Should I Buy An Older Travel Trailer?

If you can find one that has been stored undercover 24/7, as both of ours have, you will have probably eliminated one problem. But before you do anything, you should certainly have any trailer you're interested in checked by a reputable RV dealer/repair shop. It may need to be cleaned, sealed and recaulked even if stored under cover. Even if you feel comfortable doing the work yourself - which will save you a bundle - have it professionally checked. Roof maintenance seems to be at the bottom of the to-do list for lots of folks and that's where the trouble starts. When shopping, not only LOOK for any signs of water, but smell for any signs of mold or mildew. If you find either, run! Good luck.

Many from that era will have extensive water damage making them worthless.

Every trailer except one has been used. We have never had a major problem with any of them. You do have to do a major check of them to know that everything works right and has been taken care of. As others have said, leaks are the big enemy and I would run from any that show any former leaks as it's almost impossible to assess the damage. You will have to replace the tires. Don't trust them just because they look good--they deteriorate badly after a few years. There is some real junk out there but some nice ones, too. You may want to look at some of the more premiums brands as they are usually built better than the entry level ones.

No reason to replace my 1987 it is better built than many of the pretty new ones. I live in it 6 months every winter in Florida. Replaced refer with regular small house one. I have even put in ac lights with the dc ones. Replaced toilet and water heater also over the years. I have towed from Maine to Florida to Arizona and back. I picked it up used for $5000 in 2001 it owes me nothing. I am in Florida right now cheap living.

TT's leak as often as anything else (and just about all RV's eventually leak).
Find one that hasn't leaked, there are lots of them out there (like mine) and it's not worth having to do a bunch of repairs when you can just buy something better.
Also as a rule newer TT's (built in the last 10~15 years) are built a bit better than the old ones because of newer sealants and roof materials.

better look for ANY sign of leakage ,if it has a water mark?? run. tt are not built very well.