Purchasing Warped Roof 1997 Bigfoot 2500 9’6”?

[stupendous_man]

Looking to purchase this 1997 Bigfoot 2500 9’6”, and everything looks good except for the front section of the roof. It appears to be sagging in front and to the side of the bedroom skylight. Rainwater is pooling in front of the skylight as well.

Is this evidence of water damage? I’ve heard on other forums that pooling rainwater is a bad sign. The rubber siding on the windows looks like it’s starting to pull away as well.
I tried to highlight the areas of concern in the attached photos.

The asking price is $10,200. Thank you for any advice.

[Kayteg1]

I am surprised how little BigFoot owners participate in this topic.
When price looks high to me as well, the market changes and I assume OP did his research.
In my years of RVing I restored several different RV and all restoration were great success. But for all projects I was seeking solid base.
So it was Airstream, Prevost, Barth. All RV with solid frame and regardless 30 or 50 years of age - they generated lot of pleasure for me and later buyers.
When I never owned BF, the fiberglass shell is solid base for restoration. Long way from "toothpicks frame with skinny plywood slapped over to hold it" lot of other constructions present.
OP good luck with this or other purchase.

[Killingsworth]

I would say the seller's asking price is at the upper end of the going rate, the camper is 25 years old, you have concerns/worries about possible water intrusion and its had a go with a hurricane. My opinion, if it were me, would be to pass. IF this was a "great"deal money wise, then maybe I would really consider it.
I am only on my second truck camper, and learned the hard way on my first. It had water intrusion problems at the overhead vent and was almost impossible to tell from just looking, I wasn't as touchy feely as I should have been and I paid the price.
I would walk away from this one and continue the search, there are more out there and will be plenty more once we get back to what we think of as normal.

[NRALIFR]

Regarding the asking price, I haven’t been looking for truck campers to buy recently, so I’m not really familiar with the used market right now. It would be very easy for me to say the sellers ask is just way out of line and I’d never pay that much etc etc. But, just doing a quick search for other BF 2500’s of about that age leads me to think that he’s not really out of line with his asking price.

Yes, his ask is higher than what he’ll accept, that’s a given. But when I’m trying to sell something like this, I always ask higher than I’ll take. I suspect he is, and will too. I absolutely would offer less than his ask, but how much less is going to be very dependent on what is available (both buyers and sellers) in the market at the time you are ready to part with your cash. I doubt he’s going to have to come down to $2500 though, unless there truly is water damage, or some as-yet undisclosed damage from being tipped over.

I will say this; it’s to the sellers credit that he disclosed the hurricane incident. Unless the other side looks drastically worse than the driver side making it just painfully obvious that it was on its side, I wouldn’t have suspected that. At the least, it tells me you’re dealing with an honest person. I’ve never owned a BF, but I do know they have always been highly regarded, especially back at the time that camper was made. I’m not quite as familiar with the brand since it’s ownership changed.

At this point, I’d just say that it’s worth taking a closer look at. If you don’t see any signs of damage or cracking in the outer fiberglass shell, then start looking inside at all the wall and ceiling panels. Those are all thin wood paneling, and they readily soak up water if there’s a leak. Especially at the cut edges. If water makes it to the edge of the panel (like around the roof vent penetration) it will soak it up like a sponge. It doesn’t have to go on very long before it leaves a stain, and the panel starts to soften and rot. Stains, rusty staples, wavy surface appearance, and soft spots are all classic tells of a leak.

The roof vent cover over the bed appears to be the exact same as the one on my camper. The cover is some kind of plastic, or fiber reinforced plastic, and they crack with age. I think replacements are still available. I can tell you that the fridge vent cover has been replaced, as it says “Camco” on the side. I think the two plumbing vents on the rear are missing their covers. They probably both had some that looked like this at one point.

[bighatnohorse]

It looks risky to me. A friends 2003 Bigfoot delaminated on the inside and failed due to hitting pot hole - insurance cashed him out for $10,000 - this was about a year ago - so there's an ball park valuation for you.

When the internal wood to fiberglass frame separates (delaminates) you will see a difference on the interior when the camper is on the truck and when it is on jacks. --- If the frame is damaged the flex will show up as a gap between cabinets or stove on the interior.

You'd need to see it on the truck bed - inspect the interior - and on jacks and really look hard for spaces opening up on the interior.

[Bedlam]

MSRP back then for them was about $14k and this should be in the $7.5-9k range now.

I would look on the inside walls for any bubbling or discoloration to indicate water leaks. I doubt the seller will allow any invasive inspections that could create additional problems.

[notsobigjoe]

You mention hurricanes means your south like me. I'm in central Florida and you could hit a RV dealership or a mobile repair guy with a golf ball hit in any direction. Have someone come and look at it. A couple hundred bucks at most. It doesn't look like water damage to me it looks like the camper is tipped to the rear. The window stuff is nothing to worry about as you can find them on amazon and eBay. Good luck sir!

[stupendous_man]

NRALIFR wrote:
From the pictures, the camper looks pretty nice for being almost 25 years old.

Considering how Bigfoot TC’s are made, I think it’s unlikely that’s evidence of water damage. If it was, I would expect to see some signs of water intrusion on the inside around the roof vent.

Any stains on the ceiling? Any sign of damage or cracking of the fiberglass shell on the outside?

The window seals you circled look like they’ve shrunk and pulled out. If they’re not torn, they may be able to be repaired, or just replaced. A glass guy could probably fix those.

:):)

:R Let’s Go Girls! 😛 (End of quote)
NRA Benefactor Life Member
Lance 1121-Two Awnings, Slide topper, 3.6 kw Gen, Trimetric Batt. Monitor, 1500W Inverter, 40A Redarc DC-DC charger. 2016 F450 6.7 PSD.

As far as I can tell, there's no damage to the exterior, but it he did mention it was knocked over onto a bush during a recent hurricane, which meant the front jacks had to be replaced. The interior looks good from the pictures he sent. It is pretty nice shape for the age, but others have pointed out, it seems highly priced. Given the current market, I would expect the resale value to hold, but what do you think a fair price would be?

NRALIFR wrote:
It’s gonna take more than a puddle of water on the roof of a fiberglass shell camper to make me think there’s water damage. There has to be some evidence inside if it’s there, either visible or smells.

Look everywhere, sniff everywhere. Remember, water runs downhill.

:):)

Thanks for the advice, the seller did say the roof was resealed yearly, but I'm going to go in there sniffing like a bloodhound. Could I also ask you for your opinion on the asking price?

Kayteg1 wrote:
Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't BigFoots build with fiberglass shells?
Water is not going to damage fiberglass, but still sagging should be carefully inspected.
I never get over the looks of "camper attached to AC".
Why manufacturers don't spend another $200 for low-profile AC ? :S

Yes, they are built with fiberglass, clam-shell style. He put it in himself, but it does look pretty silly, doesn't it. Not too far off from this:

Bedlam wrote:
Those hatches are known to fail due to fatigue and weathering but are readily available and cheaper than a Heki hatch. I would be more concerned with the window seals than the pool of water next to the hatch unless you see signs of water inside the roof. Look for water damage on the inside lower portion of the window framing to see if the windows are beginning to leak.

Do you mean the wall inside, under the window frame, or the bottom part of the actual black frame of the window? I had a similar seal problem on an old Tufport and it seeped some water during rain, although some have said these seals aren't as important as the caulking around the window. If you don't mind, could you also share what you think a fair sale price would be?

mkirsch wrote:
$10,500 is about $8000 too much for a 25 year old camper regardless of condition, let alone with a sagging roof and bad window seals. It better be covered in gold leaf for $10,500.

Fair point, it is really high, although unfortunately I'm starting to lose hope I could find such a deal on a fiberglass camper. I've been looking since June and ones of similar year and condition are asking for lots of cash - I saw a 1995 9'6" go for $13,000US in Canada two months ago. I guess I could always wait for the market to drop, but I'm set on skiing the rest of the winter out of a resort parking lot.

[mkirsch]

$10,500 is about $8000 too much for a 25 year old camper regardless of condition, let alone with a sagging roof and bad window seals. It better be covered in gold leaf for $10,500.

[HMS_Beagle]

The window trim is no issue, almost all of them do that with age and it is cheaply replaced (though a bit fiddly to do). It does not affect the watertightness of the window.

The sagging roof - depends. While these are fiberglass shelled, there is wood used between the fiberglass and interior paneling in many places, including around the skylights. The fiberglass and foam will not deteriorate with moisture, but the wood will. If the skylight has been leaking, it is possible the water has run elsewhere, it can run a long way from the source of the leak in these campers. If the current owner let me, I'd pull the trim off of the interior of the skylight, you should be able to access the wood surrounding it in the gap between the skylight spigot and the paneling. Poke at it with a bent nail, probe, or whatever you can get in there. It may be obviously wet or soft, or may be soft when poked, indicating moisture and rot.

The roof on a Bigfoot can sag or distort or delaminate a bit without any help from moisture intrusion, if not excessive I'd call it par for the course at that age. If there is significant rot to the reinforcing wood in the roof, it is repairable, but expensive to do, and hard to find an RV repair shop with the skill to do it.

[Bedlam]

Those hatches are known to fail due to fatigue and weathering but are readily available and cheaper than a Heki hatch. I would be more concerned with the window seals than the pool of water next to the hatch unless you see signs of water inside the roof. Look for water damage on the inside lower portion of the window framing to see if the windows are beginning to leak.

[Kayteg1]

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't BigFoots build with fiberglass shells?
Water is not going to damage fiberglass, but still sagging should be carefully inspected.
I never get over the looks of "camper attached to AC".
Why manufacturers don't spend another $200 for low-profile AC ? :S

[NRALIFR]

It’s gonna take more than a puddle of water on the roof of a fiberglass shell camper to make me think there’s water damage. There has to be some evidence inside if it’s there, either visible or smells.

Look everywhere, sniff everywhere. Remember, water runs downhill.

:):)

[pianotuna]

I would not wish to buy it.

[NRALIFR]

From the pictures, the camper looks pretty nice for being almost 25 years old.

Considering how Bigfoot TC’s are made, I think it’s unlikely that’s evidence of water damage. If it was, I would expect to see some signs of water intrusion on the inside around the roof vent.

Any stains on the ceiling? Any sign of damage or cracking of the fiberglass shell on the outside?

The window seals you circled look like they’ve shrunk and pulled out. If they’re not torn, they may be able to be repaired, or just replaced. A glass guy could probably fix those.

:):)

:R Let’s Go Girls! 😛 (End of quote)
NRA Benefactor Life Member
Lance 1121-Two Awnings, Slide topper, 3.6 kw Gen, Trimetric Batt. Monitor, 1500W Inverter, 40A Redarc DC-DC charger. 2016 F450 6.7 PSD.

[stupendous_man]

pianotuna wrote:
Water Damage = RUN don't walk away.

Do you think this is water damage? Some people on other forums have said that this is a normal part of an aging fiberglass camper, so long as there is no evidence of water damage on the interior.