I can hardly contain myself!

[Monica M]

Okay, so this is my situation...

I am so wanting an egg, I "retired" on the 30th, but have to wait for my pension fund to come in. I see some really good deals, in my range, from some places I can find them, but I don't have the $$ yet and don't feel comfortable making an offer until I have the $$. I am going full time, but still, so very cautious of when to make an offer. I am a woman of my word, and I would hate to be wrong, the $$ is never sure until you have it, especially in this market. But I am going crazy wanting to "buy"! Just wanted to share my frustrations!!

I feel like the right egg will come along when it is time, but I am very impatient, I want one so bad!!

[Donna D.]

Patience Monica.. things happen for a reason. I would hazard to guess about the exact same time your funds become available, the perfect egg will come about at the same time. Use this lull to educate yourself about egg needs and plot and plan for the future. Sounds good anyway doesn't it.

Good luck

[Alexandra B]

Okay, so this is my situation...

I am so wanting an egg, I "retired" on the 30th, but have to wait for my pension fund to come in. I see some really good deals, in my range, from some places I can find them, but I don't have the $$ yet and don't feel comfortable making an offer until I have the $$. I am going full time, but still, so very cautious of when to make an offer. I am a woman of my word, and I would hate to be wrong, the $$ is never sure until you have it, especially in this market. But I am going crazy wanting to "buy"! Just wanted to share my frustrations!!

I feel like the right egg will come along when it is time, but I am very impatient, I want one so bad!!

I know the feeling until we got ours it was just the Donna expressed it.
Alexandra and Mataniu

[Paul from NWOnt]

I also waited patiently for mine. Then one day it was almost like the planets lined up just so. Right rig, right price, and close to home. Perfect.

[Robin G]

Monica, So many of us have felt the same way. For some, the same reason as yours. For others like us, we had the money, but eggs were being sold within minutes of coming up for sale. Couldn't get to the phone fast enough. One good thing is it seems like there are plenty coming up for sale and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Keep the faith. Good Luck! Robin

[Bobbie Mayer]

We hear you... your post makes me want to go down to the garage and sit in my Campster.

[Bryan L.]

Something will come up when you need it. I decided I wanted a Scamp and one pretty much fell in to my lap within the first month and a half. It was in great shape and a great deal. It will all work out although it will take some searching and patience for the right one at the right price. I actually got mine through a "Scamp Wanted" Craigslist ad.

[Kevin A]

I know it sounds silly, but I'm getting the same feeling about just going out, slipping under the winter trailer cover, and just sitting in our UHaul VT. It's supposed to be in the 50's here in the Chicago area Saturday, so I was going to repair a couple things anyway. I love taking the trailer out on trips, but work schedules limit that to "not enough." Good luck with the search! (Our first trip of the year is scheduled for March 13-21 to Pine Ridge Lakota Reservation in South Dakota. We haul donations in the trailer on the way out and then sleep in the trailer while working on the reservation. We don't have to cook in the trailer on this trip... meals are provided in the lodge.)

[Alf S.]

Hi: Monica M... My favorite saying is "Don't hatchet your Counts, before they chicken". You're wise to wait... the moment will come when you least expect it!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[April Wilcox]

I feel your anticipation. When we decided to seek out our first egg, time did not seem to be on my side, so to get through it while we searched, I spent most of my time researching (here mostly) about all the different in's and out's about owning and using an egg. It does stroke the desire to own one, reading about what other people are doing, but it is also very good to know as much about it as you possibly can before actually getting one. When I first started out, I had no idea how much there was to know, didn't have a clue. After reading up on so many different threads I felt a lot more confident when we did go out to pick up our baby. I wanted to rush out and get the first thing that looked good, but Kirk kept me at bay, and we waited it out until the "right" one came along. I think it is safe to say waiting until you have all your funds lined up is smart and when you do find what you are looking for, you will appreciate it that much more!
Hang in there!

[Randya]

Congrats on the retirement! Be patient, the deals come all the time, and with the economy in the toilet, there may be even more, and better deals.

[Monica M]

You all are right, my gut feeling is to wait, I will know it when I see it, it won't be too soon or too late per say, but will be right, I am counting on it. I have trusted myself and my gut feeling so far and this seems to be the biggest decision I have had to make yet, I am trusting in myself still, it has got me this far. Thanks for all that are supportive and understanding!!

[Roy in TO]

No reason you can't go "window" shopping with the checklist in hand.

You will be better prepared for when the $$ comes in.

Maybe, just maybe you will find the perfect one for you at the right price and the owner is willing to hold for a deposit.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Just my opinion, but if you aren't prepared to do a lot of work yourself, it might be a costly mistake to buy an older rig with problems -- Having someone else do the work, esp on older rigs with potential parts problems, can turn out to be very expensive -- Makes more sense to look for a rig in good shape.

The exception here is that any older rig with torsion suspension is likely to need a new axle, so that should be automatically budgeted unless the axle has recently been replaced.

[Vi Turner]

Just my opinion, but if you aren't prepared to do a lot of work yourself, it might be a costly mistake to buy an older rig with problems -- Having someone else do the work, esp on older rigs with potential parts problems, can turn out to be very expensive -- Makes more sense to look for a rig in good shape.

The exception here is that any older rig with torsion suspension is likely to need a new axle, so that should be automatically budgeted unless the axle has recently been replaced.

Monica. When we first wanted to get one, we started visiting any listing that was within easy driving distance, you know, a couple of hundred miles. We saw what we didn't want, since we really did not know about the work that is needed and can be done, with a little patience. Finally, the 'right one' came along and we traveled 500 miles round-trip. Then this year, another one reached out and grabbed us and we made a 1,000 mile round trip to bring that baby home! They are addictive! Right now, i would encourage you to look at all that you can and fine-tune your wants and needs. Use this "shopping time" constructively... V & J

[Monica M]

Just my opinion, but if you aren't prepared to do a lot of work yourself, it might be a costly mistake to buy an older rig with problems -- Having someone else do the work, esp on older rigs with potential parts problems, can turn out to be very expensive -- Makes more sense to look for a rig in good shape.

The exception here is that any older rig with torsion suspension is likely to need a new axle, so that should be automatically budgeted unless the axle has recently been replaced.

I really appreciate this advice, but what is "older", I was hoping to get a very late 90's model or newer, seems many are coming up in the 10K range which is what I am prepared to spend. I do not plan on getting anything older than that because of possible repairs needed. Am I thinking reasonably in your opinion?

[Alf S.]

Hi: Monica... Late 90's sure narrows the field a lot!!! Not too many fiberglass Mfg's in business by then...
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Pete Dumbleton]

Older is relative -- My Scamp 13' is a 1991 and fits the description -- I'll use Scamp 13' as an example, but much is applicable to other brands and models -- Don't let the list scare you, it would be quite rare to have all or even most of these problems on one used rig unless it was sitting in a field for years with leaks.

If there had been leaks, either from outside or from appliances, there might be something rotted by now, even if the leak had been fixed -- Repairs like this are likely to be one-of-a-kind to a local repair or RV shop, with a learning curve for the techs involved (which will show up in the repair bill, of course.

My original factory axle was only a 1,600 lb'er, which may have been the max Dexter made at the time for this size of axle -- When I had to replace the axle (bearing disintegration permanently damaged the spindle on the original one; shame on me for not doing my basic bearing maintenance!), I had a 2,200 lb-er installed, which is what the current models use (Also the current max by Dexter and, I believe, Al-Ko).

A friend on Yahoo Scampers has a late '80s S13 and his axle is only rubbered for 1,200 lbs, again the apparent max at the time.

Late in the '80s, Scamp changed from ensolite (aka elephant hide) to marine carpet (aka rat fur) over Reflectix insulation as interior wall treatment -- Some ensolite needs repair if it has separated from the fiberglass shell -- Likewise, of course, some rat furs need repair from damage or gluing errors in original construction.

Windows have changed -- Form-wise, the newer sliders look nice with their radiused corners, but function-wise, I prefer the older crankout style -- The newer ones are more likely to have leaked due to lack of drain maintenance.

If the curved door has had a tendency to straighten out, time will have made that a problem.

If handled too roughly over the years, there may be rivets that need replacing.

On some much older brands (early Bolers, the forerunner for Scamp and Casita, comes to mind), there were frame weakness problems resulting in cracks -- Later years, of course, have had these design flaws corrected and likely any you find will have had problem corrected.

A big thing will be that although the egg manfs use standard, off-the-shelf appliances, on an older rig they will be getting near the end of useful life -- Not a big deal for something like fluorescent counter light, but a major problem for something like an RV fridge.

Again, don't let this stuf put you off too badly -- There is a good checklist on this site for inspecting used trailers for problems -- I would learn it so as to identify problems and to sort them into major and minor.

Some brief info on torsion axles -- They come in basic sizes from the manf, and each size has a load range for intended use -- When the axle is assembled at the axle factory, the rubber rods that determine the capacity are cut to length to provide a maximum load capacity within the range of the axle size (in 100 lb intervals; I call this 'rubbering') -- The axles are then assembled using liquid nitrogen to stiffen and shrink the rods; once assembled and back to ambient temperatures, there is no way to repair or replace the rods and those axles whose rubber has finally failed (due to age, chronic overloading, poor storage techniques, etc) must be replaced, which usually involves welding.

The expected life of a torsion axle is along the lines of 15-20 years, so rigs older than that with original axles are candidates for assumed replacement -- You can usually tell by looking at the manf's tag on the axle if it is original or not by the capacity -- Low numbers like 1,200 - 1,600 are likely original.