Reasons for people to dump their TT

calewjohnson wrote:

Go Dogs wrote:
If they tell you they fixed a leak-skip it.

I also disagree. I had a leak in my front cap that the dealer could not fix. I pulled it apart myself, replaced all the particle board with actual wood and used laminate glue to reattach. Then used Eternabond on the seams, then put the molding back down. Is it perfect? No, but she doesn't leak one bit and the front has actual wood vice cheap particle board. Long story short, if fixed properly, there should be no problem.

Cale

Do you really believe a novice RV buyer can tell a good fix from a bad one? How many RVs have extensive water damage from a leak, before it got fixed?

People dump travel trailers for many reasons.

However, the #1 reason that I have observed from many friends and acquaintances is that they simply did't use them enough to justify keeping them.

By the time your average TT owner realizes how relentlessly they NEED to pay attention to the maintenance its too late. When I talked about resealing my roof with a fellow camper owner they looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. Especially if they bought used.

Lack of use, lack of maintenance, + a lack of desire to RV anymore = trailer that just dumped AS - IS

Go Dogs wrote:
If they tell you they fixed a leak-skip it.

I also disagree. I had a leak in my front cap that the dealer could not fix. I pulled it apart myself, replaced all the particle board with actual wood and used laminate glue to reattach. Then used Eternabond on the seams, then put the molding back down. Is it perfect? No, but she doesn't leak one bit and the front has actual wood vice cheap particle board. Long story short, if fixed properly, there should be no problem.

Cale

My DW and I had bought a 1999 Coachman Trailer, very used from a dealer. We had it for a few years and even towed it to the east coast. I think we would still have it if my DW hadn't seen the insides of a 5 er. We even today talk about the good times we enjoyed in that TT.

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Some people "dump" their RV trailer because it's loaded with known problems. Problems they don't know how to fix or don't want to pay for to fix. One of those "dump and run" situations - because the seller notices the problem (like a leaky window or ceiling corner) and doesn't want the hassle or cost to fix.

Some people "sell" their trailer because they always replace their stuff every 3 years. You might know a few folks like that? re: New vehicle every 3 years, new house every 5 years, new computer every year, new sound system every year?

And some people "sell" their trailer because it simply doesn't fit their "comfort" anymore. For our current 2006 Jayco, we bought it 1.25 years old. The previous owner (single lady with 1 kid) didn't feel comfortable pulling a 29ft behind her 250 Pickup. She traded the TT in for a 25ft 5er. Her new trailer is now shorter and being a 5er, it pulls much nicer (for her comfort). We bought her previously used 29ft TT. It was in perfect shape and so clean, one could almost eat off its floor. And, we didn't have to pay "brand new" selling price for it either. Win-win for her and for my family.

Being a buyer, one has to determine are they "dumping and running" or are they simply "selling" their RV/TT (for valid / honest reasons).

Tip: If buying "pre-owned" from an RV dealer, get them to cover 100% repair costs (re: appliances, leaks, suspension, wiring / lighting, gas flow, etc, etc.) for xx time period. When we bought our Jayco 29ft from dealer, we got them to cover 1 full year of "fix to factory specs" in our purchase contract. Didn't need to exercise this option but it was nice to have within a sales contract.

You need to watch for problems, certainly, but the reason most TTs, and other types of RVs, go on the market, or get dumped as you put it, is that the needs of the owners have changed. Many are sold by first buyer in the first two years because what seemed like agood idea at the time turned out to not fit a family's lifestyle or budget, or they figured out that going "camping" wasn't the great experience they expected.

$15K will give you a ton of options.

I find a lot of ads will list a price of 150% of their selling price.

I'm thinking that we could get a decent, well, decent for us, 5th wheel or tt for around $15,000 used. That won't necessarily mean it's not a lemon. That video was fantastic and I am going to see if I can find some more.

There is s difference in dumping and selling. We sold our trailer because we wanted a made up bed in addition to the bunks. The trailer did have previous water damage to it, but at the end of the day, you aren't going to get a gem for $2-3,000. We knew that when we bought it and when we sold it. We had zero problems selling it. We did find that $2500 was about as much cash as most people had on them. We sold ours for $3200 and we were in it $2500.

Trailers with out current tags and registration . Always check to see if the guy selling it that his name is on the title . Quite a few people hustle trailers and know how to hide problems .