The good, bad & ugly of owning a camper

[pocomom]

My ugly was supposed to read maintenance. It was not maintain fence lol.

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Lol, love autocorrect! I was thinking you were eluding to needing to hide it behind a fence ...lol DH once typed that someone needed to "meet our denise", a lady in our office, it autocorrected to they needed to "meet your demise"

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Lol, love autocorrect! I was thinking you were eluding to needing to hide it behind a fence ...lol DH once typed that someone needed to "meet our denise", a lady in our office, it autocorrected to they needed to "meet your demise"

Lol I swear auto correct just makes up random sentences for its own pleasure sometimes

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[kjetjl]

We just bought a hybrid travel trailer. Woohoo! We have a LOT to learn but looking forward to it.

Some things to take into consideration over and above the price of the trailer if you buy new from a dealer. Our dealer is about 5 miles from our house so we didn't have travel costs to pick up the trailer and I liked that if we have any issues, we are close. We priced around and are comfortable with the price we paid. We did not get a killer deal but it was definitely in the range of prices we were quoted and we got all of the options we wanted and then some!

1. tax on the purchase of the trailer (6% where we live)

2. registration and plates - this is a one time fee for us, plates are permanent

3. weight distribution hitch and sway bar

4. extra cost of rv insurance- went with our homeowners/automobile

5. we needed a place to store so we called ahead to get prices so we knew what we were getting into

6. make sure you budget for miscellaneous items.. we tent camped before so we have camping stuff but we need to purchase camper extras!!

Good luck! We looked for a long time before we actually bought!

 

[kamom]

We have owned a camper for the last 10 years - absolutely love the family time it creates for us.

I would suggest you rent a camper a couple of times to see what you like and don't like about it. If you don't plan on camping very much - renting might be a cheaper alternative. Just remember when owning a camper - you have the unexpected expenses just like anything else. We have spent $100s on repairs - such as a broken pipe, blown hot water tank, water damage from tank, etc. If you are camping in a place that has steep hills you will need the extra brake for the camper.

 

[hsmamato2]

My ugly was supposed to read maintenance. It was not maintain fence lol.

anyway... I have always wanted to tow a camper, my DH has always steadfastly refused. His reasoning is that the expense of buying/keeping/pulling one is far more than a discounted hotel room,and a hotel is a lot less work. (he's thinking over the course of 10 years or so) So....when we camp,we use our tent. Otherwise we book a hotel room ,or in certain cases,a tent cabin. Plus he thinks about the extra cost of a bigger vehicle for safe towing,gasoline,etc etc. he's probably correct.( I hate it when he's right)

 

[4HppyCamprs]

anyway... I have always wanted to tow a camper, my DH has always steadfastly refused. His reasoning is that the expense of buying/keeping/pulling one is far more than a discounted hotel room,and a hotel is a lot less work. (he's thinking over the course of 10 years or so) So....when we camp,we use our tent. Otherwise we book a hotel room ,or in certain cases,a tent cabin. Plus he thinks about the extra cost of a bigger vehicle for safe towing,gasoline,etc etc. he's probably correct.( I hate it when he's right)

on the other plus side you will have your own bathroom and own bed (no shady maids or bedbugs, well unless they are somehow brought by your family ) and in our case because our trailer is self contained their are tax benefits

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[manning]

anyway... I have always wanted to tow a camper, my DH has always steadfastly refused. His reasoning is that the expense of buying/keeping/pulling one is far more than a discounted hotel room,and a hotel is a lot less work. (he's thinking over the course of 10 years or so) So....when we camp,we use our tent. Otherwise we book a hotel room ,or in certain cases,a tent cabin. Plus he thinks about the extra cost of a bigger vehicle for safe towing,gasoline,etc etc. he's probably correct.( I hate it when he's right)

He is correct. Don't go into it thinking you will save money. Go into it if you like it. Think about what the right size will be for you. When you sell it you will take a beating.

 

[teacup princess]

Is it better for those who own in your opinion to buy new or used. We were looking for used and I know they go down in value but the used prices I've seen dont seem that great. How far from NADA value is reasonable? And where is the best place to look for used if we go that route?

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Is it better for those who own in your opinion to buy new or used. We were looking for used and I know they go down in value but the used prices I've seen dont seem that great. How far from NADA value is reasonable? And where is the best place to look for used if we go that route?

We bought ours from a dealer used. 1 year old. The couple used it for one trip decided it was too small and traded it in. We for a great deal. The previous couple took the major depreciation hit

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[StitchesGr8Fan]

Is it better for those who own in your opinion to buy new or used. We were looking for used and I know they go down in value but the used prices I've seen dont seem that great. How far from NADA value is reasonable? And where is the best place to look for used if we go that route?

A dealer will probably fix some of the wear and tear damage before you buy it. If you buy from an owner you will probably have to do that yourself.

 

[britfish]

We tent camped, and then got a pop up and now have a hybrid. I love, love, love my camper! The bathroom in the hybrid is so nice and convienet, especially with little ones.
We store it indoors in the winter and DH winterizes it himself. We do pay to register it each year (tags) but the interest on our loan is tax deductible because it is considered a second home because of the bathroom!
We decided to go new because we plan to have it for a long time. We only use it 5 or 6 times a year but it is so much fun. Sometimes on hot summer nights we crank up the A/C and have movie night in our driveway because it cools down to freezing in an instant! Its been a great source of family fun and memories already!

 

[kmacht]

Don't be afraid to buy a used camper. I bought our 79 apache popup for $800 two years ago. It has been used on many camping trips since then and cost me only about $150 for a new set of tires. If you can find an older (90's) camper that has had the canvas replaced that is probably where the best deals will be had. There isn't much that can go wrong with a pop-up as long as the canvas is good and the lift mechanism goes up and down freely. You don't have to spend $10,000+ for a new camper if all you are looking for is accommodations better than a tent.

Keith

 

[Gumbo4x4]

anyway... I have always wanted to tow a camper, my DH has always steadfastly refused. His reasoning is that the expense of buying/keeping/pulling one is far more than a discounted hotel room,and a hotel is a lot less work. (he's thinking over the course of 10 years or so) So....when we camp,we use our tent. Otherwise we book a hotel room ,or in certain cases,a tent cabin. Plus he thinks about the extra cost of a bigger vehicle for safe towing,gasoline,etc etc. he's probably correct.( I hate it when he's right)

Back when everyone had big cars anyway, and gas was cheap, an old popup was a cheap way to go. We get 20+ MPG and stay in the Super 8. My sister and BIL get 8 MPG and pay $35-50 for a campsite. With the price of gas, they're in the hole even without figuring in the price of the camper. But, they love to camp where we just like "cheap" LOL.