Whew!

[gja1000]

The depreciation on a trailer is just about like a car. You take a pretty big hit. A rule of thumb is 1/3 over the first 3 years. If you sell it yourself - then you can get more than trading it in.

We bought a fifth wheel for $25,000 in 1998 and sold it to an individual for $15,000 in 2007. We didn't do as well on our little 18 footer that we traded in last week - because we traded it, rather than selling it to an individual. We took a 20% hit - we'd only had it 18 months. But we just didn't want the hassle of selling it ourselves - so we just went ahead and did it.

If you are going to keep the RV/trailer for a long time - then it is definitely worth whatever depreciation there is.

One thing to know however, is that there is always something that needs repair - usually not big things, but there can be. If you husband is handy, he can do most of the repair - if not, then you'll have to pay someone to do it and that can be a bit pricey. Towing the trailer down the road always shakes something loose - and trailers are not the best built products - so you just have to be prepared to take care of repairs.

That said, we've been RVing since 1998 and we absolutely love it. We hate staying in motels and love being out in the RV parks or state parks. We just love it!

[Tiramisu]

Thanks, Gayle, you're always so helpful!