Is a teardrop trailer a good investment?

Most people know that the purchase of a vehicle or a traditional RV is not a great investment. As soon as you drive the new toy away from a dealer, the value drops by double percentages. This is even worse if you borrow money to purchase said vehicle or RV.


Does this hold true with a teardrop trailer? Is a teardrop an actual investment that can be more valuable down the road? (no pun intended.)

Many teardrop trailer owners have built their own campers, paying for it as they go along. Other savvy builders purchase a vintage trailer that needs a lot of work and make an investment in materials to construct a nearly new trailer. Other teardrop owners have a custom trailer made for them by a builder—creating a unique camper just for them.

Who is more likely to get their money back in the end if they sell their trailer?

I payed $4,000 for my brand new teardrop trailer in 2009. It does have some expected wear and tear, but I've taken good care of it. While on the road, I have had some people offer to buy it off me for $5,000. My "investment" seems to have been a good one.

You can keep up with how both new and used teardrop trailers are selling by trolling Craigslist, eBay, the TNTTT sale forum and RV Trader. Many things should be considered like the location of the trailer, amenities, size and the temperature of the economy.

Whether or not you get your money back from the sale of your teardrop trailer, the investment in your camping happiness just might be priceless.

Photo from Jalopy Journal

2 comments:

  1. Teardrops are a good investment. One the savings because they are used more often. Two they seem to depreciate a lot slower than a normal camper. Three with rising New prices a teardrop will appear to appreciate even as it is just holding its value.

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    1. Very excellent points, Gary. My husband and I travel quite a bit and some of our best trips have been with the teardrop. In part because we save so much money on hotels and food. There are also pieces and parts that need to be replaced less often with a tear.

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