Is Camper Buying In Minnesota Worse Than Buying A Car?

Several years ago I sold a camper and haven't had one since.  It's not that I don't like having one, it's the weighing how much it gets used vs how much it sits.  Also factoring in a payment, insurance, fuel to haul it, and the pain of setting up camp vs just renting a cabin.

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When my wife and I, rather, when my wife decided we should get one, we knew it had to be a toy hauler.  We both ride motorcycles and know it will get used, especially if we want to head south in the winter.  Rag on me all you want about trailing a motorcycle, you can't leave Northern Minnesota on one in early March and ride right to Daytona Bike Week.

What I forgot about when buying a camper was how much of a pain the backend paperwork and such is.  Don't get me wrong, the dealer we bought from did a great job laying out all of the information and options, but it took me longer to buy a camper with all of the paperwork than to lease a truck just recently.

While not as bad as buying a house, it's crazy how much needs to be signed and handled before you can take a travel trailer or camper off of the lot.  For something without and engine, it's excessive.

The other thing I found out after buying it, was I had to pay Douglas County tax.  I live in Wisconsin, purchased the camper in Minnesota, and paid the Wisconsin taxes.  When I went to get plates and title it, Douglas County wanted their share of the pie too.  While it wasn't too excessive, it was still another cost I didn't think would exist.

If you opt to buy a new camper, be prepared for hours of your life and more money than you think being drained away in the process.  It might not always be worse than buying a car, but it might be on par.