Financing a new Camper Shell + windoors?

Hey everyone,

You can probably guess my age based off the question - or perhaps this is a reasonable consideration.

Basically, I couldn’t find anything remotely close to what I’d want to top my limo on FB marketplace over the past 2 years. I have an ARE CX HD modified up to ~$5,000 quoted to me by a camper shop. This seems reasonable considering I want a completely aluminum doored shell.

I do have enough in the bank to blow it all in one go but I’m entertaining the possibility of financing it over 18 months at 0% interest.

So I have 2 questions:

Is it smart to finance it? I just paid my truck off yesterday so it’d be a continuation, I suppose.

Should I just get windoors on my shell? It’s about 500 each aluminum door where a regular windoor is about 200 (I also put on lights that I don’t think I’ll really need, so that’s an extra 150 unnecessarily).
I don’t foresee sleeping in the bed, since I would like a rooftop tent eventually. However, I wonder if I will regret not having it as an option.

 

If it’s actually 0% interest, meaning you don’t pay interest at all, ever, as long as you pay it in full somehow over 18 months, do that and keep the money in your bank account / money market / stocks the whole time so you’re making money with the opportunity.

Windoors are sweet. I’m cheap so I didn’t get ‘em. And I’d probably almost never use them even though I have gear in my bed 99/100 days and access said gear 80/100 days.

I’m cheap so I didn’t care about extra lights. Any of my headlamps work fine.

I don’t get the whole metal window thing. The covered bed is huge and can carry all your gear. No need to bolt shit to the exterior like some Furry waiting for the Starbuck’s bathroom two hours before Furry Con. RTTs are cool, I suppose, but you might find they’re overkill or a pain and want to do a camper shell sleeping setup or just a good old tent down the line. Lots of folks do that transition at some point. That’s why barely used RTTs are always popping up in the classifieds. So my vote is real windows.

So, finance if no additional costs are incurred. Windoors if you’re sold on the swing outs. Nix unnecessary lighting.

 

I have the ARE MX with windoors.
Really like the windoors for getting to things in the shell, there are screens plus its great to open them and the rear window for a great view from inside.
I sleep on a platform that goes over the fenders.
Some trips I keep my bed set up and my gear under the platform.

 

I didn't order windoors, but ARE put them on anyway when they made mine. The dealer said they sometimes do unprompted upgrades/changes.

It took 3-4 months to get it, and they cost extra, so I just kept them.

 

Sup everyone, been busy with life but I thought I’d owe anyone curious an update:

Ended up with an ARE MX with all the good stuff like windoors and liner. Ended coming out to around $4,000 but am paying off over 18 months no interest.

My take? Absolutely satisfied. I didn’t necessarily enjoy doing business with the place I went to but definitely a buy-once, cry-once type of deal. WINDOORS ARE A MUST!

next up is setting up a platform in the bed so I can sleep in the back. Found a used decked platform for ~500 bucks so that might be the move…

thanks everyone for the advice! I love all the builds

 

Dude, that looks SO good. So glad you opted for the windoors. I remember so many people back in 2017 saying I would never use them and they were a waste of money. Dumbest takes ever. I have used them incessantly. It's extremely rare a day goes by where I don't enter the topper through the windoors to grab stuff. I've also camped back there and loved having them. And my dogs have been back there and the extra airflow is fantastic for them.