New guy needing Bigfoot advice

[Travelin2]

Hi all, I have lurked around this forum over the years but just now joined.
We have had RVs for years and are getting older than we were so we are downsizing a bit. Smaller boat, smaller truck, smaller bank account,...you know the drill. Well we have always admired the Bigfoot trailers and we have found one near us for sale. It is a 2002 25B21RB. It is on it's third owner now.

We looked at it a couple of days ago and all the fiberglass is good. It has a ladder and rail on top. A skylight on the roof and a fiberglass cover over the propane tanks and battery. Inside there are a few latches that need adjusting/replacing. It has spent a lot of time in the sun but the gelcoat will polish back up. The roof is in good shape but the caulking is in desperate need of a redo. No sign of leaks in the monkey fur inside though. I did find the carpet damp in the right rear storage compartment but I think it may be due to the hatch leaking during some of our Florida downpours. It's sitting outside now.


It has Maxxis tires about 2 years old and everything I see wrong is fixable. There is a little musty smell when you walk in. We keep our RV under our boat shed when at home so I thought I might be able to get rid of that smell by cleaning things good and putting our portable dehumidifier in it for a time. Is it possible to get rid of that, you think?


The real head scratcher I need some guidance on is I looked up the value on NADA and it comes in at a little over $4000 but the guy is asking $19,500. Now I have never been known as a financial wizard but even I realize that buying something for 4 times what it's worth on the open market is not smart. Can some one tell me what's going on here? Why that discrepancy? I see others priced similarly. Thanks for any enlightenment and all opinions are welcome.

John

[Civilguy]

John,

Welcome out from the shadows!

NADA guides don't reflect market pricing for molded fiberglass RVs. If you wait for something that matches NADA pricing, you will save yourself the cost of buying a trailer.

You can see historic pricing in this and other forums.

Also try looking at the record listings on https://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/

Good luck!

[Casita Greg]

The people who come up with those NADA values don't have the first clue of what fiberglass trailers are worth, new or used. They are basing a large part of their assessments on comparing them to crappy "stick-built" trailers that aren't worth even looking at, much less buying, after they're five years old. If you look at resale values for fiberglass trailers across the board, you will find that they hold tremendous resale value and command high prices, even used, because of the demand for them. NADA quotes aren't at all based on reality. Neither are most insurance quotes for that matter.

[Travelin2]

Thanks for the insight fellas. It just seemed unusual to me that a trailer would still retain 85% of the original selling price after 17 years. I guess I didn't realize that the molded fiberglass models were that unique. The wife is wanting the rig and beating me up about not buying it. Now if she sees this thread she's gonna have an "I told you so" …...what a way to start my day.

[trainman]

Originally Posted by halfhitch

Thanks for the insight fellas. It just seemed unusual to me that a trailer would still retain 85% of the original selling price after 17 years. I guess I didn't realize that the molded fiberglass models were that unique. The wife is wanting the rig and beating me up about not buying it. Now if she sees this thread she's gonna have an "I told you so" …...what a way to start my day.

I would say a trailer like that would be worth somewhere around 40%/50% of it its original selling price and it would have to be in very nice shape. Also remember you could have some repair bills easily totaling $1000/$1500 on a trailer of that age. I would say at $19,500 you would be paying too much for that trailer, I wouldn't be interested at that price. Musty smells really bother me, it leaks somewhere, or has leaked somewhere in the past. Smells just don't go away without some replacement of whats causing it.

trainman

[Kevin A]

Welcome to the FG world! From my own experience, FG trailers hold or increase their value with age due to their structural longevity, general ease of repair, and ease of use. Our '78 13' Burro was purchased for $2750 in 2006 and sold for $3200 a year later. We bought our 1986 UHaul VT 16' in 2007 for slightly more than that, used it for nine camping seasons, and sold it in early 2016 for over $7,000. Then we purchased our 28' Bigfoot Silver Cloud (1988) for just under $10,000 in 2016. We don't plan on selling in the foreseeable future but I'm sure it will be worth more than our purchase price. Only the Bigfoot was purchased for less than its price when new in 1988. We got a good deal on it because many people want fiberglass but don't want to haul that big of a trailer.

[CindyL]

To add to Kevin's comment, we were offered $20,000 for our Bigfoot that is 30 years old, substantially more than we paid for it.

CindyL, spouse of Kevin

[Travelin2]

Well there seems to be a range of good opinions and experiences. I am kind thinking like Trainman. Thanks to all for the input.

[Franswa]

I don't know if 19,500 is "in the ballpark" for a used 21 around that age...only research will tell you that...


what I will tell you is something a dealer told me when I was shopping for a used B17 (missing out on a couple of them)...."with BFs you buy one for "x"...use them for a number of years, maintaining them and/or upgrading them for your benefit as you go....and you can sell them for "x" again when the time comes"


the cost of ownership ends up being that maintenance and/or improvements....and you can't say that about "regular" trailers/RVs

[Josh and Sonya W]

Originally Posted by trainman

I would say a trailer like that would be worth somewhere around 40%/50% of it its original selling price and it would have to be in very nice shape. Also remember you could have some repair bills easily totaling $1000/$1500 on a trailer of that age. I would say at $19,500 you would be paying too much for that trailer, I wouldn't be interested at that price. Musty smells really bother me, it leaks somewhere, or has leaked somewhere in the past. Smells just don't go away without some replacement of whats causing it.

trainman

I agree with trainman. True that fiberglass RV's hold their price, and NADA knows nothing about their true value. However, starting with a musty smell and potential past leak problems probably means that with patience, you could/should be able to do better, especially at that price.


Josh

[Travelin2]

Thanks for that affirmation Josh. Your thoughts kinda mirror my own. I'm confident we will find "the one" with some patience.

[Wacenturion]

Be patient and watch. Yes you will pay a premium for a nice used Bigfoot, but remember, if taken care of, you'll also get most of you money back if you sell. They hold their value well. If you look at say the new price on a 25' Bigfoot and see it in the 60k range, a used one well kept for mid to upper 20's, even if 10-17 years old, seems fairly reasonable. For what it's worth.

[Travelin2]

I agree that waiting till the right one comes along is smart. I would like to find one new enough to have the radius cornered entry door. I'm not sure when that was started but having that feature will definitely get my attention.

[CindyL]

There are a couple of Bigfoot Facebook pages that I belong to that may be helpful and might even have a camper advertised on: We love our Bigfoot Travel Trailer! and Bigfoot Fiberglass Camper Fans


Good luck in your hunt.


CindyL

[Travelin2]

Thanks for the well wishes Cindy. We don't belong to Facebook but any Bigfoot ads may be on other sites maybe.

[Mark Kozel]

I’ve owned my Bigfoot 25FB for over a year now and love it. Had a Casita 17 FD for a year, then a Escape 19 for 3 years before my BF.

You can’t go wrong with any molded fiberglass, clamshell design trailer. Pay a bit more, but the resale is outstanding. I paid $30k for my Escape 19, has it for 3 years, put over 25k miles on it and sold it for $25k.

No need to wait. Buy just about any fiberglass trailer, keep it for a year and if you want something else, you won’t lose much at all.

The experience of ownership is a pleasure also. People seem to me attracted to these RVs like a curious kid to a new toy. I give tours frequently and it’s always a memorable experience.

Best of luck in your choice.

[giro53]

We also own a Bigfoot 21rb25. Been very happy with it. Put on alot of miles with no problems. We searched for ours along time and travelled far to find it. $4000 is nota real world price. Probably arrived at by using syandard depreciation figures with just do not apply to fiberglass trailers. Shop long enough to compare prices but jump when you find the right one. Best of luck.

[Travelin2]

Thanks Giro.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by halfhitch

Hi all, I have lurked around this forum over the years but just now joined.
We have had RVs for years and are getting older than we were so we are downsizing a bit. Smaller boat, smaller truck, smaller bank account,...you know the drill. Well we have always admired the Bigfoot trailers and we have found one near us for sale. It is a 2002 25B21RB. It is on it's third owner now.

We looked at it a couple of days ago and all the fiberglass is good. It has a ladder and rail on top. A skylight on the roof and a fiberglass cover over the propane tanks and battery. Inside there are a few latches that need adjusting/replacing. It has spent a lot of time in the sun but the gelcoat will polish back up. The roof is in good shape but the caulking is in desperate need of a redo. No sign of leaks in the monkey fur inside though. I did find the carpet damp in the right rear storage compartment but I think it may be due to the hatch leaking during some of our Florida downpours. It's sitting outside now.


It has Maxxis tires about 2 years old and everything I see wrong is fixable. There is a little musty smell when you walk in. We keep our RV under our boat shed when at home so I thought I might be able to get rid of that smell by cleaning things good and putting our portable dehumidifier in it for a time. Is it possible to get rid of that, you think?


The real head scratcher I need some guidance on is I looked up the value on NADA and it comes in at a little over $4000 but the guy is asking $19,500. Now I have never been known as a financial wizard but even I realize that buying something for 4 times what it's worth on the open market is not smart. Can some one tell me what's going on here? Why that discrepancy? I see others priced similarly. Thanks for any enlightenment and all opinions are welcome.

John

Getting rid of the musty smell won't be too difficult in a trailer that is in decent shape. Clean fuzzy surfaces with a good quality deodorizing carpet and fabric steam cleaner. Then use a good sized dehumidifier for a few days until it stops pulling in a lot of water. Then rent an ionizing air cleaner, the kind the professional services that do insurance work to clean up houses and businesses after water damage and fire damage use. It will kill all the spores on surfaces and take odors out of there just a couple of days. Be sure you open all the cabinet doors but close the exterior door and windows while the air filter is in use. A number of hours of labor but at least you know it is nice and clean.



Or if you don't want to do a DIY job take it to a service company that does interior cleaning on boats, cars, motorhomes etc.

[WALT2013]

In 2014, we bought our 2004 Bigfoot 17CB for $15K; it was, and is, in perfect shape and we didn't blink an eye; there were 2 other parties ready to buy if we didn't; we love this trailer and are glad we paid the premium, because it was worth it.