Buying a 5’er that’s been lived in full time

[RedLionCookie]

My wife and I are shopping for a new to us fifth wheel. I recently found a 2016 Cedar Creek 33IK. I’ve talked with the owner over the phone but have not looked at it in person yet. He’s asking 30,000, I told him my budget was 27,000. It’s an hour drive to look at it. He knows my budget and told me to come look and he would negotiate.

According to him he works 12-13 days straight and is looking to retire. He lives in the camper full time. I know I’ll have a much better feel when I actually see it but I’m looking for some thoughts on the pros and cons of buying a camper that has been lived in full time.

[Aridon]

Sounds like a great unit, congratulations!

[ACZL]

Congrats from me as well. Having owned an older Creek, we felt very comfy buying it in the 1st place based on many factors. In fact, CC was our next choice to go w/ until DW went inside floorplan of current coach. So far so good. I believe there is a Cedar Creek RV club. We belonged to it when we had ours. Met several nice folks thru there. Want to say there were 2 CC clubs. 1 was the CC owners club which has not been mentioned much and the other one. We belonged to the other one. When you get a chance, post some pics.

[MFL]

Congratulations, sounds like a nice unit! Looking at it, finding out out all the specifics, removes any fears of earlier possible issues. A military person is generally going to be tidy and has learned the importance of maintenance.

Hope it serves you well!

Jerry

[RedLionCookie]

So my wife and I went and looked at the camper yesterday and we are going to buy it. The seller is retired from the military. He and his wife have been full timing for the past 10 years. The camper was purchased new in December of 2015. They have been moving around from place to place as his work dictates so that camper has not been sitting in one place for 28 months. I don't know how many place they have been but I got the impression they move every couple months.

Because they are currently staying on a military base he picked us up with his truck and drove us onto base. When I got into his truck it was spotless. When people take care of their stuff it is easy to tell. You can try and make things look clean and organized but when someone truly lives this way you know it.

This theme of clean and organized carried over to the camper. Everything on the outside was neatly organized in totes and bins. He has made some modifications and the workmanship tells me he is particular about his stuff.
The inside was also well organized and clean. I did not find anything that was in need of repair and it does not show a lot of wear.
He is including everything with the camper, hoses, cords, etc including a 2000 watt Honda generator.

He is 61 and looking to retire. He didn't come right out and say it but we got the feeling his health is an issue. His plan is to use the money from the camper to get him through until he can collect SS.

We are buying below the market value. I really can't see what we have to lose. All indications are it has been very well maintained and if it ends up being a lemon we can always take it to a dealer, trade it in, and still get close to what we paid for it. Time will tell.

[valhalla360]

rhagfo wrote:

Tell me how this is different than a trailer that has sat in storage for two years?

Exactly. If you are concerned, check the date on the sidewalls but nothing special about the age with a full time rig.

[rhagfo]

MFL wrote:

ACZL wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

MFL wrote:
If it has been sitting in the same spot, due to owners work, then may need tires already, and could have some UV damage on one side/end.

Unless there was something wrong with the tires when the manufacturer put them on, 2yr old tires should not be failing from UV damage. You can debate if they should be changed at 5 or 7 yrs but 2yrs should not be an issue.

To the OP: Go look. As long as it was maintained reasonably well, no concerns with full time use.

I'd be more worried about a rig that was bought, taken out once and in storage for the last couple years. Odds are the issues with a new rig won't have been shaken out.

I'd be leery of 2-3 year old tires if sun blasted on them all summer long w/o covers on them. Shoot, the tires could have been mfr'd in '15 or even '14 even tho the coach is a '16.

Tires just sitting, not moving, parked in the dirt/poor surface, or sun can have potential damage. Just something for OP to watch for, as we have no idea where, or what surface this RV is parked on, or if it has been moved occasionally. If not moved, and one side of RV facing sun for several years, UV damage to caulk, slide seals, and other trim is possible. Again...we don't know the specifics, but things for the OP to consider when arriving to inspect.

Hope it turns out to be a nice unit, and all goes well for OP, and seller!



Jerry

Tell me how this is different than a trailer that has sat in storage for two years?

[MFL]

ACZL wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

MFL wrote:
If it has been sitting in the same spot, due to owners work, then may need tires already, and could have some UV damage on one side/end.

Unless there was something wrong with the tires when the manufacturer put them on, 2yr old tires should not be failing from UV damage. You can debate if they should be changed at 5 or 7 yrs but 2yrs should not be an issue.

To the OP: Go look. As long as it was maintained reasonably well, no concerns with full time use.

I'd be more worried about a rig that was bought, taken out once and in storage for the last couple years. Odds are the issues with a new rig won't have been shaken out.

I'd be leery of 2-3 year old tires if sun blasted on them all summer long w/o covers on them. Shoot, the tires could have been mfr'd in '15 or even '14 even tho the coach is a '16.

Tires just sitting, not moving, parked in the dirt/poor surface, or sun can have potential damage. Just something for OP to watch for, as we have no idea where, or what surface this RV is parked on, or if it has been moved occasionally. If not moved, and one side of RV facing sun for several years, UV damage to caulk, slide seals, and other trim is possible. Again...we don't know the specifics, but things for the OP to consider when arriving to inspect.

Hope it turns out to be a nice unit, and all goes well for OP, and seller!

Jerry

[Durb]

There are a lot of lightly used units for sale. Things wear out with use such as bearings and seals, carpets and burners and igniters and on and on. The idea that a slightly used unit is sitting there rotting away is absurd. Just because an owner is an infrequent user doesn't mean he doesn't maintain it. I wouldn't consider a lived in rig for purchase when there are other options.

[ACZL]

valhalla360 wrote:

MFL wrote:
If it has been sitting in the same spot, due to owners work, then may need tires already, and could have some UV damage on one side/end.

Unless there was something wrong with the tires when the manufacturer put them on, 2yr old tires should not be failing from UV damage. You can debate if they should be changed at 5 or 7 yrs but 2yrs should not be an issue.

To the OP: Go look. As long as it was maintained reasonably well, no concerns with full time use.

I'd be more worried about a rig that was bought, taken out once and in storage for the last couple years. Odds are the issues with a new rig won't have been shaken out.

I'd be leery of 2-3 year old tires if sun blasted on them all summer long w/o covers on them. Shoot, the tires could have been mfr'd in '15 or even '14 even tho the coach is a '16.

[Jetstreamer]

The unit we bought was “lived in” for a couple of summers from being purchased new and had been parked at a seasonal site for a few years. I kinda liked the fact that it hadn’t been “down the road”.
Turned out to be an excellent buy.

[dblr]

Good to hear you decided to go and at least look at it, please let us know how things went afterwards, good luck.

[Aridon]

Nothing wrong with a full time unit. In fact I'd rather that than something that rotted on someone's yard for 2 years.

[valhalla360]

MFL wrote:
If it has been sitting in the same spot, due to owners work, then may need tires already, and could have some UV damage on one side/end.

Unless there was something wrong with the tires when the manufacturer put them on, 2yr old tires should not be failing from UV damage. You can debate if they should be changed at 5 or 7 yrs but 2yrs should not be an issue.

To the OP: Go look. As long as it was maintained reasonably well, no concerns with full time use.

I'd be more worried about a rig that was bought, taken out once and in storage for the last couple years. Odds are the issues with a new rig won't have been shaken out.

[TenOC]

NADA has its retail price 30K to 40K.

Price