Just FYI folks posting trailers for sale

[ILIKETOMOVEIT60]

Nothing against you smokers out there but if you are posting your trailer for sale and you are a smoker then please don't post that it is smoke free.
Those of us that don't smoke or are allergic to can smell that stuff as soon as we walk in the door (especially if it is a camper with fabric or carpet on walls) and to the smokers that want a camper it usually doesn't make any difference. Same goes with pets! Lets tell it like it is!

[Terry G]

I agree. The olfactory sense of most smokers is usually pretty useless and I'm sure they don't realize how easy it is to pick up on the smell. I remember when I was looking at condos and I'd walk into some and then immediately turn around and walk back out because it was so gross. There isn't enough air freshener in the world to hide that odor.

[Jon in AZ]

If a seller is lying about something so obvious, it would make me very suspicious about what else they may be concealing. In a way, it's a blessing in disguise. At least you are warned.

[sarahspins]

Originally Posted by Terry G

I agree. The olfactory sense of most smokers is usually pretty useless and I'm sure they don't realize how easy it is to pick up on the smell.

This, exactly! Most have absolutely no clue that the smell they simply can't detect anymore is so horrifically overwhelming to non-smokers. But since they can't smell it they think they can get away with it - but they can't.

That being said, even nice and seemingly honest sellers can miss things - I'm not convinced that the people I bought my scamp from intentionally misled me about any part of it's condition (and they were thankfully, non-smokers, so that wasn't a problem), but I do think they were simply blissfully ignorant about some of it's bigger issues (water damage, axle condition, etc). Honestly most issues have been expected with the age of the trailer and are little more than annoying and time consuming - and they wouldn't have necessarily been dealbreakers, but I would have certainly negotiated the price down. That's my fault though, and a lesson learned for the future if I ever find myself in the position of purchasing another 30 year old camper

[Borrego Dave]

Interesting thread, but I do have a few comments for prospective buyers of trailers, cars or houses. If your looking at buying an older house you can just about bet it's been smoked in. Many things can be done in a house to remedy any odors. Not so much with cars or trailers. I don't put plastic on my vehicle seats so there is no wear for the next person, wear happens and it's mine and when I should decide to sell it.....well it's used. You can pretty much tell from a burn mark or two if it's been smoked in. As far as looking for a trailer, the seller may very well not know if it's been smoked or had pets in it. Everybodys nose is different and we all pick up on different odors. I'm the 3rd owner of my SD, the 2nd owner, non smokers, had it for two years and never used it because of health issuses. I have no idea of the original buyer. I smoke and my wife does on occation, but we have never smoke in the SD, gee, not even in the house for that matter. When I should decide to sell mine I can and will say there has never had pets or been smoked in to my knowledge. Any honest seller can only say what they know to be true to them. Being it was in 1964 or 5 that the first bad comments were made about smoking came out it only stands to reason that any older trailer probably was smoked in.
I would certainly be ticked if I drove a bunch of miles to look at a possible purchase only to be overcome by odors when told there wre none.
So I guess the only reason I'm even replying to this is because it seems by the comments I'm reading, they come across that sellers are lying to buyers. Just don't think that's the case in the vast majority of sale ads.
Just my two cents worth and YMVV

[Jon in AZ]

Good points, Dave and Sarah. Not all misrepresentations (maybe that's a kinder word) are intentional. Less culpable, perhaps, but still a warning to caution.

Most common I see is not about smoking or pets, but weight. So many ads claim "under 1000 pounds."

[kootenaigirl]

That's so true about the weight Dave. My husband and I laugh that there must have been a special production line of extra light Bolers as some of them weigh only 600 lbs
As most people don't weigh their trailers this myth just keeps getting handed down.

[Bob Miller]

I used to do RV inspections as a side line and, as a result have been inside almost 100 motorhomes and trailers that were being offered for sale and it's pretty easy to draw a line between seller naiveté and, basically, fraudulent claims.

I was primarily inspecting units that were from 15 to 30 years old at the time and can say that more than 1/2 of those sellers were intentionally trying to hide or misrepresent issues. I heard "We never used that" so many times that I learned that it usually really meant "It doesn't work".

And I can't even remember how many rigs I inspected that reeked of different kinds of air sprays trying to cover up cigarette smoking odor.

And, sorry smokers, just not smoking inside a trailer doesn't make them smoke odor free. When someone smokes outside and then comes inside and sits in the dinette, it leaves a permanent signature as the odor is transferred from clothing to upholstery, that night the smoke order is transferred from hair to bedding etc., etc. "Not Smoked In" sort of becomes a semantic bypass when the buyer steps inside, and turns around and leaves.

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by kootenaigirl

That's so true about the weight Dave. My husband and I laugh that there must have been a special production line of extra light Bolers as some of them weigh only 600 lbs
As most people don't weigh their trailers this myth just keeps getting handed down.

And it doesn't help when the seller is just quoting the weight from the mfg's sticker/ literature of 10+ years ago.

[steve dunham]

I like to smoke an occasional cigar while sitting and watching a campfire . I do not smoke in our trailer and I consider our trailer non smoking yet I have had others disagree , believing if I smoke and enter the trailer at any time "The trailer has been subject to smoking" Sometimes it's not a lie , it's just people have different definitions / standards for the same thing

[Jon in AZ]

I will confess to being misled by false weight claims when I bought our Scamp. At the time we had a Toyota Sienna, no tow package, class I hitch, rated 2000/200#. Based on ad claims, I thought I had capacity to spare. Toyota dealer actually talked me out of a tranny cooler. Tranny overheated on the first long grade into CA. Electronic nannies prevented catastrophe, but there were some tense moments.

Wish I had spent more time here before that trip. 👍

[Ray N]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

I heard "We never used that" so many times that I learned that it usually really meant "It doesn't work".

Reminds me of when buying a used car and the seller says the AC "just needs a charge." To me, this automatically means the AC doesn't work, or it would have been charged before putting the car up for sale.

[Bobbie Mayer]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I like to smoke an occasional cigar while sitting and watching a campfire . I do not smoke in our trailer and I consider our trailer non smoking yet I have had others disagree , believing if I smoke and enter the trailer at any time "The trailer has been subject to smoking" Sometimes it's not a lie , it's just people have different definitions / standards for the same thing

Maybe a good question to ask of a seller is, "Do you smoke?" If he says, "Yes, but not in the trailer" someone with a sensitive nose can simply pass that trailer by, someone less particular might still want to see (smell?) it. I don't like the smell of clothing after sitting at a campfire, but that kind of odor doesn't tend to stick to the furnishings like cigarette or cigar smoke does. If the clothes you smoked in sat in the trailer for some time the odor could linger.

Another point is that I could open up all the windows and air the cushions and wash the bedding and show a trailer with no odor- but if you really want to know, close up all the windows and sit there inside for a bit, preferably letting it warm up.

Same goes for pets, I'm sure my trailer will never be totally free of corgi fur, but I could clean it up for a sale and possibly fool someone into thinking there had been no pets in it.

[Darral T.]

DO NOT believe WEIGHTS "told" to you unless they (like myself) have the weigh receipts. I've kept mine that I retrieved from our local CO-OP after personally weighing it. Scamp told me they weighed one like mine and it came in at apx 1400. I weighed my new Scamp and it was 1740!! So technically, I would have told people their given weight if I was selling it (and not intentionally been lying). But now you've seen it in writing, my 13' fully-loaded Scamp less furnace weighs 1740 lbs without any cargo.

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I will confess to being misled by false weight claims when I bought our Scamp. At the time we had a Toyota Sienna, no tow package, class I hitch, rated 2000/200#. Based on ad claims, I thought I had capacity to spare. Toyota dealer actually talked me out of a tranny cooler. Tranny overheated on the first long grade into CA. Electronic nannies prevented catastrophe, but there were some tense moments.

Wish I had spent more time here before that trip. 👍

[RogerDat]

If smoking or pets matters that much to you then ask before driving to see the trailer. Get as specific as you feel you need to.

Reminds me of the princess and the pea. People have different levels of sensitivity to different things. I can't stand strong perfume or scented candles. Smell of cigars does not bother me.

We don't smoke in our 37 year old trailer but I found a cigarette burn from some pervious owner so someone did. My sister who is touchy about smell of cigarette smoke has never commented on it smelling like smoke which I'm sure she would have if it had a detectable odor.

If someone says it is non-smoking owner and no pets it probably is at least during their ownership. If you are truly allergic (as in physical reaction that responds to ant-histamine drugs) it is on you to dig into the details you need to know. The feather pillows and/or sanitizer used on them in motels causes my eyes to become blood shot and gummed up with eye boogers, my nose to run and my sinuses to fill up like the soo locks. Guess who has the responsibility make sure those are not feather pillows on the bed?