About to purchase preowned Lance 1161 questions, new to TC's
Ok folks, new to the board here and completely new to truck camping so apologize for the newbie-ness :P
Sold my 5th wheel, going to a TC to simplify things (got tired of paying $125 a month to park my 5th wheel in town at a storage yard while not in use). Getting ready to buy a gently used 2005 Lance 1161 truck camper but had several questions as this TC will be my first and I am absolutely clueless on the subject.
I have a new 2012 F350 DRW with the 'camper package' so my truck should be stout enough. The seller is hauling on a 95 Dodge Ram 3500 DRW with no airbags or anything of that sort and he his not sagging at all so will need to hook up and see how she sits before determining if I want to add airbags or something similar. 99% of the time it will just be me in the camper solo so there is going to be plenty of room.
Onto the questions:
1. Firstly, is the price. I see that NADA values for TC's vary wildly from what the seller's generally ask for and I have read the values are generally not as accurate as say the value given for a trailer as opposed to the given TC value. We have agreed upon a price of 14,500 which includes delivery to my door since I don't have my tiedowns yet (getting Torklift tie downs installed later this week). The standard NADA average retail is 13230 so it seems pretty close. The only option I noticed was missing was the onboard generator. The compartment was wired for the genset but he was using an external portable generator instead. Everything was essentially mint, no problems with leaking, delamination, or sagging floor/slide problems (which I have read a problem on pre-2005 lance 1161 models). Just curious if you guys thought that was a fair price for an 05 1161.
2. Does anyone have a ballpark estimate on how much it would cost to add a onboard genset with indoor push button start? I'm guessing it was a 2.5K Onan LP genny, will find out tomorrow. I have a portable Yamaha 2K inverter/generator but would be nice to have the indoor push button genset for those quick occasions where you need to use the microwave or something of that nature.
3. Is there any place inside that is structurally sound enough where I can mount a swiveling flat screen TV mount? I know the walls on my 5th wheel were flimsy as can be and wouldn't trust mounting a flatscreen on there, but I've seen several campers that have these small swivel mounts on theirs, just curious if anyone with a 1161 would chime in on this area. Notice there is a 12V receptable right by the dinette so would be a perfect spot for a smaller 12V LCD/DVD combo.
4. Is there any thing I should pay particular attention to in doing my final inspection before the sale? He says everything is in good working order and the camper looked fantastic, but I know there can be hidden issues. When I bought my 5th wheel I didn't check the frame carefully and ended up having the rebuild the entire frame and suspension. Don't want to overlook something like that on this TC, but as I said this will be my first so don't know if there is anything in particular I should check.
5. My RV store is telling my I need an additional 7 pin power receptacle in my truck bed. I already have one inside the truck bed for my 5th wheel application but it is at the rear of the wheel well. My question is, can I use like an 8 foot 7 pin to 7 pin extension cable and place the extension towards the front of the wheel well rather than paying 200+ bucks for the second 7 pin receptacle to be installed? Seems like a waste to drill another power plug when I already have one at the rear.
Overall was very impressed with the camper, its amazing when you are standing inside and then you realize all that stuff is sitting inside the box of a pickup truck...... I know the Lance name is a reputable company as well. Was close to pulling the trigger on a 'Fleetwood Caribou' 11J but I have read some horror stories concerning that particular brand so would prefer the Lance. While I am mentioning that I should throw out I can purchase a 2001 Caribou 11J which is in equally outstanding condition for 9000. Does that seem like a good price? This Lance will be about 5,000 more but it is several years newer. Opinions??
In any event, if anyone has any ideas or tips I would greatly appreciate it. Looking forward to truck camping. Loved hacing the spaciousness of my 5th wheel but I will not miss driving that thing in tight spots and parking that sucker in crowded campgrounds!!!
Sold my 5th wheel, going to a TC to simplify things (got tired of paying $125 a month to park my 5th wheel in town at a storage yard while not in use). Getting ready to buy a gently used 2005 Lance 1161 truck camper but had several questions as this TC will be my first and I am absolutely clueless on the subject.
I have a new 2012 F350 DRW with the 'camper package' so my truck should be stout enough. The seller is hauling on a 95 Dodge Ram 3500 DRW with no airbags or anything of that sort and he his not sagging at all so will need to hook up and see how she sits before determining if I want to add airbags or something similar. 99% of the time it will just be me in the camper solo so there is going to be plenty of room.
Onto the questions:
1. Firstly, is the price. I see that NADA values for TC's vary wildly from what the seller's generally ask for and I have read the values are generally not as accurate as say the value given for a trailer as opposed to the given TC value. We have agreed upon a price of 14,500 which includes delivery to my door since I don't have my tiedowns yet (getting Torklift tie downs installed later this week). The standard NADA average retail is 13230 so it seems pretty close. The only option I noticed was missing was the onboard generator. The compartment was wired for the genset but he was using an external portable generator instead. Everything was essentially mint, no problems with leaking, delamination, or sagging floor/slide problems (which I have read a problem on pre-2005 lance 1161 models). Just curious if you guys thought that was a fair price for an 05 1161.
2. Does anyone have a ballpark estimate on how much it would cost to add a onboard genset with indoor push button start? I'm guessing it was a 2.5K Onan LP genny, will find out tomorrow. I have a portable Yamaha 2K inverter/generator but would be nice to have the indoor push button genset for those quick occasions where you need to use the microwave or something of that nature.
3. Is there any place inside that is structurally sound enough where I can mount a swiveling flat screen TV mount? I know the walls on my 5th wheel were flimsy as can be and wouldn't trust mounting a flatscreen on there, but I've seen several campers that have these small swivel mounts on theirs, just curious if anyone with a 1161 would chime in on this area. Notice there is a 12V receptable right by the dinette so would be a perfect spot for a smaller 12V LCD/DVD combo.
4. Is there any thing I should pay particular attention to in doing my final inspection before the sale? He says everything is in good working order and the camper looked fantastic, but I know there can be hidden issues. When I bought my 5th wheel I didn't check the frame carefully and ended up having the rebuild the entire frame and suspension. Don't want to overlook something like that on this TC, but as I said this will be my first so don't know if there is anything in particular I should check.
5. My RV store is telling my I need an additional 7 pin power receptacle in my truck bed. I already have one inside the truck bed for my 5th wheel application but it is at the rear of the wheel well. My question is, can I use like an 8 foot 7 pin to 7 pin extension cable and place the extension towards the front of the wheel well rather than paying 200+ bucks for the second 7 pin receptacle to be installed? Seems like a waste to drill another power plug when I already have one at the rear.
Overall was very impressed with the camper, its amazing when you are standing inside and then you realize all that stuff is sitting inside the box of a pickup truck...... I know the Lance name is a reputable company as well. Was close to pulling the trigger on a 'Fleetwood Caribou' 11J but I have read some horror stories concerning that particular brand so would prefer the Lance. While I am mentioning that I should throw out I can purchase a 2001 Caribou 11J which is in equally outstanding condition for 9000. Does that seem like a good price? This Lance will be about 5,000 more but it is several years newer. Opinions??
In any event, if anyone has any ideas or tips I would greatly appreciate it. Looking forward to truck camping. Loved hacing the spaciousness of my 5th wheel but I will not miss driving that thing in tight spots and parking that sucker in crowded campgrounds!!!
