Hi-
I just bought a 13'
scamp. I think first you will have to decide how much fixing you want to do - if you want one you can immediately take on the road you will have to invest some money (around $5000 for a basic 10 year old without flaws would be a very good price)- and maybe you should consider a new one - their prices are quite stable.
Things I saw several times:
Rotten spots in the floor- mostly from leaking
windows: Bring a screwdriver or small fashlight and knock with the handle on all areas of the floor from below (take your time this is important) see if the sound changes and gets soft in some spots indicating rot. If the rotten area is small you can fix it but if it is larger you will need a new floor - which is a major fix and will require several weeks of work. Mostly there is more rot on the inside than you can detect from underneath, scratch on the wood to see how big the area is. Next you will have to find out were the water came from- if it is from a screwed in window the fix is relatively easy - but harder from one which has only a gasket (like most front windows). Sometimes it is just dirt in the
windows drains. The rotten areas I found were either under the side
windows or under the
fridge.
Is there a damp smell in the camper - indicating a leak (and rot)? How is the smell inside the cabinets? Are there critters - and damage from them?
Are the cushions in good shape and firm, you will sleep on them so soft, dirty, smelly cushions are not good (a new set is $525, the covers are $290).
Look if the rivets still have intact seals- this is an easy fix.
Is there rust on the metal parts- do they have to be replaced, painted?
What is the age of the
tires (there is a code to find that out) - they should be replaced every 6-10 years. New
tires with rims are $100-150.
Don't forget to see if the
axle is sagging- look at some pictures here of newer scamps (or at scamptrailers.com)- if the
tires disappear in the wheel house the
axle is worn. Axles are not to expensive to replace.
Does the seller try to cover up flaws? Are all the windows open when you arrive at the camper (to get the rotten smell out), are the tires covered with tire shine? Was the camper not used for the last years- often that means that it was not looked at at in the last years, too and
leaks went undetected causing major damage. Was it parked under a roof or in the open most of its live?
Will you need a
title to register it and does the owner have a
title? If you do not need a
title does it have a certificate of origin- if you ever sell it this will be required in some states to apply for a title (and drastically can increase the resell value).
Before buying I tried to get an idea how much time for fixes will be require (mostly by reading posts here), and if they can be done (have a look at the spare part list at scamptrailer.com). I did not find the checklist to useful I rather tried to calculate how long it will take me to get a camper ready to use- from that I estimated the price I am wiling to pay.
.
Scamp 13'
Linear Mode
