Am I crazy to consider a 1999?

I sold with great difficulty a 2006 19ROO in 2009 for 60% of what I paid ($10,000 ownership + opportunity cost for 4 years of camping is expensive), so yeah, they depreciate like mad. Maybe people are crazier/lazier than I think and would rather put their signature at the bottom of the contract and drive home with a brand new vehicle than apply for a loan to buy used.

I think the majority of folks with Hybrids trade them in on TT's, the rest go the Craig's list route. Chances are you're going to have to travel to get them, you must have even fewer dealers around you then I do in western Ma.

Have you tried SearchTempest or similar? hybrids are also called Expandables.

poppin_fresh wrote:
Do you not see many older hybrids for sale because people hang on to them or because they are all at the scrap yard?

it's more because hybrid TT's are an extremely small portion of the RV market.
they are probably about as common as teardrop trailers, because they appeal to a much smaller group of buyers.

hybrids are extremely rare out here in California. in the 6 years we've had our hybrid, i've seen less than 50 hybrids total, on the road or in the campgrounds.

I'm in Vt and there isn't a lot of choices for my current budget. I am not set on a hybrid, but I don't see any regular TTs for sale in the price range I have either.

Do you not see many older hybrids for sale because people hang on to them or because they are all at the scrap yard?

I don't know if I missed this, but what state are you in? I paid $5k for a 2001 2 years ago here in Florida because there was nothing in my area for less than that at the time. Yes, if I had waited more months, I could have probably ended up with a different price, but that's what there was at that time.

poppin_fresh wrote:

It seems like from what I read, finding a used hybrid that has no water issues is tough.

I would agree that finding a 12-14 year old Hybrid that has not had a leak would be a rare find. Of course around here finding one that old in any condition is rare.

I also agree that $4400 is way over priced, maybe $2k, if it's in good shape. You have to figure you'll be fixing something, finding parts may be impossible or at the least difficult.

poppin_fresh wrote:
It seems like from what I read, finding a used hybrid that has no water issues is tough.

this is more true with the early hybrids, when they were still working out the kinks on keeping the bunk ends leak-free.
remember, this was a completely new type of RV, in 1998, when R-Vision made the very first one.
it was 1999 when other companies, like Forest River/Jayco/Thor started making their own hybrids.
it took a number of years before they evolved into a much better system, such as cable supported and better seal/frame designs.

Thanks for the input. I'm on a very tight budget as I want to pay cash and not have a payment. There are tons of popups in my price range, but having a b-room is such a huge plus.

The 99 is for sale for $4400, which is way overpriced IMHO. I just found a 2001 for sale that is a little further away for $3k which seems fair. The owner of the 01 claims it only has some minor water damage on the front bunk platform, but it has not caused any issues.

It seems like from what I read, finding a used hybrid that has no water issues is tough.

remember, 1999 was the first year that Rockwood made hybrids.
those first few years had a lot of growing pains, especially on the tent ends/bunk end seals.
personally, unless it was garaged or the owners were extremely good at maintenance, i doubt that a 15 year-old hybrid will be without some big issues somewhere.

but it's definitely worth a look, IF the price is right.

I'm guessing that the Roo has a roof that is a molded piece of plastic, possibly with some liner material? don't see why a previous leak would be that catastrophic myself. now if there is a wooden frame, etc. run run run.
bumpy