Plz help w/ our pop-up purchase??

[WeDisney4]

Good Morning Campers,

If anyone has time to help us out w/ a pop-up purchase please jump in!!

We are a family of 4: Me 41, DH 40, DD 9 & DD 7. Loved our 1st experience tent camping & want to jump in w/ a used pop up. Definitely inside potty (mostly just for night time #1 as most of our camping will be done where facilities are available) DH really wants slide out, sleeps 6-8, a/c, heat, stove really doesn’t matter much, cooking outside is so much fun!! Towing w/ a Chrysler Pacifica towing capacity 3,500

What do you think of this one? http://orlando.craigslist.org/rvs/2019535157.html

Here was my first note to him w/ his reply ~

Hello,
Please let us know if your camper is still for sale. If so, would you mind sharing why you are selling it?
We are new campers with 2 young daughters & are just trying to find the right camper for us. Thanks so much for your time, we look forward to your reply,
Christine

Yes it is still available. We have been out of town and missed some opportunities to sell it. The reason is that I'm 66 yrs. old and it is just a little too much for me to set up.
Let me know when I can show it to you, it’s set up in a garage downtown Orlando. Call me at 407 257 **** Fred

Thank You So Much for any advice, all your help is truly appreciated!!

 

[dblr]

If it is set up inside a garage it must have been kept in their which is a good thing, you said that husband would like a slide but it does not look like it has one(slide out to 21' is when it is open to camp in), toilet might only be a camp potty which might hot be in a private area. If you live close I would go check it out the only thing it will cost you is time and fuel,you can also check the NADA Guide to see what it might be worth. Good Luck

 

[WeDisney4]

Thanks so much dblr!!

I had that ? about the slide myself and now it makes sense. So we need to decide if the $ is right w/out a slide. Also, I searched a little myself & from what I saw it didn’t look like the Santa Fe had specs for a private potty area ~ so I’ll ask. I also did a NADA search filling in as much as possible & it runs approx. $2660 -$3225.

Here’s the fun part ~ we are actually from NC & just booked a surprise trip to camp at the Fort 12/4 for 3 nights. So if it turns out to be right for us it would be purchase & use, if not we have our tent. Praying for days & warm nighst!! Currently the forecast shows highs 75ish, lows 50ish.

 

[retired and happy]

If he wants to sell, maybe you could rent it cheap for your stay and see if it would really work for your crew. Best of luck and safe travels.

 

[~Kristina~]

I have a Fleetwood Sea Pine (no potty) and it worked well with 3 children. It's smaller than the one you posted, so I'd guess that would work very well with only two. GL!!

We're moving up to a travel trailer in 2011!

 

[flash828]

We have a 12 foot box, no slide for the 4 of us (little ones are 5 and 7). It has the toliet and shower and we don't feel cramped in it. Just be carefull of the one you posted, It has an one piece ABS roof. Coleman/Fleetwood had alot of problems with those. They cracked, had delam and sagged. Examine it greatly. Look for more info on the roofs at other sites, such as popup portal.
Rob

 

[ftwildernessrick]

This link might give you a little better idea of the unit you are looking at.

http://www.web-connection.org/camping/camptour.htm

I would definately go for a unit with the bathroom/toilet, preferably with the cassette type toilet and not just a porta poti.

 

[WeDisney4]

Hey guys,

Thank you All so much!
This is exactly the advice I was hoping for!!

Although it could work & the $ is right, I don’t think this is the camper for us.

So…with your great advice I will be patient (have already searched from here to FL on Craigslist) and continue to look for our pop-up.

Looking forward to tenting it at the Fort this Sun – Tues.

 

[BayLake Campers]

Don't mean to burst your bubble but, it has the plastic ABS roof and whenit starts to crack and leak it will cost you at least $2,000 to get it replaced.
$1,200 for the roof and $800 shipping. Trust me I know.

 

[WeDisney4]

Don't mean to burst your bubble but, it has the plastic ABS roof and whenit starts to crack and leak it will cost you at least $2,000 to get it replaced.
$1,200 for the roof and $800 shipping. Trust me I know.

No worries ~ per my above post & thanks to the help i recieved here ~ we know this is not the camper for us. However, so sorry if this happened to you.

 

[rock_doctor]

That is very similar to my Utah. Great camper mine has the aluminum roof though... Used campers are generally being given away plus since it is winter now the prices will be lower. Also check you local dealers (and not so local dealers) and see if they have any previous model left overs. Call around from Va down into Ga and see what is on the lots. You might get a left over new unit for not much more then a used... Also keep an eye on the ones with folding sides and the ones you crank up. They are all fiberglass and no tent. Oh, one comment... Cooking outside is not as much fun when it is raining or the bugs are on the attack. So make sure it has inside kitchen facilities and try to get the tent for the outside awning. It is a kit that is basically tent walls that attach to the outside awing and it gives you a outside room that is bug free and rain free. Very well spent money, imho. Good luck, it is so much fun buying a new camper. It is like having a new family member. Just remember if it isn't new get the brakes checked out. It is a relatively involved process to replace the brakes in these things so the previous owner may not have been keeping up on it. In my state, any trailer over 2k lbs needs its own brakes. So if you get something large enough you probably will need a brake controller and a better hitch installed on the van....