I've been shopping for truck campers off and on and came across what looks to be a really clean '94 Lance Squire 3000 camper on Craigslist. It's a long bed camper, but I'd be hauling it on my '96 F250 short bed. Based on the COG measurements and weight of 2,342 pounds loaded with 39 gallons of water and 40 pounds of propane, it looks like it would be a good match for the truck. The camper is 102" long and the truck bed is 82", which means the camper overhang off the bed would actually stick out less than if the tailgate was down.I really enjoy my travel trailer and don't plan on selling it, but I am looking to have a truck camper that I can toss on for exploring forest service roads or quick weekend trips to the beach or mountains. I've considered new rigs and really like the Wolf Creek 850, but I want to see if I like the truck camping experience before jumping in with both feet, and it seems like this Lance would be a good starting point if it's as solid as advertised.The truck would need tie downs installed, and I definitely want to do it right and go with Torklifts and FastGuns, yet the cost to just get the camper tied down in the truck is adding up fast. This is before I take into account any suspension work that I may end up needing after seeing how the camper rides. The outlay of cash wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't planning on a new '16 F350 short bed in the next six months or so, which would require me to outlay the cash for all of this stuff again.Any suggestions in regards to keeping costs reasonable? Opinions on the camper itself? I'm hoping I can talk them down to at least $4,000 from their asking price of $4,750 since even though it looks very well maintained, it's a pretty old camper that can have some hidden issues.Thanks much for any input!

Hi Josh, I looked at the ad. ( I loved the 2 week time period with the battery ;) ).. I'm not one to pooh pooh anyone's purchase, but I'll tell you this. Last year I sold my second owner 1995 Weekender 910 camper with the same features this Lance has. Looked to be in just as good as shape as this Lance, newer 6 cubic foot fridge, new AGM battery, new rubber roof and all LED lighting inside and out..freshly waxed and detailed for $3,800. That's not a rare price for something like this down here at least. Personally I also would try to negotiate a lower price if you really want it. Of course a camper this age is worth what you feel you want/can pay for it and though we want the most when we sell,... well, used is used and as you say "hidden issues" in a 1994 could be a deciding factor. Make sure you REALLY check it out before purchase of course, and best of luck! Dak

Thanks for the response Dak. I thought the 2 weeks on the batteries was funny, too. They're either huge batteries or they don't use anything in the camper that draws on them. Most likely they are out two weeks but are driving around during that time, recharging the batteries. I could say the same thing with the batteries on my trailer. ;)I wish I could find a camper like the one you sold for $3,800. If I decide to move forward with it, I'll be going to thoroughly check it out before investing in tie downs and see if they're willing to drop $1K off their asking price. If it's truly solid and shows no signs of previous leaks or rot, they'll probably get close to their asking price since it's the time of year to be selling them.They did already take $250 off the price without me asking them and have been quite helpful. They even researched to see if the camper would work on a short bed (I already knew it would) and sent me the original paperwork showing the weight of the camper and included options (there are none).We'll see what I decide to do. It's a lot of money to get my truck set up, but certainly better than spending over $20K on a new camper only to find out I don't like truck camping. I am pretty sure I'll enjoy it since it's usually just me and two dogs (a German Shepherd and Schipperke) that will be sleeping in it, but the lack of floor space and lifting the German Shepherd in and out of the camper all the time may get old real fast.

Manual jacks, for that price point it should atleast have electric jacks. I wouldn't pay more than $3000 for it. I would ask for receipts or records of when maintenance was done on it, especially the roof.It looks nice but I look at that window in the front and wonder if it has been caulked every year, actually that goes for the entire camper, one of the fun things when buying a used camper. Get some eyes on it and go over it with a fine toothed comb, check the roof especially make sure it has no soft spots and if it has an EPDM roof does it have black pitting?

mellow wrote:Manual jacks, for that price point it should atleast have electric jacks. I wouldn't pay more than $3000 for it. I would ask for receipts or records of when maintenance was done on it, especially the roof.It looks nice but I look at that window in the front and wonder if it has been caulked every year, actually that goes for the entire camper, one of the fun things when buying a used camper. Get some eyes on it and go over it with a fine toothed comb, check the roof especially make sure it has no soft spots and if it has an EPDM roof does it have black pitting?I will definitely be asking to see proof of maintenance and will go over everything with a critical eye. After getting burned twice with used trailers with water damage I gave up and bought new, but at least now I know exactly what to look for and where the weak spots are. According to the Lance brochure from '94, all their campers were still using aluminum roofs. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not...

I decided to look up the value on NADA Guides and they show average retail of $1,800 for a base model and $2,170 with the options I ticked off.I doubt they'd be willing to let it go for that, but maybe I could use it to get them down somewhere between $2,500 and $3,000.

Looking at a 1994 Lance Squire 3000 Camper | Good Sam Community

15 Replies

OBSPowerstroke
Explorer
Jun 30, 2015
I decided to look up the value on NADA Guides and they show average retail of $1,800 for a base model and $2,170 with the options I ticked off.

I doubt they'd be willing to let it go for that, but maybe I could use it to get them down somewhere between $2,500 and $3,000.
OBSPowerstroke
Explorer
Jun 30, 2015
mellow wrote:
Manual jacks, for that price point it should atleast have electric jacks. I wouldn't pay more than $3000 for it. I would ask for receipts or records of when maintenance was done on it, especially the roof.

It looks nice but I look at that window in the front and wonder if it has been caulked every year, actually that goes for the entire camper, one of the fun things when buying a used camper. Get some eyes on it and go over it with a fine toothed comb, check the roof especially make sure it has no soft spots and if it has an EPDM roof does it have black pitting?

I will definitely be asking to see proof of maintenance and will go over everything with a critical eye. After getting burned twice with used trailers with water damage I gave up and bought new, but at least now I know exactly what to look for and where the weak spots are. According to the Lance brochure from '94, all their campers were still using aluminum roofs. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not...
mellow
Explorer
Jun 30, 2015
Manual jacks, for that price point it should atleast have electric jacks. I wouldn't pay more than $3000 for it. I would ask for receipts or records of when maintenance was done on it, especially the roof.

It looks nice but I look at that window in the front and wonder if it has been caulked every year, actually that goes for the entire camper, one of the fun things when buying a used camper. Get some eyes on it and go over it with a fine toothed comb, check the roof especially make sure it has no soft spots and if it has an EPDM roof does it have black pitting?
OBSPowerstroke
Explorer
Jun 30, 2015
Thanks for the response Dak. I thought the 2 weeks on the batteries was funny, too. They're either huge batteries or they don't use anything in the camper that draws on them. Most likely they are out two weeks but are driving around during that time, recharging the batteries. I could say the same thing with the batteries on my trailer. ;)

I wish I could find a camper like the one you sold for $3,800. If I decide to move forward with it, I'll be going to thoroughly check it out before investing in tie downs and see if they're willing to drop $1K off their asking price. If it's truly solid and shows no signs of previous leaks or rot, they'll probably get close to their asking price since it's the time of year to be selling them.

They did already take $250 off the price without me asking them and have been quite helpful. They even researched to see if the camper would work on a short bed (I already knew it would) and sent me the original paperwork showing the weight of the camper and included options (there are none).

We'll see what I decide to do. It's a lot of money to get my truck set up, but certainly better than spending over $20K on a new camper only to find out I don't like truck camping. I am pretty sure I'll enjoy it since it's usually just me and two dogs (a German Shepherd and Schipperke) that will be sleeping in it, but the lack of floor space and lifting the German Shepherd in and out of the camper all the time may get old real fast.
dakonthemountai
Explorer
Jun 30, 2015
Hi Josh,

I looked at the ad. ( I loved the 2 week time period with the battery ;) ).. I'm not one to pooh pooh anyone's purchase, but I'll tell you this. Last year I sold my second owner 1995 Weekender 910 camper with the same features this Lance has. Looked to be in just as good as shape as this Lance, newer 6 cubic foot fridge, new AGM battery, new rubber roof and all LED lighting inside and out..freshly waxed and detailed for $3,800. That's not a rare price for something like this down here at least. Personally I also would try to negotiate a lower price if you really want it. Of course a camper this age is worth what you feel you want/can pay for it and though we want the most when we sell,... well, used is used and as you say "hidden issues" in a 1994 could be a deciding factor. Make sure you REALLY check it out before purchase of course, and best of luck!

Dak

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Looking at a 1994 Lance Squire 3000 Camper

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