Leasing 5th wheel trailer - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Bobc · RV-Dreams Family Member

Leasing 5th wheel trailer

GENECOP · RV-Dreams Family Member

Don't know of any specific companies but with all the Fifth Wheels and RVs that are parked and not being used maybe you can find a private lease arrangment...

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

I've never heard of a lease being available and for 5 years, the cost of leasing would have to be excessive to cover the depreciation that you are trying to avoid by buying. Someone has to take the fall for the depreciation which is much higher on RVs than on many other things. Have you considered used or maybe buying some mid-priced unit which should easily last you the 5 years and still bring something when you sell. The market is loaded with used 5th wheels at pretty good prices and many people don't put much wear and tear on their units making them a nice bargain. When you have a lot of units on the market, it drives the price of the used units down even further so you don't want to need to get a certain amount from your unit at the end of 5 years and this applies to both higher and lower end units.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Bob,

If you do consider going the route of a used DRV, check out Rolling Retreats in Elk City, Oklahoma. They are a "mom and pop" dealership and started out buying used units at auction and going through them to make sure everything worked and cleaning. They have since become a full dealership for DRV. Under the "Inventory" tab, you will find a number of used units.

Terry

NWescapee · RV-Dreams Family Member

Bob - not sure what timeframe you might be wanting to start, but when Dale was at Rolling Retreats picking up our pre-owned DRV, there were a couple of new units that came in. Each unit was being purchased by someone who had a habit of trading out DRVs every 3 years. I'm pretty sure if you contacted Alicia and Slade at Rolling Retreats they could tell you which pre-owned units they thought might becoming available in a specific time period or let you know as soon as one did become available.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Bob,

I can't speak to the other Suites out there, but ours isn't that tall. I'm not even sure it is over 13', but I'm pretty sure it is under 13'6". Unfortunately, I didn't think to measure when we were on level ground and hooked up to the pickup, and that is when one really wants to know the height.

I really find it hard to believe that DRV would build a unit that was over what most recognize as a "standard" bridge height, which is what 13'6" might be. That is not to say that one wouldn't have to watch for low overheads, but having been on two different forums where Suite owners predominate, I've never heard of any of them dealing with torn up roofs. One issue that has come up is folks getting the new GM trucks with the taller "bed rails." That is prompting some to order their new Suites with the frame raised some so the trailer will still be level. That type of modification would get a Suite closer to the 13'6" height.

However, I would be surprised if ANY RV would be more than 50% of value after 5 years. I would venture that most, if not all, would be less than 50%. However, I'm no expert, so I might soon be surprised.

As for Alicia and Slade at Rolling Retreats, they have only been full DRV dealers for about two years and they are already the top selling dealer of Elite Suite models. When they get in a used Suite, they don't tend to stay on the lot for long as the Suites tend to be popular. I do know that Slade is very conscientious about going through a unit and making sure things work. Plus, as he has stated, he can't "warranty" anything, but he can guarantee his work.

Oh, while an Elite Suite might be close to $130,000, most won't be. Ours came in a lot less than that, even with some additional things like inverter and extra batteries, 4-step entry steps, and a few other options.

Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 11th of November 2013 11:05:11 AM

Bobc · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions guys, I have never been one to buy used, hate the idea of dealing with someone elses problem. I just delt with selling a used 5Th wheel that we used of seasonal camping.

Took us over a year a to find it a good home, we are currenty in a Park model but plan to start our fulltime adventure in 2-3 years. I properly have already research this to death, but we want to be comforable as we will be living in this next one fulltime. I really like the way the suite are built. but concerned about the value of a 130K trailer in 5 years.
We will have the funds to pay for the trailer but wanted to try and minimize the pain when we try to sell it.

on another Note does anybody have major concerns with Height the Suite trailers seem to be higher than most.

the number i have seen is13'8 which seems to be a good 12" higher than most. the 13'8" looks a little scary to me

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

something to think about......a 5 year lease at say 600 a month without incurred expenses ( insurance & Maintenance ) would be 36000 dollars.......There are alot of used 5vers for 36k that will go alot longer than 10 years and show a decent return in 5 years

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

I agree with Lucky Mike and Terry. You get hit the hardest in the first few years and then, the depreciation slows and after a long period, depreciation stops because a trailer has value to someone and a lot of people especially contractors and hunters buy anything that is "shelter" and saves money when away from home. There is nothing that says you'll easily find a buyer for a MS that you buy new, take very good care of and then decide to sell. There are several used ones available and a lot of people shop solely on price especially when it comes to a trailer with a fairly decent reputation. I'm guessing you have looked at 5 year old used units online and see what they are going for and if not, would be a good idea. And, on MSRP, I don't think anyone ever pays that or at least shouldn't. I've seen 2013s now drastically reduced from nearly all manufacturers.

Bobc · RV-Dreams Family Member

I think I will be going with a 5th wheel truck bed so the height of a standard bed should not be a issue.