RV's under $3,000

[highdesertranger]

good advice from johnny b. highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

If you can live without all the systems you can do what I did and bought a brand new 6x10 cargo trailer out the door or $2500, stopped by Home depot and bought insulation and plywood for $300 added 2 windows and 2 vents for another $300 and a pair of ladder aluminum racks for $200. Then I had a bombproof little home that will be trouble free for decades to come. After 5 years the only money I spent on it was to replace the weather checked tires this year. Don't expect to spend another penny on it till I replace the tires in 5 more years.

It weighs 1/3 the amount of nearly all TTs, straining my van much less! As icing on the cake, it will go 100 times more places in the backcountry than any TT will.
Bob

 

[john101]

If you can live without all the systems you can do what I did and bought a brand new 6x10  cargo trailer out the door or $2500, stopped by Home depot and bought insulation and plywood for $300 added 2 windows and 2 vents for another $300 and a pair of ladder aluminum racks for $200. Then I had a bombproof little home that will be trouble free for decades to come. After 5 years the only money I spent on it was to replace the weather checked tires this year. Don't expect to spend another penny on it till I replace the tires in 5 more years.

It weighs 1/3 the amount of nearly all TTs, straining my van much less!  As icing on the cake, it will go 100 times more places in the backcountry than any TT will.
Bob

If you can come up with $6,000 you can by my Rebuilt '85 Toyota Dolphin.  It gets about 15 mpg, everything works, five year old tires with about 2,000 miles on them.  Could be a cheaper route since a $3,000 RV will probably need about $2,500 to $3,000 worth of work.  Only 80,000 some miles on it, too.

John

 

[tripper]

I need some RV advice. Can anyone suggest a  used class A,B,C RV or travel trailer under $3,000?  Year 1970-19999. I am doing research.

I owned an old class A a while ago. The problem with old RVs, eventually something major like the engine, tranny, or rear axle goes out and the amount of money to repair those items is more than buying another RV. Trailers are easy to maintain and you can keep them for life if you stop the leaks, lube bearings and keep good brake pads on them. Even buying 6x RV tires will break the bank ($1500 or so). When the RV does break, if you put it in a shop your home is gone for a while.

 

[urbanhermit70]

Finding an older RV under 3G's thats in atleast OK shape is EASY out here on the left coast. General rule the bigger/older the RV, the cheaper it is. RV's like the old uber ugly, but for some reason looks cool at the same time Winnebago Brave.. I see these all the time for 2-3G's...

Steamjam1,

What part of left coast. I live in Northern California. I i'm looking for class C or short A RV 27-31 feet.

 

[ZoNiE]

When looking at RVs in the lower end of the price range, the real question becomes..."how good are your (& partner's) mechanical, plumbing, electrical and woodworking skills??"
If you are going to pay for the repairs/upgrades needed in a low budget motorhome, then that $3K can become 5, 7, 10K real easy and real fast.
Something else to think about with old motorhomes is the cost of a tow when broke down.

I'd go with a tow behind camper and pickup truck/van if I were looking for cheapest way to start out.

I concur. My $5K GMC became a $15K motorhome and this was before I even got around to the body work and paint, after 10 years of fiddling with it, and only camping in it a handful of times. Every trip was an adventure... :dodgy:

Six 16" (Michelin) Tires were $2K. Bigger, newer coaches have the bigger coach/bus tires, those 19.5-22.5" tires are even more... but, they supposedly last longer, and can be retreaded.

Class C's still run "consumer" size 16" tires.

Old coaches from the 70's ran 16.5's where the tire choices suck. My GMC came that way, and I spend $1,500 on 16" wheels to convert to modern tires.

Travel trailer, 5'er, or cargo trailer is the way to go.

 

[steamjam1]

Steamjam1,

What part of left coast. I live in Northern California. I i'm looking for class C or short A RV 27-31 feet.

I'm in Norcal. On Craigslist I'm seeing Dodge Class-c's for as little as $500 that run/drive. No doubt that for $500, your going to be working on it. But if your handy with a saw, and a wrench, its a good place to start.