Buying a used TT that's been sitting?

In the real world with an RV, tires and wheel bearings are what I would call regular maintenance. So you know before you make the drive that you'll be in for around $500 or so for a good set of tires. Battery another $100+ or -. If your DH is a decent backyard mechanic, he can do the wheel bearings himself. If you have to have them done, you'd have to do that anyway. Make a few calls and ask for a price worst case scenario. Inside looks good, right....so rent a steam cleaner like you would for home use and give the upholstery a good cleaning. Go online to Camping World and price out some things like a new WH, refrig, stove just so you have an idea IF those things might need to be replaced. I think it's worth some time online and maybe some driving to check it out. Absolutely be sure it's winterized or that could be a big mess and not easily fixable. I would think the current owner would be glad to plug it in and allow time for the frig to get cold - a few hours/overnight. Having some propane to check the furnace would be good, so ask about him having some hooked up. Usually you can't buy much any more for that price, but this could be a really good deal with minimal additional expense if they just want to get it sold. So you take a look and if it's not worth anything more than scrap metal, go have a nice lunch and consider it an interesting day trip and keep looking. It would be a shame to pass on something that might be terrific. Good luck and let us know if you bought a trailer or just had lunch.

Mine is 40 yrs o0ld and there was no evidence of mice chewing wires, it had the original foam and upholstery (damaged on a couple), original axles and suspension, original water heater, etc.. I chose to remove the furnace and fridge rather than fight 'em. If any or all of the stuff breaks down, I figure the cost of the replacements will still be lower than what I would have to pay, new.

If it's good condition $2500 is a fair price. As others have said check the bearings brakes and put on new tires and battery. You might have to clean the outside vents for the furnace, water heater (wasp nest ect.). I would check the systems as well. If it has any water damage I would pass on the purchase. I bought a ten year old camper and everything worked just fine. I sold it a few years later for the same price I paid for it.

CavemanCharlie wrote:

gmw photos wrote:

crittersitter wrote:
Hi, gang. My DH and I are still searching for our first second hand economy travel trailer. We may be looking at a 1992 Dutchman Classic this coming weekend. It looks to be in very nice, clean condition and has been kept under cover the last several years. I spoke with the owner today and my concerns are it has been sitting for 3-4 years. Two tires are flat and the owner said he would replace those but I would want all new tires naturally. As far as leaks, he knows of none but then again it has sit under cover. It will need to have the roof coated and caulking all round checked and redone. In addition, I am wondering about wheel bearings and brakes. Is it worth considering? I could probably get it for $2500 without the new tires. What might I expect to run in to cost wise to have it road ready in your opinions? Thanks!

I'm not trying to throw a wet blanket on your parade, but I would think that a 20 year old camper is going to be a "project". As projects go, plan on replacing a LOT of stuff before you are done. Things like, furnace, A/C if it has one, water pump, refrigerator, etc. And then figure too, that there is a better than even chance there is rot, rust or other damage. Interior fabrics and foams may need to be replaced due to musty/moldy issues.
Squirrels and mice/rats love to eat electrical wire insulation, so after 20 years, ever inch of wiring needs to be checked. A electrical short circuit can be dangerous.

And as you have already noted, all running gear needs to be brought up to snuff. If it has torsion axles, the rubbers in them is shot at this stage in time. If it leaf suspension, it may still be servicable. If it were mine as a project, I would simply replace all the brakes with new, complete assemblies. And I would not want the seller to replace the tires, because he is certainly going to just put something cheap on there. I'd rather choose my own tires.

So what it really comes down to, IMO, is do you want a project, and how cheap can you get it for. Figure you are going to have "some money" and a lot of sweat equity in it. Again, I am not trying to be negative, because honestly, these projects can be fun, and you can make it "yours". But you do need to enter into the world of older stuff with eyes wide open.

I disagree with this. I have a 20 year old TT that I have had for 2 years. Everything still works like new. I did replace the tires and wheel bearings. My breaks are fine but, you would want to pull the wheels and check your before towing too far. I would ask the owner if you could plug it in over night to check the fridge/ AC and other systems but, you definitely don't want to assume there bad, they may be fine. In fact a lot of those systems were built better back then. My AC kicks butt over the one in my brothers 5 year old 5th wheel.I paid 3500 for mine but, that was at a dealer. If the one you are looking at checks out OK and if it's what your looking for don't be afraid of it. You are never going to find anything cheaper!! and it would be a good one to try out to see if you and your family like camping. Just check it over carefully so that you know what your getting into. Do any repair work yourself with the help of this board. These guys are very knowledgeable and can help you to understand how things work.

x2,Mine sat for at least 10 years, all was well! Tires were perfect and I put 4 years of use on them with a lot of trips of 2500 plus miles, I did repack the wheel bearings, but they really didn't need it! Everything in the trailer worked perfectly, not to say that this one will, but I would bet it will. You want to make sure you flush the fresh water system well with bleach, but I would bet that all is ok. Sounds like a good deal, so check it out completely and good luck. Happy camping, Bill

If it looks to be in really good condition and it looks like a camper that will fill your needs, it might be worth the cost of an inspection and appraisal from someone that knows about all of its systems…
Possibly a part of the inspection fee going toward the wheel servicing if you decide to buy it…

Checking and caulking the roof will be in order but I would never coat any roof that didn’t need coated… that vintage of trailer could have a aluminum roof that could last another 20 years…

The price is about what to expect for a trailer in good and usable condition that has reached the end of its depreciation where condition and usability are the only value regulators…

The cost of the unit is minimal compared to the cost of repairing or replacing appliances, or leak repairs… much depends on what you can do yourself and/or what you can do without… in a CG a little dorm fridge and an electric heater may be all you need…

It's like buying anything older like a car. Check that the things that are important to you work and decide if it's worth taking a shot. At $2500, if you decide not to keep it, you can probably easily resell it. Maybe lose a bit, maybe not.

My '94 had been sitting too. I don't know how long. I didn't buy it from the owners, but some guy with a body shop who buys and sells on the side. I'm sure he found it for a steal. But he had it plugged in with the air working and the fridge running on gas (a primary point with me as there's no electric where I wanted to take it). What sold me was the excellent cosmetic condition it was in. I knew at the selling price it would be worth investing time/money as needed. It turned out to need lots of little things, but nothing major and nothing I couldn't do myself. I'm very happy with the trailer, and extremely happy with deal.

gmw photos wrote:

crittersitter wrote:
Hi, gang. My DH and I are still searching for our first second hand economy travel trailer. We may be looking at a 1992 Dutchman Classic this coming weekend. It looks to be in very nice, clean condition and has been kept under cover the last several years. I spoke with the owner today and my concerns are it has been sitting for 3-4 years. Two tires are flat and the owner said he would replace those but I would want all new tires naturally. As far as leaks, he knows of none but then again it has sit under cover. It will need to have the roof coated and caulking all round checked and redone. In addition, I am wondering about wheel bearings and brakes. Is it worth considering? I could probably get it for $2500 without the new tires. What might I expect to run in to cost wise to have it road ready in your opinions? Thanks!

I'm not trying to throw a wet blanket on your parade, but I would think that a 20 year old camper is going to be a "project". As projects go, plan on replacing a LOT of stuff before you are done. Things like, furnace, A/C if it has one, water pump, refrigerator, etc. And then figure too, that there is a better than even chance there is rot, rust or other damage. Interior fabrics and foams may need to be replaced due to musty/moldy issues.
Squirrels and mice/rats love to eat electrical wire insulation, so after 20 years, ever inch of wiring needs to be checked. A electrical short circuit can be dangerous.

And as you have already noted, all running gear needs to be brought up to snuff. If it has torsion axles, the rubbers in them is shot at this stage in time. If it leaf suspension, it may still be servicable. If it were mine as a project, I would simply replace all the brakes with new, complete assemblies. And I would not want the seller to replace the tires, because he is certainly going to just put something cheap on there. I'd rather choose my own tires.

So what it really comes down to, IMO, is do you want a project, and how cheap can you get it for. Figure you are going to have "some money" and a lot of sweat equity in it. Again, I am not trying to be negative, because honestly, these projects can be fun, and you can make it "yours". But you do need to enter into the world of older stuff with eyes wide open.

I disagree with this. I have a 20 year old TT that I have had for 2 years. Everything still works like new. I did replace the tires and wheel bearings. My breaks are fine but, you would want to pull the wheels and check your before towing too far. I would ask the owner if you could plug it in over night to check the fridge/ AC and other systems but, you definitely don't want to assume there bad, they may be fine. In fact a lot of those systems were built better back then. My AC kicks butt over the one in my brothers 5 year old 5th wheel.I paid 3500 for mine but, that was at a dealer. If the one you are looking at checks out OK and if it's what your looking for don't be afraid of it. You are never going to find anything cheaper!! and it would be a good one to try out to see if you and your family like camping. Just check it over carefully so that you know what your getting into. Do any repair work yourself with the help of this board. These guys are very knowledgeable and can help you to understand how things work.

I would be all over it for $2500!!!

Sitting for a few years at that age isn't a big deal. Just replace the tires and repack the bearings and check the brakes. Probably a good thing it sat under a cover unused. If they covered it, I would suspect they winterized it too. $2500 sounds like a good deal.

Ofcourse you run the risk that they stopped using it for a reason (ie: fridge or ac broke).

Ask the owner if you can "camp" in it for 4 hours...fill it with water, run the pump, electric..use everything in it...Offer that after you're done with it you will winterize it (incase it is-pink stuff is cheap, 10 bucks maybe) this way if you do buy it......its already winterized and you know everything in it works.

Don't like walking on these roofs, I'm a tad bigger than most people, I will stand on a ladder next to it and push down on the roof....but it is a good idea to look for watermarks inside. Open up everything, grab a flashlight.