Camper query*update-we bought one!

[team bradfield]

It could have been in a flood, I would pull a wheel off and check the hub, bearings and brakes for rust

 

[Teamubr]

18 years for canvas, even closed up in a garage canvas is a long time. I wouldn't worry too much about that. At least they thought enough of it to have it replaced. You've been through the whole "old camper" thing and probably have a good idea what to look for. Moisture and water damage is the main issue with and older trailer. All the appliances and accessories are easy to replace. The floors and walls (inside and out) are what will break you.

j

 

[rajak73]

What amazed ME is that the dealer didn't clean the unit! I mean, your techs put in a new bluetooth CD player, but you could not clean the dog hair out of the bathtub..?!

It was kinda the same here, they really didn't do much with the used ones until they were sold, then got a good cleaning and anything repaired that needed repaired. It just amazed me how people would trade them in like that, when we traded ours in, it was cleaned, vacuumed, and looked presentable.

 

[rideswithchrist]

It could have been in a flood, I would pull a wheel off and check the hub, bearings and brakes for rust

That is a great tip that I would not have thought of! It is in the Houston area, and I am sure there are still Hurricane Harvey units out there.

18 years for canvas, even closed up in a garage canvas is a long time. I wouldn't worry too much about that. At least they thought enough of it to have it replaced. You've been through the whole "old camper" thing and probably have a good idea what to look for. Moisture and water damage is the main issue with and older trailer. All the appliances and accessories are easy to replace. The floors and walls (inside and out) are what will break you.

j

That is true, I plan on taking a screwdriver to poke around and really crawling around under and around this one when we go look.

It was kinda the same here, they really didn't do much with the used ones until they were sold, then got a good cleaning and anything repaired that needed repaired. It just amazed me how people would trade them in like that, when we traded ours in, it was cleaned, vacuumed, and looked presentable.

I sold cars for a brief stint and I remember how they depreciated dirty cars over clean ones. I assumed they did the same for campers? I wonder if it was in for service and they talked them into a new one- which is why it was not clean. LOL It was probably a radio replacement.

 

[rajak73]

I sold cars for a brief stint and I remember how they depreciated dirty cars over clean ones. I assumed they did the same for campers? I wonder if it was in for service and they talked them into a new one- which is why it was not clean. LOL It was probably a radio replacement.

Probably if it's a POC they would do some cleaning, we've dealt with the same dealer and same salesperson since we bought the first camper in about 1985. Our last was a new 2014 5th wheel, when we started dealing, the salesperson said, will give you x amount for your trade-in, I asked if they wanted to see it first and the comment was, Nope, we know how you take care of your campers. Anyway, the used ones we bought before, they didn't fix anything minor until it was sold and then fixed anything that needed plus. Even had great warranty service after the sale. Very happy with the Dealer and there's a reason the same salesperson has been there 30+ years.

 

[rideswithchrist]

That actually makes sense @rajak73 ! The camper itself was in great condition- minus the screw holes in the walls, so they did not really need to doctor it up. Hair in the tub is sorta gross though. It was just a bit too small for us either way.

 

[team bradfield]

I sold cars for a brief stint and I remember how they depreciated dirty cars over clean ones. I assumed they did the same for campers? I wonder if it was in for service and they talked them into a new one- which is why it was not clean. LOL It was probably a radio replacement.
[/QUOTE]

good link on buying a used RV

 

[rideswithchrist]

That is a great link! I made a list of things to check and what to bring with us to do so: ladder for the roof, maybe a water gauge, wipes so we can clean things to check any dirty items.
I am pretty good a smelling mildew, so I plan on really sniffing around.

This is the one we are going to go look at....we decided to stay small and not go with any slides, or the triple beds just for simplicity. There are a few to choose from, but there is a cabinet on this one that is calling to me LOL. Even my kids picked this one out for some reason, so there may be a Cub in the driveway soon.
That half cabinet by the door is brilliant ! We need to stash duffels, but also need a "drop zone' for keys and stuff. (Or Magic Bands haha)

 

[team bradfield]

that sure looks in pretty good shape, our first RV was a 26' Salem, no slides, we found when the kids were young, we didn't spend much time in the RV anyway, especially at FW, gonna need more pics when you get it home!

 

[XP_Dude]

I had a 35 foot class a with toad and sometimes found getting a spot was more challenging. Try to find something small enough but still fits your needs. For me, i have a 20 footer that fits at any site. I often book the tent sites at the fort. Seems to have more availability. Good luck in your search.

 

[rideswithchrist]

that sure looks in pretty good shape, our first RV was a 26' Salem, no slides, we found when the kids were young, we didn't spend much time in the RV anyway, especially at FW, gonna need more pics when you get it home!

EXACTLY THAT! I was thinking that we just needed basically a bed and fridge, so I named it already:
ALINAT (At Least Its Not A Tent)

I had a 35 foot class a with toad and sometimes found getting a spot was more challenging. Try to find something small enough but still fits your needs. For me, i have a 20 footer that fits at any site. I often book the tent sites at the fort. Seems to have more availability. Good luck in your search.

My goal was to get a camper that fit in the 2000 loop LOL.

 

[Sjm9911]

It does look good, but i cant belive more stuff isnt poping up down there! I want you to fing the perfect camper for you!

 

[rideswithchrist]

It does look good, but i cant belive more stuff isnt poping up down there! I want you to fing the perfect camper for you!

Now that the RV show has passed, I am guessing there will be more- it is still camping season here in Texas, the best kind actually because you can enjoy a fire with no burn bans and there are no mosquitoes or 100 degree temps to fight.

A few more have popped up, but that cabinet is unique and we want to stay under 23'- but over 19'- which most of them have been. We also are skipping a slide out, so we are a bit more limited on the ones that come up.
19' 21' or 23'

 

[himandher818]

I just felt the need to chime in. I have a 2018 Jayco X19H hybrid and I love it. It only has 2 bunks one on each end. Most of the time it just DW and myself, but we have had DW and myself, DS1 and DDiL, and DS2, and my mom (all adults) sleeping in there before. (DS2 on the dinette and mom on the couch).

For me the advantage of the hybrid was that since the beds are not part of the floor space, the entire 'interior' is usable space. No where else could I find something under 5000lb gvwr that could sleep 6, have a bathroom (toilet and shower separate). And it even had a couch and dinette.

We have camped in below freezing weather and FW in August. While in freezing temps, the bunks do get cold. We use an electric heater (most sites electric is included, but propane costs money) and the 12v fans and the temp stays OK once you are under the covers. Only one time di I wake up and find the condensation on canvas frozen ice droplets. As a former pop-up owner I'm sure are familiar with Reflectix and Pop-UP Gizmos. Both help a lot in keeping the temps stable.

I was bummed at the last RV show we went to, probably because we specifically want a hybrid, or something with a hard slide bed. They had none.

That was case when I went to a local RV show. There was one small hybrid.

Good Luck with your search!

 

[Sjm9911]

Crack a wimdow for the condensation on the bunks, just a bit. The fans will help also. Condensation is a common problems in pop ups.

 

[himandher818]

i usually have window cracked. It also a bit counter-intuitive that cracking a window help keep it warmer.

 

[Sjm9911]

It is isnt it, but its sure dryer!

 

[rideswithchrist]

Oh yeah, we use space heaters because propane makes me nervous and we crack a window at night. I also have a feather comforter for winter camping
The extra floor space is why I wanted to stay with a Hybrid over a TT so I really hope it sticks! If we go with a hard side, we are sticking to 26-27' but there will be no walking space! I also feel the layout on most of those was dumb for a larger family, and there was ZERO logical storage.

 

[rideswithchrist]

Wepulled the trigger that 2002 Dutchmen Cub.
it is in amazing shape, only had 2 exterior repairs needed, one happened after he posted it for sale.

so far- no soft spots that we can see, and the canvas is less than 2 years Old.
PO took great shape of it.
needs some updating but for now, we may pop flooring down and leave it as is.
It came with the WDH, all the hoses, some lights, dishes, chocks ... and stuff we provably haven’t found yet.

 

[cruising spud]

Congratulations on your purchase. Wishing you tons of fun while camping.