Re-Sale The Power Of A Oliver

[steve dunham]

I can't imagine anyone would buy a travel trailer even a fiberglass one as a long term financial investment .
We sold our old Scamp for close to our purchase price but if you factor in repair & maintenance costs , improvements , insurance and inflation it was not a revenue producing investment.
Most things we buy during our life are a losing proposition
I can't imagine buying a FG trailer to supplement my retirement portfolio but I also can't see not buying one because I could not turn a large profit at a later date with its' sale.

The value to me in a FG trailer is in the intangibles and what it does to my outlook on life.

[RandyNH]

I figure by the time I'm ready to sell my Oliver, it will be because I have to give the nursing home all my money, so I won't care how much I sell it for.

Edit: unless of course my wife tells me differently, then I think it will take forever to sell, cause "I'll need to get at least what I paid for it honey"

[Sid]

I own one because it makes me happy.

[Kip in Ga.]

Well said Steve.

with all things being pretty much equal as far as size, reliability and performance, on something like a car, house, tractor, camper, riding lawn mower, green ceiling dangler, golf car, and so forth, that I MAY decide to sell or trade at a later date for personal or other reasons. I will go for the one with a proven higher resale value.

Life happens, wants, and needs change. We had several campers in days of yore. They kept getting larger because our family kept growing. Consequently so did our vehicles. Learned to know what we needed rather than what is cutesie or liked a particular color. Trade in or resale on some was fine. Others were brutal!

We met a lady at a camper rally that had purchased a FGRV that she thought was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and according to her, "I love this thing and will keep it forever". The following year I noticed she wasn't signed up to go to that rally again. I PMed her, and she said something had come up and she had to get rid of the camper.

And true that a camper most likely won't pay for itself unless we are on the road a lot and it offsets the cost of motels. Another plus, and a big one, is the people we meet while camping. And we get to sleep on our own bed every night.
k

[Buzzy]

I wonder how many owners plan to pass the trailers on to their children or grandchildren? That was a thought of mine when I purchased my Ollie. Even if the next generation does not enjoy the towing aspects of RV ownership, they can always select a seasonal camp site. I am discovering the combination of kids, dogs and campfires create lasting memories not just for me but for the kids and dogs as well. Maybe they will want to continue the tradition. I would like to think a well-maintained fiberglass RV is very much a multi-generational trailer.


Buzzy

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I can't imagine anyone would buy a travel trailer even a fiberglass one as a long term financial investment .
We sold our old Scamp for close to our purchase price but if you factor in repair & maintenance costs , improvements , insurance and inflation it was not a revenue producing investment.
Most things we buy during our life are a losing proposition
I can't imagine buying a FG trailer to supplement my retirement portfolio but I also can't see not buying one because I could not turn a large profit at a later date with its' sale.

The value to me in a FG trailer is in the intangibles and what it does to my outlook on life.

This plus the opportunity cost of tying up your money on a trailer versus having it invested for a return. Obviously, the higher the trailer cost, the more money you have tied up. So an Oliver at 2X an Escape means I have twice as much money not invested and not making a return.

But much like my car, furniture, computer, etc., none were bought for financial return, all were bought to use.

It is nice that molded fiberglass trailers do not depreciate rapidly like most RVs. Depreciation can be close to zero. Of course, there are maintenance costs, insurance, tags, personal property taxes, etc., that are continual costs.

Given a choice, I do much prefer owning stuff that depreciates slowly, especially the higher $$ stuff.

[Carol and Mike]

Originally Posted by Buzzy

I would like to think a well-maintained fiberglass RV is very much a multi-generational trailer.


Buzzy

I watched friends cycle through traditional trailers every 5 years or so. I'm sure my trailer will be around long after I'm done camping. It wasn't so much the resale of a fiberglass but the longevity....and the reduced maintenance....and the ease of towing....and..... Mike