Parting Out Travel Trailer

I would try e-bay. That new of a trailer someone would buy it for a repair project. Another option is to trade it in to a dealer on a new trailer, they would pay off the old loan.

I have no plans to cancel the insurance. I just want to part out everything I can...sell it and apply it to the remaining balance that I am still making monthly payments on to pay it off quicker. I've already tried selling it as is for over a year with no bites. When it's completely paid off I will sell the remaining trailer with the title to someone who wants to make a utility trailer or something out of. To me that is cutting my losses and moving ahead. The sooner this one is gone the sooner I can get something brand new and start enjoying a travel trailer. Right now it is just sitting and rotting and costing me money in storage and insurance and cannot be used. I think my idea makes perfect sense.

I just bought two bunk bed mattresses from a parted out camper. Due to insurance purposes, I was not allowed in the trailer, but I could stick my head in through the doors to look around. If a part is needed, the owner or a yard worker pulled that part. They advertised it on Craigslist with the rules, etc. They sold the parts as "best offer." They knew how much stuff was new and what it should go for, taking into account damage from the RV being rolled. Best $100 I had ever spent. I'd do it again if I need any other parts.

You have to pay the loan off before you part the TT out. If you cancel insurance it will tip off the bank and they will put their coverage on it at great expense to you. What you are asking is a breach of your contract with your lender. This is a very bad idea. Cut your losses and chalk it up to a life lesson.

We've already gone round and round with the insurance company. They won't cover a thing saying "preventative maintenance" was not done by the previous owner which caused the water leaks so no help there.

Thank you again for all the great advice and information. I really appreciate it!

If you are paying on this TT then you should have insurance on it. Before you part it out I would contact your rep and see what would be covered. If they send out an adjuster they may fix it who knows. If it is really bad they may even see it as a complete loss and you may be able to get another without having to go through the whole ordeal of parting it out.

A 2007 is not that old in TT years and may be something that soemone may want to refurbish.

Good luck!!

I would list it on Craigslist for $3K with mention of the water damage. There are still guys like me and Gdetrailer that are looking for a "handyman's special".

I agree with the folks above who say to try to sell it first. Give it a try, disclose the damage and see what happens. If you decide to take a loss, you need to be able to pay the difference in order to pay of the loan. If you put it up for sale you can continue to pay it down until the sale price and the loan balance are the same amount.
If you do decide to part it out remember that some parts are worth more than you think, but you have to find a user that needs it. A new Dometic refrigerator can go for around $1,000 new and if yours is like new you may be able to get close to $500 for it, if you can find the right buyer. I wouldn't start parting it out until you can get the loan balance down to about $1500 so you can get it payed off with the parts you take off fairly quickly. Besides, it may sell sooner than you think.

dmullen wrote:
I appreciate the advice. Anything I make from parting out the trailer will go directly on the loan balance along with my usual monthly payment so it will not take long at all to pay that balance off. I will not sell the actual trailer until the loan is paid off, just everything built on the trailer. I am not a handy man enough to handle this level of damage and would rather start off with a sound TT and keep it up from the start.

The reason for my post is how do you part out a TT. What should I put in the add, etc. Not letting someone remove the parts themselves was a great piece of advice. That is what I am looking for. I'm thinking I should just start removing things and price them, and keep updating my add as far as what is available now. I will also put in the add "tell me what you need and I will see if I have it" if for instance they want a kitchen sink and mine hasn't sold yet. You get the idea.

Doors, windows, furnace, A/C, stove, water heater are your primary items which will sell. Some faster than others so be prepared to hold onto some of those items for a long time.

The bad news is those items ARE used.. You MUST price and sell them accordingly..

Windows, $40-$50 each, doors if not damaged say $100, stove perhaps $100, furnace $100, A/C $125-$150, Water heater $100, converter $50 if single or two stage, $75 perhaps if three stage.

So, 10 windows you might get $500 plus $625 for the other items above gives you $1125. Then if aluminum skin you might get $50-$100 in scrap. Frames with title generally will get you $300-$500.

So in reality you have $1725 in "sell able" items, add in your labor and it is still a big loss.... And depending on the demand in your area (it isn't like you are going to ship these items) could take months to years to sell.

For that reason I mentioned selling entire trailer as a whole..

I have sold a few "used" items like furnace and A/C and honestly it wasn't worth the effort to field phone calls and having no shows...

dmullen wrote:
I'm thinking I should just start removing things and price them, and keep updating my add as far as what is available now. I will also put in the add "tell me what you need and I will see if I have it" if for instance they want a kitchen sink and mine hasn't sold yet. You get the idea.

I think that's a great idea- that's how guys taking old pickups apart do it.

Only problem I can see with that approach is where to "classify" it...someone looking for a stove, for example, might not be looking in a general "parts-type" section of Craigslist.

You might consider dual-ads- one in appliances, for example, and one in general merchandise.