New at Scamping !

[Neck]

I'm new to this forum. I'm considering buying a new Scamp 13, but have not ruled out a used one. I spoke to Scamp and they told me a front bath model starts at $11500.00. After looking at the used ones, they seemed to be priced pretty high without the bath. I realize someone can ask whatever they want. Is this the case, or do they really hold there value ? There are a lot out there without the bath. My wife and I are both new to RVing and the only way she will go (to the bathroom ) LOL, is in the rv. I'm looking at ads of Scamp's that are a few years old and the asking almost what they go for new, without the bath. I would love any feedback. Like I said I'm new to this. Thanks

[David B.]

Neck, in 20 years we have owned two 13' Scamps (different floor plans), and neither had a bathroom. Some alternatives to an indoor bath is to have an outdoor enclosure for showering and a porta-potty. I had installed a kitchen faucet with a sprayer attachment, so it could be passed through the kitchen window to an enclosure, but we never used it that way, as we never got an enclosure. Here is a link to the one I was thinking of ordering. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/produ...=775717&ci_src It did work great to spray rinse hair when washing, and we did sponge baths.
Now that we are retired, we bought a Lil Snoozy with a bath & Shower.
Dave & Paula

[Bob Miller]

FWIW: We had a 13' SCAMP with a front bath and found that the bath took up so much room that, at least for us, it was uninhabitable and we sold it and replaced it with a 13' Lil'BigFoot which is almost the same as a 13' Scamp without the bath. Keep in mind that the bathroom is only used 5% of the time, but the space it takes up is used 100% of the time. Not a good trade off in our mind.

Best is to try to find examples of both in the used market and take a look first.

About prices.... The price that the factory quotes is without options and almost everything is optional. A 13' Scamp, with front bath, out the door, will be closer to $14,000/$15,000+ delivery etc. For that reason a used on with options will cost close to what a new one, bare bones, will cost.

Last question: What will you be towing with? The 13' Scamp w/bath gets a little heavy, esp in tongue weight.

We sold the 2002 13' Scamp w/bath, with a few updates and improvements, for just over $10k three summers ago.

[Jon in AZ]

My best recommendation is to get inside a few Scamps with different floor plans. There are at least 3 ways to do that: (1) find a rally in your area (most have a time scheduled for open house tours of trailers), (2) contact Scamp (they keep a file of current owners willing to demo their units for prospective customers), and (3) post a request on this forum and see if there are any active members near you willing to show you their trailers.

This is just my personal opinion (from someone who has never owned a bathroom on wheels)… If I were going to be traveling with more than one person and a bathroom was essential, I'd be shopping for a 16'er. My feeling is that a 13'er with a bathroom is too small for two, especially if I were going to be traveling extensively and in bad weather. I have seen some pretty nice 16'ers on the market recently for around $10-12K.

In answer to your other question, yes, I'd say fiberglass trailers do hold value fairly well, certainly better than traditional wood-construction RVs. Near-new units can go for almost new prices, but you have to remember the original owner may have had to pay shipping, taxes, and wait several months for delivery. There is some depreciation over the first few years as the trailer loses its shine and becomes broken-in. But after that, the value holds pretty steady and depends more on condition and location than age. The market has been pretty hot this year particularly. Whether it's a bubble or a longer-term trend is uncertain. Keeping a close eye on the different classified sites is a good way to get a feeling for prices.

[DrewSK]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

My best recommendation is to get inside a few Scamps with different floor plans. There are at least 3 ways to do that: (1) find a rally in your area (most have a time scheduled for open house tours of trailers), (2) contact Scamp (they keep a file of current owners willing to demo their units for prospective customers), and (3) post a request on this forum and see if there are any active members near you willing to show you their trailers.

Jon is right on about getting inside a few trailers. Being inside just 1 trailer will even impact your decision making process. I remember seeing the prices on trailers for the first time when I was shopping just a few short years ago. Now, as a trailer owner- I feel very comfortable that the value of my baby isn't going to drop off like a car's value will as long as I do a little TLC from time to time.