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Across the Fence:  Buying a camper/trailer - any advice?  |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 06 2008 : 1:05:54 PM
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Help! I know nothing about these things, but my mother in law just decided she wants one. She's getting crankier by the day because we don't just run out and buy one for her, and she's an old lady, and she won't live much longer, so we need to make her final years happy by humoring her every whim 
Seriously, she wants this camper to put on her property in the country, which has no running water or electric on site. But the sketch she's given us of the model she wants includes a kitchen and bathroom! Don't you need to have water and electric hookups for a trailer like this? We can't pin her down as to whether she just wants more substantial quarters than a tent, or whether she wants essentially a whole house. And I don't want to start asking questions at a dealership when I don't know anything about trailers. Can anyone give me a primer in how these things work? I need help! She's getting crankier by the day and this threatens to be a big family fight! |
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britchickny
True Blue Farmgirl
1048 Posts
Angie
Port Orange
Florida
1048 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2008 : 3:45:36 PM
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Amie, does she want to live there permanently or just have a 'weekend getaway'? We have a camper that we tow for long weekends. yes, you can bring a certain amount of water but you would not be able to shower or anything. Most campers have kitchen, bath etc. You can buy water carriers that go in your pick-up truck which brings me to the next issue of what you would be towing this with? You know, you can rent campers too. Maybe rent one and put it at a nice camp-ground and have her try that for a few days/week to see if she like it.
You are right, you need to pin her down to see if she is talking 'house trailer' or 'camping trailer'.
I hope this works out for you.
Angie.
"Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance" JUDE 1:2 |
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Ronna
True Blue Farmgirl
1891 Posts
Ronna
Fernley
NV
USA
1891 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2008 : 4:42:39 PM
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A "self contained" unit, be it camper, trailer or motorhome, will have a limited amount of water and power from a generator to heat it, cook with and heat or cool the unit. Depending on what funds are available, just about anything is possible. Anything from a tent with sleeping bag to a half million dollar motorhome. Sewage from waste water and toilets is contained until the unit gets to a facility with a dump hookup to empty it.
Good luck...sounds like you need it big time! |
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goneriding
True Blue Farmgirl
1599 Posts
Winona
Central Oregon
USA
1599 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2008 : 07:35:50 AM
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My best guess would be to google info, print it out and then show it to her with a list of questions.
I live in our 35.5 fifth wheel at the moment and it's just a small house on wheels. She can have anything she wants in one, just have to ask!
Winona ;-)
When you lose, don't lose the lesson!!
http://goneriding.wordpress.com/
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2008 : 06:58:19 AM
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I'm having some trouble doing internet research because there are so many different terms: 5th wheel, camper, travel trailer, RV. I'm not really sure what the difference is, or whether the terminology depends on what kind of use you are putting the thing to.
The model that she picked out at the dealership is an American Star. 33 feet long, I think made in 1993. Because it's an older model, I'm having trouble finding the exact thing on the internet, or figuring out how it's related to other American Star products. She would be paying $16, 000 for it, which seems like a lot of money to me.
When she first started talking about this, we thought she wanted what we would call an RV. Something to drive up to the property, sleep in for a weekend or a week, and then drive back to civilization. But then it appeared that she wants to park the thing permanently on the property and leave it. She is also planning to move out of state to live with her daughter, so it would be a 6 hour drive between the property and her real home, not just the hour that it is now. She would only be spending occasional weekends in the camper (although she talks as though she's going to spend the whole summer alone on the property - that's simply not going to happen, no matter what she says. She is 70, not in good health, and she has never been good at taking care of mechanical things at the best of times.)
So that complicates matters, because there is no source of water or electricity on the property. So then she started talking about digging a well, and then we started to suggest that maybe what she's talking about is actually a mobile home or small cottage with city water and electric. And that's when things started to get ugly. She seems to think that we're trying to squash her dreams by bringing up pesky details like, how is the water supply going to be hooked up and what happens during the winter? But we just don't know whether what she wants is going to work.
I know that people do leave campers set up in parks year round, with little porches built on and everything. They spend the summer there and then close it up for the winter. But don't you have to have some services there and regular maintenance? Anyone know how that works? |
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britchickny
True Blue Farmgirl
1048 Posts
Angie
Port Orange
Florida
1048 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2008 : 5:05:47 PM
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Amie, you are right, there are many different terms.
Travel Trailer= camper that you pull behind a vehicle and set up on a site or land. These can come in many sizes (weight can be an issue)
5th Wheel=this is a style of tow behind travel trailer that 'comes up and over' the bed of the truck towing it. This can be set up on a camp- site. (Your tow vehicle has to be set up with a special 5th wheel hitch to tow)
RV, drive it and park it on camp-site or land.
Mobile Home. Set up on land-not likely to move it again. (may need a permit from the town) or in a mobile home park. You might want to price out well drilling. My girlfriend just had to have a well dug and it cost her $9,000. You do not know how much it will cost when they start drilling because they charge by the foot.
Now,here in WNY you can leave your camper/RV etc on a seasonal(year round) site over the winter but you cannot live in it as the camp-grounds close. She may be able to do mid-April to Mid October and then you have to close it up and leave it for the winter. The camp-grounds will help her 'winterize' the camper but she would have to do her own maintenance most likely.
I don;t know Amie, sounds like she really wants some independence but she needs to be practical too. (33' is very long to tow also)
Best of luck.
Angie
"Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance" JUDE 1:2 |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2008 : 06:02:54 AM
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Thanks for explaining the terms, Angie. My sense from talking to her is that what she wants doesn't fit easily into any of the categories. She wants it to have all the amenities of home, but she only wants them approximately 3 weeks/year. She wants to have everything functioning perfectly with very little effort, but she intends to leave the trailer parked on the land unattended for the other 49 weeks out of the year.
*sigh*
I don't see this ending well. The sad part is that we would be willing to sell our house in Rochester and move to a mobile home or small cottage on the Dansville land. We could maintain the property year round and she could stay with us when she comes up from Maryland (she's planning to move down there and live with her daughter for most of the year). But we can't do that without her permission, and the support of a dozen other family members and distant old friends who all have a stake in the land. It's frustrating to have land, but not really have it. |
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Ronna
True Blue Farmgirl
1891 Posts
Ronna
Fernley
NV
USA
1891 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2008 : 08:04:14 AM
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| Might I suggest renting something close to what she wants first and she can determine if it's going to meet her needs. Seems she doesn't want to be bothered with "details" and that's a scary thought. As stated, what will be used to move this from the sales lot to site comes into play. If the dealer moves it, they will likely charge-especially with gas prices. Leaving the trailer unattended on the property is chancy too, the possibility of vandalism, "squatters" or being stolen altogether must be addressed. Mostly, insurance will not cover anything not being occupied. When my mother moved near me into assisted living, the ins co refused to continue coverage on hers, even though it was in an RV resort in Palm Springs and set up to not be moved. Good luck, sounds like a lot of frustration for everyone. |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2008 : 09:05:53 AM
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| That's a good idea, Ronna. If rentals are available, it seems like she might never need to buy one at all depending on how much time she actually spends at the property in the future. You see, one thing I didn't mention earlier is that she and her husband built a rather primitive cabin on the property years ago and that is what she has always used in the past. She says that she just wants privacy and quiet during the times when other family members or friends are there at the same time. Then again, other times she says she wants a bathroom and a television! It would be totally reasonable and practical for her to rent something to stay in during those times. And vandalism and theft are definitely an issue, unfortunately. A few years ago I was looking into the possibility of putting up a couple of wall tents on the land, and I decided not to pursue it for that reason. |
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Across the Fence: Buying a camper/trailer - any advice? |
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Buying a camper/trailer - any advice?
