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Post by mermaidvicki on Jan 18, 2024 12:46:44 GMT -8
Hello all,
Thank you for adding me. I've had a Class C motorhome (mini wini) for over 20 years and just recently sold it and bought a boat. Now I miss camping, the campground and campfires and started looking at trailers because I remember seeing them at Pismo Coast about 15 or so years ago and thought how cool this community was but wasn't ready to be a trailer camper until now. My whole house is vintage and use to have a resale vintage business, frequenting estate sales, flea markets and thrift stores.
Reading through the forum, I see they have gotten very popular over the years. I want to purchase a trailer that has already been through a rehab, I don't have the time to do it myself, but know how to care for them to keep their integrity.
Wishlist: under 16' with a potty and usable frig, oven and stove.
I live in Southern California, not wealthy as far as bank accounts go, but wealthy with love, joy and happiness that camping and adventure bring.
I'm looking at craigslist (cautiously) for my dream trailer!
Thank you again for having me be here, I have a lot to learn!
Happy Camping!
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Post by vikx on Jan 18, 2024 15:45:15 GMT -8
Welcome to VTT.
You have your work cut out for you. Most "decent" rebuilt trailers are in the 15K range and up, especially in California. Words like refurbished, rehabbed and decorated are huge red flags. Look for a trailer that is rebuilt and has photos of the build to PROVE IT. There are many flippers out there who re-do a trailer from the inside out, which leaves the structure weak.
Popular trailers: real wood interior (not "new" slats or other modern replacements), original appliances, TITLE, 50s canned ham 15 feet and under and NO GOOP on the roof or silicone slopped around windows and doors.
You're welcome to post what you find here. Be prepared for honest critiquing...
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Post by Teachndad on Jan 19, 2024 6:28:55 GMT -8
Hi Vicki and Welcome! Adding to what Vix already mentioned. You want a seller to be able to show you pix like what you see in this thread. vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/thread/10167/1964-shasta-airflyte-alaska The skins (aluminum siding) was removed to see where the rot was. They all have rot. Then methodically, the restorer would be restoring it bit by bit or some of us do a frame off restoration and everything comes apart like a Lego model. Then you put it back together - better, stronger, not necessarily faster (6 Million Dollar Man reference). In the linked thread above, the restorer worked correctly from the outside in. That means he/she removed the skins on the outside and then looked inside for the work to be done. For anyone selling a "restored" vintage trailer, the seller should have pix like you see in the linked thread. Flippers generally want to do their work fast and cheap. The often start by working inside first (inside out). They remove (note rip out!) the old paneling inside which weakens the structure and then replace with new paneling and forgo repairing the water damaged sill boards that make up the lower parts of the walls. So, the trailer can be come weak in this "process". Then, they paint the outside. Hence inside out. It's easy to be swooned by a flipped trailer. They look nice because the most money was spent on the paint job. They probably picked up the trailer for a song, flipped it and added $10,000+ to what they paid for it hopping to catch some unsuspecting buyer. As Vix stated, if you find something post about it here with a link. You can find trailers on Facebook Marketplace as well as Craigslist. Read this thread. vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/thread/962/warning-scammers-busy-beesAnother option is to go directly to a commercial restorer, but that can be $$$, but you never know. Also, you need to decide how far you want to drive to see your trailer. After you see pix and talk with the seller and it seems legit, you might have to drive a few hours or more. I have driven up to 900 miles one way after sharing pix and talking extensively over the phone, but I had two trailers for which I drove over 200 miles one way. Consider expanding your searches and not just an hour drive. I once drove 4 hours to see a trailer and it didn't look anything like the pix. This is when I was inexperienced. It wasn't towable. Left work at 1 pm, got lost, got home at 11 pm. Go out and kick some tires to see what's out there. Don't get entranced by a "pretty face". Cheers, Rod |
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Post by mermaidvicki on Jan 19, 2024 12:56:16 GMT -8
Welcome to VTT. You have your work cut out for you. Most "decent" rebuilt trailers are in the 15K range and up, especially in California. Words like refurbished, rehabbed and decorated are huge red flags. Look for a trailer that is rebuilt and has photos of the build to PROVE IT. There are many flippers out there who re-do a trailer from the inside out, which leaves the structure weak. Popular trailers: real wood interior (not "new" slats or other modern replacements), original appliances, TITLE, 50s canned ham 15 feet and under and NO GOOP on the roof or silicone slopped around windows and doors. You're welcome to post what you find here. Be prepared for honest critiquing... Thank you so much for the tips! I've been reading through the forum and learned about the inside out trick. I had water damage on my rv and remember the amount of work to get it repaired. I appreciate the welcoming, feedback and honest critiquing! |
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Post by mermaidvicki on Jan 19, 2024 13:00:36 GMT -8
Hi Vicki and Welcome! Adding to what Vix already mentioned. You want a seller to be able to show you pix like what you see in this thread. vintagetrailertalk.freeforums.net/thread/10167/1964-shasta-airflyte-alaska The skins (aluminum siding) was removed to see where the rot was. They all have rot. Then methodically, the restorer would be restoring it bit by bit or some of us do a frame off restoration and everything comes apart like a Lego model. Then you put it back together - better, stronger, not necessarily faster (6 Million Dollar Man reference). Hi Rod! Thank you so much for the great tip! I love the idea of having pics to show the renovation happen. I'm excited to see where this road goes and preparred for it to take while to do my research and due diligence. It's nice to know SO MANY of you are able to help. Thank you! Time to go kick some tires! |
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