How Much Does a Used Travel Trailer Cost? Live Prices by Type and Brand

A travel trailer is the most common first RV for a reason: no engine to maintain, a wide range of sizes, and prices that start low enough to try the lifestyle without a second mortgage. But the range is wide, and a buyer who doesn't know where a fair price sits can overpay for a tired rig or pass on a genuine bargain. Below are live medians from the RVs currently listed on this site, first by type and then by brand, followed by what pushes an individual trailer above or below its bracket.

Used RV asking prices by type

Read the travel trailer row against the fifth wheel row. Fifth wheels cost more on average because they are larger, better built on the whole, and require a pickup with a bed hitch; travel trailers cover everything from a single-axle 16-footer behind an SUV to a 35-foot bunkhouse behind a three-quarter-ton truck, which is why the lowest and highest columns sit so far apart.

Used RV asking prices by brand

Brand tells you about construction and resale more than about the price of a specific trailer. Forest River, Keystone, Jayco, Coachmen, Heartland and Dutchmen build across the whole spectrum, from entry-level stick-and-tin trailers to premium laminated models, so their medians describe the mix on the site today rather than any one line. Grand Design and Brinkley sit higher because they build only mid-to-upper-tier units; Airstream sits highest because the aluminum shell holds value for decades.

What moves a trailer within its range

• Age: the biggest single factor. See our depreciation page for the live medians by model-year bracket.
• Length and floorplan: bunkhouses and rear-living floorplans command more from families and couples respectively; a floorplan buyers want sells at the top of its bracket.
• Construction: laminated fiberglass walls with aluminum framing generally price above corrugated aluminum over wood framing of the same age, and hold up better if kept dry.
• Condition of the roof and seals: a trailer with any sign of water intrusion belongs at the bottom of its bracket or below it, regardless of what else it has.
• Tires, bearings and brakes: a set of six-year-old tires is a near-term expense buyers will deduct.
• Options that matter: solar and lithium, a second air conditioner, an outdoor kitchen, an auto-leveling system, and a slide topper all add to what buyers will pay — but rarely their full original cost.

Where the bargains are

Right now 188 RVs on US RV Connection are listed at $15,000 or less — with photos, a brand and a year, and a seller you can message. See them.

The best value in used travel trailers is usually a well-kept mid-tier unit from a private seller who has stored it under cover and kept the receipts — priced by a person who wants it gone before winter rather than a dealer with floorplan interest to recover. The worst value is the cheapest trailer in the search results, because the cheapest trailer is usually cheap for a reason that will cost more than the discount to fix. Filter by state, use the deal rating on each listing, and read the seller's notes on the roof before you fall for a floorplan.

Before you buy

1. Confirm the model year from the VIN and the tow weight from the certification label against your vehicle's rating — with the trailer loaded, not dry.
2. Walk the roof, push on every wall and ceiling corner, and open every exterior compartment looking for staining, softness or a musty smell.
3. Run every system on shore power and on battery: fridge, furnace, water heater, water pump, slides, awning, jacks.
4. Check the tire date codes, look at the brakes through the wheel, and ask when the bearings were last packed.
5. Ask for the title in the seller's name and run the VIN through the free NHTSA recall lookup.