Why a different RV every few years?

[Carrier]

Originally Posted by Aford

I heard a statistic a few years ago, that said the average person changes cars every 5years, and homes every 7 years. I don't know how that translates for RV's.

Well I guess I’m no where near being average. Been in same house for 35 years, have 2002 Winstar, a 2010 F150 and a 2015 3008 Windjammer which is our first trailer all bought when new.

[Walholler]

First 5th wheel no slides, bought used, paid $6000.00, used for six years, sold for $6000.00. Second and current 5th wheel with two slides, bought new, paid cash. First tow truck,2001 GMC 2500HD used, paid cash, second and current tow truck, 2015 Chevrolet crew cab, 4x4, diesel, payments. Truck has 42,000 miles on it and I am 74 yrs. old, figure the truck will outlast me. I do not plan on buying another truck or camper, will keep camper & truck until I can not longer drive, great for bugging out when hurricane threatens us from the Gulf of Mexico, beats the hell out of a motel room for weeks on end.

[jimmoore13]

We all learn what we want after buying what we "think" we want and living with it for a while. Every purchase involves compromises. Upgrading is a normal inclination assuming one can afford it.

[Tundra 2014]

There can be a learnimng curve on what fit your means or needs. As we have gotten older, we want more features than they Pop-Up we started w/. Bigger refrigerator, 2-ACs, more space etc. We kind to buy quality used trailers and keep them for about 4-5 years.

[Qwkynuf]

Originally Posted by Carrier

Well I guess I’m no where near being average. Been in same house for 35 years, have 2002 Winstar, a 2010 F150 and a 2015 3008 Windjammer which is our first trailer all bought when new.

I was thinking the same thing - my truck is 17 years old, bought new. House is almost 16, also bought new. Wife is driving a 2020 Ford Edge that we just bought to replace her 2012 Focus with 95k. Trailer is a 2020 that we bought last fall. We have spent over 100 nights in it in 6 months and can't think of a reason we might consider changing. My current car is a 2015 that I bought new to replace a 2006 (also bought new) that was approaching 200k.

We tend to buy stuff we like, and then keep it. (coming up on our 30th anniversary, too!)

[Carrier]

Originally Posted by Qwkynuf

I was thinking the same thing - my truck is 17 years old, bought new. House is almost 16, also bought new. Wife is driving a 2020 Ford Edge that we just bought to replace her 2012 Focus with 95k. Trailer is a 2020 that we bought last fall. We have spent over 100 nights in it in 6 months and can't think of a reason we might consider changing. My current car is a 2015 that I bought new to replace a 2006 (also bought new) that was approaching 200k.

We tend to buy stuff we like, and then keep it. (coming up on our 30th anniversary, too!)

We are closing in on 40 years. I just don’t see changing and having to train another wife as I have this one right where I want her.

[Qwkynuf]

Originally Posted by Carrier

We are closing in on 40 years. I just don’t see changing and having to train another wife as I have this one right where I want her.

Ugh! I could never start over. I made her pinky promise that I get to die first.

[Oaklevel]

I won't go back to our first a used 1973........... in the 1980s stories too long.

Our 2006 wife loved but our family grew....... one son got married and we now have two grandsons, so bought a 2013 toyhauler so they could have the garage as a bedroom the loft for the boys, and we could take the golf cart instead of driving two vehicles......... I would still have it but............

Then DW did not like the lack a sitting area for everyone in Toyhauler so now the 2017 ....... She loves it so hopefully unless the hurricane takes it we may keep it longer..................

The last three mentioned had no or minor warranty repairs and very few later repairs and limited to no mods. Just maintenance.

[dcheatwood]

I was told by the first salesman we bought from in 2005 that the average rv owner will own 5 in his lifetime. I told him that wasn't going to be our story. Now, on our 4th RV, first motorhome, and wife is still wanting to go LOOK at RVs. Now you can extrapolate from that why people switch so often.

[GL1800Rider]

We generally keep things until they die. First TT was a new 99 Terry that we sold in 2015. Only exeption was the 15 Flagstaff that we traded in one year because of DW's health condition where she could not ride in the truck. Current MH is 5 years last month.

We have a Camry Hybrid that we bought new in 2006, a 92 Toyota pickup that was bought new and has 460,000 miles on it and a 2000 SuperDuty V10

[nc91]

For us it's mostly been about "maturing" in camping/rv'ing. We started out with an old used travel trailer to see if we liked it. We found out that we loved it so we traded that one in for a new one. (great deal) Then we found that we needed more room so I sold that one locally (craigslist) and we purchased a new bunkhouse model. (again, great deal) After two years of pulling long distance with 3 kids and a dog behind me I had had enough. We sold that one (craigslist) and purchased a new Class C motorhome. That was a dream but after a year and 8000 miles we wanted to get something bigger. We traded on a new Class A (for a great deal again). I think it all depends on what you're wanting to do. For us, I still work a 40 hour a week job and the payment we have is easily justified because we use it so much. We've put another 8000 miles in the past year on the Class A and have no plans to stop. As long as you're patient, you can find great deals and even do pretty well on trades if you're smart about it and not impulsive. The only caution I would extend is that we've had good ones and we've had lemons. If you get a lemon, it will spend more time at the dealer or broken than you actually use it.

[ADOR]

We started with an 18ft Travel Trailer, no slide out (to save weight). Used it for 2 summers. Our son outgrew the bunk bed. TT became too small for us. We sold it and bought a New 2015 Class C. Now... each time I see a Super C, I always tell my wife that it must be nice to have all that space and engine power to pull a TOAD. I just can't see myself paying that much money on a Super C. Now it I win the lottery, then that is a different story.

[Bhrava]

For the longest time I went through cars and trucks like a drunk through whiskey, I had a good dealer to work through and could pretty much buy as lease with very little residual on trade. It wasn't until about 5 years ago that I finally found my ride to keep long term, then lost it due to ice on the road and a driver who lost control. What I replaced it with should have been my long term, it was my goal, but it was such a piece that I actually sued the manufacturer and won, then special ordered exactly what I wanted, and pray no bad weather makes me lose it. From 2008 through 2015 I went through at least a dozen vehicles trying to find the right one.

For my RV, slightly different story. I bought a used one that fit the truck, and since it was our first, we were not sure if it was the right fit. 4 years later we decided it was time for a larger trailer, we enjoy camping, but we outgrew the trailer. I guess timing is everything as I got better than retail on the trailer. Instead of getting one that fits the family for now, a mid sized bunkhouse model that was slightly larger than what we had and with a slide, which the first one did not have, we looked long term for down the road when the kids are done, and it is just the wife and I. We decided on a mid bunk with a large living area that will be perfect for us for now and down the road in 10 years when I retire. Here's hoping it can last that long.

I can see how some like new every two, for a while there, that was me too, but having found what we really like, I'm good with keeping them long term, just a matter of making them all last that long. My F350, if I can stay ahead of rust, should easily last 10-15 more years. My F150 should last that long too, rust is not something I worry about with it. The soon to be paid for Focus may soon be my daughters car, with the wife driving the F350. Neither of us have a hankering for a new ride either. Will be especially nice once they are paid for, even though they will have a LOT of miles on them, as we both put a lot of miles on going to and from work, one of the reasons we went through so many.

[Capnet64]

1984- 1987- various tents - rained out too often!
1987-2006 New Bonaire pop up (gave away to a young couple)
2006- 2015- New Palomino pop up- sold privately in less than 24hrs for $1500 more than dealer offered
2015 - 2019 - Used 2009 Denali travel trailer, purchased extended warranty. Got this one to see if we would use enough! Had some major repairs done under warranty....found out what we liked and what we didn’t. Towed with a 2011 F150 also purchased used.
2018- purchased new 2017 F250 diesel
2019 - purchase new Cedarcreek silverback 31IK
Think we will keep this until it’s too much for us! Plan to retire beginning of 2024!

[ilmor]

We did it for new features and to try out different sizes / models as needs changed or experience was gained.

[Accountingphd]

Spent nearly 20 years trading new every 2 on vehicles for both husband and I. We both loved are matching 2004 Expedition and F150. Lost the Expedition to a car thief in 2017 (bought a sports car) and traded off the F150 for a new one in 2019.

Bought a 2004 Microlite 23lb new. Loved it but I could no longer lift the bed or climb in and out of the tub. And the dog needed more room (a St. Bernard). So, bought a new 2020 Alpha Wolf in October 2019. Never even got to have the manufacturing defects fixed. It was totaled in December 2019. Time to find another. Just bought a beautiful used 2003 Beaver Monterey diesel pusher. She looks like new. Plan on keeping her another 20 years.

So sometimes needs change and sometimes fate intervenes.


.

[DavidWJ]

Thank God they change every few years. That gives the rest of us a chance to get one inexpensively. Mine is a lightly used and well cared for two previous owner 2000 Sandpiper trailer for $3500. Along with some maintenance, it's only needed new propane tanks and a pair of batteries.

I'm adding Solar, an Inverter and an exhaust fan for the bathroom vent.
This unit is very well-built, but the interior is a bit dated. Like the cassette player "entertainment center".

[elob_tx]

I am an old guy. Started with a used 1963 Avion T-27 purchased in 1968 for a trip up the Alcan Hwy to Alaska in 1969. Didn't know if I wanted to keep a trailer afterwards and knew that the highway could destroy a trailer in those days so I went used.

After the trip I enjoyed using a trailer so I bought a new 1970 Avion T-28 Ultra. I traveled as often as I could but in those days I was an electronics technologist for a major electronics manufacturer and I covered a 5 state region. So on and off I used it on the job around that area I worked in. Finally I took a job with a company I worked in the same place for the next 30 years. Initially I lived in that trailer from 1977 to 1978 because there was so many construction jobs in the area that you could not get a apartment or house. Took me a year on a waiting list to get an apartment. After that I got married and my family grew so I went to Salt Lake City, UT and bought a larger 1987 Avion 32s that I still own but don't use for travel much anymore.

Over the years as peoples families and their travel needs change They need to buy different types and sizes of RV's. I gave my old 1970 Avion to my son after he married and he used it for his family until about 4 or 5 years ago when he sold it for $4,000.00 which is about what I paid for it in October 1969. My wife and I wanted to travel to Alaska in 2013 and we didn't want to take the Avion as we wanted to return on the Alaska Marine Hwy MV Columbia and they charge by the foot so we bought our 2012 Forest River Solera 24MS on the Mercedes Sprinter chassis. We thought we would sell it when we returned home after being on the road for almost 5 months. But when we got home we discovered how much we enjoyed a motorhome so we bought a Honda FIT to tow and kept the motorhome and I have customized it. The old Avion 32s is now used by my grandkids and their families.

[mikem12188]

Originally Posted by rmac04401

Sometimes life and health have an effect on what you have for RV. First camper had to account for kids, second camper picked up new hobby and needed toy hauler, third camper needed the adjustable bed in the garage area. When I retire we will probably switch to class c or a.

Just like cars. When young have sporty vehicles, have kids need minivan, kids graduate get nicer car, hit 50 get sports car.

I was supposed to get a sports car at 50?????

[Accountingphd]

Yes. It is a requirement. Just like getting your AARP card. But you are allowed some substitutions. You may get a motorcycle or other new toy that is suitable for only 1-2 people.