We really want to get into the RV life - we're retiring in a little over 6 years but have wanted to get started for a long time. It will often be 4 of us but usually just two of us using the RV (Kelly and I - the kids are pretty much all grown up).
S0 - keeping in mind we'd like to keep the costs modest to start, and that we only have a Dodge Grand Caravan to tow anything, what would you guys suggest as a good, affordable entry-level RV or trailer (with a toilet - has to have a toilet!) to get our feet wet for the first year or two? I'd love a small class C or a B+ but anything newer is a bit pricey. I've seen smaller, used class A units from the 1970's for less than $2,000 but is something that old generally a wise purchase?
I really don't think that your Dodge caravan will tow much more than a pop up trailer. If any salespeople tell you otherwise, run, don't walk from that place.
I think you can find a nice little starter pop up with a small sink and a potty. If you're looking for a box trailer with a real bathroom then it's time to upgrade the tow vehicle. Your caravan just doesn't have the capacity to pull a heavy load.
An older class A or C might be had if you look hard. There should be lots of deals on those right now with the gas prices so high. Try craigslist or rvtrader or right here in the for sale section.
Good luck!
2008 Chevy Silverado 4x4 3500 RC/LB 6.0
2007 Chevy GS Conquest Super C 6340DK
2007 Chevy HHR Toad 2LT 2.4
1990 Chevy G20 Cargo Van 305
1967 Chevy Camaro Pro Street 468/650hp BBC
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Welcome! You're right - an older RV (like you're looking at) will most likely require a lot of work to fix up or keep up. If you're really handy and love tearing apart and rebuilding old things, go for it. If not...
We'll move on here. With your Caravan, about what you can tow is a popup (otherwise known here as a PUP). It's just not capable of handling much more than that. And some of the newer PUPs will be too big and heavy for it as well. That leaves a smaller, older PUP (5 years or older). Toilet? No problem - get a portapotti. We had a smallish PUP for 17 years, equipped with a portapotti (we were lucky enough to find one with a floorplan that allowed for the potti to be stored in a cabinet). Most PUPs can sleep 4 adults and 1-3 kids, depending on the floorplan as well. (I don't recommend trying to fit adults on the dinette-makes-into-a-bed. It won't work.)
The good things about PUPs: they're light weight and low profile makes for less wind resistance and much better gas mileage - and you won't have to trade in the minivan. They fit into most campsites; if you enjoy camping in national/provincial parks, they're ideal. If they don't have many options, then they're versatile, as you can choose to "dry camp" (i.e. no utility hookups), or you can choose electric & water hookups in more "civilized" campgrounds. You can often park them in a garage or yard without ticking off the local authorities (or the neighbors). The tented walls & bed ends allow for lots of fresh air and cooling breezes in the summer, and you can hear the birds and other sounds of nature around you.
The bad things about PUPs: the tented walls & bed ends don't insulate you from temperature extremes or noise (road noise, loud fellow campers, etc.) They feel damp in the rain (but if in good condition they won't leak, except in extreme conditions). They require lots of toting & carrying, as all but the largest ones don't have much storage space - so you'll have to transfer stuff from the car to the camper every time you set up camp, and back again every time you break camp. They also can be a pain to set up or take down in rainy or windy weather.
Let's say a PUP just isn't for you; you want a full bathroom and a kitchen, and you want to be able to access most storage areas while standing up. You can consider a trailer (TT) or a hybrid trailer (HTT) - the latter have tented bed ends that fold down when in camp, and close up & latch for towing. HTTs are lightweight for the space you get in them, and have a lot of the advantages of TTs: more storage, larger fridge, fuller kitchen. However, their full height when towing produces the same wind resistance as a regular TT, so gas mileage will plummet. AND you will need a new tow vehicle - your Caravan just isn't made to tow these things, even smaller ones.
All of that leads to motorhomes, which you mentioned - class A, C or B. Having had a small Class C as well as a PUP, HTT and now TT, these are what I see as good & bad points of motorhomes. Good points: compact all-in-one package, and being able to access the living area while on the road (albeit not necessarily safe to be up & around at that time). Except for the large Class A's & largest Class C's, easier to park & maneuver than a trailer under tow. Bad points: if you want to sightsee in a destination where you are camped for several days, you will need to break camp and set up camp again every day, as your home is also your vehicle - unless you have a car you can tow ("toad") or can rent a car for the sightseeing. If you want to buy wood at the campground store - same thing. The small Class C's and the Class B's won't be able to pull a toad, and B's lack storage space for all but a bare minimum of stuff - and they lack living space, which could be a problem in bad weather. The As and Cs large enough to pull a toad get really lousy gas mileage (often worse than the truck pulling a trailer).
Wow, this got long - but encapsulates my feelings about the various RV types. Good luck with your search!
P.S. I agree with Rollincool - a PUP is probably your best bet, especially considering you don't want to spend a lot to start with. Look for used ones - but be careful to check floor and ceiling for leaks and soft spots (red flags!) and make sure the canvas/material is in decent shape. And that you have some space for a portapotti, if it doesn't come equipped with a toilet.
"I've seen smaller, used class A units from the 1970's for less than $2,000 but is something that old generally a wise purchase?"
Wow - something that old will likely have MANY issues and be a real $$ pit. Tires, anything else rubber, old appliances,engine issues and any unused systems could take lots of effort to get them running and keep running. $2k and 30+ years will buy you lots of grief I fear. Rvs tend to cost much to run or time to repair and the talent to do so........ A really old unit can be a recipe for hating RVing.
Evaluate how you want to travel and then find a way to save for or finance what you really want to have. Do not jump into a "deal" on an RV without checking it out carefully. Read LOTS here about towing capabilities and RVs of all kinds. Good luck as you research your dream.
I have to agree with the other posts. An older rigs will most likely have problems you will not want to mess with. Besides PUPs and Hybrids, keep your eye open for used Trailmanors. They have the convenience of the hardside TT, but the low tow frame of a PUP. I attached some sites to show examples of these models if that helps.
Go to RV Shows,read some forums, magazines, books, visit some campgrounds to see the layout and activities, rent a Class A or C to see if you like the lifestyle and the RV. (Not sure if you can rent a TT or popup). DO NOT impulse buy, you many get stuck with an RV that does not fit your needs. Good luck. Happy Camping!
I agree with Mike/Rose that your absolute best investment might be to rent. A couple of long weekends in a small Class C will give you a taste of what you are getting into. We rented twice and took extended (7,000 miles combined) tours of the country. We tried lots of things from boondocking to parking in relatives driveways to RV resorts. We learned what we liked and didn't like about the floorplans, driving, appliances and general living conditions. We then set out on a search which took us a couple of years but we've happily used the RV we picked for the last 4 years. As was suggested, trading RVs can be expensive.
Regarding the older unit, part of it comes down to how handy you are and how much time you want to spend. Lots of folks rebuild RVs. Frankly, we bought ours to use, not fix up but have spent a significant amount of time(and money) working on it. If you do go into something from the 70s, you should probably be ready to spend 3-4 times the purchase price in repairs. Our RV was 4 years old when we bought it and I set a budget for repairs which we more than doubled.
Lastly, don't be lulled into the expectation that a "lightly used" RV is a good choice. These things seem to deteriorate faster sitting than on the road. Tires, for example, may look great but anything older than 4 years is suspect, particularly if the RV has not been driven. Given a choice, I'd pick a used RV that was used almost constantly and some signs of wear over one that was more pristine and had long periods of sitting. In the long run, I believe that the pristine looking one will cost you more.
I think that a PUP is the way to go. We started out in a small PUP, then went to a HTT, then to a TT and now we are back in a PUP. A Jayco 1206 that we tow with a Trail Blazer. Ours didn't come with a bathroom so I purchased a porta potti for emergencies. We have most of our camping gear stored in the PUP, so packing up to go camping isn't a big deal. Mainly just food and clothes. IMO a PUP is easier than the TT we owned because I don't over pack it with food and clothes that I just have to take out again once we are back home and it is much easier to clean after a trip. And towing the PUP is very easy. My DH didn't like towing the Big TT. We had thought about a Class C but with gas prices the way they are it wasn't worth it. We mainly camp on weekends and the PUP is perfect for that. Good luck.
Wow - so many helpful replies so quickly! Thank you all very much.
I hadn't really thought about a PUP too much, partly because I didn't think you could get one with a toilet, mostly because of the factors of noise, damp, weather that were mentioned above. But it sounds like that may be the way to go to get started.
I'm a little surprised that the Caravan can't haul anything in the TT class. Some TTs are advertised as towable by minivans or even compact cars. Is that the difference between the dry weight and the loaded weight? If so, it's a little dishonest to say a mini-van can tow a TT when in fact it couldn't in any practical usage.
Lots of great stuff to think about. I expect we'll be having a chat tonight!
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