Automatic deal killers...

[Ranger]

Reason I chose Fiberglass Eggy:

1) Best full-time permanent living space with best tow vehicle options.

I wanted a non-truck tow vehicle so I wasn't stuck with a gas-guzzler all the time, and that pretty much limited my options to a "light" trailer: pop-up or a fiberglass. As this is my home, not just a camp-out temporary thing, I wanted real walls. And the fiberglass model is tall enough I can stand up in it and move around normally. (Unlike the "teardrop" shape ones)

2) Small size = it can fit just about anywhere. I don't need to find "Large Rig" parking. Just about anywhere a normal automobile can go, the Casita can go. I don't need to worry about low bridges, or weight restrictions. (well, at least no place I've been...)

Of course the size restriction is the best thing and also the worst thing. If you live in a Casita full-time you adopt a Buddhist-like "anti-materialistic" policy pretty much by force. There's just not room for much - so what you have with you is highly limited, and carefully chosen.

My tow-vehicle is also my closet... whatever I need to have with me that won't fit in the Casita goes in the back of the SUV. (Out-of-season clothes, for example)

[Frederick L. Simson]

A big dilemma here is categorizing discussions to fit our pre-conceived labels. This initially was a request for advice, but ultimately the underlying theme is that this will be a fulltime home, which may justify Steve's concern beyond what most of us consider. I find this stimulating. I learn more from people I initially disagree with.

[Carol H]

The real deal breaker for me would be a rotten floor. Having pulled windows and fans to reseal and having replace rivets & outside vents connections etc as part of the trailers regular maintence I know they are pretty easy to do on my own. The floor on the other hand would mean wood work! something I know I dont have the skills for! :-) I have wanted to have a custom shelf built since the day I purchased the trailer and I have recently decided to take it to a local FG trailer manfucture to have it made and installed. Thats how how little faith I have in my skills to do wood work!

Electrical issues could also scare me off -depending on how bad the situation is as it may mean pulling out a lot of stuff to get it rewired. I am chicken when it comes to electrical - just upgrading the tail lights to LED was scary enough for me. :-) A bad axel use to be on my no deal list as well but since having found out about a place close by that would do an axle change at a reasonable price the thought of having to do that no longer gives me a big chill.

[Rene]

Deal breakers: Missing, removed or broken refrigerator, furnace, stove, toilet, table or bed. Rotten floor or ruined ensolite . Broken door.

[RogerDat]

This one is easy for me, take a long careful look at the frame. A frame with cracked welds or worse patches would scare me off pretty quick. While I'm under there I might as well inspect the floor from the outside.

I think patches are worse because they hide the real situation and the seller probably figures it's fixed and would be unwilling to discount the price. Very few people I would trust to do a frame repair on a lite weight trailer frame. I weld fairly decent and I'm not on the list, I want one of those cranky Swell Old Boys that can take a coat hanger and some flux and weld up a gas tank.

Evidence of water damage to floor while not a deal breaker does warrant a through but non-destructive examination to discover the extent. I have nothing but admiration for those folks who replace 1/3 or more of the floor and rescue a classic egg. I just don't want to do it. I would consult with the owner about using tip of my pocket knife, held so my finger is a stop and work from good wood toward the damage. A small wood patch (say the size of my hand) with some gorrilla glue and fiberglass I would do, not much more.

FG repair would be expensive due to the cost of painting. Probably no go for me beyond minor repairs.

Hardware, cleaning, appliances and electrical condition are all just negotiating factors in the price. I know it will cost more than I think and be more hassle than anticipated. But if it's basically sound and the price takes these factors into account I'm still interested.

I don't mind a little sweat equity, if I can purchase at a price that will allow me to invest my time and get something really nice while not messing with the budget to repair and only annoying the wife a modest amount..... it's a possibility.

[rabbit]

Guess things were different in Montana? So Steve has gone off to the pigeonhole arranged for him (or not) and here we are again. Roger's desideratum of desirable trailers as "basically sound" sums up the argument for me. It's true that a seller's market moves some units into that category that wouldn't be there in a buyer's market. This is exactly why a buyer "needs a thousand eyes" when inspecting rather than a bag of tools. A buyer also needs the cool-headed ability to appraise the "probability" that the unit is "basically" sound. A window leak is a window leak. How long, how much, and where it went is the question. Trailer sitting in a field covered by lichen, door ajar, no wheels, drums up on concrete blocks, smells like rot, last occupants chickens and mice. Does the buyer need an awl, prybar, screwdriver, and hammer? Or the self-control to go down the road in a hurry? Everyone who ever dickered for pre-owned goods is looking for a percentage of "acceptable" condition for a percentage of what the market will bear. If you, however experienced or green, make a s.w.a.g. that the prospect du jour is at about 80% condition and functionality for the observed "average" market price, you have at least a chance of not regretting your choice so much you want to kick yourself. Go much below 80% on the former and much beyond 125% on the latter and you increase your chances of getting into a self-imposed and non-cost effective "grit your teeth and gut it" rebuild.

It would be wonderful if all sellers felt obligated to make full disclosure of shortcomings, defects, damage, and non functioning systems and components. Some will; some won't. Due diligence is not just about not taking the seller's word; it's also about not substituting the longings of your heart for the evidence of your senses.

jack

[imbabyh]

OK, call me crazy......but i would never buy a house without an inspection, a car/motorcycle/atv without test driving it, used car would get my mechanics approval, why would i treat a rv/travel trailer/camper any differently? Unless of course it was in total disarray and I knew I was gonna remodel......like my PP?

[rabbit]

So you treated the transaction on the Play Pac "differently"? Why? Because the price was right? You'd never except in cases where you would. You're not crazy; you're exactly like the rest of us.

jack

[David Tilston]

My $1300 Trillium did not pass most of my tests, but it was so cheep! I am thinking that the after market frame should have been where I walked away, but I was looking for something to try out fibreglass repair on. The main reason that I bought it was that all the floors were good, no rot.

Still looking for a frame though.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by imbabyh

OK, call me crazy......but i would never buy a house without an inspection, a car/motorcycle/atv without test driving it, used car would get my mechanics approval, why would i treat a rv/travel trailer/camper any differently? Unless of course it was in total disarray and I knew I was gonna remodel......like my PP?

It all depends on the market. When there are bidding wars on a house, an inspection will normally be done by the seller, if the buyer does not like it,they walk. If you want to buy my Harley, I'll start it for you, show you my receipts, but you are not going to ride it until you buy it. Same for some sport cars. For a rv, it can depend on your past experience, you may feel comfortable in feeling you are knowledgeable enough to make the decision. If you are not, bring a friend who is. RV inspections, in season can take weeks to schedule. As a seller, it should normally already have been inspected, if it was required to have been. It all depends....

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

If you want to buy my Harley, I'll start it for you, show you my receipts, but you are not going to ride it until you buy it.

Allstate Mayhem Test Drive 2011 Commercial - YouTube

How hard could this be?

[imbabyh]

My point was that for me personally....i wouldnt walk in with a hammer, screwdriver, etc. to inspect an item that was priced to sell. If the price is low there are going to be issues. If the price was high enough that I felt the need to do those thing I would let a professional do it. I also believe that if a seller wont let you test drive their used car/motorcycle etc.....their nuts and probably have something to hide. As for my play pac....yes the situation was different I probably wouldnt have paid one red penny for it......(check out my before pics) but it was free.....someone gave it to us just to get it out of their driveway. She is now worth every penny I have put into fixin her up and then some.

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by rabbit

.... You're not crazy; you're exactly like the rest of us.
jack

Ummm how does being like the rest of us prove sanity? Me thinks maybe it's proof of just the opposite. When it comes to campers,towing and camping I think we are all a little.... dare I say batty?

[Terry G]

To return to the question posed at the start of the thread, my major deal killer would be a seller refusing to let me do a through inspection or trying to rush me into making a decision. I had that situation when I bought my Casita. The seller was always rushed, saying he had to pick up his kids or go to work. There were quite a few dodgy things that he managed to get past a newbie that I'm sure I'd notice now. Ah, live and learn. (Of course I got a measure of revenge when I was removing one of the back benches and found an envelope with a $100 in it. True story!)

I'm sure we've all been in the situation where we're looking at a car and the salesman says some nonsense like: "Well, I've got somebody else looking at it and they're going to be here any minute." Now that I'm older and wiser, I tell the sales guy to go ahead and sell it to them. That usually shuts them up.

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by Terry G

To return to the question posed at the start of the thread, my major deal killer would be a seller refusing to let me do a through inspection or trying to rush me into making a decision.....

Yeah plus one on that. Pushing to close the deal and the seller having excuses for why there is not time to let me inspect or have things inspected have been the signs of a bad deal often enough in my life they set off warning bells for me too.

[Bob Miller]

Again, back to the original question: "Red Flags"
The newest one I have been exposed to is the seller that, just to let a potential buyer think he had better buy quick, keeps getting calls on his cell phone from more would be buyers. Most often that "Buyer" is the spouse or a friend set up to call on cue.
Second Red Flag is the line: "We never used the (insert name of appliance or system) but it was working when we bought it." Of course the lp tank is empty or the battery is dead etc.
Third on my list: "I am selling this for my (insert relatives title)". Translated: We just got this POC and are trying to Dump/Flip it before it dies in the driveway.
And Last: The seller than claims to have owned it and used it for years, but doesn't remember where anything is located or how it works.
And all of those are without an inspection.