Looking to buy, but don't have much knowledge

[thisguy2014]

So my wife and I own a pop up but are thinking of upgrading to something with a little more space and a little more strudy. I am looking to stay under 23 feet and 4500 dollars. I've seen a few 2003 Aerolites and 2002 R - Vision's in this range. Does anyone have any knowledge about these that I should know ? Any problems that I should specifically know about ? Any other recommendations to look for ? I know this isn't much info and is pretty vague, but I'm looking for any advice and ideas. Thank you.

[Thsldo]

I have a 2001 Coachmen Hybrid, very solid with no issues, I am selling it for 4k. So 3800 for something that needs a floor, is way too much. keep looking, seems up here in the Northeast there are a bunch of hybrids.

[poppin_fresh]

You might find an older hybrid in the price you are looking for, but if it really is a solid camper it will sell for more just because it's in good shape.

I drove for several hours to look at a hybrid that was only $3500 and supposedly in good shape. In reality it was a basket case that would have needed a lot of work to fix. It had leaked in several spots that the owner said was no big deal...maybe not to him. Once I had a look, i noticed the floor was about as firm as the one in a bouncy house and the front bunk was probably unsafe to sleep on as there was nothing solid about it anymore.

I ended up spending more on my 2005 current hybrid, but it truly is solid. The previous owners had maintained the caulking, replaced the tires and kept it clean. It has zero water damage and aside from some faded decals isn't a whole lot different than it was when it drove off the lot.

I was willing to pay a little more for the peace of mind knowing I had trailer I wouldn't spend more time fixing than camping in.

[PAThwacker]

Not too many cheap hybrids are out there. I see them as low as $6k and allegedly solid. Buyer beware, need to check every square inch, climb on roof, poke around, look at caulk, and other tell tale issues. Same goes for every camper type out there. Avoid older screw tight bunkend doors, lower door pole support models, and extremely low CCC models.

[bikendan]

suggest you actually go look at a hybrid, so you know what we're talking about.

and i'll bet that Aerolite has more water damage than just the floor!:E

[Padlin]

thisguy2014 wrote:
So something without bunk doors would have one less thing to cause water damage in theory correct ?

Correct, in theory.

thisguy2014 wrote:
So I spoke to someone selling an 03 Aerolite for 3800. He said the floor basically needs to be replaced as it was sitting uncovered for a year. So my next queation is is an rv floor like a house floor ? Is it just a plywood subfloor that someone with carpentry skills can replace ? Also it doesn't have the slide out beds.

On my Starcraft the floor is sluminum framed, filled with 1.5" foam board, glued and pressed between 2 sheets of 1/4" Luan. I replaced it but it was a b%*#h. And didn't come out very well.

[thisguy2014]

So I spoke to someone selling an 03 Aerolite for 3800. He said the floor basically needs to be replaced as it was sitting uncovered for a year. So my next queation is is an rv floor like a house floor ? Is it just a plywood subfloor that someone with carpentry skills can replace ? Also it doesn't have the slide out beds.

[thisguy2014]

So something without bunk doors would have one less thing to cause water damage in theory correct ?

[Padlin]

Bunk Door = The hatch you lower to open up the bed, once open it becomes the platform for the bed. On older units these are held up by poles like a popup. Newer units, roughly 2008, use a cable system.

[PAThwacker]

We have a narrow body, low roof ht, nonslide 21rbh. 2 bunk doors and perpendicular bunk beds. Strain was too much for 3.42 5.3V8 trailblazer. I tow it with a k2500 sub!

[thisguy2014]

So what exactly are bunk door? I've seen them referenced more then once but can't figure out what they are exactly. And what is ROO ? I drive a SAAB 97-X, so basically an Envoy. I plan to get a pickup soon, so I may wait until then anyway. Thanks again.

[bikendan]

for any hybrid that old, brand won't matter much. how it was cared for by previous owners will be more important.

EVERY brand of hybrid has its lovers and haters. ALL brands of hybrids have lemons.

the difference in quality and fit/finish of hybrids isn't that much.
some have slightly cheaper materials for weight savings. some have slightly better amenities.
at the price point that hybrids sell at, there's not much that they can vary at.

as was said, Roo and Jayco have been the best selling hybrid for years. we've had our Roo for over 7 years now and have had few issues with it.
Aerolite had problems with the Thermarest tent ends they had for a few years. R-Vision is no more and will have no factory support.

it's a good idea to post what you'll be towing with.

[mbutts]

We made the jump to a hybrid after a few years of a pop-up, too. We were really happy with the extra space, less set up time, and having a bathroom on board. We were really disappointed that it basically dissolved after only five years of extremely careful ownership.

On ours, the downfall was warped bunkend doors that allowed lots of water to enter.

[Habs33]

After owning several popups over 2 decades, we made the leap 3 yrs ago to a 2001 rockwood roo 21 ft. Liked the trailer, hated the climb over the dinette with sleeping kids to get in/out of the front bed. So we 'upgraded' to a 2004 jayco 23 ft D model that has a smaller dinette off to the side. Really good experiences with both trailers good luck. Agree with the above poster even the smaller trailers seem significant heavier (plus pulling a parachute) as compared with tent trailers so get a good tow vehicle and add 20% for all the extra junk you will end up taking.

[Chuck_S]

The place to start is your tow vehicle. A full body trailer has much more air resistance than a popup and is heavier as well. Your maximum towing capacity minus 1000 (or better yet 2000) pounds is all the bigger trailer you should pull. Unless you're driving a diesel pickup this will limit your choices more than price.

-- Chuck