First Time Buyer Looking for PUP

[rlu929s]

We're a family of 2 adults, 1 toddler, and 1 chihuahua looking to get a pup for camping at our various lakes and campgrounds.

Never owned a PUP before so we're kind of new at this.

I have a V8 F150 truck so I think I can pretty much tow any size PUP. Correct me if I'm wrong.

We're on the fence of new vs used. We really don't want to go over 7k.
But want to get the biggest for our money as we will have more kids and the family will grow.

We have local dealers for Starcraft, Fleetwood, and Jayco in our area.

We don't need a shower/toilet and must have AC/Heat.

Some of the local dealers are quoting around $6900k or so for a new 8' Starcraft etc.

We're going to look at them tonight just to get a feel for PUP's in general.

However, I see a deal on Craiglist for a pretty nice 2005 12' for the same price.

http://springfield.craigslist.org/rvs/769057870.html

Any thoughs, suggestions etc.

We just want to most for our money but also don't' want a lemon.

[dkutz]

We're a family of 2 adults, 1 toddler, and 1 chihuahua looking to get a pup for camping at our various lakes and campgrounds.

Never owned a PUP before so we're kind of new at this.

I have a V8 F150 truck so I think I can pretty much tow any size PUP. Correct me if I'm wrong.

We're on the fence of new vs used. We really don't want to go over 7k.
But want to get the biggest for our money as we will have more kids and the family will grow.

We have local dealers for Starcraft, Fleetwood, and Jayco in our area.

We don't need a shower/toilet and must have AC/Heat.

Some of the local dealers are quoting around $6900k or so for a new 8' Starcraft etc.

We're going to look at them tonight just to get a feel for PUP's in general.

However, I see a deal on Craiglist for a pretty nice 2005 12' for the same price.

http://springfield.craigslist.org/rvs/769057870.html

Any thoughs, suggestions etc.

We just want to most for our money but also don't' want a lemon.

Having just purchased our second PUP here are my thoughts.

First buy Used- Find a nice one or two year old trailer that has been well taken care of.  Save the money, new ones are expensive.

We avoided the bathroom shower option because of the space they take up.

Craigslist is great!- Crazedlist is better, its a site that allows you to search all states and cities of craiglist at once.  (you must use firefox).  also rvtraderonline.com, and rvt.com are good choices.

Slideouts are great, if you can take the weight.  Choose a floorplan you like and search for what you want, you will find it.

Lastly MAKE SURE the person you are buying from has the title! (I speak from experience)

Once you buy, come back to this site and find a club in your area, and HAVE FUN!!

[rlu929s]

Do you think I could get a slide out a few years old in my budget.

I've got a 2005 F-150 (no tow package) 4x4 V8 truck so I should be able to tow a slide out right?

I put a class 3 hitch on rated to 5,000 lbs I think.

[dkutz]

Do you think I could get a slide out a few years old in my budget.

I've got a 2005 F-150 (no tow package) 4x4 V8 truck so I should be able to tow a slide out right?

I put a class 3 hitch on rated to 5,000 lbs I think.

I would think you would be able to tow a slide out easy.  But check the weight rating on the truck to be sure.

We just looked at a 1999 coleman with a pop out for $6500, in California.  You may have to sacrifice a few years to get the price you want.  Or decide if you want a newer camper, or and olderish camper with more options.

Good luck!

[A2SuperCrew]

Do you think I could get a slide out a few years old in my budget.

I've got a 2005 F-150 (no tow package) 4x4 V8 truck so I should be able to tow a slide out right?

I put a class 3 hitch on rated to 5,000 lbs I think.

Our Jayco 1207 wieghs 2500 lbs dry, and we're guessing 3000ish loaded.  Our F150 tows it like it's not even back there.  I do recommend a transmission cooler.  (It's part of the Ford tow package)  

Have fun shopping!    Go see plenty of PopUps until you find one you like.  You'll know the right one when you're in it.

[Calstate361]

Where are you located because we have a 1999 Starcraft, Venture, 2407 with  slide for sale for $5,500.   We haven't sold it yet because people want us to give it away and we would sooner keep it.  

We are throwing in a 12" screen room, fantastic fan (no AC), cover, porta potty (no shower combo), RVQ, Extra outside stove, brake controller, electric jack, Class 3 heavy duty hitch, Draco bar, Reese Trunnion Style Weigh Distributing Hitch with adjustable ball-mount and chrome ball, color coordinated dishes and other stuff, and mexican blankets to cover the the cushons.  SO, it's a pretty good deal with all the stuff we are throwing in that you would have to purchase after you bought the PUP.

Send me a PM at:  jlutz@SCO.ca.gov

This address is only good until this job is over tomorrow.

THANKS

Joan

[rlu929s]

I'm in MO so that'd be quite a drive to CA:(

[austinado16]

I vote roadtrip!  C'mon out, pick up that camper in Sacto and then camp your way back home over a 2 week period!  That would be a great adventure.

Anyway, welcome and hope you have fun, both with your search and with what you find.

I'd suggest getting a super nice used one, and get the biggest one you can find.  You won't grow out of it too fast, if at all, it will maintain it's resale value, and it will have plenty of nice comforts.  As you can see, 5-6k will buy you someone's very nice camper.  To me, that's money well spent.

[Calstate361]

YA, I vote for th road trip also.  :yikes:  Both of us would bennefit and you wouldn't have to outfit it before you went home.

AND welcome also.

Joan

[Hackker]

First buy Used- Find a nice one or two year old trailer that has been well taken care of.  Save the money, new ones are expensive.

I know most people say to buy used first, but we went with a new one for a couple of reasons.  For one, having never owned any sort of camper before, I didn't want to risk buying someone else's problem by not spotting something.  At least with new, we had a warranty and a dealer that would back up any problems.

And just starting out camping, I wanted something that I could count on not breaking down for a long while and didn't really require any maintenance for a while.  

When we looked for a used one, we started off with a $3k max price and after seeing how poor of shape most of them were, we bumped it up to $6k.  Most were much better at that price, but still had noticeable wear & tear, rust, and they all seemed to be stored outside.  I was amazed at how 1-2 year old models looked to be in worse shape that my cousin's 20 year old well taken care of and garaged popup.

[rlu929s]

At this time we really don't want to go over $7,000 so I'm not sure how well the new route will be for us.

I also understand what you are saying though. We don't know anything about PUP's and having a dealer who stands behind it would be nice...if they will.

We're going to look at some new 8' Starcraft models tonight at a dealer and hopefully we can go look at that used 12' in Branson this weekend if they reply.

They are the same price but if there's is in good shape we'll probably risk it for the more room.

We're in no rush though as it's pretty hot and nasty right now.

I see you got the Niagara which looks like a 14' model...didn't that go way above your budget?

[AZsix]

Welcome to the forum. We have had our pup for almost a year now and we love it. There are some deals on used ones out there if you take the time to look. If you are like me you are anxious to get one and start camping. We got ours for $500 but that was kind of a special deal. In today's economy I bet there are people selling off their "toys" so you may have a nice selection to choose from.

Don't discount the toilet/shower. We have both and love them. We have four kids and only use the toilet for those middle of the night potty breaks but it comes in handy. I wish we had an outside shower so that's something to consider.

Floor plan is a major factor. We don't have to climb over our dinette to get to bed and I have heard others say that it's gets to be a pain to have to do that. We have lots of counter space and I'm thankful for it. We don't have a microwave but do have an oven.

Go to the dealers and take a look at what they have set up. When you see a floor plan you like you will know it, it will just feel comfortable to you.

Good luck with your hunt.

[wavery]

I'm in MO so that'd be quite a drive to CA:(

We just drove 2200 miles (in 48 hours) last weekend to pick up our nu-2-us Trailmanor. It can be done. :sombraro:

[rlu929s]

Well we went to the dealer tonight and looked at some of the Starcraft models.

They has a 8" 1701 for around 6900.

We're still confused trying to decide on the new vs used debate.

One thing we are for sure of it the 8' will not work.

My wife is not fond of tight places and didn't like the 8' at all.

The also had a used 2006 12' they would let go around 8500. It had no heat though and did show some signs of use.

They also had a new 2407 slide out and my wife REALLY liked it especially with all the space inside and the fact it was new.

They had it price at 10777. They said being the end of the month they might be willing to budge some but I doubt they'll go down much.

They do service them and back it up with a warranty.

They seemed very friendly and said if we bought one they would go over every inch of it with us so we knew everything on use and how to take down/ put up etc.

That's quite a bit over budge so we're still mulling it over and trying to decide. Hopefully this weekend we can view a few used ones and see what they look like.

[BirdMan]

I bought a used 2000 Fleetwood/Coleman Fairview for $5200 off Craig's list here in CO last August.  It was stored in the garage.  Where it is stored has a lot to do with what kind of shape it will be in.  The one you posted looks pretty nice.  I noticed it has AC.

The Fairview I have is a slide-out and it is really nice though the GVWR is 3250lbs, empty it is 2172lbs.  It has two king beds, and the slide-out turns into a double bed, heater, frig., water heater, outside shower, inside/outside stove, they even gave us all the linens and camp gear along with all the dishes, coffee maker, and the microwave.  The deals are out there if you have time to look.  I found this one in about three weeks and I must of looked at ten trailers of different kinds.

If you are somewhat mechanically inclined I would say definitely buy used.  On the other hand if you prefer to pay someone to fix everything you may want to look at new.

The biggest thing may be how much of a hurry are you in.  Waiting until fall may serve you well as people tend to get rid of these to avoid storing them somewhere.  If you are in a hurry, then buying new may be your best option.

Though you mentioned you want to get the biggest popup for your money, so this would push me into looking for used.  There are hundreds and hundreds of these trailers in peoples garages and storage just sitting and never being used.  I would think with the economy the way it is and the direction it seems to be heading you will see more and more of them on craigs list and at garage sales.

You also may want to ask the Fleetwood dealer how much they would charge to install an AC unit in case you find a really nice one used without AC.  The AC units are pretty easy to install vs other things like a furnace or refrigerator.