New concept...about buying a trailer..

[Mark and Tara]

Hi everyone, I am very creative person and came up with another idea of how to find those FG trailers for sale.. maybe it has been around for a while. What I am referring to is at rallys any fiberglass trailers ever posted for sale and sold and hauled at end of rally?

Reason for this we rather to be there to buy, not to come at long distance and find it is not good to buy. At rallys, I thought it would be good for my wife and I can really break ice and we can see more than one trailer for sale. It makes buying a bit easier.

My idea came up after reading about one of the rallys is having a buy-sell-trade event. I am not sure if that would be trailer part..

Any of this happened before?

Another thing, the way this market has really upset us is this is totally different than when you look for a used car in the pennysaver or autotrader whereas there are so many cars. Even dealership but because of fiberglass trailers do not have dealers (well, almost no dealers) and they do not manufacture in higher quanties than normally is. They are on order basis. I understand that is why those trailers are worth more than the stick built but we learned fiberglass is great for lightness and leakproof. We rather to buy that kind than stick built. Why can't manufacturers do the same way as stick built manufacturers do--make many and sell to dealers? This way, more used trailers will be for sale and easier to buy when there are plenty out there.

We have had hard time because some of them did not answer our emails or calls and others sold quickly when we do get responses. We are the kind who like to take our time. It really discourage my wife a lot. Really.

We noticed it tend to be more fiberglass trailers available out western and midwest US as well as southern US and Canada and too few in North east where we live! That is what makes shopping harder. Funny, just 3 blocks from us there is a 13 foot Scamp trailer owner with his trailer parked in his drive way.

Care to share?

[Carol H]

Yup we had it happen at our fall rally in Fort Langley. A fellow who had never attend a rally before brought a 17' Bigfoot out to have us give him an idea as to what it might be worth..... it ended up sold to another of our group by the end of the first day.

Also I suspect that there has been a few more than one new Escape order placed after folks got to see one at the Bandon Oregon meets. :-)

When in the market for a used fiberglass trailer taking your time is not something that works out to often - if priced correctly they tend to go very fast..... I had to commit to purchasing mine sight unseen and do a 12 hour drive to get it.

[RRJR]

Know what you mean Mark !
Up here in southwest Ontario Canada they are like hen's teeth and go quickly. I was lucky, only had to drive for 4 hours to see but the seller did agree to hold for me till I could get there to see and decide if I wanted it, I did and was lucky.
Ron

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by Carol H

Y
When in the market for a used fiberglass trailer taking your time is not something that works out to often - if priced correctly they tend to go very fast..... I had to commit to purchasing mine sight unseen and do a 12 hour drive to get it.

Only a 12 hour trip??? When I got my Bigfoot last summer, I committed to it, sight unseen and then drove from BC to Del Rio, Texas, on the Texas/Mexico border to pick it up.

This happened after one that I was prepared to get in the Toronto area got sold before I could get there. I wanted to see it before I would lay out the $$$$. I learned a lesson from that hesitation.

[Donna D.]

Yep, in fact I encourage folks with trailers for sale to bring them to a rally because we always have people who are looking to buy. Unfortunately there is absolutely NO SELLING allowed inside an Oregon State Park... nor can money be exchanged. So, at the Oregon Gathering and the NOGs (if held at a SP), we have to be a bit covert about it.

[Carol H]

Yup that was it! It was kind of a leap of faith though as it was an older gentlemen selling it and he didnt have a digital camera so no pictures to see before I hit the road to go and get it. I called him a few minutes after he posted the ad. He was a little skeptical of the fact I was coming "all the way" from Canada to get it. LOL Had to get him a certified cheque for it prior to leaving and called him ever couple of hours to make sure he didnt sell it to someone else before I got there as he had promised.... turned out he did end up with a line up of people wanting it but he kept his word and the trailer was as described, maybe even better .... I did have to hang around an extra day for his bank to open so he could go in and confirm it was a good cheque and not Canadian funny money! :-)

[Donna D.]

Mark, in order to build sufficient trailers to just leave on a lot waiting for a buyer, the manufacturers would really have to ramp up production. Right now, they're building as fast as they can. I don't think any of them want to grow to the point quality suffers. Because these trailers are molded rather than screwed together, the time it takes to build one is much longer too.

Good luck in your egg hunt

[Robin G]

I am sure many purchases have been made at Rallies over the years, but one thing you have to keep in mind is, most people who attend Rally's enjoy their trailers and have no intention on selling it. And most seller's whom have decided to sell don't need to wait for a rally to sell. All they gotta do is place an AD and most likely they will sell with in a week. Why go to the expense of hauling to a Rally, paying for a site, when they can stay home and the buyers come to them..........

I do understand your your eggless pain , butttttttttttttttttttttttttt because I own one I have to say that I like the fact that they are not mass produced. And as Donna pointed out, perhaps a loss of quality if done so.


I have to ask how long have you been searching?

When I was searching, due to health issues I wanted one right now! Member's here like Donna and Greg informed me that sometimes the buying process takes time especially in the used market. I would have purchased new, but the manufactures were at least 6 to 8 months out which in our world was a whole camping season. I became a crazy person, scouring the sales sites hourly looking for a trailer. I too saw more sales in other parts of the country rather than my home state or surrounding states. Finally, I found one (not the perfect one mind you, but by God it was a egg!) and it was only 3 hours from my house. After purchasing that one, I realised it wasn't gonna be the perfect trailer for our situation and less than 2 weeks later I searched, found, purchased the "perfect trailer" I drove 15 hours to get it, but it was so worth it! I didn't have our perfect trailer in our barn 2 days and 2 Egg's came up forsale within an hour of our home. One just 10 min away!

So as a wise egg owner once told me (DonnaD) when the perfect trailer is ready for you, you will find it. Hang in there! The search is part of the draw of these little gems. Best of luck!

[Ken C]

We can help you out too. What are you looking for 13 footer or something else? We can pass along what we come across.

[Mark and Tara]

I posted this before my wife came home from work and she does not feel rallies are good to go because first of all, we do not have a trailer to go to the campgrounds. Second of all, some campgrounds do not have cabins. I know of KOA does. We camped at one of the former KOA (Old Forge, NY--the campground there is still there but it is not a KOA because they said they wanted their help at the start then go without them for some reason I dont know) Anyway, my wife said something I dont understand why. I thought of rallies a good spot to see a few at one spot but she said she rather to have a trailer by then to be at the campgrounds. The Old Forge NY campground cabins are getting expensive this year. 75 a night. It was like 45 a night 2 years ago. And the price was same per night at a Gettysburg, PA campground 3 years ago.

Back to subject, thanks for the thought on rallies. Wanted to get my wife to come to rallies.. oh well.

As for manufacturers.. Ok. Maybe their technology are basic compared to.. say this manufacturer of molded fiberglass in PA that I found online. Called VEC Technologies I wonder, do those fiberglass RV companies order fiberglass shells or they make their own?

I read the how to make fiberglass trailer from ehow.com and its very basic raw home made building. I see it looks like it takes a few days to do it.

Ken, we are looking for a 16 foot or larger because we want the bathroom. There is one just posted on fiberglass-rv-4sale.com that is not far from us however, it has no bathroom. The one that says it is in Syracuse, NY is really in Cortland, NY and it is too much money for us and it does need work (had someone else to look at it because he wanted it and he is a friend of ours).

Rochester, NY sold too fast but also never answered our emails or calling! Same with Buffalo, NY and the one from Finger Lakes area near Hornell, NY. All three mysteriously never answered our calls. They got sold way too quick. It was posted on then we did a quick response but they never returned our call. Not nice.

That is why I posted this. Ken, you can read our ad in the wanted section.

[Donna D.]

I respectfully disagree with your wife. Rallies are an excellent way to see all kinds of brands and seeing something in real life may sway you to wanting something different that is currently on your radar. You can't really get a good feel for space, height, storage, bed size, etc. by looking at brochures and pictures.

Over the years, we've had all kinds of people come to the NOGs just to look. If they didn't tent, cabin or stay in a Yurt.. they've often either come for the day or stayed in a motel at a close by town. Better to spend a day or so helping with the decision making process, than make a financial mistake. YMMV

[Tim Wood]

Good post Mark, and I'm sure we have all been in your shoes one time or another. If you really want one, it will come along at some point. Don't over look one that may be older or in need of some work. Lots of times its more cleaning than anything else. Other times you may have to dig into it to get the job done. Don't get too discouraged as you will find something if you pursue it. I know it can be hard for a New Yorker like us to find that egg, but keep hunting.

PS Mark you have to go to the eggfest @ end of June in Pa, lots of different trailers to look at and all good people. You guys will walk away with lots of new friends.

[Bob Miller]

RE: Buying a Molded Fiberglass Trailer
No question about it, "Egg Sellers" are currently enjoying a sellers market. As you noted, the good ones sell quickly which, from a sellers viewpoint, begs the question: "Why should I take my trailer to a ralley to sell, when a dozen buyers will show up at my door, cash in hand?". It's a supply & demand marketplace and, right now, demand is high and supply is low.
Recently we drove over 700 miles, with cash in hand, to buy a Scamp, only to have it sold out from under us less than 10 minutes before we arrived.
On the other hand, this past year we have bought both a 13' Scamp (with a bathroom, BTW) and a 13' Compact-II (also with a bathroom) from fair and honest sellers. The Scamp was only 20 miles away, the Compact-II took an 800 mile round trip. However, both sellers reported being inundated with callers from all over the U.S. In both cases we were successful because we were "First" and offered the asking price, and they were honest sellers. And, in both cases, waiting even another hour before calling the seller would have resuled in a lost opportunity.
Right now is the start of the peak season for buying and, with gas prices again on the rise, the market will only get hotter.
Good Luck

[Thomas G.]

I'm actually surprised that prices are as low as they are for eggs, given the crazy market. As gas prices rise, I only see more of a demand.

[Jon Vermilye]

As to rallies, I learned quite a bit about fiberglass trailers attending the 2010 Niagara Wine Escape Rally at the Riverside Park in Niagara Falls (Canadian side). The advantage for me is they have a motel connected to the campground so even though I didn't yet have a trailer, I had a place to stay. A great way to see many different trailers & talk to owners about them. Of course almost everyone loves their "egg" but you see enough different trailers to help decide which is right for you.

Went back a year later towing my new Escape 17B!

[Mark and Tara]

Wow, more great posts! Thanks everyone!! Tim, yeah, that is where I want us to go. The Pa trip. I just recalled that Tara does not want to wait as well.

Donna, that is exactly my point wanting us to go there for more than just kicking the tires. Yeah, you are right, brochures and pictures online isnt enough. Like they say, people looked smaller on tv than they really are. I met one actor who is much taller than you see on tv. Heard of Jason the killer on Friday the 13th movies? Kane Kodder is the actor and oh.. I am 5' 3" with shoes on and on my eye level, I see his stomach. That is how tall he is. That is how big Jason is! Really helps.

Well, that is the point I wanted us to go. Funny Tara and I went to the National RV Show in Hershey a few years back. It was fun but there are no fiberglass molded trailers. All they had were stick builts.

Anyway, yeah, that is what I thought, Bob. It IS a seller's market. Sure beat the housing market in past decade or so. Everyone, you should have seen how housing prices in Syracuse held well although it is very cheap compared to rest of country.

Sorry I talk too much. Haha.

Hmm.. I will try to convict Tara to come to the rally. She is not sure about the Casita in VA. And this morning, the Wappingers Falls Scamp that is for sale... newer but good price.. however, no bath. I told her I want us to focus on bath as she wanted at first place.. you can see how minds change all the time. lol. WE are gonna have to make a decision!! Ha.

Tim, thanks for emailing me. You gave me an idea.. and yeah, you will see my designs. Sorry folks. You can't see them until it is reality. I have to sell my 35 years worth of brochures I collected (some can be worth 100 dollars each nowdays but others simple at 10 dollars). Worth a bundle that I can make the next level of investment. Any one interested in the brochures? Sorry only one fiberglass rv brochure (can remember them all) I got from RV show.. 2000 Burro. RARE! I got that brochure that year. I enjoy all your comments and we will keep talking! All of you are great!! Thanks!

[floyd]

Some sort of code sign would need to be used in some places...
At Sebring this year there was strict enforcement of a rule which prohibited any sign or advertisement for sale of campers or vehicles inside the campgrounds.

[Ken C]

We love chit-chatting here so feel free to post all you want here.

[Mark and Tara]

UPDATE; We just bought our Scamp! It is not exactly what we wanted--has no bathroom but it is great investment because it is almost new and it was in the 5 hours driving radius. It was merely 4 hours driving distance. We just bought a 2005 Scamp Trailer that is 13', has no bathroom, looks new inside. nice.

Will still be looking for the one with bathroom and we can trade or sell our Scamp for the one with bathroom in this 5 hours radius or at rallies in the 5 hours as well. Thank you!

We might go to that rally in PA after all since my wife wanted us to have a trailer first to attend and then look for the one with the bathroom!

We bought a used 13' 2005 Scamp Trailer in Wappingers Falls, NY in the Greater Husdon Valley. Looks great. Just one tiny tiny detail to fix. That is all. We are picking it up next week! Whooo!

[Donna D.]

CONGRATULATIONS... I'm shouting!

And, you will post pictures when you get it won't you?

Originally Posted by CNYEggerstobe

We might go to that rally in PA after all ...

Great idea!