AM I NUTS OR WHAT??

[lincolnmatthews]

Here lies the issues, my Lance 880 is sitting in the shop with the drivers side opened up to expose the framing (up to about the window) last summer I hit a speed bump & broke the rear framing at the tie down. Anyway I'm in the process of fixing it with new wider framing & going to have new longer & wider metal tie downs made for it.
But I am also looking a 1055 Lance sitting in Colorado, (haven't seen it only pics, looks nice, one owner, covered with a cover during the off season. I would be taking a big chance buying this site unseen, & having it shipped out I know. The 1055 would kind of fix what we have complained about our old 880, mainly the lack of a dry bath, headroom overhead,& easier to get in the overhead due to the basement style.
I haven't actually been in a 1055, would have to re-do the dinette someday as it looks pretty plain, I just don't know for sure if the 1055 would satisfy me or would I regret that I didn't spend more & get a slide. Even though were happy with our current non-slide model,(as far as floor space goes), its only the two of us. I do put it on some rocky rough roads, which I go very slow now so I don't rock the heck out of things. I don't really want to go with a slide because of the added stress, maintenance etc.
I am really a confused camper owner, a true "camper ****" who would have several if I could! (naturally I would look at one closer if I could but they rarely ever come up for sale in this state)

[dakonthemountai]

lincolnmatthews wrote:
Hey Dak,

They sent me some other (better & lighter) pics today. Looks pretty darn good,(from 1400 miles away anyway!) Boy looks like I'm going to have some heavy competition looking for the evasive 1055 aren't I!
I think you have a lot better chance being down in CA. I'm jammed up here next to the CDN border & no where to hardly run! Good luck!

Ha! Don't worry... I'm a few years away from getting rid of my Weekender. I've put too much into it already! Glad you got better pics! The advice about having someone inspect it for you is good advice; even if you had to pay someone I would do it.

Happy camping! 🙂

Dak

[bigfootford]

I would not purchase any rv without an inspection new or old..

A couple of years ago I did exactly what was suggested to you. A fella on rv.net, down in Texas asked if there was anyone in the Sacramento area that could go look at a 10 year old Lance. I contacted him and told him I would do it.
I went and looked, took a lot of pictures...
The inspection did not go well. Jacks were pulling away in the front. Many places in the back of cabinets showed water stains. Ripples in the siding indicating some stress had occurred somewhere. Front window leaking, 2 side windows leaking.... The list went on...
I sent him the pictures and a write up... Needless to say, he did not purchase the camper.

Jim

[lincolnmatthews]

Hey Dak,

They sent me some other (better & lighter) pics today. Looks pretty darn good,(from 1400 miles away anyway!) Boy looks like I'm going to have some heavy competition looking for the evasive 1055 aren't I!
I think you have a lot better chance being down in CA. I'm jammed up here next to the CDN border & no where to hardly run! Good luck!

[dakonthemountai]

lincolnmatthews wrote:
Thanks for the reply's! Lots of good thoughts especially the one about personally inspecting it! I just really don't want to fly out & look at it. I saw one down in Sacramento for 15k, called on it buts its gone already. These guys in Denver want 18k for there 1055 which I think is top dollar for a non-slide 6 yr old camper IMO. I told them I'd pay there price if they shipped it out, that would be paying about 16500 for it in my mind. We'll see what happens. It would be nice to find one in WA.

I saw that one on line. A number of photos of the inside looked pretty dark and hard to see..

Perhaps some sort of written "pre-agreement" about the condition upon inspection once it arrived?... Just thinking out loud here..

Good luck! 🙂

Dak

[lincolnmatthews]

Thanks for the reply's! Lots of good thoughts especially the one about personally inspecting it! I just really don't want to fly out & look at it. I saw one down in Sacramento for 15k, called on it buts its gone already. These guys in Denver want 18k for there 1055 which I think is top dollar for a non-slide 6 yr old camper IMO. I told them I'd pay there price if they shipped it out, that would be paying about 16500 for it in my mind. We'll see what happens. It would be nice to find one in WA.

[ck1]

as I replied on your other thread...the 1055 is a great camper..plenty of room for two and i have a 100lb German Shephard and we are good to go..the dry bath is good and i am no small chicken(i have dropped the soap in there and my wife didnt have to call 911 to get me out lol)...toilet is a little low but that is a easy fix if i ever get around to changing that out...lots of storage and tank size is great..i am a Jeeper so I drag it down some dirt roads to get to my campsite usually out in the desert...i wanted the biggest nonslide I could get mainly due to the poopy roads i travel on...no slide no issues...of course I would love to go with a camper with a slide(s) but right now until they can make a bullet proof slide set up a non slide is the only way to go for me...you can pm me for any questions if you like
Cameron

[Mote]

That's a pretty tough question that only you can probably answer by acutally looking at one of those campers in person. We have the 1030 and from what I've been told it's similar to the 1055. I would much rather have a slide for the extra room but we got this one for $4000 from a one owner little old lady. No kidding, she was 65 when she bought it new.
If I could spend $15k or more on a used one I'd have a slide. Of course I'd also have to buy a one ton truck first. With the 1030 I'm 2000lbs over GVRW and just 500lbs under the rear tires rating.

[gbopp]

I don't own a TC but, I would not buy any RV without doing a personal inspection.
At the very least I would hire an RV tech near the RV to do an inspection. However, I would feel better seeing it in person.
TC's can leak and cause damage just like any other motorhome, TT or 5th wheel.
Maybe it's worth the trip to see it in person?
A picture may be worth a 1000 words but, a hands on inspection is worth a 1000 pictures. JMO

Please, keep us updated on your decision.

[jimh406]

You can probably find a similar floor plan in the area to look at. I'm not sure what Lance models are similar. It really doesn't matter what other people have or like. Slides can be nice, but might not be for you.

[Butch50]

There are a lot of CO members on this site and maybe someone would be willing to take a look at it for you before you buy. That way you probably be more comfortable with it knowing before hand what type of shape it is in.

[dakonthemountai]

You should PM Buzzcut. He has a 1055, uses it off road, pulls a horse trailer, cooks in it and well, USES it for he and his wife. They love it. When the time is right and I have the $$ to pay cash I'm most definitely going to buy a used one with the Rainforest interior... I've been in one a number of times and drooled with envy over my tiny wet bath....and lack of kitchen counter space (the 1055 has an additional counter across the hall from the sink next to the fridge. I also like the tank capacities.

Good luck! (oh, and don't buy the best one out there... I'll want that one later! 😉

Dak