Tips on buying a new camper

[BrindleHounds]

Hi all,

Sorry if this is already on the site but a search using key words didn't bring anything up.

I am looking at buying a new import FF camper along the Modcon, Ezytrail, Stoney Creek or Taipan ilk.

Question I have is when negotiating on a new camper is it like a new car? Is there 10-15% wiggle room in the price, what should I expect to be thrown in as a sweetener, what are no brainers which should be part of the deal?

Thanks in advance for the advice.



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[Dazzax1]

I spoke to Ezitrail and they were not flexible at all he told me they sold that many of them they didn't need to discount. If you buy from a show you might get something off or some inclusions. On another note of your budget allows try and buy Australian made I am not knocking imports but it's always good to know your supporting the Aussie camper trailer industry.


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[J.R]

Can you order it without some of the fruit you don't really need?

When we purchased our Lifestyle, we left off the alloy wheels, Offroad hitch and  fridge box.

Saved ourselves $1300.

Might be worth asking. Like, do you really need 2 spares hanging off the arse end?

[Bird]

Look at the used market, much better value out there and they all come with Shit loads of extras ..

[BrindleHounds]

Thanks for the tips.

Wife likes the forward fold, and I have to agree for ease of set up and versatility.

Unfortunately for what I want to spend there are no local made options. And the second hand market is light on for them from what I can see.

I am going to head down the freeway to the Gold Coast Caravan show tomorrow and look over some of the options.


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[Fizzie]

Just got home from the Show - lots there to look at! 

[Dazzax1]

When your there tomorrow just have a look at the Patriot campers good Aussie made campers.


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[BrindleHounds]

When your there tomorrow just have a look at the Patriot campers good Aussie made campers.


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That they are. And built tough and well thought out, but unfortunately not the kind of set up we are after.


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[BrindleHounds]

Just got home from the Show - lots there to look at! 

Good one. Now I have decided I'm in the market it was a bit of luck this show was on and has the campers I want to look at. And some others to compare.


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[GBC]

You are doing it right. Decide what style you want first then compare them.

[cruiser 91]

Tips on buying a new camper.

Dont! leave the headaches and mods to someone else.

Buy secondhand and save!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rumpig]

Tips on buying a new camper.

Dont! leave the headaches and mods to someone else.

Buy secondhand and save!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what headaches & mods?...we haven't done a thing to our camper since we bought it....actually I lie, we got a swing away wheel carrier added to it by the place we bought it from a few years later....other then that it hasn't been modded. Buy the camper you want with what you want on it, and there shouldn't be a need to mod it.

[Bird]

what he said.

[tryagain]

I am guessing this is your first camper and therefore I'd recommend the second hand route for a few reasons,  when I were looking to buy the amount of people that bought a trailer only too have it sit there for a few years with no to minimal use before deciding to sell was quite high, also there seems to be quite a few people who buy one style only to realise that after using it for a bit that a different style would suit them better.  Those that purchased brand new usually incur a substantial loss while those who bought well second hand can sell for about what they paid. I would only recommend buying new to existing users who know that they will use it and know exactly what they want.

[Alan Loy]

I have to agree with tryagain.  We bought a soft floor and now realise this will not suit us long term, but as we only spent $6500 and would expect to get most of this back it has been a worthwhile experiment.

As to forward folds, check out their weight and load capacity.  Many seem to be quite heavy to me (it may be the because of the style) and some have low load capacity particularly as you use some of this for the water, batteries etc. that you will have to carry. (think 100 kg for 100 litres, each battery about 35kg)

[Jeepers Creepers]

Look at the used market, much better value out there and they all come with Shit loads of extras ..

What he said....

We have ripper for sale at the moment, so stop dicking around and buy it. 

[BrindleHounds]

Thanks all for the tips.

It is our first camper trailer of sorts.

Our current set up is an off-road box trailer with Jerry can and gas bottle holders which we pack everything into. I have rhino racks fitted to it as well which the oztent Rv5, Tagalog tent and oztrail annex get strapped to.

We wanted to move to something which is faster to set up and ready to leave home with little packing so if we decide to hit the road on short notice on the weekend we can.

This is why we decided to chip up to a dedicated camper (ability to just hook up an go) as most of the stuff is (bedding, fridges, kitchen stuff etc) is all part of the deal. All you need to do is pack cloths, food and water.

You also don't have to set up bedding or kitchen cooking stuff for the same reason.

And we decided on the forward fold for the ease of set up reason vs a soft floor and a better use of space vs a rear fold.

Yes they are heavy and have a high ball weight for what they but that is the compromise you pay for the design I guess.

This is a pick of the current set up.




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[Robdog65]

Hi Bridlehounds I'm new to myswag and in exactly the same boat as you so to speak , using the box trailer to pack all and sundry in to go into the wild blue yonder ! I'm also looking at a forward fold for the missus and kiddies. So far my research has Broadwater and modcon looking pretty good especially with after sales service as far as reviews go. I would suggest reading the reviews on easytrail if I was you as there's plenty not so pleasant ones if you know what I mean ! Cheers Robdog65

[cruiser 91]

Many forward fold campers come back on the market after one season with a $5K plus saving to the cost of new and with a few extra's thrown in. I had researched this 2 years ago.
I didn't go ahead with the forward fold as it didn't suit our needs being on the move daily, meaning it's a PITA to setup and pack down every day.
 

[BrindleHounds]

Hi Bridlehounds I'm new to myswag and in exactly the same boat as you so to speak , using the box trailer to pack all and sundry in to go into the wild blue yonder ! I'm also looking at a forward fold for the missus and kiddies. So far my research has Broadwater and modcon looking pretty good especially with after sales service as far as reviews go. I would suggest reading the reviews on easytrail if I was you as there's plenty not so pleasant ones if you know what I mean ! Cheers Robdog65

I had a look at Ezytrail, Stoney Creek, Modcon, Broadwater, Emu and a couple of others at the Gold Coast show over the weekend. Was good to have them all close together, made comparison easy.

In the end Skamper Kamper and their Dingo got my cash. I will post in the my camper section why I went that way.


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