Deciding I wanted to go full time with life on the road seemed like it was the most difficult decision. Looking back, it may have been the easiest. Answering this question brought up so many others about what my life might look like. When are you leaving? What are you going to do with all your stuff? Where are you going to go? How long will you be gone? What about your job? Are you going alone? Are you fuc*ing crazy?
Then, there were questions about the rig itself. What rig do I want? Class A? Class C? Super C? What are my needs? What are my wants? How big of a rig should I get? What will be best for the cats? Which is easiest to drive? What gets the best gas mileage? What’s my budget? What am I going to do with the Coachmen?
These uncertainties, like any large problem you face in life, needs to be tackled, and the easiest way to do that is to break them down into smaller, more manageable pieces.
What about the current RV?
Great question. And unfortunately, there is no answer to this question that doesn’t end with “You’re going to get screwed” I bought it brand new about 4 months ago, and at the time, I planned to keep it long term. But now, I’m going to take a hit on it. And if I did it wrong, it could be substantial. But, having been in similar situations before, at least I knew what to consider, what to look out for, and how to negotiate the best deal possible, considering the circumstance I find myself in.
When buying a vehicle, one classic negotiating tactic the salesperson will focus on is “What do you want your monthly payments to be?” Don’t fall for this trick, it’s a trap. If you say you want payments to be $500/month, then they can just extend the length of the loan from 60 months to 72 months. So, you get your payment, but you end up paying longer, and paying more, most likely for the vehicle itself, and the interest that comes along with it. Always focus on the bottom line number of what you are paying for the car, don’t get so micro-focused on just one item. Consider the price, the term, interest rate, all of these numbers need to work to get a great deal. And, if the salesperson breaks out one of those “Four-Square” worksheets, run out of that place immediately.
So I had two choices, trade it in or sell it privately. Obviously, selling it privately would net me the most amount of money, but if I could negotiate the price of a rig low, get a decent amount on the trade, any negative equity could be rolled into the loan of the new rig, so whatever I would be out, I wouldn’t have to come out of pocket on. Or, I could try and sell the rig privately for what I owe on it, and the only thing I would be out would be the down payment I put on the rig when I bought it.
These variables helped me decide
There are a few variables that were in play, and just like when buying a car and looking at all the players (purchase price, interest, term, etc.) there are variables beyond the trade in value of the Coachmen that helped make my decision easier.
First, the RV market is hot. If someone wanted my rig and went to buy it new, it would take 3-4 months for them to get it because there is no inventory. So, supply and demand simply mean they can buy mine, pay a small premium for it, but still less than buying new and have it today.
Second, when I purchased the Coachmen, my credit score dropped, because my debt-to-income ratio changed. If I sold the Coachmen myself, waited for my credit score to jump again, then I could potentially get a better rate on my new rig, saving thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars long term.
Third, it’s always easier to buy a new car/rig without a trade. You can just negotiate the one number and not worry about all the variables that come with the trade. Focus on the price, and the price alone, and the transaction will be much faster and cleaner.
Finally, with the holidays coming up, I wasn’t planning on doing much travel anyway, so not having a rig for a month or two isn’t a big deal, it’s not like I’m missing out on the summer months during the peak camping and traveling seasons.
So to me, it was obvious. Let’s see if I can sell it privately and get the maximum out of it I can. And in just about 10 days, I sold it for full asking price.
Class A? Class C? Travel Trailer? 5th Wheel? Toy Hauler?
Now that my rig is sold, I need to decide… Class A? Class C? Travel Trailer? 5th Wheel? Toy Hauler? I’m not going to get into the differences of each of these on this post, just search online for types of RV’s and there is a wealth of information so you can decide what type will fit your needs best.
For me, I knew I didn’t want to tow anything. I liked the idea of having everything all in one spot, just like the Class B Coachmen I had. Plus traveling with the two cats, I didn’t want to have to move them from the rig to the truck every time we started driving somewhere. So that meant, either a Class A or Class C.
Class A RV’s are like big busses, their engines are in the back and you sit far up front. Class C’s are like big trucks. where you have a normal seating position behind the front wheels, and the engine is in the front. Both have their pros and cons, and both can make for great full-time living situations. But for me, there was another, more attractive option.
Introducing the new Super C. Many of the high-end features of a Class A, while maintaining many of the practical elements of the Class C, a great combination. Plus, with many Super C’s being built on either a Freightliner or International truck chassis, they are built to last for hundreds of thousands of miles. So for me, the Super C was the obvious choice.
Now, you’d think with that decision made, it would be easy from here. Nope. Not even close.
What brand? What floor plan? What options? What color? Then, once you establish your wants vs. needs, the challenging part is finding one in stock, or making the tough decision to wait 3-4 months for it to be built.
I’m not that patient. I want it now.