Looking for a cheap egg

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by LurkerDan

WHere do I find the VIN # on the trailer? The title I have has a vin but very little info otherwise, I'd like to confirm on the trailer.

It might be on a small plate or sticker on the tongue of the trailer or it is sometimes stamped into the metal.

Dan if the previous owner did not change the windows then there really is no way that trailer could be a 73 as the windows were very very different then.

[Greg H]

I'm with Carol, that looks newer than a 73. It's the windows.

[Carol H]

Dan if you can post a photo of the inside as that may also give us a hint as to the year.

[LurkerDan]

[Brian Bran]

This is what the windows in a 73 would look like.Mine is a 76 but the windows were the same.

[Donna D.]

Rat fur? Dan are you sure it's a 1973, which should have ensolite (aka Elephant Skin)? Rat fur was put into Scamp mid-1987 on.

[Mary F]

Maybe it has new windows. New wall covering is a bigger job, but if the old windows leaked, maybe the wall covering is also a redo???

[Mary F]

I mean, that upholstery SCREAMS 1973!!

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Mary F

I mean, that upholstery SCREAMS 1973!!

It does at that!

[Highway68]

Judging by the look of the door the trailer frame is bent and/or broken curbside, a common problem with these trailers, it may just need to be straightened and re-welded, Roy in TO did a similar repair to his trailer if you can find his posts on the subject

[Highway68]

The problem is that because of the door opening the frame is weaker on the curbside and rough roads cause a twisting that weakens the frame, the right front corner drops and the fiberglass shell cracks above the door

[LurkerDan]

Yeah, that sounds like what has happened, I guess. No way do I have the skills, tools, or ability to fix it myself. Is there a "quick fix" that maybe sorta works and is cheaper/easire or is paying someone to fix it the right way easy/affordable?

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by Roger C H

Welcome,

Here is the link to the check list on this site:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/buy-sell.html

From another thread, comes the admonition to make sure the title is squeaky clean!

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...lem-45840.html

Otherwise, good luck in your hunt!

Hi, Dan

PLEASE TELL US YOU TOOK THE ABOVE VERY EXCELLENT ADVICE!!!
There is no way the Scamp in the picture is a 1973.
If that's what it says on your title, the title does NOT belong to this trailer.
I hope you're close enough to the seller to make him/her accompany you to the DMV for the title transfer to answer their inevitable questions!

Francesca

[LurkerDan]

Francesca, I don't have the title here -- it's at my office -- and I don't remember. I remember that the title had hardly any info on it, it was for a trailer but wasn't detailed like a car title is, but it was in his name and he signed it over to me. I thought I was following the advice from here.

[Francesca Knowles]

Hoo- boy!

Well, let's hope when you look at the title tomorrow there's a "9" or even an "8" where you think the "7" is!
And that you can find the VIN #
Are there licence plates that match the title/registration?
I almost hate to ask, but- is it an out of state title?

Francesca

[Francesca Knowles]

Hi, Dan
FYI:
Re: Location of VIN#

(The following is from a 2007 thread re. bad title : I think "on top" means "on top of the tongue")

08-02-2007, 12:05 PM #5
Pete Dumbleton
Senior Member
Trailer: Scamp
Washington
Posts: 3,072

In case you don't already know it, Scamp puts the VIN number on the sticker inside the the A-frame on the curb side and also stamps the VIN into the metal on top, about a foot behind the edge of the coupler. You may have to remove some paint to see it, but first try shining a bright light across that area for contrast.

[LurkerDan]

Ok, now I don't know what to do. Never having seen a trailer title, I didn't really question the title given to me. It was a real trailer title, it had the guy's name on it, and he signed it over to me. It didn't say "Scamp" on it, and I did question him about that (I was trying to listen to the advice from here!), but he said something along the lines of "I know, I thought that was weird too, but this is what I got" or something like that. Seemed like an honest guy, and I knew nothing. And I had no idea where the vin was on the camper so had nothing to check by anyhow.

Well, after some investigation, I found the VIN (hard to read, but still barely visible stamp in the metal), and the "1973" camper he sold me is actually a 1991 (score, I guess), based on info from here (link to the scamp vin decoder site). And of course the VIN doesn't match the title (the VIN on the title is only 12 digits, the VIN on the scamp is 17, and the numbers don't match at all). And looking at the title now, I see that it says "HMD" under "Make" which I now assume to mean "homemade". It also says "CT" for "Body", don't know if that means camper trailer or not, don't know what kind of body style CT is (will try to call the DMV this morning about that). The title does have the correct weight (CWT) as 10, as near as I can tell (I think CWT is hundred weight, and the camper weighs about 1000 pounds).

So what do I do? Alternatives:
1) Take the title to the DMV and get it registered/plated. The title seems to be in order, and it's in state so there's no required VIN check. So presumably, I could have a trailer title and a license plate. Possible issues with this: they don't let me for some reason, I have issues selling it down the road?
2) Try to contact the seller and return the trailer. Possible issues with this: he refuses (also, an issue is that I won't have a camper).

Obviously, the guy may or may not have been honest with me, but he did seem quite honest. Don't know why he'd advertise a 1991 camper as a 1973 if he was scamming me, I suspect he didn't know what he got and maybe that title is what he was given and he registered it and never questioned it. Dunno.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by LurkerDan

So what do I do? Alternatives:
1) Take the title to the DMV and get it registered/plated. The title seems to be in order, and it's in state so there's no required VIN check. So presumably, I could have a trailer title and a license plate. Possible issues with this: they don't let me for some reason, I have issues selling it down the road?
2) Try to contact the seller and return the trailer. Possible issues with this: he refuses (also, an issue is that I won't have a camper).

Hi, Dan

This probably isn't what you want to hear, but...

3)The responsible alternative: Go to your DMV and report the situation exactly as it is.
They'll do a VIN search and determine whether or not you're in possession of a stolen trailer, which you very well may be.
If it isn't in the database as stolen, they'll tell you what to do next.
You may find Lizbeth's experience in a similar situation useful. It's post#42 http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...n-45971-3.html

Good Luck!

Francesca

[LurkerDan]

Thanks Francesca, I didn't want to hear that but I took a deep breath and followed your advice, I called the DMV and asked them about all this. Funny thing is they seemed uninterested in the VIN of the trailer. I told her the story, I read her the info off of the title the guy gave me, and she said that is how they did it. It didn't make a lot of sense to me, but she said that if the trailer was brought in and they couldn't find the VIN (understandable given how difficult it is to see/find), they would just assign it a VIN number as a homemade trailer and give it the year that it was titled. She said that I was good to go. I tried to give her the real VIN to check it out, but she didn't want it.

So I feel relieved now.

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by LurkerDan

she said that if the trailer was brought in and they couldn't find the VIN (understandable given how difficult it is to see/find), they would just assign it a VIN number as a homemade trailer and give it the year that it was titled. She said that I was good to go. I tried to give her the real VIN to check it out, but she didn't want it.

So I feel relieved now.

WHEW!
Except...
If that's what happened, how is it possible that the Title you have in hand has a 1970's date on it?
That doesn't make sense to me...

Francesca