Buying Used with Delamination?

goducks10 wrote:
It may not be delam. A lot of times the front and rear are not bonded panels. On the front the filon panel is just folded over the front and fastened on the perimeter. The rear is the same way and could have a large window or in the case of a rear kitchen it could have the vents and covers used as part of the sandwich process. Our Heartland North Trail was that way. It had what looked like delam but was in fact just puckers in the filon form expansion.

We have a Camping World dealership next to the freeway and when I drive by and the sun is at the right angle you can see all the wavy puckers on the back of the Keystone Laredo TT's they sell.

If you like the trailer and the price is good it's worth checking out. It could just be a cosmetic thing.

I agree, my buddy had a Keystone Outback and the front wall was the same way. He fiberglass (filon) is not attached to anything so what looks like Delamination may just be normal. Look it over real good for signs of water damage at the front and rear lower interior corners.

Ugh! And now I just read that this is a 4 year old post. Curious to know what the OP found and did?

Walk away. There's more than one fish in the sea.

You do know you are responding to a 4 year old post right? I'm pretty sure he's made up his mind by now.

StaceyM wrote:

goducks10 wrote:
It may not be delam. A lot of times the front and rear are not bonded panels. On the front the filon panel is just folded over the front and fastened on the perimeter. The rear is the same way and could have a large window or in the case of a rear kitchen it could have the vents and covers used as part of the sandwich process. Our Heartland North Trail was that way. It had what looked like delam but was in fact just puckers in the filon form expansion.

We have a Camping World dealership next to the freeway and when I drive by and the sun is at the right angle you can see all the wavy puckers on the back of the Keystone Laredo TT's they sell.

If you like the trailer and the price is good it's worth checking out. It could just be a cosmetic thing.

I'm wondering if you're right on this situation... maybe it's not delam at all. In the pictures the front and back panel look all over wavy, not exactly like the bubbles I've seen in other pictures of delam. How can I find out if the panels on this particular model are attached that way?

Thanks to everyone for your advice. We're seriously considering your warnings to RUN :).

I guess you could call the manufacture and ask. Other than that you would physically need to go see it. You can just push on the front and rear and feel the flex. I have a 5th wheel that has a filon type rear. It's bonded and not just hanging there fastened on the edges. You can really feel how solid it is. It's built just like the sides are. No waves or puckers.

Personally I would look else where. I just don't think I could stand to look at the wavy front and back ends of my trailer no matter how cheap I got it for. Then if you sell it a few years down the road you will have to deal with these issue from the sellers end of it.

m11nine wrote:
Many used RVs will seem cheap from the outside, especially compared to new retails, but the used market is not that liquid and prices are far lower than you may realize (Better than a timeshare, but worse than your last new car.) One with such potential problems should be virtually given away, IMO.

I think its a very bad idea to take this risk when there are tons of bargains out there with no damage at all.

Get a lot of hands-on, in-person, advice from friends before this deal, please.

+1 very good advice.

I like your "better then a timeshare" comment, those can certainly be money traps LOL. We purchase all our timeshare weeks resale from others who have learned the expensive way! Same with the TT, we only purchase used.

Maybe this one in Roanoke VA with a dent in the front cap??

Why don't you post/provide a link to the pictures?

Everybody seems to say "run". I think a lot depends on how much you are to do any of the work that might be necessary. If you're the kind who has to call an electrician to change a light bulb then "run" might be the answer. However, if you are able to rebuild a totaled DC3 then "run" might not be the appropriate thing to do.

Depends on your skill levels, desire to invest the time to repair if needed and determining if there is even a problem in the first place.

I don't know you. Maybe others do. At any rate, if there is in fact some long standing delam then there may be a bit of work to do. If you get it at the right price it may still be worth it.