11 or 12 year old camper

Kayteg1 wrote:
Reddog's camper is exception as fiberglass doesn't last 30 years unless you keep it well protected.

I don't know that my fiberglass camper is an exception. All of the fiberglass campers I have seen are pretty good unless suffering physical damage, or would be with a little wax.

I am the second owner of my fiberglass camper. With the exception of the past two years it has never had a cover. The previous owner bought it in 1988 and never waxed it. I have waxed it 2 or 3 times a year for the past 12 years.

Here is my '07 after spring cleaning 2017:

jimh425 wrote:
Kayteg1, why do you think fiberglass doesn't last 30 years and aluminum would with the same level of care? You can easily see trashed aluminum campers all over the internet. Aluminum is susceptible to galvanic corrosion which fiberglass isn't.

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also fiberglass boats last a long time, and they get 2 x the sun exposure as a fiberglass RV , direct and reflective, so a 15 year old boat would equal a 30 year old RV. My 20 year old fiberglass boat looks just fine when washed up.
bumpy

Kayteg1, why do you think fiberglass doesn't last 30 years and aluminum would with the same level of care? You can easily see trashed aluminum campers all over the internet. Aluminum is susceptible to galvanic corrosion which fiberglass isn't.

Most of the damage in RVs and what needs a rebuild is not the shell, but the interior and appliances.

In any case, there are 50 year old fiberglass RVs, too. ;) You can google it.

Reddog's camper is exception as fiberglass doesn't last 30 years unless you keep it well protected.
But here is picture of 50 years old Avion. With the same care it is going to look the same in another 50 years.
Would they come in bigger sizes, I would jump in one of the shells and put new interior in it.

We bought a 1990 S&S and truck that I knew needed some work, after selling the truck, the TC cost me $400.00. I slowly repaired it over 6 months updating things along the way. We used it for years and now our son has it. As long as you keep up on the maintenance...your good. I did a thread here on the rebuilding of it. here

as we got it



finished and ready to camp

Reddog1 wrote:

dennych1 wrote:
How many people camping in a 11 or 12 year old camper. Do you think I'm crazy look to purchase one. ?

If you are or are not crazy, I don't think it is because you look to purchase a 11 or 12 year old camper. I bought my 1988 Bigfoot 11.5c in 2004. By today's standards it was very basic. Over a two year period, I installed every upgrade I wanted. I hauled it on my '96 Dodge until 2016. I now have it on my '04 Dodge. I have never been ask its age, having traveled half way across the usa and Canada. I have never been turned away from a campground.


A thirty year old TC.

And a nice looking rig at that! There's something to be said for the timeless style of a clam shell design camper.

dennych1 wrote:
How many people camping in a 11 or 12 year old camper. Do you think I'm crazy look to purchase one. ?

If you are or are not crazy, I don't think it is because you look to purchase a 11 or 12 year old camper. I bought my 1988 Bigfoot 11.5c in 2004. By today's standards it was very basic. Over a two year period, I installed every upgrade I wanted. I hauled it on my '96 Dodge until 2016. I now have it on my '04 Dodge. I have never been ask its age, having traveled half way across the usa and Canada. I have never been turned away from a campground.


A thirty year old TC.

There is always option to buy a "project" if you are up for it.
Point is that new campers don't fit lot of owners desire.
When you go to Lance forum, you will find pictorials how several owners spend in the range of $12,000 to rebuild their bellowed campers.
This way they have good unit in the floor plan they like and are not forced to buy newer, where often description starts with big screen size and you have to crawl via whole camper to reach wardrobe.
Everybody has different priorities and when you scroll via the forum you will find all kinds.
Long pictorial on Avion campers rebuilds. This is shell quality you can no longer buy new.

Perspective is everything. Our Lance Lite is now 20 years old. A So. Cal. TC, we bought it when it was 3 years old with only 3 trips under it's belt and it really did look brand new. I'm doing everything I can to keep it alive till I'm done TC-ing.
I wouldn't have bought a 12 year old camper in 2001 as the wood framing and plywood sheeting is prone to rot if the camper is left outside. The last 8-10 years most campers' weather resistance has improved with aluminum frames and rot resistant composite or fiberglass siding. As above, condition is everything. Your best bet is to take a bonafide RV guru/expert with you to inspect said possible purchase. Also, if the guru finds problems, let him or her do the downward negotiating. The Guru has nothing to loose and is not tied up in glassy eyed, anticipatory knots like you are.
jefe