Travel Lite 625 2016

[intravino]

Hello Again,

I just found a deal on a TL 625SL in my area. It is a Motor home dealer that took one for exchange. It is a 2016 and I inspected inside and out for water infiltration, I found nothing. The seals and caulking all look great. The only thing is there is a dent on the side near the roof on the passenger's side.

https://imgur.com/CSnAzLZ

Can you please tell if this is a dent or something more?


Thanks,


Intravino

[intravino]

I noticed something, there has been water coming in on the other side of the dent.

I will not purchase it.




https://ibb.co/tm05BNK

[intravino]

Yes, I noticed also they were all falling a part. There was cheap transparent caulking around were you could push in the panels.

Inside, the sink had these tiny dents like some tools were dropped in it during the construction of the inside of the TC. They were chips on the counters and on the wood cabinets.


Too bad !!!!

[time2retire]

The new Travelites I looked at were falling a part in the lot. The dealer didn't either notice or care. I think the latter.

[Grit_dog]

I’ll say if you can caulk or seal up any issues with that and don’t care about the aesthetics of it then go for it.
Not a lot of important structure up there, and it doesn’t look “that” bad.
Considering new ones go for $13-16k usd, one that’s not damaged and 4 years old is worth around $10k tops.
To fix that right, the whole side panel needs replaced plus whatever repairs under the skin which is a significant % of the retail value of a camper that inexpensive.
Bottom line, the dealer doesn’t want to repair it because they’ll likely have more into it than it’s worth. And they didn’t give much on trade.
It either should be a great deal like $5k usd or walk away.
Rough numbers, figure the actual value yourself and of course check out the rest of the camper works and in good shape

[Kayteg1]

intravino wrote:
Cosmetically, it looks worst on the picture then in real life.

Human eye is 1 of the lousiest instruments there is.
Take a 2' level or other straight bar and you will notice the siding buckle a feet away from the damage.
Bargaining the price is obvious for me

[intravino]

Yes but if the structure if affected, they will have to lower more the price. Cosmetically, it looks worst on the picture then in real life.

[Kayteg1]

Wood is easier to repair as you can laminate it when opening the access inside.
Still are you up to the task?

[intravino]

The structure is wood. I will ask for ladder to check that corner and inside also.

I will check for those lights also.

I feel that this TL TC is much better made then the new ones I went to see lately. Boy, the 2019 and 2020 were POS. You could have pushed the flat aluminum siding inside two inches on all the seams near the nose and roof.

[joerg68]

What is a branch kiss, they TC hit a branch ?

Exactly. Especially when you are pretty new to RVing there is a good chance that you misjudge the profile of your RV - or forget about it altogether.

There is structural wood framing right behind the camper skin up there. It is possible that the damage is more than cosmetic. If the frame were damaged, a correct repair would involve removing the roof and skin as far as necessary.

Also, the corner lights -of which you see one in your picture- are prone to leaking under the best of circumstances. You need to make sure that the light or any of the surrounding seams do not leak. That may be difficult to find out if no external damage is visible and everything has been recently sealed over. Can someone wirh experience come along with you to assess the camper?

Lastly, I do not want to bash Travel Lite, but from what I have read about their campers, their quality seems to have been hit or miss in the past. No one can judge the state of this specific camper from here, based on a single picture. If the price is right, it can be a good deal. If it needs repairs and you are unable to DYI, it can be a very bad deal.

[Kayteg1]

Correct on kissing 😉
Not sure the dealer would let you peel the interior siding, but take good quality pictures on the inside and zoom them on computer.
I assume this is aluminium frame?

[intravino]

Thanks Kayteg1.

What is a branch kiss, they TC hit a branch ?

To check for structural integrity, I need to press on that corner ?


Thanks,

Intravino

[Kayteg1]

Click For Full-Size Image.
That looks like branch kiss.
I would check for structural integrity if you can live with cosmetics.
The aluminium siding is not really repairable and the only way to fix it is replacement.