Anyone have some tips on buying a used camper? What to look for or stay away from?
Any dealers to stay clear from?
Any dealers to stay clear from?
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The first thing to check is the wood frame for wood rot. That includes the floor.
If it has storage openings on the side of the trailer, open them up and take a look inside as best you can. -
try and stay away from the extra lite campers, they are built cheaply and will fall appart. The floors get soft due to thin wood, the cabinets break. They are not kid friendly due to this. There are several well built model out there that and seem hard to find unless you can find a trade in at a dealer. Most people have to keep the ones they buy new for a while due to stretched out payments and recreational vehicle value drop. That being said, we bought a new Forest River Flagstaff 5th wheel the first of the year and so far we love it. It was a left over model from 2011 and there area sweet deals to be had on those.Comment
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My dad is trying to sell a late model, rarely used Forest River Windjammer in Angleton right now. Check it out!!!Comment
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Most travel trailers will rot somewhere pretty quickly. The wood is untreated. The roofs leak on most as well. They coat them with a thick sheet of rubber that for some reason doesn't seem to hold up very well. Once it starts leaking the rot is on. But they are not that terribly hard to work on. We've completely replaced the roof of ours, and the rear end of the thing.Comment
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Once you find one with the layout you want (don't go by what fits others), I would check the roof above all else, and very closely. This is where the leaks usually (from my experience) begin and it quickly goes downhill from there. Has it been re-sealed or is it original sealant? Are there obvious signs of repair/replacement? Check the corners, especially if it is the aluminum siding type, then check the floors inside. Find out if it stored outside or under a cover from damaging the roof. If stored outside, it's more prone to sun/rain damage, so check it very carefully. I didn't on the first one we bought and paid dearly for it later on.Comment
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Floors & Ceiling. Check underneath every compartment & above every cabinet. Especially at the corners. Also the Rubber Roof life is about 10 years when properly maintenanced. So check the condition of the roof. Ask for maintenance records!Comment
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Ouch 10 years. Thats good to know.Comment
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If you are who I think you are, they might be really close to you!!!
Also, that ad was awhile back. I could be mistaken but I think they came down on their price, and may be negotiable to an extent. My dad bought this brand new for work, used it for one week and got laid off. It has been used no more than 6 times since then.Comment
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yeah thats me. Thanks ill check out the link.Comment
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If you deal with an individual, make dang sure they are willing to have it hooked up to water and electricity to show and PROVE everything works! Then crawl through every cabinet checking out the wall and ceiling behind it. If there is ANY doubt, walk away from it, trust no-one to be totally truthful to you about it. If something looks out of place (like a small t.v. turned up on it's face at the bottom corner of a window across the bedroom from where the t.v. shelf is) check it out, that's how a rotted spot was hidden from view on the trailer I bought from our own Sportsman. Be patient and be PICKY, it should be a buyers market. Be careful if you insure, in case there's a claim, they go by actual book value which is always several thousands of dollars less than what you actually pay. If you want, ask me how I know this. At 100.00 + an hour for repair work it adds up quickly! Best of luck to you!Comment
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Berto, I inspect every nook and cranny, and ask the seller every possible question I could think of. Heck, take a notebook and make notes, go home and then do some research. Understand, it is a pre-owned item. I tell people all the time that are buying pre-owned bows, "Have the seller meet you at a pro shop and have the bow inspected, and if all is well, make the purchase." Several people have done this, and a few have not. I know one guy in particular that came into the shop one day where I worked PT last year and wanted a new bow. I spent an hour with him, gave him the quote and he left. Two weeks later he came back in with a bow he bought off the internet and wanted it checked out. After it was all said and done, he told me he saved $50 by buying it pre-owned, and he was not very happy when I told him that it needed new strings and cables, and the cam would need to be swapped because the DL was incorrect. The pre-owned bow cost him about $200 more than it would have been new.
Now with trad"Doc"53, I'm not sure what the problem was on his camper, but I will tell you, I've met Sportsman several times, as he has purchased several items from me. In fact, several years ago he was wanting to look at a camper that I was trying to sell, and I told him the problems with it. I mean, I was only trying to sell it for $300 dollars, so that should tell you it was not right off the showroom. Anyway, he spent about an hour going over everything and decided to pass on it, as he found a couple of places that I knew nothing of, and after he pointed these out to me, I had to agree, it was in his best interest not to buy it.
It sounds like TD53 did not do what I suggest to all, and that is to have something inspected. Also, I don't know when he or if he purchased the camper, but sounds like he should take that up in a private matter and not in an open forum. Just my .02 on that.....Comment
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OK, so I should stay in private but you don't need to, why is that?.Just my .02, bottom line I asked the man for honesty and did not recieve it, thus my statement about not trusting anyone. I know about the hourly wages due to having to have to replace the side metal that ripped off from the nose to to door due to a rotted wall from a leak that was said it never had (this was the spot where the tv had been placed to block the view of the rot). The power converter never worked correctly and had to be re-placed as well as I just found out that the hot water heater tank is ruptured. Yes it has taken me a year and a half to find this out, I am on disability and don't have the money to throw around like most folks do and it took me this long to pay the other off. It takes me a while to be able to save extra money for "extras". After the hotwater heater, I will need to replace the emergency window in the bedroom I found held/locked in place with drywall screws. Then onto the heater and air conditioner. I do accept some of the responsability for this, but bottom line I trusted and put faith in the sellers "word", and something that in mho is an empty vessel, he never offered to try and make things right. Your right, I did go private, and you know how that went, once the cash money is in hand it's hard to get back. So, just simply put, BBW no matter who or where you deal with, don't allow the hype of trusting a "brotherhood" atmosphere cloud your vision.Comment
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I bought mine from a TBHer and took a TBHer to look at it as he had two before and knew what made sense!!! it worked out perfectly on all counts!Comment
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