Older vs Newer Roo 21SS

Ah, so you haven't actually had a chance to lay your eyes on this 21SS....that could make your decision for you. It might be in much better shape than you are hoping for or not so good. $5000 does not sound like a terrible price by CA standards. As suggested, check every nook and cranny. I would ask the owner to have propane in a tank so you can check the stove/oven/frig/WH. When you start to light the oven, if it's been sitting for a while, you'll need to light a top burner and let it run for just a bit to get propane into the line...happens to all of us - standard stuff. Also, ask for water to be in the FW tank so you can check all the faucets and the water pump. As for the faded decals, Forest River MAY still have some available. I replaced the one on our '07 rear bunkend just before we decided to move to a TT and it was right at $50 incl shipping. There is a product that helps to preserve decals and I understand will also freshen them up....believe it's called 303, but don't take my word for sure. Do you know if it's been stored undercover or covered in the winter? Although not as crucial in CA as other places. Suggest you start a list now and write down everything you can think of to check. Hope this turns out to be a great deal, otherwise, just stop and have a terrific lunch and call it a day-trip and be over it.

Thanks again for all the replies.

There are many many ways of looking at this deal. And a lot of the decision will come down to the "actual" condition of the unit vs the seller's impression.

The unit is fairly priced according to NADA but condition will trump the NADA value of course. And from what I've seen, west coast prices on HTT are in excess of NADA values generally (sometimes substantially). As an example, I just missed a 2009 that they were asking $2k above average retail, $4k above low retail.

And Chuck is right. Putting $5k into a $5k trailer still equals a $5k trailer (well, perhaps a little more in CA).

But there is simply a cost of ownership that has to be factored as well. If I can keep my improvements around $1000 for every year of ownership then this should work out fine (and be well under the average yearly depreciation)

Another perspective is that my initial purchase price is about equal to the 1st year's deprecation on a brand new unit.

So, I think I have enough info to make the 3 hour drive to go inspect the unit. If it disappoints then its back to the drawing board or maybe a trip to RVW.

Either way we hope to be in a HTT by spring at the latest.

Thanks again!

California pricing is beyond my comprehension so I'm not sure this is worth $5000 in excellent condition. Probably is, but it ain't. This is not a $10,000 camper.

Buying a $5000 '04 Roo and then spending an other $5000 to get it into proper shape results in a camper still worth $5000. $5000 + $5000 = $5000 in this case. Only makes sense if you intend to keep this camper for many, many years.

-- Chuck

We just sold our 2006 21SS at the beginning of this year. If memory serves me right, somewhere in the middle of the 2006 model year there were two changes we noticed that we wished we would have had. One was the camper itself was raised higher on the trailer frame. I know I'm not saying that quite right, but what we noticed was that we had to step up into the dinette on our model, where on the updated model the floor was flush. The other thing we noticed was the addition of windows in the short walls of the slide. That's a small thing, but it would have been nice. The 21SS was our first family camper, we LOVED that trailer. We really enjoy our 23SS too, but the 21SS really has a warm spot in our heart!

Wow, talk about due diligence! Were it me, I'd be all over the '04. Check in cabinets, outside storage, under the mattresses, anywhere you can find exposed luan. Look for ANY discoloration or staining that may indicate water exposure. Water is pretty much the worst, most insidious issue you can have with any camper; most anything else can be dealt with relatively easily. Also, check for delamination on all the outside panels. If that all checks out, I say go for it. Is the extra room worth an extra 14 grand?You could COMPLETELY replace the awning and get yourself an Oxygenics showerhead, use it for 2 seasons, trade up and still be miles ahead

First, thanks to everyone for all the great info! You folks are saving us so much time and effort in this process. You all are awesome!!

Now to the details of the 2004 Roo that I know so far (in addition to those mentioned already):
Decals are faded due to the unit being stored uncovered in the sun. That and what I think are issues with deferred maintenance are disconcerting.

Seller claims there has never been any water issues. But no updates have been done to door hatches or seals.

Tires and battery were put in service 1.5 years ago. I'll get the manufacture dates soon.

There is staining in the shower floor due to something being stored there. Likely I would replace the basin to make DW happy.

WDH is included.

Price is now at $5500 (+ tax) compared to $18K (+ tax + $1.5K trip costs + time) to buy a new one from RVW.

We wouldn't even be considering his route if the price difference weren't so great.
Even if we spent $5k on improvements (extreme I think), we would still be in for $10k under new.

Or the other way I'm thinking about this, is this would give us a cheap way to try out a HTT and we could upgrade as soon as we wanted to with very little monetary risk.

Of course I don't want to be chasing my tail fixing little problems all the time either - which is one of the main reasons for us to buy new.

I'm going to to talk to the seller again and run down another list of questions about condition and maintenance. I'll let you all know how that goes.

Thanks again! This forum is great!

We have the same floorplan and my very favorite feature is the super deep slideout with all windows in the slideout...I wouldn't have one without the windows in the slide. Also, after having both a HTT with bungees/poles and permanent attached tent, the permanent attached is easier/quicker, nice feature. I'm a tall lady at 5'10", husband is 6'1" and neither of us have trouble closing the bathroom door when on the toilet...not an issue, we spend very little time on the toilet....lots of time in the "living room" so the floorspace there is much more important to us. Jennifer

Personally, unless they're practically giving it away, I would steer clear. The torn canvas is a huge negative. A small tear is a 10 minute fix....so why didn't they fix it?? Replacing an awning is $$$ - suggest you check Camping World for general price info and be sure to add installation. Depending on your size and the other family members, the difference in width may or may not be a problem. Do you know the true age of the tires? The manufacturing date is listed on the sidewall near the rim and will be a 4 digit number, such as 1204 meaning they were manufactured during the 12th week of 2004 - does not matter when they went into service, it's the mfg date that counts. Not intending to be nosy, but can you tell us what "good price" they're talking about?? I can tell you we recently sold our '07 ROO 23SS in mint condition including winter cover, PUGS Equalizer WDH and a ton of extras for $9000. AND it had brand new tires with only 1500 miles on them, so that saved the new owners $400 - $500 right away. If you haven't checked NADA online for RV prices, suggest you do that. Include the year, make and model only - do not include any extras such as micro, A/C, etc and I would consider it in only fair condition - lower if there is a category for that. Those tears would be a big concern and a big $$$ outgo for you. Are they including the WDH?? Any extras?? I'm leary. Please let us know and we can give you a better idea if it's a yea of a nay.

California camper prices are usually obscene so what's your idea of a "good price" on the 10 year old Roo 21ss. Driving to the Midwest or Ohio may not be an exciting option but is sure to save several thousand dollars. (I saved $4000 over "local dealer" prices just driving cross state.)

The "slightly smaller" bathroom on the starboard (curb) side of Roo/Shamrock campers is enough to make the door difficult to close when sitting on the potty. I consider that a liability.

These trailers were 90" wide and 76" ceiling height until circa 2006 thru 2008. I recall the ceiling height increased in 2006, a year or two before the body width. There are also "early" and "late" variations in the model year. My "early 2006" Roo 23SS has the 76" ceiling height for example.

Beds did not change with the body width. Same bed doors.

6" is really a massive change to the interior especially with the slide closed and in the case of the Roo 21SS and 23SS access to the rear bed.

I see a theoretical towing capacity of 6500 pounds if properly equipped which should handle either the new or used trailer.

Low water pressure in the shower is expected as there's a restriction in the head to limit water use. Torn awning is a sign of poor maintenance if it wasn't repaired -- what else wasn't repaired?

-- Chuck

One thing comes in mind when I compare 2004 HTT and today's HTT.
I remember when we had our '04 Travelstar 21SSO, the bunk setup was much different. We had to install those support frames and then all those bungees and velcro like Dan was mentioning. It is so much easier now since it's all on cables......Drop the door and you're good to go.
If our 2004 Travelstar was 7'6" and our 2011 Palomino is 8'......I didn't really see the difference. (I don't think that 6 inches would be enough for me to go new)
Another thing is the Travelstar had 13" tires and our Palomino has 14". I don't know if it's the same with the Roo.

By the way.......Hi Dan !

Dre