kudzu
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Post by kudzu on Jan 12, 2019 15:52:18 GMT -8
We have been watching the market getting a idea what we wanted in a vintage camper for retirement travel. Maybe 2-4 week long trips. Have a good idea what we wanted but out situation is changing a little and not as we expected.
We are seriously considering selling our house, buying a camper to living in while we look for land. Once we find the land we would move it to the site and live there while we build. I know from experience this is going to take at least a year and may likely stretch out to 2 years before it is all done. We did this one before.
Literally sold a house out from under us with no where to go. So we stored everything and moved in our 20' (I think it was) motorhome. So I know what we getting into. But I am much older and really don't want to live in a 20' trailer for a year or more. Strong marriage but no sense pushing it to the limit! We need more space than that.
If you were in this situation what would be looking for? One of the Spartan 30 footers would be my first choice, but they are not common in my area and a little pricey for a nice one. Plus the thinking is we sell whatever we buy when we move in the house.
Then start looking for something like the Yellowstone to restore and travel in. I am assuming there is a small market for Spartans so it might be hard to sell. But I am sure I could live in one of those no problem.
I know this is a little off topic but really would appreciate any thoughts on this.
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Post by bigbill on Jan 12, 2019 16:48:15 GMT -8
This is a very difficult question to answer. Many couples would need at least a 100 foot rig to survive in for a year others could do it in a pup tent. A couple I knew also wanted to live in their trailer while they built their new home. They started out with a 24 footer and after a couple of months found it a little confining. Not wanting to invest much in a larger trailer that would be hard to resell they bought another trailer of similar size that was old but in decent shape. Parked them side by side each pointed the opposite direction about four feet apart then built a raised deck with end walls and a roof that overlapped the trailers. This gave them the space the needed at a very low cash outlay, plus when the got house built they sold the trailers for a profit. GOOD LUCK
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Post by bigbill on Jan 12, 2019 16:50:37 GMT -8
Additional thought to above post in our area large old heavy fifth wheels can be bought cheap. That might be an option.
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aslmx
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Post by aslmx on Jan 12, 2019 18:50:03 GMT -8
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jeremiah
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Post by jeremiah on Jan 12, 2019 18:52:24 GMT -8
You are the best person to know what you actually Need. My wife and I lived in a 15 foot pop up while traveling for 6 months. We never ran into any problem from ourselves. She is 120 and I am 168. That is something to consider when looking into size of trailers. We never once thought of resale value. Whatever we got at the end was ok. This is all just your personal approach to it.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jan 12, 2019 20:07:27 GMT -8
Speaking only for myself, I'd consider a cheap newer (15-20 year old) camper with modern systems. Vintage is special but not as comfortable. Microwave, roomy shower, hot water heater/tank, slide out with flat screen TV, etc., and ugly may trump unique and beautiful if two people have to live in it for a year.
Yellowstone made a nice mid-sized camper but I'd want more space for long term use..
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Post by vikx on Jan 12, 2019 20:28:05 GMT -8
I would go with as nice an Airstream as you can afford. They are well known for holding together, keep their resale value and there's lots of fellow 'Streamers to chat repairs and camp with.
Friends bought an 82 Excella for around 12K and have been happy with it. There have been issues; they replaced both axles and the air conditioner. I thought the price was outrageous but they can still command that when they sell...
Avoid early 70s models, especially the longer rigs with a rear bathroom. The have become known for having a saggy butt from heavy holding tanks way back. You can tell by the ripples near the wheel wells. Also, older Airstreams can have very rusty frames. The belly is enclosed and it's very hard to inspect what's inside.
The best length is 24 to 26 feet. The 30s are cheaper but not as easy to resell.
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Jan 12, 2019 21:32:54 GMT -8
My initial reaction to the question was along the lines bigbill observed. Maybe a two-camper solution...something of a fairly new yacht-sized fifth-wheel and a smaller camper in tandem. That way, you can "break camp" and take off with the smaller unit without having to totally leave with no base camp behind. nccamper makes a good argument too. A lot newer and larger unit would be better suited to long term close quarters living. It depends a lot too if you are going to be doing your vintage restoration work at the same time you are building your new permanent home. May want to save the restore for a later time...
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debranch
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Post by debranch on Jan 13, 2019 5:07:19 GMT -8
My thought is how much time are you really going to be spending in it. When I was 8 my family lived in an 18 foot argosy for about 7 months while my daddy completed our house he had started it before we moved to the property but they resided it was better for us to start the school year in the school we would be in. I don’t remember being in the camper a lot we were outside exploring and helping daddy as much as 3 kids ranging from 8 to 14 could. My oldest brother said it was tight but I just remember being in and out of the house a lot mom cooked in the camper we used the bathroom and sleeping. Are you going to build your house or have someone else do it. That will also determine your needs.
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kudzu
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Post by kudzu on Jan 13, 2019 16:41:57 GMT -8
Interesting thoughts. Some I had thought of, some not.
Other than a Spartan, I don't think that vintage is really an option. Just to hard to find something large and then to sell it is another issue.
I have been considering an older 25-30 footer. Cheap and easy to find. If we could pick up something for say $5,000 and expect to spend a little in repairs/upkeep. LIke adding a tankless water heater. Comparing that to rent for a year or more and I could give it away and be ahead of the game. Rent for anything decent would be way more than that.
This is something that I was looking at. I have seen a couple listed pretty cheap. Probably harder to sell but as I said above, the money it saves I could let it go every cheaper and still be ahead. I don't have a Pickup at the moment though so I have to depend on someone else to move it.
Vikx, this is one I had not thought of. I wasn't looking at Airstream because of the price but your right. They have an almost cult following and would probably be easier to sell and more likely to get my money out of it. There is always a few within a reasonable drive for sale too. Of course it ties up more of my cash too.
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kudzu
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Post by kudzu on Jan 13, 2019 16:47:32 GMT -8
My thought is how much time are you really going to be spending in it. A lot. If we do this this will be our house for quite a while and I am self employed. I am going to have to find a space for my shop but till we find land and start building we will be spending a lot of time in it. Even once the house it started I am probably not going to do as much on this one as I have in the past. So I am really going to need something with a bedroom that can at least hae a curtain to block the light. I am a morning person and she is not.
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Post by bigbill on Jan 13, 2019 17:17:01 GMT -8
I have seen old large 5th wheels advertised free for the hauling because they are so heavy nobody wants to pull them anymore. Some are still in nice shape. I would think you could find someone to tow it to your lot for you. Also I have seem some large class A motor-homes with motor/transmission problems listed free for removing. Again you could have towing service tow it to your location. My cousin bought a nice used motor-home that had minor roof problems took it to the lake property he had bought, built a 2x4 frame work to support a canvas cover over it to solve roof leaks. Then lived in it two years and sold it for exactly what he had paid for it. So there are lots of options out there if you just keep an open mind and watch the craigs list.
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Post by vikx on Jan 13, 2019 21:20:03 GMT -8
Well, I don't like fivers. There's a REASON why they are so cheap... mainly the upper portion leaks like a sieve and they often have severe rot. Without a truck or hitch, you would be 'stuck' in one place. They are also very hard to re-sell..
I hate motor homes but that may be a viable (and cheap) solution. Class A gassers are often available because they get lousy gas mileage. Most people are looking for a diesel rig these days. Also, class A's tend to leak less than a trailer. Not always true but worth checking. Again, this type of RV would be harder to sell, so don't pay too much.
Note: Class C's often have cabover leaks. Beware.
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jeremiah
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Post by jeremiah on Jan 14, 2019 5:34:47 GMT -8
The answer to the question you ask here will come from your Wife.
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turbodaddy
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Post by turbodaddy on Jan 14, 2019 6:17:20 GMT -8
This sounds like something I might have considered...when I was in my twenties. I know your query was about size, but my advice would be to forget about vintage and retirement travel (for now). Your proposed scenario sounds like stress on stress to me. I like the Airstream idea, sell the house, buy the land, build. Then rethink the vintage camper. Who knows? Maybe you'll want to travel in the Airstream. Also, here is an idea for the workshop (hope the link works): www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKo3nD3NB_Q
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