about $1500. With the savings we were able to use our tax refund and pay cash. It has been one of the best investments we ever made. Our girls were 3 and 7 when we bought it and they adore it! We're planning our first outing of the season for next month - can't wait!

 

[Tuffcookie]

Jenbren, The Sante Fe was the one I kind of liked. What does yours have in the way of options? TC

 

[jenbren]

Ours has the furnace and refrig. We didn't go for the a/c because we do most of our camping in Michigan and don't need it. We always bring along a fan or two in case of hot nights. The furnace is great and we have camped when it dropped into the 20s at night (a real bummer when the propane ran out in the middle of the night but that was DH's fault - forgot to check the level before we left. He woke up with frost in his mustache!) We have the awning and we got the add-on screen room last summer. It's nice but we only put it up if we are going to be somewhere more than 2 days as it takes a bit to put up. It is nice though. I love that you can put the stove outside - we always use it that way! It's a great size for us. I always look at the bigger ones and someday we'll probably upgrade but I am very happy with it. We could always use more storage but then I would probably just pack more stuff we don't need!!

I would definitely buy a Coleman again - we looked for a couple of years before we bought and looked at lots of brands but always came back to the Coleman - we have weathered storms that blew over tents and rocked campers with no trouble at all and it is so easy to put up. My sister rented a pop-up one time to go with us that was a different brand and it was so much harder to put up!

Hope this helps - sorry for rambling a bit!

 

[Tuffcookie]

Thanks for answering. I have just started thinking about getting a pop-up. When we go to FW I will probably be checking out the different pop-ups down there and asking the owners questions, if they're around. When we get back I plan on going to a couple RV dealers and seeing what's available. It's one thing to see it in the literature and another to actually see them set up. I'll probaby take at least a year weighing the pros and the cons...TC

 

[Tiger Fan]

We just bought a Coleman Timberlake Pop-Up today. It's a 2000 model with toilet and shower. We are so excited. We will be taking it to Myrtle Beach next weekend and WDW in the future. Guess I'll be reading here from now on too.

Lisa

 

[jenbren]

I'm envious! I keep eyeing that toilet/shower set-up and trying to convince DH that one of these days we need to move up! He can't figure out why but that's cause with 2 girls I'm always the one wrestling with them in the shower rooms!

Congrats!

 

[HuckFinn]

With some sadness we just sold our Palomino pop-up that we bought new in 1985. We had kept it after we bought a large travel trailer in 1993, but could no longer justify cluttering up the garage with it when we bought a motorhome this January. The pop-up had a furnace but no a/c. The furnace was terrific, it stretched our camping season (mostly in Maryland/Virginia) well into November. But I always regretted that we did not get a/c. A pop-up can get about as hot as a parked car in the summer, and trips to Myrtle Beach were just unbearable. Definitely get a/c, no matter where you live. As for the shower/toilet combination, the main problem with pop-ups is there is so little space. The models that we looked at in '85 that had a shower seemed really cramped. Also, think of all the moisture that will result from the shower. If you are camping in cold weather, that moisture will condensate on the walls and drip all over the trailer.

Good luck on your purchase, if you decide to make one. We have enjoyed camping, from a tent to a motorhome, and it's a great activity to bring families together.

 

[DisneyFanGuy]

We are on our third season with a Coleman Utah. It has air, but no potty or shower. We figured that we would use the facilities at campgrounds and liked the extra space without the shower. We did spring for a hot water heater though.

I would recommend a Coleman to anyone. We looked for two years at every make and model around before choosing a Coleman. We have been VERY happy with it!

By the way, we live and camp in Wisconsin. We use our AC all summer long. One of the best decisions we made. When we camp with others in my family our Pop-up is extremely popular! I remember the debate about whether it was worth the extra cost. My brother looked at me and said, "Ok explain why you WOULDN'T get it if you can?" with a puzzled look. His advice was sound.

It's REALLY nice when we go to FW though! Just like a hotel with tent flaps! LOL!