Outside Looking In

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I'm fine to buy a used RV - been looking at used Lance travel trailers, seem to hold their value a lot better than others for some reason, which isn't great if you're the buyer.

Buy a 10+ year old trailer and it will already be heavily-depreciated. It doesn't need to be one of the better-rated brands because you will be able to see & test the condition before you buy. And since you only want to keep it a year or two until you choose your "forever" rig, longer term reliability is less a concern. There are literally 10's of thousands of small-mid size trailers for sale at any moment and a decent percentage of them have been well-kept.

 

[Jackiemac]

People will be happy to talk about their experiences, but, if you expect them to show you around their rig, that may not happen. An RV show or dealership is better for that.

Also this is a good website to see lots of floorplans. The layout is really important for what will work best for you.

Diesel Motorhomes for sale-visit us today | PPL Motor Homes

Diesel Motorhomes Now Listed for Sale at PPL Motor Homes...The Largest RV Consignment Dealer in the USA. A wide selection of models and floor plans available.

www.pplmotorhomes.com

 

[Kirk]

Since you are in Houston, there are many RV dealerships near you and the RV shows there are usually quite large, but they mostly happen in the spring. I really think that a good RV show is the best way to learn what is available and to get a feeling about what might be in your budget. At a big RV show you will see RVs that range in price from as little as near $10,000 to as much as $2,000,000. To look at used ones that are for sale a place that has a good reputation for letting a person just look around is PPL Motorhomes, Houston location. We were in Ft. Worth when we were preparing to retire and RV fulltime, so we used to take a week in the winter and stay in one of the snowbird RV parks in the Rio Grande Valley. Doing that we got a good picture of what the life is like and met a lot of very helpful people. We lived on the road with the RV as our only home for 12 years and one thing that I learned which is very important. The only limitation to the ways that one can live in an RV is the limit of the owner's imagination.

 

[Isaac-1]

Most of what you will find at Toledo bend will be Bass fisherman that happen to own an RV, I live about 70 miles from there, and MANY of the RV owners I know are really fisherman / deer hunters who happen to own an RV and only ever take it to the lake or the deer camp. If you want to get to know RV people in campgrounds in the region try renting an RV trailer and go to some of COE campgrounds and the state parks with campgrounds on non prime bass fishing lakes. Perhaps Martin Dies Jr SP, or maybe Huntsville State park, though from memory that is mostly tent campers.

 

[Compadre1]

Hello RV people. I’m within a few years of retirement, idealizing van life, and intend to pursue it. I have a great tow vehicle but will need a TT soon (up to 7500lbs GVWR). Its early in my research so my approach at this point is to cultivate some ways to meet and/or interact with full time RV’ers.

If I read you correctly, you've narrowed things down to a travel trailer less than 7500 lbs. That's a start, maybe tell us your tow vehicle to get some opinions on actual towing ability/tongue/payload weight etc. Might narrow things down even more, especially if your wedded to the vehicle you have. Lots of opinions here, but many would say that a tow vehicle rated to tow 7500 lbs would be great for a 5000 lb trailer. Anticipate traveling alone, with another or with grandkids? Where you store it also might come into play.

A little more info and maybe we could narrow things down as far as weight, length etc. Good luck

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

Hard to picture full timing in a 4000 to 5000 pound trailer. Even staying in the South through winter you can have some really cold weather.

Going to RV shows and talking to salesman is a Great idea if you're knowing that you're not ready to buy. Compare notes on what I guy or gal tells you to the next, one Mfg to another. You will pick up tips, terminology, better and worse build, and more information to arm yourself with when you are ready to buy