Lance 9000 Project
Hello, The DW and I purchased a 1987 Lance 9000 a couple of weeks ago and we are preparing for a winter project. Since our Springdale TT has been designated as our "second home" on some property we pu...
Forum Discussion
Bryan thanks for your post. I completely understand where you are coming from. I am an ASE certified master automotive technician and I tend to ask the same question when someone spends a lot of time and money on an “old” car, after working on cars all day there is no interest left for that, a few years ago I would have asked the same question of someone doing this. In 2009 when we were shopping for our travel trailer the thought crossed my mind but I got over it quick lol.
I guess the best way to answer your question about my motivation is price verses quality. We shopped around for a used TC for a few months to start with, this was actually the first one we looked at. Nothing we found, we felt, was worth what the people were asking. As with most of the used campers we have looked at over the years none had water leaks, even with the marks on the roof, walls and the other tale tale signs, that was their story and they were sticking with it. We decided to head over to the local Lance dealer and see what they had to offer. Let me say the TC’s are not the most popular here in the south, especially in our area of west ga. There is the local Lance dealer that is about 50 miles from our house, the only other TC dealer that I know about that is within a day’s drive is on the east side of Atlanta and quite a journey. So at the Lance dealer we looked thought their stock, about 8 campers, and the only 2 they had under $20K were pop ups. The others that were anywhere close to $20K were stripped down with few options. I know Lance is considered to be near the top of the line but in 2009 we bought a 2008 34ft travel trailer with a living room and bedroom slide that had been on the lot for a year and never sold for right at 20K. They did have a used 2011 Palomino at a body shop across the street from the dealer having the cab over repaired due to a water leak at the front cap seal where it had not been sealed properly; they were asking $14K. We thought very seriously about the Palomino but the quality issues come to light when we were talking about it. I know there is routine maintenance that has to be done and the owner has responsibility to make sure the RV is properly maintained but on a TC that was a one owner, less than 2 years old, I think that is a definite quality issue.
Ultimately due to the condition, cost or both of all the other TC’s we looked at, we kept coming back to this particular camper due to certain aspects we liked about the floor plan including a larger bath than almost all the others we had looked at. I am not going to say with a 100% certainty, but I am pretty confident that when I am done with our little “Backpac”, at best I will have spent much less, for a much better quality unit with many more conveniences and options than I could get in a new or used unit. And at worse I will at least know exactly what I have, the true condition and not have to wonder what is really behind that wall lol. I am fortunate to understand most of the systems in today’s RV’s and am learning more daily. Almost all the cost will be from parts and materials, I understand time is money but with a project like this I feel in the long run that new skills learned will pay me back with future opportunities that may come along when we eventually go fulltime and work our way around the country. We our rebuilding this for ourselves, not to live in fulltime, but to have the ability to go places the travel trailer can’t go and to still be able to get away when we move into our travel trailer. Not any thought of resale has factored into our thoughts on this. I know things don’t always work out the way we plan but we have a tentative budget in mind and I’m not afraid to skimp in appropriate areas if needed. But ultimately it comes down to having it the way we want it, and being happy with it years down the road when we are boondocking in some remote place out in the middle of nowhere.
Sorry for such a long response but I believe for you and others to understand my motivation you need to know a bit about my mind set. I do appreciate your question and the way it was presented. I see way to many “I don’t believe it is worth anything IMHO and if it was me I would junk it and just get a new one” on this and other sites. Everyone looks at life differently and in this kind of situation I believe there is no right and wrong only what the owner feels he/she should do. I’m just glad we got it knowing what would be involved, than a newbie who finds there sweet deal has turned into a nightmare. Besides I feel that all the people that undertake these types of repairs add to the entertainment of the other members, too bad the gag real doesn’t get posted.
I guess the best way to answer your question about my motivation is price verses quality. We shopped around for a used TC for a few months to start with, this was actually the first one we looked at. Nothing we found, we felt, was worth what the people were asking. As with most of the used campers we have looked at over the years none had water leaks, even with the marks on the roof, walls and the other tale tale signs, that was their story and they were sticking with it. We decided to head over to the local Lance dealer and see what they had to offer. Let me say the TC’s are not the most popular here in the south, especially in our area of west ga. There is the local Lance dealer that is about 50 miles from our house, the only other TC dealer that I know about that is within a day’s drive is on the east side of Atlanta and quite a journey. So at the Lance dealer we looked thought their stock, about 8 campers, and the only 2 they had under $20K were pop ups. The others that were anywhere close to $20K were stripped down with few options. I know Lance is considered to be near the top of the line but in 2009 we bought a 2008 34ft travel trailer with a living room and bedroom slide that had been on the lot for a year and never sold for right at 20K. They did have a used 2011 Palomino at a body shop across the street from the dealer having the cab over repaired due to a water leak at the front cap seal where it had not been sealed properly; they were asking $14K. We thought very seriously about the Palomino but the quality issues come to light when we were talking about it. I know there is routine maintenance that has to be done and the owner has responsibility to make sure the RV is properly maintained but on a TC that was a one owner, less than 2 years old, I think that is a definite quality issue.
Ultimately due to the condition, cost or both of all the other TC’s we looked at, we kept coming back to this particular camper due to certain aspects we liked about the floor plan including a larger bath than almost all the others we had looked at. I am not going to say with a 100% certainty, but I am pretty confident that when I am done with our little “Backpac”, at best I will have spent much less, for a much better quality unit with many more conveniences and options than I could get in a new or used unit. And at worse I will at least know exactly what I have, the true condition and not have to wonder what is really behind that wall lol. I am fortunate to understand most of the systems in today’s RV’s and am learning more daily. Almost all the cost will be from parts and materials, I understand time is money but with a project like this I feel in the long run that new skills learned will pay me back with future opportunities that may come along when we eventually go fulltime and work our way around the country. We our rebuilding this for ourselves, not to live in fulltime, but to have the ability to go places the travel trailer can’t go and to still be able to get away when we move into our travel trailer. Not any thought of resale has factored into our thoughts on this. I know things don’t always work out the way we plan but we have a tentative budget in mind and I’m not afraid to skimp in appropriate areas if needed. But ultimately it comes down to having it the way we want it, and being happy with it years down the road when we are boondocking in some remote place out in the middle of nowhere.
Sorry for such a long response but I believe for you and others to understand my motivation you need to know a bit about my mind set. I do appreciate your question and the way it was presented. I see way to many “I don’t believe it is worth anything IMHO and if it was me I would junk it and just get a new one” on this and other sites. Everyone looks at life differently and in this kind of situation I believe there is no right and wrong only what the owner feels he/she should do. I’m just glad we got it knowing what would be involved, than a newbie who finds there sweet deal has turned into a nightmare. Besides I feel that all the people that undertake these types of repairs add to the entertainment of the other members, too bad the gag real doesn’t get posted.
