Scared and Excited Newbie!

[JenzieGoes]

Hi everyone!

I'm jumping in after a bit of lurking over the past few months. My husband and I are planning to buy a TT in the next month. Although we would like to buy new, we decided our first purchase should be used. Right now we are in the "looking" stage and honestly I'm overwhelmed at all the information. I have a few questions and I hope some of you can offer insight for us!

So it's me, my husband and our two daughters 12 and 13. I'm 37 and hubby is 46. I work from home, he has a full time job. We would be traveling quite a bit - we want to eventually do this full time but that's a few years off. For the meantime we plan to do 2-3 "long" trips per year (around 2k miles round trip each) and then several shorter trips throughout the year as well. We own a 2004 Toyota Sequoia SUV with I believe hubby said a 6,000 lb towing capacity.

Questions..::

1) Does it sound like a TT is best for our situation? The reason we are thinking this is because we want to be able to drive around and explore a lot, go to dinner, etc. so driving a MH seemed impractical. I know we could tow a car, but I'm not sure towing out SUV would be practical.

2) I'm confused about towing capacity. Can I trust a dealer to steer me in the right direction? We are wanting something with a bunkhouse - length doesn't matter to us as long as it has a queen bed, bunkhouse and kitchen/dining area. So should I be looking at "dry weight"? Does that mean without clothes, dishes, etc.? How am I to know how much all my "stuff" will weigh lol?

3) I mentioned we plan to buy from a dealer. We have a VERY limited budget. Can anyone tell me (or tell me how to find out) approximately how much the tax, title, registration, etc. fees will be? I'm in North Carolina. I'm just trying to figure out how much my budget of $4,000 will get me.

4). Once you buy an RV are there other things to buy right away other than general stuff like dishes, bedding, etc.? How often should maintenance be? When you winterized/dewinterize, how much will this cost approximately? So many questions!

I'm feeling really excited but also nervous because this is such a big undertaking - a lot to learn! I'm willing to and I know we will make mistakes along the way, but I really appreciate your input as we get started on this journey!

PS - FYI we do a lot of tent camping and we have been to an RV show recently here in NC. Fell in love with the Jayco Jay Flight 267BHSW but it's out of our league price wise at $18-22k. Maybe next year after we've gotten our feet with with a used model! 🙂

Thanks for your time,
Jenna

[EA_Williams]

toedtoes wrote:

2gypsies wrote:
I wouldn't recommended anyone to finance a RV. If $4,000 is the budget then stay within the budget. That's how folks get in debt.

Financing is not a bad thing in and of itself. People get into debt because they don't make good decisions. Financing can be a better decision than buying in cash - it just all depends on the individual's particular circumstances. People who always pay cash aren't necessarily better off financially than those who finance.

Finance the heck out of it. If you can find $0 down, do that. That way when it doesn't work and you can't get it fixed and can't use it, you can just walk away and it becomes someone else's problem. If you threaten to abandon your RV due to the above issue the first thing CW local mgt. asks "is it financed". Mine wasn't and they just walked away. The RV repo business is booming.

[wbwood]

I will echo the sentiments of many others. Look at a good used pop up. You will think it won't be very spacious, but you will be very surprised once it's opened up. We started with a pop up in 2000. Had it a few years. Then in 2010, we jumped into a brand new $25k TT that was 35' long. Didn't even have a truck to pull it. Had to buy one. Had that configuration for a few years. In 2013 we upgraded to a brand new Class C motorhome. Your needs, wants and camping styles will change over the years. Start small and within your means. You will learn what you want and you don't. What you need and what you don't. With a pop up, you will feel much more comfortable than a TT that you will feel that will fit your needs. And at that price, you will more than likely get a dog. While your hubby says 6000lbs, remember that you will need to take all 4 of your weights (probably at least 500 lbs total) and add them up and then deduct them from the 6000lbs...then anything else you add to the suv or camper, that you are going to take with you. Don't forget liquids, they are 8lbs/gallon. So if you take a fresh water tank with 50 gallons, that will be about 450 lbs. Then subtract the dry weight of the trailer. The pop up world likes to stay within no more of 75-80% of your vehicles towing capacity. It's not all about what it can pull, but what it can stop.

By the way, what part of NC?

[_tpc_]

camp-n-family wrote:
The Sequoia is a more than capable tow vehicle for a decent sized tt. There are many trailers out there that would meet the OPs needs and be well within the TVs ratings and capabilities. To suggest they need a new vehicle when they only have a $4k budget and what they have already is more than capable is ridiculous. Just another you can't tow anything with less than a 1 ton mentality.

I'm unclear if you are referring to me or not but I'll bite. Maybe it seemed as if I was suggesting a new tow vehicle, but honestly I was not so apologies to the OP if I made it seem that way.

What I was suggesting was to be careful in selection of TT with regards to TV. It seems to me that buying a new TV or trading the current one in, isn't on the OP's list of things to do right away. Nor was it on mine. However, I knew that risk going in, and decided that we could do it as is, knowing that if worse comes to worse, I'll upgrade.

Not everyone has the ability. If I didn't have that ability, buying a trailer the size of what I did would have been a non-starter. Or you would have seen a slightly used new trailer on the market right away, lol. And my trailer clocked in at right around 4500 dry (well according to the website).

I'm not saying go 1-ton or go home. I'm saying that when you might be stretching the limits, sometimes things behave like their limits are stretched. Sometimes they don't. It's kinda tough to say to the guy with the ad on rv trader, "hey guy, let me take that TT for a pre-sale camping trip 300 miles away so I can be sure my vehicle can handle it".

[2012Coleman]

JenzieGoes wrote:
length doesn't matter to us as long as it has a queen bed, bunkhouse and kitchen/dining area. So should I be looking at "dry weight"?

Fell in love with the Jayco Jay Flight 267BHSW

No - you need to calculate your TV's payload with Gross numbers.

I looked up your payload on Google which stated 1,305 to 1,430 lbs. I also looked up the specs for the TT you loved at the show - the Jayco Jay Flight 267BHSW. It has a cargo carrying capacity of 1385 lbs with a gross weight of 7000 lbs.

The most severe hit on your payload is tongue weight which you can calculate at 13% of TT gross weight. In this case the math is 7000 * 13% = 910 lbs. Using the higher number for listed payload range of your TV - 1430, subtracting 910 leaves you with 520 lbs. Take away another 100 lbs for WDH setup and you have 420 lbs left for everything else in the TV including people pets and cargo.

And all this is still a guess, but if you have a comfortable cushion using the max numbers, against TV payload, your most likely OK, but in this case, it would be a lot better to load it up for camping, including people and pets and get the TV weighed at a CAT scale - Google Cat Scale Locator. Otherwise, apply the same calculations against a much smaller TT that is within its capabilities.

I'll tell you that another forum member was adamant that their sequoia was worthy enough to pull their chosen TT - for two people, but after a few trips, they were back asking about tow vehicles.

The other thing to consider is your hitch receiver capacity - what is it rated for? What class is it?

I'll also mention that pulling a flat trailer with 6000 lbs on it is much different than pulling a high walled TT - think sail, down the road. It won't be fun in an overloaded TV. Good luck in your search.

[camp-n-family]

The Sequoia is a more than capable tow vehicle for a decent sized tt. There are many trailers out there that would meet the OPs needs and be well within the TVs ratings and capabilities. To suggest they need a new vehicle when they only have a $4k budget and what they have already is more than capable is ridiculous. Just another you can't tow anything with less than a 1 ton mentality.

The budget here is the limiting factor, not the tow vehicle.

[_tpc_]

Not trying to beat the horse here, but everyone has already told you what you need to know. Now your husband may read this, start looking around at other forums, and decide that the sequoia can do the job. A wdh here, a little modification there, and your all set. As part of the been there done that crowd, my suggestion would be not to go a route that takes you down that path, unless you can afford to replace the tow vehicle with something different.

Your budget is a bit low for newer stuff. Not that you can't find a decent TT with that budget, I think you can. The issue is that the older it is, it may not be as "lightweight" as newer trailers. Which drives the tow vehicle issue.

Case in point. Thought with a WDH and some upgrades wifes truck could do the job. Bought TT and went on short trip (40 miles round trip, flat roads, 50 mph speed limits). Everything was beautiful. Second trip out loaded up with the kids for a longer trip (250 miles one way). Was the polar opposite of the first trip. Made it, had to avoid most highways at all costs, same thing on way home. Had a great time when there.

A week later I sold my car for a truck bigger than my wifes. Now we have been to Nashville, Niagara Falls, Ohio multiple times, etc. We could have still used the wifes truck, but we would have been pretty stuck to short local campgrounds or I simply wouldn't do it.

Not to burst the bubble, but just to give you some insight into actual situations. Don't be swayed by all those signs at the shows showing how a ford explorer or similar sized vehicle can pull this or that. Go by the numbers, exaggerate the size of the tow vehicle (a bigger one than needed is almost always better), and you should do alright. And listen to these guys here, they know what they speak of. 🙂

Good luck!!!

[Jebby14]

I hear ya. Last year I managed to get an older prowler (19E) for 2k. Fixed and road worthy for another 1000 but it is ROUGH. its a good starter but has no running water (black and gray are there and we use water cooler bottles and a 12v pump so it works. The prowler is within the specs for my Jeep WJ (6500 lbs) but not by much. If I added 2 teenagers I would most likely be over. My jeep handles it but you can definitely feel it in tow and I don't have a BH or a queen. Its got a double up front with a single coffin above it that folds down from the cabinets and the dinet folds down to a double. I love it. It will do until I have the funds and tow vehicle to go larger. That said I came from popups and love them (the wife not so much) for what you are looking at I highly recommend a popup. much more comfortable to tow and way more space inside. Yes they are more to setup and the washrooms leave something to be desired but its a tradeoff for usable space and towability. Good luck. Keep us posted. Oh and definitely do your own math for capacity, dealers will tell you it can be pulled with just about anything. Can be doesn't mean its a good idea.

[ol__yeller]

Hi Jenzie and welcome to the forum. I applaud your willingness to make a leap and try something that is out of your comfort zone. There are lots of folks here with tons of experience. That said, they sometimes also tend to think that the way they did it is the only way. That often leads to responses that might drive away new RVers from the hobby. If you don't have a 3/4 ton truck with a new fifth wheel you aren't doing it right.

I understand that you have a budget as you are still raising a family and have expenses with that. I don't know a lot about your truck/SUV but a towing capacity of 6,000 will be limiting what your choices are. Dry weights are OK for comparison purposes but most will add 1-2,000 # with options and camping gear along with batteries and heating fuel. The biggest limiting factor is your budget of $4,000. Look on Craigslist in your area and see how much trailer that will buy you. I think a trailer is the least expensive way to get into camping. Also an older trailer most likely will be heavier than the newer lightweight models.

The biggest enemy of RVs is water leaks. A water damaged RV will be miserable to camp in and expensive to repair. Rubber roofed trailer have a life of around 12-20 years if maintained properly. Check the seams and where stuff pokes through the roof to see if the prior owners kept up on roof maintenance.

The next thing is the trailer chassis. Tires are usually only good for about 5-7 years. Check the sidewalls for cracking and date codes. Then check the brakes and bearings. They should be inspected annually. Batteries will last 3 years generally with little maintenance and 5-7 years if they were looked after.

Finally there are the systems. Fresh water tanks, black and gray tanks should all be checked for leaks and proper operation. Most RVs come with AC and a furnace which are generally pretty trouble free. The refrigerators generally will last 10+ years but replacement is expensive. Hot water tanks usually have a sacrificial zinc that needs annual replacement (cheap). Then check out the propane system for leaks and proper adjustments. Finally there is the electrical system, both 12V and 120V, usually using a converter.

As you can see, there are lots of things that can go wrong on an older trailer.

Our intro to RVing didn't involve our girls as they were grown when we started. We bought a new Fleetwood Pioneer 19T4 trailer for around $12,000 (this would be too small for a family of 4). I know we made a down payment but I don't remember how much. Our monthly payment was about $126/month. We towed with our '99 Mountaineer V8 which didn't prove to be a very good tow vehicle. We upgraded to a 1999 F250 Supercab with a V10 which was an excellent tow vehicle. The difference between what I sold the Mountaineer for and bought the F250 for wasn't huge. We had amazing adventures in our little TT and explored many campgrounds in our area.

We kept that TT for 4 years and sold it for $9,000 which was less than what we owed on it. The experience showed us what we desired in our next RV. We bought a new Cougar 243RKS (could work for a family of 4) which had everything we desired. We loved that TT and kept it for 6 years. Our payment was about $145/month on the new TT. Buying new eliminates the expenses of deferred maintenance that you will find on almost any used RV. Not everyone can afford to pay cash and for the fun we had, I think it was money well spent. We sold it 3 years ago for $11,000 which was about $4,000 more than we owed on it. Sorry this was so long but I guess I had a lot to say. Good luck and best wishes. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions that you don't want to ask here on the forum.

[JoeTampa]

Also: Check the wheelbase of that Sequoia; short wheelbases on an SUV can equal a very stressful towing experience, and the larger the camper, the worse it can be. A pop up wouldn't be a real problem here, but a hybrid would.

Depending on the size of the camper (hybrid and up) you will almost certainly need a weight distribution hitch and a trailer brake controller. This will likely total $1000 or so.

[Grit_dog]

Jenzie it sounds like you have champagne taste and a beer budget.
You CAN get a decent camper and get your vehicle ready to tow for around that much but it will take some diy setting up the vehicle, fixing/maint on what will presumably be an older camper.
If possible, buddy up with someone handy doing this stuff in your area, if for nothing more than advice.
Hate to see you guys spend more than necessary and campers can get expensive for the inexperienced.

[camaro80]

I'll chime in on camping with used RVs as it's something we've always done. We started with what I'll call "classic" rigs about ten years ago. Our first was a 1973 22-foot fifth-wheel (couldn't even tell what brand it was) that we paid $800Cdn for and after a couple of years "upgraded" to a 1974 28-foot Prowler fifth-wheel for $1500Cdn. We're now into the more modern rig in my signature. But running those classic rigs taught us a lot and we were able to get out and half fun for not much money.

Here's what we had to look at and look after. The biggest thing was the brake wiring. A dealer might check things like this out but get under there and look and test before you get too far once it's hooked up. I rewired both the old trailers as the brake wiring was almost non-existent. Another thing we had to do on both those oldies was replace the refridgerater. A new RV fridge costs more than those two trailers were worth so we removed them and dropped in an inexpensive bar fridge from Walmart. So as long as we were hooked up to power we had an operating fridge, which was fine as that's what we always do anyway. There's a chance you might also have to replace expired propane tanks if the trailer hasn't been used in a while. And of course keep an eye on the water lines. Even if it was properly winterized, fittings can eventually fail and leak when they get old.

So older trailers are certainly worth a look but prepared to do a little work before you head out!

[wecamp04]

First welcome,you can get all your dishes,pans,everything everyone thinks they need to camp and put it in a box,put it on your bathroom scale will give you a rough total,Don't forget bikes,grill ect.I would look at popups your needs ,wants will change ,go to your tag office they can answer your tag,tax questions long trips usually means more stuff,and don't forget friends the girls may want to bring along.
Long trips in a maxed out tow vehicle will make it very tired quickly learned that the hard way,I don't want to be a wet blanket just take your time don't let a salesman talk you into a camper he's knows you call pull.Good luck keep us posted on how's it going

[Hondavalk]

Do not EVER trust a dealer on the tow capability of a vehicle. They will tell you a Fiat 500 could pull a 40' toy hauler. :E

[2012Coleman]

I'd stomp on the brakes and first understand the capabilities of your Sequoia. Payload will be reached before towing capacity which is a pie in the sky number calculated by pulling a flat trailer with weights and a 150 lb driver.

So you need to find out the payload of your TV, and understand what weights subtract from it. Take the advice given above and post the numbers either from your door jamb sticker or manual - pay close attention to the one that states the total weight of passengers and cargo not to exceed xxxx lbs.

I'm betting you won't find something agreeable that's able to be towed by your vehicle.