Newbie needs help with full resto

[crewguy72]

Okay I'm seeing a wide range of prices on vintage trilliums in different conditions. I've put a deposit on mine to be paid in full this weekend, but seller didn't disclose no title until after the handshake. Any thoughts on what a fair price should be for this trillium 4500 in said condition...see original pics. Keep in mind I'm in Southern California and everything seems more expensive here.
Thanks.

[Borrego Dave]

I do believe that after 7 years of a Calif vehicle not being regestered it falls off the DMV's system and can be reregistered with no penalties for back payment. It is considered as a new registration in the system. I've done this before years ago but I have no idea if rules have changed. If you have a Calif plate on it I would take it off and get a 24 hour moving permit as the DMV will probably want to look at it. Should be a piece of cake.

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by crewguy72

Okay I'm seeing a wide range of prices on vintage trilliums in different conditions. I've put a deposit on mine to be paid in full this weekend, but seller didn't disclose no title until after the handshake. Any thoughts on what a fair price should be for this trillium 4500 in said condition...see original pics. Keep in mind I'm in Southern California and everything seems more expensive here.
Thanks.

Hmmmm, in your first post you were satisfied with the price...what happened????

That said... Fixers, especially for a newbie, usually ARE NOT a good way to save money on an FGRV. Unless you either know exactly what you are getting into, or can see it as a never ending hobby that you don't mind throwing time and money into, it's almost always better, and cheaper, to buy a FGRV that is nearly ready-to-go and needs little more than cosmetic repairs.

As I mentioned about two weeks ago, it can be very easy to throw about 40+ Ben Franklins into a fixer, especially if you have to have anything done by an outside shop @ $75-$125/hr, or replace a refrigerator or a furnace, or do any frame or suspension work.

From what you have said, I wouldn't be jumping in the car for a look-see unless I saw a asking price well south of $2000, and actual condition can push that down real fast.

If you have any thoughts whatsoever to buy-fix-sell, aka "Flip", this rig, you better be on very good terms with your wife before you start.... LOL

[crewguy72]

Bob,

Not exactly buyers remorse. You know how when you buy something you keep looking....yeah I shouldn't do that. I guess my cause for concern is seeing a few for sale now at 2500 that look great, road ready, but are in remote areas on the other side of the US. So really it would cost me more than 1k to get it here. Am I wrong thinking these go for 4-7 fixed up.

No matter the condition I know myself and my wife and know that we would want a complete cosmetic makeover regardless the condition just to personalize it so thats out of the equation.

The starting asking price was 2k. I think I was first call and immediately he said he would negotiate on price. An hour later he calls back and says it is really dirty on the inside, mold, etc...and I might not even want it, but if I did he would really come down on the price. Fast forward to the next day when I drive to see it and suddenly he is back firm at 2k because of the overwhelming response from craiglist he now thinks it is a steal at 2k.

After an hour of hard work I finally knocked a couple hundred off, but not nearly like I was thinking, or hoping for. The shell looks fine beyond dirt and half the belly band sliding off...and like I said interior ism something I would always do. Still haven't checked any of the electrical.

Okay that was a mouth full...thoughts?

[crewguy72]

I forgot to mention that the pics posted on Craig's that got so much attention were stock from google...exterior only but showed new tires and attached awning....no such luck. And they were of a 1300...after you all have stated it is actually a 4500.

[Bob Miller]

Yep, those bargains that are usually far-far away seem to turn up right after buying one, but rest assured that your chances of getting one is slim to none as there are others already in line that are much closer. And many a buyer has driven 500+ miles to get that dream bargain only to find a POC at the end of the rainbow. One such POC was reported on here just about a week ago. Plus there is the cost of getting it home.

Uninitiated buyers might think that, at $2000, it was a steal, but those in the know about fix-up expenses are more apt to leave it to the others.

As you see, your price was right about where I would have been. And YES, almost any FGRV in decent condition in SoCal will sell for $5000+, especially in the late spring.

When we bought a Lil' BigFoot here in Riverside, we were the first to appear, negotiated what we thought was a fair, but not great, price, and left a cash deposit. The next day when we returned to pick it up the seller had gotten so many calls offering over his asking price, that he offered us 2X our deposit to back out.

BUT, when selling I have oft gotten those calls offering over asking price only to find that they are often from lowballers that are self described experts at picking your rig apart when they appear, and always with a handful of cash to wave in your face. Your seller might have gotten the same surprise.

Sounds like you are in good shape as soon as the title is sorted.

[crewguy72]

David,

After cleaning up the inside of my 4500 I came across what must have been every single piece of original info that came with the trailer including the original bill of sale from a dealer in Oregon, which should shed some light on the VIN numbers matching up with manufacturing year.

I found all the original manuals for the trailer itself, but also the heater, converter, fridge, and even a few for the porta-pottie including a funny little cartoon. If you think these are of interest let me know and perhaps they can make their way to the documents section...some might already be there.

Still dealing with DMV stuff, but so far so good.

[crewguy72]

By the way does anyone know if Trillium still sells the original keys...not blanks. The owner didnt have the keys upon purchase, so I am wondering how I might go about getting a new one other than paying a locksmith something obscene to come make a new one.

[Bob Miller]

If you are anywhere near Pomona, CA there is a guy there that makes them for $12.
If not, look at any of the indoor or outdoor swap meets, there is usually a key guy there as well.

[David Tilston]

Remove the latch from the door, then bring it to a lock smith. Much less expensive.

[crewguy72]

Both great ideas...thank you both. Ill update with new pictures soon. Almost got all the super dark mold stains out and all the cushions removed.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by crewguy72

The starting asking price was 2k. I think I was first call and immediately he said he would negotiate on price. An hour later he calls back and says it is really dirty on the inside, mold, etc...and I might not even want it, but if I did he would really come down on the price. Fast forward to the next day when I drive to see it and suddenly he is back firm at 2k because of the overwhelming response from craiglist he now thinks it is a steal at 2k.

It was a steel at $2K. I purchased my first 4500 for $2K. I was stupid happy for months. Your trailer is not in bad shape. Just needs to be cleaned. If you are not happy with your purchase, then I will gladly give you $2K for it, after I talk to my wife about it.

[crewguy72]

The overwhelming aspect is wearing off after spending a few hours cleaning. The outside looks great now and the inside is coming along nicely (got about 2/3 done). I must have thrown out 200lbs of crap so far...old books, vhs, dvds, pill bottles, and the original worn out shag with about 100 lbs of dirt and dust.

I've decided to do wood floors and will have to work out something for access to the water tank.

Still have not tested any electrics, but hopefully today...charge the battery all night so we shall see today when I get home.

My wife is now officially on board and in nesting mode, picking out new upholstery. She wants memory foam instead of reusing the old foam...not sure that is in the budget though.

Still need to replace the external power cord, and after seeing how stiff it is, I think I am going to just replace the whole thing, instead of my initial thoughts of just replacing the head. It's so stiff it barely pulls out.

[Jared J]

You may want to look into an external hookup like this.



Pair it with a cord like this:



Then buy an outlet to put on your old cord to use as an extension if necessary.

Your trailer stays sealed, easy to unhook, roll it up, and throw it in the closet.

[crewguy72]

I like that. Where do I find one and more info on installing?

Thanks,

[Jared J]

Chuck on here sells them. (Fiberglasstraveltrailers.com?)I think I got mine from dyers rv or rvdirect.com.





Some kits come with a straight end you can put on your existing cord, but I recommend getting the cord with the 90* end. It sticks out much less, and doesn't put stress on the fiberglass.

[David Tilston]

Or, since you probably would rather use a standard extension cord, and don't need more then 15A, (the breaker on your converter, if you have one, is 10A) this would work as well, and is more convenient to use:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ded-50948.html

[Jared J]

True, if it only has 15 amp service, that would work fine, if there are no upgrades planned like ac or something.

[crewguy72]

Thought I would post some mid way pics. After a good few nights working late cleaning until the wee hours of morning I have it about 3/4's cleaned up inside. My wife is still overwhelmed by it, but she did finally enter it for the first time once I removed the original shag and cleaned up all the mildew (took forever). I removed the scratched window tinting with a steamer and razor blade...another long project, but what a huge difference having clean windows. You probably notice a lot of cleaning bottles in the pics...endless amounts of cleaner, and now moving on to the inside compartments. Some of you will cringe to see a roller and paint in the pictures. So we can't live with the pale off white interior, yellowy interior. I painted a first coat of elastomeric paint yesterday and it went beautifully. Just painted to ensolite. I would like to do something with the actual fiberglass inside, but know it would be a pain to rough up and paint....ideas? We bought some repositional wall decals that we may try.

2 things I need to know:
How on earth do you remove the window crank (circular ones) from the overhead vent? It has a little screw in the middle but when I turn it, it just opens and closes the vent. I tried holding the crank still and turning but am worried about breaking something. I got all the other screens out without removing the window cranks, but the overhead one seems to need that crank off...please help.

2.) I know there are a million threads out there on batteries and solar, but just wondered if someone had a quick reply as to what would be best knowing that in the future I would like to add some solar. A friend suggested 2 6v batteries as opposed to 1 12v. Not sure. All the solar posts just get too technical too quick when starting out.

Getting the cushions recovered in a nice light gray vinyl today and will post more as we get things going.

My retired Ford engineer neighbor isn't too happy we are recovering cushions and painting ensolite. He is of the "leave it original" sort, which I am sure most are. But sometimes cleaning just isn't enough and it still looks dingy not matter what you do.

[David Tilston]

Looks good to me.