theresa
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from Northern Maine ~ Proud new owner of Lola, a 1960 Shasta Airflyte and Pearl, a 1962 Mobile Scout
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Post by theresa on Jun 3, 2015 18:31:43 GMT -8
or at least that's what I plan to tell my husband about this next vintage I'm seriously considering. This little beauty just popped up on my Facebook feed. I cannot buy another camper right now, no matter how good a deal it is, unless it gets to the point i can't afford not to. The seller is asking $1200, no interior pics yes, so no indication at all of the interior. That said, this one is only 1/2 hour from me, which is miraculous since the rest of them have been hours away. I'm driving 4 hours one way on Sunday to pick up my 1962 Mobile Scout. SO, if anyone's looking for a neat little camper, come for a nice little drive up to Northern Maine and take this 1963 Lil' Loafer and save me the agonizing over it! hahah  www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205489364406782&set=gm.1000242306654233&type=1&theater |
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Jun 3, 2015 19:29:57 GMT -8
Wow, Maine is the CA of the East Coast!
How many do you have now?
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Post by vikx on Jun 3, 2015 21:00:25 GMT -8
Very cool Lil Loafer!
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theresa
1K Member
from Northern Maine ~ Proud new owner of Lola, a 1960 Shasta Airflyte and Pearl, a 1962 Mobile Scout
Posts: 1,055
Likes: 347
Currently Offline
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Post by theresa on Jun 4, 2015 3:50:18 GMT -8
Wow, Maine is the CA of the East Coast! How many do you have now? I have Lola, my '60 Shasta which is in the garage and still in the removing skin stage, Louie the '72 Dutch Craft is on my lower lawn tucked away for another day, my unnamed '62 Mobile Scout that I'm going to pick up this weekend, and the parts trailer that I bought just to avoid seeing it go to a metal scrapper. |
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lovnvintage
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Post by lovnvintage on Jun 4, 2015 5:44:50 GMT -8
Hm, wonder if hubby would believe that one?! I hear you though. Went to look at a survivor of the flood, she sat beside the river and remained in her spot but water ran right through. But while there they had another trailer on the same property. The owner saw me looking and said they were planning to have it hauled off. They had thrown all the wet cushions and "stuff" into it. It is a hi lo, pretty big one, inside is perfect but the cables for raising/lowering are bad. Sooooo we will also bring it home to a nice dry place. Good thing dear hubby is gone for a month or so!
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Jun 4, 2015 10:47:34 GMT -8
The hunt is half the fun, isn't it?
Like a scavenger hunt with big prizes hidden all over the countryside.
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Post by vintagebruce on Jun 5, 2015 5:26:57 GMT -8
I believe Lil Loafers have almost a cult-like following (well almost might be the operative word). Judging from the ads I've seen for Lil Loafers in the past year, where one worth much less than $1000 advertised for between $1750 and $2500 being snapped up within 24-36 hours, I'd suggest based on the one pic you posted to grab this one and simply flip it if you don't fall in love with it when you physically inspect it. At $1200 I don't expect it will last long.
I also agree that Maine is a hidden bonanza for vintage campers. I got my 1950 Travelo at a riverfront property that was about a mile and a half from the paved road turn off. Very picturesque mature vacation lots...on that short drive, I passed at least 3 1950's campers that I would have gladly tried to negotiate for if I did not have to factor in the cost to transport them to South Mississippi. I mentioned them to the guy selling me the Travelo and he said he was very happy to get my (the only bid in the auction) minimum entry level bid on his ebay auction, "because no one wants those old campers up here. There is no market for them here in this area." I think driving along vacation areas in Maine would produce lots of keepers, for those within a full day's drive one way, Maine would be a good hunting ground to "freestyle" for candidates.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jun 5, 2015 15:45:01 GMT -8
Maine is a hidden bonanza for vintage campers...I passed at least 3 1950's campers that I would have gladly tried to negotiate for if I did not have to factor in the cost to transport them to South Mississippi. I've driven all over the Carolina, North and South, and have not seen a single 50s vintage campers. A few 60s, lots of 70s, but no 50s. The only offers being made on my camping trips are for the camper behind my car. It's good to know about Maine. When I'm shopping again I'll have to work the CL up there. Was your Maine camper in good enough condition to do the long haul home without problems? They have rough winters. |
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Post by vintagebruce on Jun 5, 2015 16:00:34 GMT -8
I had problems getting it home. I went up to pick it up, returned without it. It only made it to the Mass Turnpike before wheel problems. Ended up having to have a new axel built and installed. Figured the cost to return to try again, and arranged to have it shipped south cheaper than me doing a turn around...again. I did not get up close to inspect the ones I passed, but two of them had a protective shed roof over them.
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theresa
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from Northern Maine ~ Proud new owner of Lola, a 1960 Shasta Airflyte and Pearl, a 1962 Mobile Scout
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Post by theresa on Jun 5, 2015 16:30:54 GMT -8
I haven't seen many 50s. And the ones I've been finding haven't usually been on CL. And they do suffer horrible winters. The ones vintagebruce is talking about on the coast are in what we call "the other Maine". Maine is a LARGE state, and the "downeast" campers are owned by the more wealthy. Up in the northernmost part of the state where I live, incomes are much more moderate, as most of the population here are employed by potato farmers or in the lumber/logging industry. So where the downeast campers are usually better taken care of, maybe even stored in the winters, the ones I see are mostly used as storage buildings out in a field for years at a time. |
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Jun 5, 2015 16:44:17 GMT -8
...the ones I see are mostly used as storage buildings out in a field for years at a time. Great information. Anything out in a Maine field for years would have suffered. But cheap comes with a price, doesn't it?  |
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Post by vintagebruce on Jun 6, 2015 5:17:53 GMT -8
You are correct Theresa. I have only been to the coastal area. I think that there are a lot of established vacation areas kind of "hidden" off the beaten track in the counties/countryside that have not restricted campers for people who buy recreational property. Some of those buyers put small campers on the property to stay in while they built their permanent cabins (as did the seller of the Travelo). They sometimes never removed the little campers. Seems like I saw an area in Pennsylvania that seemed to produce a rash of available campers located in an area of a few lakes popular for vacation sites owned by "locals", same for an upstate NY area, in years past. Scratch your heads, ask around and find out where the local's families have had their getaways for a generation (or two) within an hour's drive are located, and try driving those back roads. CL doesn't produce much here in South Mississippi when we have our back to the Gulf of Mexico. Our search radius is only 180 degrees. And to top that off we have a couple of vintage camper "beautician" flippers in the region, that specialize in putting lipstick on the pigs they catch before we get to them.
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