Good deal, what to look for?

Sideshow wrote:
... snipped ... Looking at getting into TC with the family on a budget. My truck is a F-250 4 Door Crew Cab, 6.0, SRW, short bed, 2WD.

Sideshow, congrats on doing homework before jumping in. It'll save you time, money and frustration down the road. I would pass on the unit with the roof/floor issues. Nothing but trouble so why go look for it.

Here's some insights I've gathered through experience and others on this site. Here's what I would do if starting fresh again and looking for a good used truck camper (TC).

First, look closely at the center of gravity, dry and wet weights, dimensions, the type of camping you will be doing i.e. back woods vs. other etc., define the specs and understand what your truck can handle safely, legally and efficiently.

Second, determine the floor plan you really desire. This is probably the single most important factor in whether you enjoy your camper (TC) or not. For us it's always function over form. You can do this by accessing the various manufacturers websites and look at the new floor plan layouts. Most used units will have derivatives of these plans. How & where you will use your TC is also important in this step i.e. back woods vs. state/provincial parks vs. RV campgrounds.

Third, decide on your options list separating the items into "must haves" i.e. having enough sleeping capacity for your family versus "nice to haves" i.e. outside shower

Fourth, start accessing the various places where you might find good-to-excellent units i.e. dealers, Craiglist, autotrader, rvtrader etc. Talk to as many people as you can about their likes, dislikes, experiences with a TC etc.

Fifth, establish your budget. You can use the info from websites that offer units for sale and get data from places like NADA, etc. After looking at enough units, you'll get a pretty good sense as to the going rate & range for year, make, options and condition.

Six, once you have your "must have list" for the unit you desire, keep looking and be patient. There are units constantly coming up for sale and if you miss one, there will be another one coming along at some point ... you may have to wait a while but it will come along. (i.e. it took me 1.5 years to buy my 2001 diesel F250 ... with 45,000 mi. in excellent condition within my budget).

Lastly, if this is your first RV, take an experienced and "handy" RV person along with you when going to inspect it. Take your time, go over it with a fine-tooth comb. Look at the roof, underneath, inside every nook and cranny. Ask to have every system demonstrated. Take notes and pictures of everything ... good and bad. Ask for service records. Buying used (from anybody ... dealer and private alike) is always higher risk than buying new.

If buying used from a dealer, negotiate a 90 warranty for all major systems (water & plumbing, everything electric including HappiJacks, gas systems and on all appliances). Also have them put in writing that any functional deficiencies regarding mechanical operations, trim fitments or water leaks will also be covered by the 90 warranty. Then go camping at least a few times to ensure everything works because once the 90 day warranty period is up ... you are on your own.

Good luck, it's a bit of a process but worth spending the time and effort because you don't want to make a major mistake with such a large and important purchase. Let us know how it turns out. Good Luck ~ Bugjr ~

Get a well known brand, Lance, Artic Fox etc. Look at Lance Lite

$3400 will buy you a 2003 palomino popup 8 foot pristine camper here in Michigan. Been stored inside and everything works. My own, the same model from 1995, was $1000. Fridge doesn't work and the gas line was cut, so it's a "project", but I'm pretty happy with it. I realize you're not going to drive 2000+ miles, but use the info to bargain a lower price?

Soft spots from rot? Pass. Not worth the hassle at any price...in my opinion.

A it old, but seems in OK shape -- Sunlight hard-side campers brand new then were only about $7500 - $8000 ... So this one is higher price than I'd think was a good deal.

Like mentioned above, once you hit the $5000 mark you can get a lot more for the money, and even at your $3500 can get a nice HS with full bath if you look around a bit. You might be good at $2500, if it's only the heater that doesn't work. Sunlight is also a 'low-end' entry level product at its build value.

Once something breaks tho, and an owner doesn't care enough to repair it, then it tells me other maintenance has been skipped too. So, that's not a good sign to me at least. I'd certainly inspect it very carefully and check all the systems ... look for leaks and water stains - soft spots.

Eve when we find a 'deal' -- once you put $1000 in repairs, it's not a deal anymore, and at the very least, you need a new heater.

For proper context, best to see the camper.

Camper Pic

ok so my 10' 11" lance extends 2' 11" past my 8 foot bed. will it not extend 4' 5" past the end of a 6' 6" bed?

It is the Long Bed campers with storage boxes you have to be worried about. This appears to be an 8' camper so putting it on your short bed would not be a problem. It appears to be pretty old And 3400 bucks is a pretty high price especially if the furnace is broken. The furnace is somerthing you will for sure want when out in the desert. I would pass on it save a little more and for 5k you can get a much newer short bed specific pop up, you can use for a few years and if you keep it nice can sell for 5k when you are done with it.

Nolan

With a short bed, you should stay with a short bed camper. Your truck has plenty of potential if you're willing to upgrade a few components.

One of my toys:

Buzzcut1 wrote:

Super_Dave wrote:
I'll disagree with Buzz a bit. The amount of unsupported camper will be the same on a short bed truck regardless of whether the camper is short box or long box camper. The only difference is the storage boxes get eliminated on the long box camper.

Dave the TC he is looking at is made for a long bed. If he puts it on his short bed truck then there has to be 1.5 to 2 feet more TC hanging behind the bed

And I believe that to be the same condition with a short bed camper. On the short bed campers they build boxes at that overhang to store a generator and such. An 8' - 8.5' camper has the same belly length either model.