Residual Value of a Teardrop

[Bacchus]

Hello everyone!

I am new to forum, I've been doing a lot of research on starting a Teardrop build. My wife and I are probably going to start a family sometime in the near-ish future but I'd love to camp with just the two of us for a little while until then. my objective would be to build a TD for the two of us but I know eventually I would likely try to sell it.

I had a general question that I thought could spark some good conversation:

What are the most important factors in increasing the residual value (re-sale value) of a teardrop?

From what I have seen on the forum it's really important to be able to run off of battery OR shore power, in other words having a power converter. But what else? Are bigger wheels and tires neccessary or are the NT 12" tires OK? What about trailer brakes? Obviously I think a key factor is the overall build quality of the TD. People may not want to pay top dollar for anything that doesn't look like a high-quality build.

Just curious to see what people think about this question. If/when I build a TD I know I'll be putting a lot of time into it, I just don't want to make a huge design error that's going to come back and bite me in the long run!

Thanks,
Bacchus

[tony.latham]

Baccus:

Welcome to our little group.

If I were selling a teardrop, I'd want it to have the following points to talk up:
-- A custom trailer with 15" wheels. (Those 12" wheels have to bounce... but I confess I've never had a teardrop with small wheels. Get another opinion or two.) and an axle designed for the weight you're going to build. I'm a big fan of the torsion axles.
--Two doors
--A good (and active) ventilation system
--A hatch that is dust and waterproof
--No water damage. (Built well to make sure this doesn't happen).
--USB charging ports
--A maintenance free covering (aluminum or another covering that's low maintenance).
-- A superb mattress

But... selling because of a kid? Here's a better idea. Take a look at RYU's build thread on how he built a slide-out bed for his kid:
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=59086&start=195

I highly recommend getting Steve Fredrick's Teardrop Build Manual http://www.campingclassics.com/shopman05.html to any new builders. It's well worth the $60. (and no I'm not affiliated with him).

Tony

[Camp4Life]

Make your electrical easy to expand on and modify. On mine for example, all my wiring will come to a central place that will have more than enough room in the panel to add extra wiring, modules, and add solar in the future. My wiring will be run in pipes, and to further make things easy, all my pipes will have an extra "fish" line left in it. So if I want to add more wiring, I just tie the fish line to a new wire and another fish, and pull it through. Then I'll always have a fish line inside the wiring conduit to pull new wiring through without having to tear the walls apart.

And when you chose materials for walls, flooring, structural etc. think about the quality and ask yourself "Will this last 10,15,xx years taking into account moving, flexing, dampness/humidity, getting wet, heat, cold, etc?"

[GuitarPhotog]

Plus 1 on Camp4Life's comments about building for the future. My teardrop is 68 years old and still on the road for 5-10K miles per year. Everything I do to the trailer is done keeping in mind that I probably won't be the last owner of this trailer.

Build for the future. Do nothing that is not reversible.

<Chas>

[robfisher]

tony said it in his list but it's so important I don't want you to miss it.

Two doors a must.

And either a top limit of somewhere around 1000 pounds or electric brakes.


Take a poll on 5 foot wide verses 4 foot wide. I prefer 5.

On the kid, ours is a 5 foot wide and our youngest slept on a shelf above our feet until she was 7.

Have a great build.
Rob

[Tomterrific]

If I would answer the question what would a trailer cost to build and what is the least differential it would sell for, I'd say build cheap and cute. Follow the Jayco plan. People are going to see the trailer as pretty and clean and want to buy it. You could build the best, longest lasting tear with the most expensive materials andf it wouldn't sell for what it was worth if it's ugly. Now, we also have beautiful campers built by members that are an example of supernatural craftsmanship. I don't believe these were built with resale in mind. I'm thinking your design should plan for how long you can use your camper, as has been suggested, and sell it for what you can get when the time comes. No matter how much time, material and craftmanship you put into your build, you will be proud of it. I think mine is a clever lightweight design but it looks like a pos compared to 80% of the campers I see.

T

I though I'd add that our trailer is used to carry furniture and motorcycles. It never could get too far from a utility trailer but put in curtains and a matching bed spread and it'll melt your heart when you open the door. :-)

[booyah]

I would say fit and finish on cabinets, drawers and anything else you build in.

People are drawn to these things.

In my more spartan tear drop, people always ask why I don't have these, and the answer is they didn't suit my style of camping.
Otherwise, what others are saying. 5ft, two doors, interior storage.
USB charging and good lights

Now mine does well for two adults and 1-2 smaller kids. so wen the whole family goes (D+M+4L) Momma and her littles stay in the camper, dad and the oldest crash in the tent. Most trips though are dad and various numbers of children.