SOLD - Compact Jr. on eBay

[Tom Trostel]

I'm almost positive this trailer belongs to a member here. Eve V bought a Compact Jr. and a Scamp at about the same time last year. There is a Scamp in the background of the photos. And, Eve lives in Palmdale.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Other-Vehic...A1%7C240%3A1308

[curtis c]

nice one. this may be the best bet for taller people like us. i just hate ebay, people allways bid way to high and then dont pay for it.

[Raya]

nice one. this may be the best bet for taller people like us.

I'm not sure the height of the Compact Jr. with the top raised, but it's overall a pretty "small" feeling camper. I happen to really like them (and secretly wish for one to match my square car), but I just mean that there's not much "open, walking around" space even compared to a 13-foot Boler/clone. The Boler feels fairly roomy in comparison (but not tall enough for you).

I can tell you that the ceiling height under the top with the top down is about 5' 4". Not sure the height of the canvas sides when the top is up... but I suppose it could add a foot or so, which would make it tallish.

I agree that it's frustrating when you see something you want on eBay, and then have to live through the auction process, instead of just calling someone up and then looking/buying.

[curtis c]

ive read that they are 6'3" with the top up. also they have a very wide bed. i like that a lot. we used the bed size listing on this site and a tape measure and the trillium size was a bit tight. its really hard to find the right trailer of your tall. i understand that the height isnt that important but we will both be hitting the roof at 5' 10" i think we can live with the cramped feeling. its larger than the tent we use and we usually cook outside unless its raining or windy. if i could find a new scamp in my price range with the 6' 3" i would be all over it. its just so hard to judge things without being in them. im just gratefull this site is here!

[Bobbie Mayer]

Raya is right- the reason the bed is big is that they sacrificed open space for it. (I actually made the bed in my Campster, a lookalike (but not a twin- it has a horizontal, not vertical, seam) smaller- cut it down to 72 x48 (goes across now) and have an extra two feet of floor space and two seats that can remain up. I never undo the bed. With the original bed configuration you have to crawl in through a narrow opening at the foot of the bed. (Some people have set it up as two narrow cots.)

So inside the space feels more cramped; I think for two people you'd pretty much want to sleep in it and maybe cook in it. (Which is all some people want to do so it works fine.)

The head space is very generous and keeps the interior from feeling closed in.

Curtis, a couple of people are supposed to be at Lake San Antonio with Compacts; you could go check one out and see what you think.

[curtis c]

yea im pretty interested in this. all we really want the trailer for is sleeping in and a place to bunker down if the elements get to rough. and for the crawling in to bed we can deal with that for the size of the bed. we full timed it in a 24' stick built for allmost a year to save money for school so we are used to crawling over eachother. i gave them my number there supposed to call me. hopefully i can convince my father it will be worth the trouble of restoring this. the way they did the floor is totally wrong so its gonna need a new floor. and we go in the boondocks so its gonna need a new frame and axle. so it will pretty much get gutted and rebuilt. one of the other things i like about these trailers is the flat frame. this will make it great for ground clearance with a new frame. i hope it works out and they dont want an arm and a leg for it. thanks for all the help and support.

[curtis c]

is it just me or does $3500 seem a lot for one of these?

[Bobbie Mayer]

I think it is high.

[Dave Baston]

I think it is high.

Considering the rarity and the 100% total restoration, and updates I think it is not way out of wack.
There is a Scamp at $3,800 currently with 3 1/2 days to go, 1976 13 footer that I think is a bit high, but then again this one had many updates too. Check it out

Dave
"The Trillium King" ----Almost Spring!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tom Trostel]

2 days left - current bid is $530

[Raya]

I'll start this by saying that I really, really like the Compact Jr. and I'd like to own one someday (they match my car so perfectly! - totally rectangular ) So I'm not dissing them here.

If it really, truly was full restoration, I'd say... maybe high, maybe not.

But I have seen few trailers where the restoration was as extensive (or as well done) as I would like. They are out there, to be sure, but is this one of them?

For example:

Both CJ's I looked at had a sag in the pop-top roof, and many others have reported it. Does that exist and has it been taken care of?

The frame can be a bit "light"; has it been beefed up if it needs it?

Are the walls insulated or just painted (that can be a big job and insulation is more generally present on other brands of trailers).

The interior furniture is "stick built" Is there any rot at the bottom where there may have been leaks (from above)?

Is the outside shiny? If it has been painted, was it a one-part paint or a long-lasting two-part paint?

Will the new pop-top have screened windows? How about the attachment points from the top to the body?

Some of the above is not directed at this trailer in particular, and I don't remember the ad exactly as it was a few days ago that I looked at it. But it seems to me that CJ's generally go in the $800 - $2000 range unless they are really, really special.

I guess the ending price will tell us if it was worth $3500 or not.

Raya

PS: curtis, did you see that Tom Trostel reported his CJ's interior height with the pop top up at 73" in the new "interior height" thread? I mention it as we discussed it inconclusively above.

Here's a link to the thread with interior heights:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/in...howtopic=34031

So far it seems as though of the typical brands of 1970s and 1980s 13' campers (Burro [actually Cloud]and clones/Boler and clones/Trillium), the Burro and Trillium are the highest at 74"

[Cliff]

The ad text says "No Reserve Auction", but there is a reserve not met on the Current bid.

[Raya]

I just went back to look at the auction and I see there is a note at the bottom explaining that they made a mistake, and rather than re-list they added the note "This is a reserve auction."

I noticed something interesting in re-viewing the photos. Does it look like the new floor has been put on the frame before the body shell? You can see what I mean if you look at the photo that shows the big tire and wheel. I see what looks like a raw edge of flooring and then the camper shell - unless I'm mis-viewing?

On the CJ's I've seen, the body shell curves around and goes under the trailer about 10" per side, and the original floor only started near the inside edge of the ears (on top of the last few inches of "ear"). I would also make the plywood floor full width if I were rebuilding it, but I would think that I would lay it on top of the ears so the sandwich order from bottom up would be frame/body shell/floor.

On the other hand, it looks as though new flooring has been screwed in on top of the old, so I'm not sure what I'm seeing If you look at the photo that shows the whole underside, you can see screws running through, and the ply on the right side makes it look like this was an older floor. Maybe someone previously put a new floor on under the shell, and now another one has been screwed on top of that one. I'd love to see it in person (too bad I'm on the opposite coast, as the "detective me" would love to have a look; I like to see how things are put together).

Again I must point out that I'm only looking at photos, and what I'm "seeing" may not be what is really there, or I may be surmising wrong. But of course with an online auction, that's what you do, since it's out there for all to see, but only in photos unless you're nearby. I just don't want anyone to take my comments/questions about the flooring installation as gospel, when I'm just guessing.

Raya

[David & Leslie]

Just a note - noticed this same eBay seller has a Perris Pacer listed for sale. Hmmmm - LdB

[Dave Baston]

To all the replies,
I contacted the buyer and told them that they worded it wrong on No Reserve. He had a starting bid of $999.00. I told him to re-do that and start at $1.00, $50.00 and he did. There were "0" bids before, now there are 14. He is some what of a retailer/ wholesaler.
Dave
The Trillium King"

[curtis c]

they ended auction early. she has another one she was gonna send me pics of. i was gonna bid on this one too but i guess someone paid locally. if anyone has a compact jr for sale id love to take a look. cash in hand. looking for a no hassle non ebay buy. thanks again

[Tom Trostel]

Raya,
You are correct about the floor. The photo of the door shows a lip of 3/4" plywood sticking out from under the edge of the fiberglass. It looks as if somebody did a modification that may not help the longevity of the floor.