Hi, I'm Stephanie! New here.

[thestephfisher]

Hello everyone! I'm new here and in the market for something like a 13' Scamp. We have a Subaru Outback and pretty sure we can't tow anything bigger/heavier.

I've seen many 13' Scamps come up for sale on Craigslist and another site that I monitor, in the past couple of weeks. One just came up for sale in Madison, WI today. That's 6.5 hours away. I'm wondering how far you all have driven to buy a used trailer, and if you have any tips for a good transaction. I'm willing to drive and pay cash, but I want to be smart. Also, is this a good time of year for used trailers? There seem to be new ones listed every day, but I wonder if that slows down in winter or if prices get higher when the weather gets warmer.

Any advice is helpful! There's so much information on this website and I've been going through some of the threads, so helpful! Thanks all.

[David Tilston]

Welcome Stephanie!

There are several trailers in the 13' length. Trillium, Scamp, Boler, and several other less well known brands. There are actually even smaller trailers, like Compact, Hunter, Havasu, and Ventura.

This time of year you will likely find the best prices, but less selection.

Best of luck. It can be a bit of a challenge finding your perfect trailer. That being said, I have found six of them.

One of the six was 30 hrs away. Its a long story.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by thestephfisher

Hello everyone! I'm new here and in the market for something like a 13' Scamp. We have a Subaru Outback and pretty sure we can't tow anything bigger/heavier.

I've seen many 13' Scamps come up for sale on Craigslist and another site that I monitor, in the past couple of weeks. One just came up for sale in Madison, WI today. That's 6.5 hours away. I'm wondering how far you all have driven to buy a used trailer, and if you have any tips for a good transaction. I'm willing to drive and pay cash, but I want to be smart. Also, is this a good time of year for used trailers? There seem to be new ones listed every day, but I wonder if that slows down in winter or if prices get higher when the weather gets warmer.

Any advice is helpful! There's so much information on this website and I've been going through some of the threads, so helpful! Thanks all.

Welcome to the group. Some people have driven from one side of the country to the other to buy an egg. Some have had them shipped. I thought I would be going to a neighboring state also but after a year what I was looking for came up only 80 miles away. Good rigs don't last long, some times only hours from being posted. Seems I've read here that now is the start time to buy and $ are less. I'm in So Cal and I don't see much difference to $ as the weather is good for all year camping. Others will chime in with more info soon. What does your car manual tell you of your Subys tow ratings? Any weight info from ANY builders web site is way light....by a lot. There is a thread here of "Real world trailer weights" that has a spread sheet of a number of eggs that were weighed coming in to some rallies. Those numbers are "loaded & road ready" real life weights. Kind of an eye opener for folks new to RVing. There is also a "buyers check list" here of things to check when looking at rigs. One big thing is to make sure there is a clear title in the sellers name. When I bought mine I had $500 cash with me, when we struck the deal I gave them the money, got a signed receipt for that and the balance due. Drove a few miles to my bank and pulled the rest and finished the sale. You also should make sure the tires aren't over 5 years old if your going to be pulling it over a long distance. Tires, bearings and your electrical hook up are going to be the first thing on your list. Good luck on your search.

[David B.]

Welcome to the forum. Many have traveled the distance that you have stated. I once traveled 4 hours for a 13' Scamp, 9 hours one way for our tow vehicle, and 4 days one way for our Lil Snoozy, so it really depends on how badly you want something. I have read where some have looked for a couple of years to get theirs.
Dave & Paula

[john z]

Welcome Steph I just traveled to Minasota to buy a 16' scamp 1978 I think it was well worth it we are from mi Detroit area.good luck,have fun John Z

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by thestephfisher

Hello everyone! I'm new here and in the market for something like a 13' Scamp. We have a Subaru Outback and pretty sure we can't tow anything bigger/heavier.

I've seen many 13' Scamps come up for sale on Craigslist and another site that I monitor, in the past couple of weeks. One just came up for sale in Madison, WI today. That's 6.5 hours away. I'm wondering how far you all have driven to buy a used trailer, and if you have any tips for a good transaction. I'm willing to drive and pay cash, but I want to be smart. Also, is this a good time of year for used trailers? There seem to be new ones listed every day, but I wonder if that slows down in winter or if prices get higher when the weather gets warmer.

Any advice is helpful! There's so much information on this website and I've been going through some of the threads, so helpful! Thanks all.

WOW, I'm surprised that you have seen "Many" Scamps on Craigslist in your area, usually one or two at a time in all five SoCal Craigslist's is considered a good day. That said, beware of scammers. FGRV's are one of their favorite products because of high demand and low supply. We see lots of scams on them out here all the time. If it sounds to good to be true, it usually is....

As far as how far to travel, 300-500 miles isn't uncommon, and I was recently within a few hundred dollars of buying one I was standing in at the time, it was 1200 miles from home and I didn't even have my tow vehicle with me.

I did once reach a verbal agreement with a seller at 8 AM, to drive 325 miles to buy and be there by 5 PM. At 4 PM, when I was but 10 minutes away, they called and had sold it out from under us.

Almost all transactions with private sellers are done in cash. If possible, make the transaction in s "Safe" place such as your bank or the local P.D. station. And be sure that all the papers are current and in order before leaving home. Titles in previous owners names, outdated registration, missing titles etc. are all to be avoided. Most P.D's. are happy to help when a long distance Craigslist transaction is going down and cash is involved.

In most areas prices will drop in the colder weather, as will the number of available rigs. They seem to bottom out in January and take off again as soon as the snow disappears in about April and summer can be seen. In some areas there can be as much as a 50% difference between high and low season, usually because low season sellers have a greater need to sell, and there are fewer buyers looking.

[Flyboyscamp]

We live in St. Charles MO, west of St. Louis. We drove to Charleston, WV for,our Scamp! It was worth it, we got a peach !

[Kai in Seattle]

Welcome, and good luck. Be aware the condition of vintage trailers can vary considerably...best to look closely at a number of them nearby before going 6.5 hours away "hoping" it'll be "right." High price doesn't always mean premium quality. Low price doesn't always mean gut and rebuild. Seller's promises don't always mean what they sound like--written descriptions can't be a substitute for very careful inspection. That said, there are some companies you can hire for as little as $69 that will go to the rig and inspect it for you and send you a report...I've seen them online lately, but didn't note their web address. In any case, print out the buyers' guide from this site, and follow it as if it really matters, because it does.


Again, good luck, and happy shopping and camping when you do find the right egg.

[emij]

We live in the Denver area and drove to Hatch, New Mexico to get ours...nine hours one way. Totally worth it. My husband took the buyers guide from this site and spent three hours going through the camper, checking items off of the list and making notes to ask about. We were lucky as ours was on consignment at an RV dealer down there, and they let us put down a deposit to hold it until we could get there.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by thestephfisher

is this a good time of year for used trailers? There seem to be new ones listed every day, but I wonder if that slows down in winter or if prices get higher when the weather gets warmer.

.

Yes to both questions.... when weather warms up so does the pricing and the more folks you are going to be trying to bet out of getting the trailer.

[tractors1]

After almost year of searching for Casita 17 ft Liberty Deluxe and missing them by days, one popped up and the same day it was posted I called the owner and made arrangments to inspect it. On a plane the next day from Portland, to Denver - he picked me up, I liked it, and we did a wire transfer at this bank and signed the paperwork. Flew home same day and arranged to have it shipped over the Rockies in the dead of winter through a blizzard for less $ than it would have cost me to go get it and drag it home. Where there is a will, there is a way!

[thestephfisher]

Originally Posted by Bob Miller

WOW, I'm surprised that you have seen "Many" Scamps on Craigslist in your area, usually one or two at a time in all five SoCal Craigslist's is considered a good day. That said, beware of scammers. FGRV's are one of their favorite products because of high demand and low supply. We see lots of scams on them out here all the time. If it sounds to good to be true, it usually is....

Almost all transactions with private sellers are done in cash. If possible, make the transaction in s "Safe" place such as your bank or the local P.D. station. And be sure that all the papers are current and in order before leaving home. Titles in previous owners names, outdated registration, missing titles etc. are all to be avoided. Most P.D's. are happy to help when a long distance Craigslist transaction is going down and cash is involved.

Thank you, Bob and everyone else. I appreciate your responses! I haven't necessarily seen "many" Scamps for sale in my area necessarily, just in neighboring states (5-6+ hour drives). I'm in Indiana and I've seen a few pop up here and there in the midwest and south, which isn't that far. I've defintely avoided a couple that seemed too good to be true or smelled scammy, so thanks for the warning!

Great tips so far! Our plan is to take a month-long trip out West in June, and I would like to have something well before we head out. Keeping my fingers crossed and my eyes peeled.

[Mary F]

Hi, Stephanie. Welcome to FiberglassRV.com! You might want to become familiar with our Buyer's checklist. And, good luck with your search!