SOLD: 1981 Scamp in Nevada, Best Offer

[Dawn Nelson]

1981 Scamp Trailer. The trailer has no Title. I do have bills of sale from two previous owners. The trailer also has no VIN. The VIN on older Scamp trailers used to be lightly stamped on the outside of the trailer's tongue. This surface has corroded over the years, and no VIN is visible.

Many states enable folks to register older trailers such as these, even with no Title and no VIN. I bought the trailer several years ago, assuming that I would be able to register and title it in Nevada. The trailer was in rough shape, and while trying to work out the registration details, I put a fair amount of restoration work into it. The major repairs were:

- painted the interior (except for the the door)
- had the axle and undercarriage checked for any necessary repairs
- had the undercarriage insulated and sealed
- had all exterior metal sealed and painted
- installed a new skylight
- ensured the propane stove functions correctly


There's still some work left to do. Neither the closet, nor the space under the sink, has a door. There is no faucet, although there is a hose connection from the sink to the outside. There is no hardware to turn the bed back into a table. The large window next to the stove is currently covered with a piece of plexiglass. The original window is gone.


However, it has become clear that Nevada will not register the trailer, period, end of story.



So, I have no choice other than to sell it. I will accept the best offer. The trailer will need to be towed out of Nevada on a flatbed, because Nevada won't even issue a temporary move permit for it. Further, since it has sat in place for a few years now, I do not know if the tires are safe for regular towing.


Recent pictures attached.

[Greg H]

Parts,parts,parts what do you think you have to have for it?

[Dawn Nelson]

Hmm, I hadn't thought about it being a source of parts, though that makes a lot of sense. What would it be worth as parts? I don't know. I only know what I've sunk into it so far, which is, sadly, laughable. I know I won;t nearly make back what I spent on it. Make me an offer!

[Greg H]

Dawn, another thing you could try is registering it in S. Dakota, I read where they are real easy and a lot of full time rver's register in S.Dakota because the state is so easy to register in. Try to Google S.Dakota title, registration or DMV, you may not have to sell it after all.

[Dawn Nelson]

Thanks for the advice! I actually did something similar for a time, and had it registered under my folk's name, in Maine. It's a possibility, but, there are actually a few other things going on at the moment (call them "life"), which would make getting rid of the trailer now a good option. So, I thought I would see if there's any interest, for a decent price.

[deana56hiker]

Hi Dawn

I live in Reno and purchased a Boler in Canada about three years ago. Canada dies not have titles for their vehicles. It took me five trips to DMV but I was able to register my trailer.

Is your Scamp still available?

If so what have you tried to do to register it?

Thanks

Deana

[trailersearch]

What is the cab length and total length? Hard to tell in the photo. Also, .... what city in Nevada. Need to calculate the distance from my location.
Thanks, John

[trailersearch]

I forgot,... if you desire to call with the info ... my number is 805-405-5711
John

[Dawn Nelson]

Originally Posted by deana56hiker

Hi Dawn

If so what have you tried to do to register it?

Deana

Ok, so here's the saga, for anyone interested...

I had one looong trip to the DMV. I stood in several different lines, and talked to several folks, explaining in detail the history of the trailer, as best I knew it. Everyone seemed either uninterested, or perplexed, at what I was trying to do.

Eventually, they sent me to the folks who inspect vehicles for various purposes. I explained my story again. They searched all over the vehicle, top, bottom, underneath, everywhere, for any kind of identifying number, VIN or otherwise.

They eventually decided that I was telling the truth when I said that Scamp used to stamp the VIN on the trailer tongue, unfortunately, these stamps are known to have been light, and to be prone to wearing away.

So then, they got out the sandpaper, and started sanding off the paint, trying to find a VIN under the paint and rust. They sanded, and sanded, and sanded, here, there, other places. There was nothing, which was pretty obvious, because the whole thing was quite rusty.

As they were doing this, I asked whether or not there was any kind of provision for registering what was obviously NOT a stolen vehicle, but an old, rather well-used trailer. I said that I knew other states had a provision for registering home-made trailers, and that old trailers often were allowed to fall into that category as well.

The fellow looked at me like I was nuts, and said, "We have a provision for home made trailers, but this isn't a home made trailer." They sanded some more. Eventually, they gave up, and said that it was impossible to register my trailer in Nevada. And, once the temporary moving permit from Arizona (where I bought it) was up, it would be illegal for me to move the thing at all in the state, unless it was parked on a flatbed (assuming, of course, that the flatbed was itself registered!).
I left after many hours. My folks in Maine registered it there, sight unseen. I can actually keep doing that, but I know how strict Nevada is on folks who move here, and don't change their driver's license within 30 days. It's a hefty fine. After the complete unfriendliness and unwillingness to work with me at the DMV, I worry that there might be similar repercussions if I simply leave it registered in a different state.

There are other reasons why I want to get rid of the trailer, even though it makes a nice cozy alternative to a tent. The biggest issue is storage. My HOA has a storage area for trailers, but when I asked about using it, I was told, by none other than the HOA folks themselves, that most things stored there get vandalized. So, it's currently sitting at a friend's house who is kind enough to put it in his back yard, but that's not very fair. Plus, he lives on the other side of the valley, about 30 miles away, so it's not at all convenient.

The list goes on! I would rather just be done with this whole fiasco. As it turns out, I've been doing much less camping than I thought I would anyway.

So there you have it, the saga of my trailer. Thanks for listening.

[Dawn Nelson]

Originally Posted by trailersearch

What is the cab length and total length? Hard to tell in the photo. Also, .... what city in Nevada. Need to calculate the distance from my location.
Thanks, John

Hi John, It's the small, 13 foot trailer. I don't remember what the total length for those ones is... it's the standard length, in any event. There's nothing different about that.

I live in Henderson, close to Boulder City.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by deana56hiker

Hi Dawn

I live in Reno and purchased a Boler in Canada about three years ago. Canada dies not have titles for their vehicles. It took me five trips to DMV but I was able to register my trailer.

Actually in Canada or at least BC we do have to sign over ownership - we just dont call it Title we call it Owners Registration. Here in BC there is a form (often found attached to the orignal registration/insurance form) that has the registration information on it including make, model, year and VIN etc that must be signed by the current registered owner in order for the trailer/car to change owners and be registered to the new owner.

[trailersearch]

does this Scamp have [or had]
a bathroom / shower?

[Dawn Nelson]

Originally Posted by trailersearch

does this Scamp have [or had]
a bathroom / shower?

Nope, sorry. It has two small bunk beds at the front end, which turn into a couch, and there is storage space under the bunks.

There is a large bed at the back end. This large bed is normally able to be turned into a table with seats. I say "normally" because the metal plate which connected the table hardware to the side of the trailer is gone. I still have the "table leg" hardware, though, so it would be possible to re-create it. There is a lot of storage under here as well.

There's a narrow closet on one side, and the standard small sink on the other side. There is no fridge.

[Loren G. Hedahl]

Move the door from the side to the back, cut off the tongue and make a pickup camper out of it. Some states don't require a specific license for pickup campers.

Another option might be to use a boat trailer of appropriate size that is licensed. That is really no different than putting it, or an unlicensed car, on a licensed car trailer to move it from place to place.

(added)
Or how about towing it on a licensed tow dolly? It might be a real hoot to be able to use the steerage of a tow dolly to be able to get in to and out of extremely difficult places when needed.

[Greg H]

Those are good ideas, why didn't any of us think of that in the beginning? How about a inexpensive utility trailer? mount the egg to it and all is good.

[Peter Hansen]

Hi,
I am located in Sacramento and be willing to give you $1000 (after inspection).

Thanks,
Peter

[Dawn Nelson]

Originally Posted by Peter Hansen

Hi,
I am located in Sacramento and be willing to give you $1000 (after inspection).

Thanks,
Peter

Hi Peter,

I'm responding to you privately.

[Dawn Nelson]

Hi Folks,

I'm currently in negotiations to sell this trailer. I will post a message here when either
1) the sale is complete, and the trailer is gone, or
2) the sale didn't go through, and the trailer is still available.

[David Morgan]

Originally Posted by Dawn Nelson

Hi Folks,

I'm currently in negotiations to sell this trailer. I will post a message here when either
1) the sale is complete, and the trailer is gone, or
2) the sale didn't go through, and the trailer is still available.

PM Me and let me know if you still have it! I am interested even without the Title. And no I am not part it out!

Thank you!

[Dawn Nelson]

Well, supposedly, I can edit my older posts, but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to do it. So, I'm posting a reply, instead of editing the original message. Maybe a forum manager can do it for me.

The trailer has been sold. Thank you to everyone who expressed interest and advice, and best of luck to all of you still searching for a trailer to call your own.

Cheers,
Dawn