What to look for in a used Desert Fox

Prices do seem to have escalated substantially in the last 5 years. Not so much when you considered like-equipped units, but the new units have so much more standard (i.e. bigger fridges, solar, solid countertops etc).

PS - don't get caught in somebody else's bad loan. There's a lot of folks trying to get their payoff amount, but sometimes the unit is not worth that much. If they bought their unit at retail and put zero down, they'll never be able to sell it for their payoff amount without paying some of it themselves.

Also.... You may want to start checking out dealers in Oregon and Idaho. Being close to the factory means they move a lot more units, and are more willing to sell a new Dessert Fox at a good price. I just bout a new Creekside (another Ron Nash brand) from Dennis Dillon in Boise. My local dealers were willing to make good deals too, but didn't have the floor plan I wanted.

Also, loan terms on new units will be better, so in the end sometimes buying new can make sense.

The NADA book is tricky as you can double dip the options and blow up the price. The industry also has some pretty soft pricing MSRP. My unit listed for $63k when new but they could be had for $50k anywhere, same with many brands. I also feel there is a big difference from state to state.

The problem I'm running into now is the NADA guides seem to be way off, and that's what the banks go off of! lol

For example, a 2008 Desert Fox 24AS is coming up saying the suggested list price (brand new price) is $24,500. I wasnt in the market for one in 2008 but I cant imagine they were that cheap 6 years ago when they are close to 50k now. If the new price is that far off I imagine it throws off the average and low retail...

I'm getting more confused the deeper I dig! I see why some people say screw it and buy a new one...

Yeah the moisture is not in the flooring or walls, but in that bottom board.

I think I found a couple stored indoors or under cover ones that may not have that issue.

My TV is a 3/4 ton Silverado Duramax.

Thanks for the replies.

This is common on many trailers with that design. The lower trim is wood wrapped in a water proof material with 3 dozen staple holes in in. After a few years water will find it's way in their. In mine it was the lack of sealant behind the trim where the two pieces meet allowing water to pool on top of the wood section. Repair was pretty straight forward. Remove trim, rip out old wood, replace with product of choice. I used resin covered wood with the white Luna material to match fiberglass siding.

My cousin use to have the 28ft version and I can tell u they are a very heavy trailer for their size. What is your TV?

As far as any sign of moisture I would run, not walk away from it. Wood rot is not fun to deal with.

Are you talking about the frame/wall in that area or the floor in that area? I haven't seen that being an issue on any of the DF trailers that I looked at. I'll tell you this though that I am very pleased with the quality of the DF trailers they make. If there is a soft spot in the wall or floor though I would be cautious about purchasing it.

The under belly there is supposed to be sealed (common on all Northwoods) to prevent that kind of issue. This implies a design fault, a construction fault, a road-hazard issue, something....

Personally the deal would have to be super-super good to get any rig with a soft floor. The way rigs are made, everything from the walls and built-ins rest on those floors and repairs could be, ugly.

I doubt that road spray is the source of that moisture. I had a Pioneer that would get moisture in that area, but it was coming from the down-spouts. In my case the spouts did not extend out as the newer ones do so the water was running down the side of the trailer when it would rain. The water would then get caught in the storage door, and if it was enough rain it would start to puddle up in the storage area.

It is amazing how pesky water can be. I put extended down-spouts on mine and would also put a big towel inside the storage area to absorb any moisture that would get in. Mine did not damage the wood, but I made sure to air it out when possible.

Depending on the extent of the wood damage you may want to pass. Fixing dry rot can be expensive. Not to mention you still have to find the source of the water, which could take a while itself.

Soft wet wood is a problem. Hard to say out extensive it is. Generally DF haulers are a good trailer, but sounds like some have had issues. Can you get under the trailer to see what is wet? Personally, unless it was an amazing deal I'd keep looking. Water damages can cost a lot to repair.

Since the factory is in Oregon you might give them a call to talk about it too.