Considering a New RV

I’ve had my current RV for almost two years now. It had performed well and done everything I thought it would. It’s a smaller RV (twenty five feet bumper to bumper) and it has no slides to make it bigger on the inside. I chose one without slides purposely so that it could get into tight spaces.

After almost two years of use I have discovered that the “smallness” is not the big advantage I thought it would be. Even the more remote places I’ve been with it were places that would accommodate a  larger RV. Because this RV is a Class A, motorhome type, the only means of propulsion is the RV itself. When I get to a campsite and want to go sightseeing or into town, I have to take the whole RV. This is a bigger disadvantage than I originally thought. I have a small scooter that I can carry on the bumper that will provide limited transportation but that doesn’t help when The Bride travels with me or when weather is inclement…..So….

I have been seriously considering upgrading to a new, fifth wheel trailer. The models I have been looking at are small by fifth wheel standards. These buggers can get up to forty feet long but the models I have been looking at are only about twenty six feet long…not too much longer than my present RV. The difference is that in my present RV the first six feet or so are taken up by the passenger compartment. All of the length in a fifth wheel is living space, and the models I’m looking at have two slides to increase the interior space even more.

The bad news is that fifth wheels have to be towed by a truck and a minimum 3/4 ton truck at that. I don’t have a truck right now. I also don’t want to buy a new truck which equipped like I would need, will cost about 40 grand, so I have been searching for a good used 3/4 ton diesel pickup truck.

A couple of years ago this search would have been easy. Today is a different story. Because of the economy, people are hanging on to their vehicles longer. There are way fewer good used vehicles for sale. Add to that, that 3/4 ton diesel trucks are kind of a specialty vehicle anyway, and it gets really hard to find a decent, reasonably priced one. Top that off with the fact that one of the three major manufacturers of diesel pickup trucks has a known major flaw with their engines. That reduces the manufacturers that I would consider buying a vehicle from to two, and now the supply is meager indeed.

I’ve been searching for a couple of weeks now and haven’t been able to find anything in good shape at a fair value. I’m not only searching private sales but also dealer sales within about a 500 mile radius of the Denver area. I’m sure one will pop up sooner or later but it will take work and diligence on my part. Wish me luck.

Thanks for visiting.