Looking at a 1994 Lance Squire 3000 Camper

[OBSPowerstroke]

I've been shopping for truck campers off and on and came across what looks to be a really clean '94 Lance Squire 3000 camper on Craigslist. It's a long bed camper, but I'd be hauling it on my '96 F250 short bed. Based on the COG measurements and weight of 2,342 pounds loaded with 39 gallons of water and 40 pounds of propane, it looks like it would be a good match for the truck. The camper is 102" long and the truck bed is 82", which means the camper overhang off the bed would actually stick out less than if the tailgate was down.

I really enjoy my travel trailer and don't plan on selling it, but I am looking to have a truck camper that I can toss on for exploring forest service roads or quick weekend trips to the beach or mountains. I've considered new rigs and really like the Wolf Creek 850, but I want to see if I like the truck camping experience before jumping in with both feet, and it seems like this Lance would be a good starting point if it's as solid as advertised.

The truck would need tie downs installed, and I definitely want to do it right and go with Torklifts and FastGuns, yet the cost to just get the camper tied down in the truck is adding up fast. This is before I take into account any suspension work that I may end up needing after seeing how the camper rides. The outlay of cash wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't planning on a new '16 F350 short bed in the next six months or so, which would require me to outlay the cash for all of this stuff again.

Any suggestions in regards to keeping costs reasonable? Opinions on the camper itself? I'm hoping I can talk them down to at least $4,000 from their asking price of $4,750 since even though it looks very well maintained, it's a pretty old camper that can have some hidden issues.

Thanks much for any input!

[OBSPowerstroke]

robertbenita wrote:
What happened? Did you buy it?

I've been so busy between work and my camping trip over the 4th that I never had a chance to contact them. I did look at the ad this morning and it was still posted, but it has expired as of tonight. I'm hoping to maybe get a look at it this weekend if they still have it, but I'm going to be so busy between now and December with work and planned trips, I don't know how I'll be able to swing prepping the truck.

My trip this weekend reinforced my desire for a camper though, as wedging the trailer in where I did required three spotters, 20 minutes, and me still grazing a tree with the front bumper of the truck to get the trailer positioned. At least it blew everyone's minds that I made it in and the tree contact was so minimal that I didn't even mess up the bumper trim. Nothing a little bug, tar, and sap remover can't take care of.

[robertbenita]

What happened? Did you buy it?

[agteacher]

We sold our 1996 Lance Squire 3000 five years ago for $5000 It was loaded with everything but the generator. The dinette wall had water damage below the window, but the issue came from the rear corner at the roof. I have seen lots of these that only show the damage behind or below the wood. We realized ours had a problem first in the lower overhang (see if you can squeeze the inside and outside together). It should be solid and not compress. Also see if the walls sound solid if you tap on them. Check behind the dinette cushions and in the cabinets for blistering. We are getting ready to see our toyhauler and go back to a truck camper.

[mkasner]

You are in the right pricing. Early 2000 campers without electric jacks, ac...etc should be valued around $2500 to $4,000 depending on their condition.

[kohldad]

Maybe I can shed some light and make you feel a little better. My father had and 87 F250 which he used to haul a 69 Franklin 11'. Only difference would be ours was a long bed diesel which helped with the long Franklin but it did weigh a little bit more.

Seeing the layout, I will agree with the weight and COG since it is the fore-runner to the more modern Lance 835.

In regards to the front window, we ran our Franklin until the side walls collapsed on a rough gravel road about 1990. To make it home, my father had to use the jacks to pick up the side walls and place a 2x4 on the bed rails. After debating for a couple of years, he finally decided to tear it down and save what he could. Everyone talks bad about the front window, but his had almost zero water damage around the front window. We had done very little maintenance to the camper and I don't ever remember him caulking the front window. Big advantage though was for a lot of years, it did sit under a shed when not in use.

In regards to the two week battery, that is possible since there are not any parasitic draws in that camper. Don't think you will find a CO or LP detector and the Norcold 300 does not have a controller board so no draw when in LP. With only a light or two for an hour or two and water pump use, the battery would make the two weeks. However, do think they are talking about recharging with the truck like others are talking about.

I agree, the price should be closer to about $3,000 for it, but near perfect camper could warrant about $4,000 range.

One note of warning, your tail lights won't be readily visible since they will be tucked under the camper about 20" so if you do get it, you may want to consider adding tail lights at the rear of the camper.

Normally, I argue for frame mount tie downs. But with the old truck that has a pretty substantial bumper and a light weight camper, you could go with securing the rear to the bumper. For the front, you can make you own belly bar pretty cheap by using a 1/4 wall 7' 2x2 with uprights to secure to the front bed bolts. Tie all this to the camper using the fast guns which you can use with the new truck.

Good luck.

[OBSPowerstroke]

jaycocreek wrote:
As someone looking for the same and reading Craigs list in the same general area(Oregon /Washington and Idaho) , that's not that bad of a price compared to some I see. There are a bunch of campers for sale out there and a well taken care of Lance is high on my list. I have had nothing but good luck with the ones I have owned and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

Hey! Don't steal my camper! :B

In all seriousness, I think it's worth it for me to at least make the drive out there to check it out. Hood River is only a little over an hour from my house.

[jaycocreek]

As someone looking for the same and reading Craigs list in the same general area(Oregon /Washington and Idaho) , that's not that bad of a price compared to some I see. There are a bunch of campers for sale out there and a well taken care of Lance is high on my list. I have had nothing but good luck with the ones I have owned and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

[dakonthemountai]

OBSPowerstroke wrote:

mellow wrote:
Manual jacks, for that price point it should atleast have electric jacks. I wouldn't pay more than $3000 for it. I would ask for receipts or records of when maintenance was done on it, especially the roof.

It looks nice but I look at that window in the front and wonder if it has been caulked every year, actually that goes for the entire camper, one of the fun things when buying a used camper. Get some eyes on it and go over it with a fine toothed comb, check the roof especially make sure it has no soft spots and if it has an EPDM roof does it have black pitting?

I will definitely be asking to see proof of maintenance and will go over everything with a critical eye. After getting burned twice with used trailers with water damage I gave up and bought new, but at least now I know exactly what to look for and where the weak spots are. According to the Lance brochure from '94, all their campers were still using aluminum roofs. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not...

I forgot to note that mine also had electric jacks... Sorry you weren't around when I sold it last year! I even delivered it! 🙂 Aluminum roofs are GOOD in my opinion! They last and last and last. Rubber is usually warranted for 10-12 years and then replacement is very expensive!

I SO know the feeling of space. I too traveled with two dogs. A bouncy black lab and My Siberian Husky at 14 years old, who had to be lifted/wheelbarrowed into my old camper, which is one reason I had to wait almost a year before using my new one. He is gone now.. but my black lab loves jumping up and camping! Sounds like you have some fun coming in the future!

Dak
As before, best of luck with it!

[OBSPowerstroke]

Kayteg1 wrote:
I bought my camper with F250 and it did not work.
My camper is bigger and heavier, but bare in mind that campers have center of gravity behind rear axle, meaning 2,342 lb of camper can add over 3000 lb to your rear axle.
Can't say how much exactly without driving to scales, but are your tires rated for this range?

Fortunately the center of gravity on this camper is pretty far forward and would be in front of the axle even on a short bed truck. No problem with the rear axle, as it's the same axle used on the duallys and has over a 10K pound weight rating. Springs are another story and likely the weak link on the truck since it's a F250, but relatively easy to remedy if necessary. Tires are E-rated BFG All-Terrain T/A KOs, so I'm good to go there, too.

The truck already handles a 1,200 pound tongue weight trailer and at least another 800 pounds in the bed without any issues when I head out for a trip. I've been to the scales and am way under all my weight ratings, including GVWR.

[Kayteg1]

I bought my camper with F250 and it did not work.
My camper is bigger and heavier, but bare in mind that campers have center of gravity behind rear axle, meaning 2,342 lb of camper can add over 3000 lb to your rear axle.
Can't say how much exactly without driving to scales, but are your tires rated for this range?

[OBSPowerstroke]

I decided to look up the value on NADA Guides and they show average retail of $1,800 for a base model and $2,170 with the options I ticked off.

I doubt they'd be willing to let it go for that, but maybe I could use it to get them down somewhere between $2,500 and $3,000.

[OBSPowerstroke]

mellow wrote:
Manual jacks, for that price point it should atleast have electric jacks. I wouldn't pay more than $3000 for it. I would ask for receipts or records of when maintenance was done on it, especially the roof.

It looks nice but I look at that window in the front and wonder if it has been caulked every year, actually that goes for the entire camper, one of the fun things when buying a used camper. Get some eyes on it and go over it with a fine toothed comb, check the roof especially make sure it has no soft spots and if it has an EPDM roof does it have black pitting?

I will definitely be asking to see proof of maintenance and will go over everything with a critical eye. After getting burned twice with used trailers with water damage I gave up and bought new, but at least now I know exactly what to look for and where the weak spots are. According to the Lance brochure from '94, all their campers were still using aluminum roofs. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not...

[mellow]

Manual jacks, for that price point it should atleast have electric jacks. I wouldn't pay more than $3000 for it. I would ask for receipts or records of when maintenance was done on it, especially the roof.

It looks nice but I look at that window in the front and wonder if it has been caulked every year, actually that goes for the entire camper, one of the fun things when buying a used camper. Get some eyes on it and go over it with a fine toothed comb, check the roof especially make sure it has no soft spots and if it has an EPDM roof does it have black pitting?

[OBSPowerstroke]

Thanks for the response Dak. I thought the 2 weeks on the batteries was funny, too. They're either huge batteries or they don't use anything in the camper that draws on them. Most likely they are out two weeks but are driving around during that time, recharging the batteries. I could say the same thing with the batteries on my trailer. 😉

I wish I could find a camper like the one you sold for $3,800. If I decide to move forward with it, I'll be going to thoroughly check it out before investing in tie downs and see if they're willing to drop $1K off their asking price. If it's truly solid and shows no signs of previous leaks or rot, they'll probably get close to their asking price since it's the time of year to be selling them.

They did already take $250 off the price without me asking them and have been quite helpful. They even researched to see if the camper would work on a short bed (I already knew it would) and sent me the original paperwork showing the weight of the camper and included options (there are none).

We'll see what I decide to do. It's a lot of money to get my truck set up, but certainly better than spending over $20K on a new camper only to find out I don't like truck camping. I am pretty sure I'll enjoy it since it's usually just me and two dogs (a German Shepherd and Schipperke) that will be sleeping in it, but the lack of floor space and lifting the German Shepherd in and out of the camper all the time may get old real fast.