IF YOU ARE GONNA BUY MY OLD TOY HAULER,,2006 ADRENALINE

Congrats on getting into the sport and learning the hard way.With out the fear of not trying .:).Your kids will have good memories of all the experiances.

This is a long post, so be warned. After my initial post, there were some who misunderstood my intent.

We loved the trailer and want the next owner to love it too, not feel disappointed or ripped off.

The trailer was $50K in January 2006. The NADA is about 25K.

These are the look-fors that were our doing:

- Driver side rear. That’s where I learned about “tail swing”. It looks like they repaired it. Check the ladder support at the bottom (one had been ripped off completely) and that the side lights match the other side.
- Rear jack operation. That’s where I learned about “tail drag”. A come-along brought it back where it belonged but it was very difficult to operate.
- Rear steps operation. Very difficult thanks to a Toyota Yaris during the drive home through Portland during “snowmaggedon” a few years back. We called it the strength test.
- Damage under front bedroom. That’s where I learned about “high hitching” and dropped it on the bed of my old Chevy pick up.
- Outside shower. I improperly winterized the rig the first year and burst the seals. It wasn’t important to me so we shut it off.
- Hole in vapor door between garage and living area. Front bumper of my son’s quad when he came in hot.
- Front wall in garage. See above.
- Vent cover over loft bed. Low hanging tree branch. Oops.
- Awning. Both side supports no longer attached to the rails. We just barely got it in quick enough during a windstorm. We saved the awning, but snapped the supports at the bottom. The awning still functions just fine though.
- Under the dinette seats. On both sides, the support in the center is bent. You know how kids flop down on furniture? Well, its not so good when they get to be over 200 lbs. Nuff said.
- Screens. Courtesy of the dog.
- Closet rod in bedroom. Lesson learned: don’t put tons of heavy coats on it.
- Spark starter on the stove. Make sure it is functional. My older son somehow managed to break it off and it never worked right after.
- Fuse panel cover. Held on with duct tape. Middle son managed to accidently kick it with his boots and broke the tab that holds it on.
- Cord that hooks up to trailer. Scraped up and bound with electrical tape. That’s when I decided to put the trailer plug in the bed of the truck.

You are probably wondering about all that. In January 2007, I was a single mom with a huge trailer that I only sort of knew how to operate and tow. With kids that loved to ride, I decided to learn. My 15 year old and I “manned up” and figured it out, with some advice from veteran RVers. The learning curve was steep and I’m grateful that the trailer was rugged enough to hold up to my mistakes!

Things that we didn’t do:

- Toilet and shower leak occasionally. We sealed a couple of years ago, but it probably needs it again.
- Batteries. We bought them in 2009 and they need replacing. Don’t hold a charge that well. Three batteries aren’t real cheap.
- Fuel station. Gears swelled and it pops fuses.
- Air compressor. Would run, but didn’t really function.
- Broken spring assists on back ramp.
- About half of the electric outlets don’t work.

The good:

- Wheel bearings repacked summer of 2014. Brakes checked – all good.
- Roof checked summer of 2014. All good
- Slides readjusted summer of 2014.
- New water heater summer of 2014.

I don’t know what has been repaired, what has been covered up, or what was left as it. Its not my problem anymore, but I believe in being honest Most people want to know what they are getting when they make a big purchse.

This trailer functions with the slides in. Good when you are on the road and can’t deploy them. I put 6 LT tires on a few years ago. It is excellent for dry camping – large tanks, reliable generator, comfortable! Lots of storage for a family of 6. Stove, micro, both a/c units, entertainment system, all good. We had 9 years of good times in it and someone else can have 9 more.

There you are.

westernrvparkowner wrote:

DougE wrote:
It's sad to say but folks seem perfectly happy paying a good amount at the dealer and won't give the original owner squat for a private sale. The dealer, of course, plays with the new RV $ versus the trade in $ to make it seems like a good deal. A deal at the dealer is certainly attractive since you don't have to go through the pain of trying to sell your old RV outright. The best deal for a new-to-you RV is to go with the private seller who will tell you about all the warts, if you ask, especially after the deal is made. The dealer doesn't know squat about the used unit he's selling you.

As a counterpoint, buying from an individual is much more difficult. You have to deal with the financial transaction. You have to handle the paperwork yourself. You have to travel to goodness knows where to see each individual rig, while at a dealer you can look at 100 on the same lot. The individual seller has absolutely no motivation to be honest. All private sales are pretty much Caveat Emptor, let the buyer beware. The dealer does have some obligations and a reputation to protect. The dealer can facilitate a trade. The dealer can arrange financing. The dealer can effect repairs and modifications prior to delivery. Private sales aren't a panacea for either party.

Disagree, I've bought and sold many, many a vehicle via both ebay and craigslist. I NEVER have to spend as much time on the transaction as when I buy or sell to a dealer. Lot's easier buying and/or selling from/to a private party.

Its kinda funny, I stopped and was talking with a guy locally here that has one of those...seemed pretty happy with his though I did recommend that if he needed tires look into upgrading to 16" wheels and tires.

Did they put some money into fixing the problems you had?

DougE wrote:
It's sad to say but folks seem perfectly happy paying a good amount at the dealer and won't give the original owner squat for a private sale. The dealer, of course, plays with the new RV $ versus the trade in $ to make it seems like a good deal. A deal at the dealer is certainly attractive since you don't have to go through the pain of trying to sell your old RV outright. The best deal for a new-to-you RV is to go with the private seller who will tell you about all the warts, if you ask, especially after the deal is made. The dealer doesn't know squat about the used unit he's selling you.

As a counterpoint, buying from an individual is much more difficult. You have to deal with the financial transaction. You have to handle the paperwork yourself. You have to travel to goodness knows where to see each individual rig, while at a dealer you can look at 100 on the same lot. The individual seller has absolutely no motivation to be honest. All private sales are pretty much Caveat Emptor, let the buyer beware. The dealer does have some obligations and a reputation to protect. The dealer can facilitate a trade. The dealer can arrange financing. The dealer can effect repairs and modifications prior to delivery. Private sales aren't a panacea for either party.

I find this whole concept incredibly rude. You sold them the rig, that is the end of your involvement. What they price it for and what they sell it for is really none of your business. They obviously won't get the full asking price, people always want discounts. They have to pay overhead, sales commissions, tie up their money and in the end make a profit.
How would you feel if you had a business and bought some inventory and then the company that sold you that inventory went online and proceeded to preach about how bad their product was and no one should ever buy it? That would be a pretty sorry company, yet it is exactly what you are doing. You sold them inventory and now you are telling potential customers not to buy that very inventory. Good thing you are an individual, because if it was a company to company transaction, the buyer of that motorhome would have a great case to sue the seller.

It's sad to say but folks seem perfectly happy paying a good amount at the dealer and won't give the original owner squat for a private sale. The dealer, of course, plays with the new RV $ versus the trade in $ to make it seems like a good deal. A deal at the dealer is certainly attractive since you don't have to go through the pain of trying to sell your old RV outright. The best deal for a new-to-you RV is to go with the private seller who will tell you about all the warts, if you ask, especially after the deal is made. The dealer doesn't know squat about the used unit he's selling you.

So what was wrong with it?

Had a 1984 Ford class B conversion. Great shape but wanted a TT. Tried selling it myself with no luck so traded it in on a used TT (great trailer and kept it for 13 years). Price of trailer $8300.00. traded the B and $2500.00 bucks for the TT. Later a man called and wanted info on the B as he had just bought it. I asked how much and he said they were asking $17000.00 and he got it for $14000.00. I was sad for a nano second and then enjoyed the trailer for a lotta years.:)