Buying a 1996 Scamp 13 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 06-09-2020, 08:20 AM   #1
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Name: Stephen
Trailer: Scamp
Colorado
Posts: 7
Buying a 1996 Scamp 13

Hi. I’m new to the site and to owning an RV. I’m about to look at a 1996 Scamp 13 with bathroom. The ad says it’s in excellent condition. Price seems good at just over $5k. Any advice on what to look for in this vintage Scamp? I’ve been reading about checking for fiberglass cracks and water damage. Is buying an older Scamp a bad idea for a newbie? How hard would it be to upgrade the appliances if necessary, like the fridge or fan? Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!
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Old 06-09-2020, 08:22 AM   #2
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp
Posts: 1,773
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Originally Posted by stepheninden View Post
Hi. I’m new to the site and to owning an RV. I’m about to look at a 1996 Scamp 13 with bathroom. The ad says it’s in excellent condition. Price seems good at just over $5k. Any advice on what to look for in this vintage Scamp? I’ve been reading about checking for fiberglass cracks and water damage. Is buying an older Scamp a bad idea for a newbie? How hard would it be to upgrade the appliances if necessary, like the fridge or fan? Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks!


Look in the document section
I believe there is a document you can download on what to look for in buying a trailer...good luck
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Old 06-09-2020, 08:26 AM   #3
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp
Posts: 1,773
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Originally Posted by alan H View Post
Look in the document section
I believe there is a document you can download on what to look for in buying a trailer...good luck


This might help

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/buy-sell.html
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Old 06-09-2020, 08:34 AM   #4
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp
Posts: 1,773
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Originally Posted by alan H View Post


FYI
I’m in Colorado ( lone tree to be specific)
I’ve owned 2 scamp 1 casita
And now have a little joe ( mfg Weiscraft)... if I can help let me know
Since I’m not in the market... and want someone to look over the ads pictures shoot me an email
Cahartz@hotmail.com
And I’ll look it over
Yes the price sounds good here are my tips
1- refrigerators take a long time to cool down ( on all TVs)... so have the owner turn that on in advance of your checking it out
2- look for soft spots in floor... leaking windows/vents are always a concern
3- trailer tires should be replaced at least every 5 yrs( if the owner says they are good check them carefully ( there are mfg yrs on them.. google how to interpret)
Lastly if you have been looking for awhile... you already know they don’t last long so be prepared to move quickly
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Old 06-09-2020, 08:57 AM   #5
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Name: Stephen
Trailer: Scamp
Colorado
Posts: 7
Thanks Alan. Very helpful. I may take you up on your offer to look at photos after I hear back from the seller. I’ve already had a Casita and Scamp disappear on me while I was thinking about it, so ready now to jump on it once I get more details : )
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Old 06-09-2020, 08:57 AM   #6
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp
Posts: 1,773
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Originally Posted by alan H View Post
FYI
I’m in Colorado ( lone tree to be specific)
I’ve owned 2 scamp 1 casita
And now have a little joe ( mfg Weiscraft)... if I can help let me know
Since I’m not in the market... and want someone to look over the ads pictures shoot me an email
Cahartz@hotmail.com
And I’ll look it over
Yes the price sounds good here are my tips
1- refrigerators take a long time to cool down ( on all TVs)... so have the owner turn that on in advance of your checking it out
2- look for soft spots in floor... leaking windows/vents are always a concern
3- trailer tires should be replaced at least every 5 yrs( if the owner says they are good check them carefully ( there are mfg yrs on them.. google how to interpret)
Lastly if you have been looking for awhile... you already know they don’t last long so be prepared to move quickly


Lastly ( ya right... can you tell I’m into these little trailers)
Check to see if it had breaks- and if it is a 4 or 7 wire plug... that way you will at least have lights
And be sure your tow vehicle is capable of towing this
DO NoT Believe... what the owner says is weight.... I believe someone had posted a spreadsheet ( I’ll post it if I can find it)... that gives accurate weights for trailer and tongue...something else to make sure your tow vehicle can handle
FYI.... what will you be towing with ??

https://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/...rld-43010.html
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Old 06-09-2020, 09:03 AM   #7
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Name: Stephen
Trailer: Scamp
Colorado
Posts: 7
TV is a V6 Toyota RAV4. We’ve rented and towed teardrops before and didn’t even feel them, so expecting this to not be very different and about the same length. Does that seem right? If it doesn’t have brakes, I was going to go ahead and have the axle replaced and add brakes all at once.
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Old 06-09-2020, 09:09 AM   #8
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp
Posts: 1,773
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Originally Posted by stepheninden View Post
TV is a V6 Toyota RAV4. We’ve rented and towed teardrops before and didn’t even feel them, so expecting this to not be very different and about the same length. Does that seem right?


Yes and no
The 13’ scamps with bath/shower are quite a bit heavier than one without shower
For that size tow vehicle I definitely would make sure it has breaks ( they all do not have them)
Check your manual on your vehicle to see what the tow spec say about trailer weight and tongue weights
Also do you have a tow pkg on your vey( transmission cooler etc)

Where are you located
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Old 06-09-2020, 09:21 AM   #9
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Name: Stephen
Trailer: Scamp
Colorado
Posts: 7
Thanks. I’ll look the specs up. We don’t have the tow package. Definitely planning to put brakes on if it doesn’t have them. I’m in Denver but the Scamp is in California near my sister. We were going to buy one and visit her (avoiding flying because of the virus) but if this works out, looks like we’ll drive out and bring it back with us.
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Old 06-09-2020, 09:33 AM   #10
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp
Posts: 1,773
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Originally Posted by alan H View Post
Yes and no
The 13’ scamps with bath/shower are quite a bit heavier than one without shower
For that size tow vehicle I definitely would make sure it has breaks ( they all do not have them)
Check your manual on your vehicle to see what the tow spec say about trailer weight and tongue weights
Also do you have a tow pkg on your vey( transmission cooler etc)

Where are you located


That’s funny
We moved here from so California
In 2017... sold our casita
Got here settled in and then bought a little joe trailer ( made in bright)....you guessed it drove to Sacramento Calif in winter to get it
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Old 06-09-2020, 09:43 AM   #11
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Name: Stephen
Trailer: Scamp
Colorado
Posts: 7
Hah!! Small world. Just looked up our towing capacity and it’s 3500 lbs. So, seems like I’m good there.
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Old 06-09-2020, 09:55 AM   #12
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp
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Originally Posted by stepheninden View Post
Hah!! Small world. Just looked up our towing capacity and it’s 3500 lbs. So, seems like I’m good there.


Great
Hope it works out for you
Let me know if you want some places to camp in California... as we lived there for 35 yrs
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Old 06-09-2020, 09:57 AM   #13
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp
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Originally Posted by alan H View Post
Great
Hope it works out for you
Let me know if you want some places to camp in California... as we lived there for 35 yrs


FYI
Is it the one listed in Santa Rosa that does look nice[emoji106]
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Old 06-09-2020, 10:17 AM   #14
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp
Posts: 1,773
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Originally Posted by stepheninden View Post
Hah!! Small world. Just looked up our towing capacity and it’s 3500 lbs. So, seems like I’m good there.


If it is the one in Santa Rosa that looks nice
If you want some places to camp in California let me know as we lived there 35 yrs
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Old 06-09-2020, 11:56 AM   #15
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Name: Stephen
Trailer: Scamp
Colorado
Posts: 7
It is the SR one. Still haven’t gotten a reply, so maybe it’s already sold. Fingers crossed.
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Old 06-09-2020, 05:42 PM   #16
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp
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Originally Posted by stepheninden View Post
It is the SR one. Still haven’t gotten a reply, so maybe it’s already sold. Fingers crossed.


Not sure if you ever heard back but here is another scamp w/o bathroom ( much more room in my opinion and you don’t have to make bed up all the time
We left our bed in back always configured for sleeping and I made a small dinette in front ... also much lighter

https://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/...900-concord-ca
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Old 06-09-2020, 06:31 PM   #17
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Name: Stephen
Trailer: Scamp
Colorado
Posts: 7
Unfortunately wasn’t fast enough to get the SR Scamp. We’re attached to having a bathroom but thanks for keeping an eye out. The search continues!
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Old 06-10-2020, 06:20 AM   #18
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Name: bill
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
The Mountains of North Carolina
Posts: 4,137
Registry
Yes, $5K for a Scamp 13 of that era with a bathroom was cheap. Someone likely pounced on it.

If you are looking for a deal, you have to be ready to launch, as your competition (other buyers) will be ready too.

The first thing I would look at on a Scamp is the floor. Crawl UNDER the trailer and look up at the floor. Then test above for soft spots. Floor rot can be fixed, but read some threads on that topic to decide if you want to go through that process.

Typically I would not expect to see a Scamp 13 with a bathroom at that price, unless it was a big project. I would have guessed more like $8K or more in very good condition. Check out the sold listings on the fiberglass for sale web site to get a feel for value.

Molded FG trailers priced under market sell super fast. We priced our Casita below market just to move it. Sold in less than 4 hours, and I live in the middle of nowhere.

Finding a used 13 footer with a bathroom will be challenging. Sorry you missed this one.
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