Advice on selling 2010 Hawk

[11chuck]

Hello all

The wife and I are having a debate, to sell or not to sell. We have one kid and another on the way, not sure if the the hawk will work with a family of four. We thought about buying a outdoor screened in pop up tent for extra space, or just selling it and getting a trailer.

1. Does anyone have any experience with a family of four in a FWC?
2. If we decide to sell, how should we price a 2010 Hawk with pretty much all the bells and whistles? It has been lightly used really clean, maybe 10 trips.
[*]heater
[*]3 way fridge
[*]hot water
[*]roof vent with fan
[*]dual battery
[*]yakima rack
* Etc, Etc

 

[Darryla]

11Chuck, No, I do not have kids and I am very happy for you on that. My comment is is you do not need to sell it for any financial reasons, keep it and just have fun. There was another guy on this site who sold his and bought a trailer as his family was getting too large. Thats a pretty new camper with some nice stuff on it and you may loose some money. Be careful with your decision.

Darryl

 

[jha6av8r]

I'd probably try adding a tent for awhile and see how it goes. Tough decision.

 

[Ramblinman]

2. If we decide to sell, how should we price a 2010 Hawk with pretty much all the bells and whistles? It has been lightly used really clean, maybe 10 trips.



I think I got a pretty good deal for mine which is similar to yours (with some more options - outside shower, rear, lights awning) I was very happy with the price that I paid 10,500 in new condition. I have seen newer models (2010 and up) with a healthy load of options going anywhere from 15,000 to 18,000 - This said I do not know how quickly they sold.

 

[PAU in Montana]

I’d thought I would weigh in on your question and first let me say the only way to answer it is what I would do. I can tell you I sold a good Phoenix camper (not as nice as FWC but it worked) and now I’m on the hunt for a FWC for my family of 4 (2 girls wife &I) we used our old camper to sleep in get out of the weather and some cooking. It was not used as a mobile house so it worked for us. My girls and I would be more than happy with what you have. Of course I’m not sure how much smaller a Hawk is from a full size camper/Grandby . Best of luck with your family

 

[rotti]

What kind of camper are you? Do you like the backroads, boon docking, exploring, 4WD roads, OR, are you more of paved road, established campground kind of family?

Trailer works for one but not so much for the other. I have dragged around a motorcycle trailer on the backroads and it is no fun....especially if you have to back down a 4WD road for half mile.

As for price, I would contact Stan/FWC/your original salesman for suggestions on pricing.
FWC really hold their value....trailers, probably not so much.

 

[jha6av8r]

Of course I’m not sure how much smaller a Hawk is from a full size camper/Grandby .


Hawk is made for a full size truck but to fit in a 6.5' bed. We use a Grandby in a shortbed with the tailgate down.

 

[11chuck]

What kind of camper are you? Do you like the backroads, boon docking, exploring, 4WD roads, OR, are you more of paved road, established campground kind of family?

Trailer works for one but not so much for the other. I have dragged around a motorcycle trailer on the backroads and it is no fun....especially if you have to back down a 4WD road for half mile.

As for price, I would contact Stan/FWC/your original salesman for suggestions on pricing.
FWC really hold their value....trailers, probably not so much.


We are explorers and avoid the pavement like the plague. We try not to get into sketchy situations but we take the road less traveled to find solitude.

 

[campingken]

We are looking for a camper to fit our 2003 Dodge 3500 S/B quad cab 4x4. If you decide to sell your Hawk please let us know...

 

[griz]

Have you looked at the tent trailers on steroids. Beefed up ones designed for the back roads. Pretty nice looking rigs and have talked to a couple of people that have them and they are happy. The last group I talked to on a fishing trip had four adults in there Baja unit. They come in different lengths.
Still its not a camper but if you do not mind towing those are the way to go.

 

[LuckyDan]

Probably the biggest reason people leave the FWC community for something else is the "room" issue.

As for price, as new as yours is and nice as yours sounds I'd start at something like 90-95% of new and go from there. As fast as these things tend to sell if your price doesn't generate interest fairly quickly drop a few % till it does.

As suggested I'd think long and hard about the sell question and how you operate before doing so. I watched my grandfather go through several types searching for the holy grail of RV's forever. What I learned from it was it depends on what you do and where you do it that gets one close to what works well and probably nothing is perfect. I have a Grandby and while I could use more storage and people room it gets us out of the weather, keeps us warm at night, doesn't cut my mileage by 35-40%, isn't a care and upkeep hog and easily stores in my little shed when off the truck.

I understand the family expansion issue. What works when they are small isn't the same as they grow and not just in stature but in the stuff that starts come along for the trip. I've commented previously on the time progression of capacity demand from diaper bag to sleeping bag and bicycle to float tubes and waders like Dad's to everything prior plus room for the friend's stuff too. Going to a toy hauler pulled by a semi truck won't have enough capacity.

Having had your dilemma repeatedly I wish you well with your decision.

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Congratulations on new baby. .

Gritz makes a good point about the offroad tent trailers with the big tires.
Since this is a your second you both know taking a baby camping involves a ton of stuff - diapers, baby bottles, clothes, toys, bedding. All that takes up a lot of space. And we all know a FWC is short on space. Plus your wife needs more privacy to feed the baby, etc.. The new tent trailers come with cassete toilets, inside showers, propane refrigerators and new don't cost much more then a new FWC.

If you are considering a trailer it sounds like your wife still likes camping and that is great. Camping is a great family activity.

Good luck on whatever you choose, and when the kids are older you can buy a FWC for you two and put the kids in dome tents. When they are gone you can continue exploring well in to your 70's (my wife and I are 69 still boondock 30-45 days per year).

 

[flipskid]

I have the same predicamint. i dont think there is any perfect camper. they all have good and bad issues. i was all ready to sell mine and get something like a lance or a small class c or a small pull behind. I have had experience with all of them. My oldest sleeps in a tent when we go unless its in bear country,or its raining, then its snuggle up to his little sister on the bottom bed. she is still small so she fits across the back. Soon that wont work. I like the trailer. it was small, no other engine or transmissions to worry about like a class c. Got everyone out of the elements when needed. Lots of room for extra people to sleep, an inside toilet and shower,full size fridge, and awning. You can drop it and go explore still. Down side there is registration on trailers and they have tires to worry about. You need a hitch, trailer brake and usually some type of sway system. they also make your vehicle longer so parking in shopping center lots, gas stations excetra is more difficult. A used one is pretty cheap compared to a fwc though. Storage can be an issue too. i like the trailer over a full size camper. The full size makes your rig heavy and off balance usually. they offer more room and a bathroom over the fwc, plus packing them is easier. They have the advantage of being shorter than a rig pulling a trailer. You need another mounting system for them. They really dont sleep any more people than the fwc, but are wider so manouvering in them is easier when the bottom bed is made. Motor homes are great for road trips and parking lot camping. If i pull the trigger its going to be on a small trailer and try and keep my fwc too. You can use both at the same time! Put the kids, their friends, the gear in the trailer. You and the wife in the camper.

 

[jha6av8r]

What about adding an off road tear drop to your existing set up?

 

[Espresso]

I can relate to LuckyDan's comments. I have 3 kids and camping became much more complicated as they grew older. We don't sit around in camp all day and the amount of toys grew. I had a tent trailer. Very practical in camp and when towing. However, they are a pain in the butt to set up and fold down. It doesn't seem like it when you first get it, but there are a lot of steps involved in setting it up including some you don't think about. e.g. you probably have the floor packed with duffle-s, coolers, etc. All that has to come out when you reach camp. Also, you can't have your beds pre-made so you have to do that when you set up the trailer. You have some of these issues with a pop-up camper, but not as many. The roof on my Grandby pop's up in minutes and we use a down comforter that compresses when the roof comes down; just add pillows and the bed is made. Of course, I do have to load it on to the truck before we hit the road and that takes time. But unlike a trailer, I can load it anytime prior to the trip.

Now it is either my 2 boys and I camping or my wife and I. There are rarely 4 of us on a trip, but when there are, the boys sleep in a tent. The only reason I could see for selling the Grandby is if we wanted a full bathroom.

 

[griz]

Hear is the answer, one of everything, camping problem solved. Parking all these units, well thats another problem. When ever we get together on our fishing trips this topic always arises. There is no perfect rig. I have the same problem at times, just me take the FWC, take the little guys, take the trailer. Now the trailer is too small. Where do you stop. Even at times I think a tent would work great. To many variables, how many people, where are you going, what are you going to when you are there, do you need to get around when you are there, etc. etc..
Have fun with this, and when you come up with the answer, let us all know. Good luck.........................