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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2018 16:04:41 GMT -8
You got that right Mobiltec - you need to be the first one to see something on CL or it will be gone in a heartbeat. I was fortunate to land the $350 Winnebago because I happened to be perusing CL about (2) hours after it was posted. The previous owner had just finished his listing at 10PM and I discovered it at midnight. Right place at the right time!
I generally look at CL once a day around midnight and have learned how to efficiently view the most recent postings in less than (5) minutes. I nabbed my FAN the night before Thanksgiving exactly the same way.
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aslmx
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Post by aslmx on Jan 19, 2018 19:04:56 GMT -8
My simple rule with buying anything is - don't buy anything that I can't get my money back on. I usually make money or break even on anything I buy and resell. Of course I don't count my labor. I don't limit a camper to a year. I mean if you like the hunter green in an early 90s trailer then go for it. I do count my blessings that here in Alabama we don't have to have a title to a camper. The major rule that was mentioned is make sure it has all the parts. I was on eBay every hour for 2 months looking for 2 windows. Luckily I found some and the guy did $25 each plus shipping. Another thing I've learned is that there is no such thing as a little rot. So when I do my next trailer it's just going to be a gimme that it's all got to come down and rebuilt. One very important thing that I've learned or Mobiltec has taught me is that the cabinets are the most important thing for the structure. If I see a trailer on craigslist that someone had gutted and just put a full bed in that means that it's not going to be safe at all to move.
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Post by vikx on Jan 19, 2018 21:30:05 GMT -8
Another reason a title is SO IMPORTANT: to prove the brand and age of a potentially valuable trailer. Let's say you find a 52 Hanson without a title. How are you going to prove it's a Hanson and really that old? I realize some States/Provinces don't issue titles, but most are at least registered.
We recently looked at a "Spartan" canned ham that looked great from the pictures. No title. It wasn't a Spartan but probably late 40s/early 50s. Could have been the find of the year had the seller not gutted it for a fish house. Nothing original inside except the round roof vent and 1/2 of that was missing. Still, had he had the title stating what it was, I might have been interested...
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irmatrailer
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'64 Shasta Airflyte
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Post by irmatrailer on Feb 5, 2018 8:28:49 GMT -8
As a street rodder and classic car guy, I am familiar with the devil that lurks beneath the skin... whether it be rust, bondo, wreck damage or wood rot and failed structural members. So, before buying do some homework. Hats off to all of you that share your experiences, they helped me a great deal. Here's my experience. If you live out West, you can be more selective than those of us on the East and SouthEast coast. There just aren't many vintage trailers over here(16' or less and 50s to mid 60s). I spent abut 5 months looking for a decent candidate for purchase. We had several CL trailers sold out from under us. I get the economics of restoration and that is why you pros must have a low purchase prices. We just never ran across a decent and popular vintage trailer that sold for less than $1000. Ours was a resto in progress and had a nice interior with a few minor problems on the exterior. We paid about $3500. I have more than that in it now but still in my budget range. Like an old car, I never expect to make money but do count on breaking even. So my 2 cents from a Newbie: Research the trailer you are interested in, research SOLD prices as a guide to what the trailer is worth. Ask around for prices to repair and then determine if you are capable of doing some of the work yourself. Make sure that it is towable(sound, good tires, fresh grease or rebuild on the hubs, safe structure and whenever possible, tow it yourself or put it on a trailer and tow it home. We towed our Shasta Airflyte for over 1300 miles and the only bad thing that happened was an extension cord that was left in the closet vibrated down through a two inch access hole in the floor then eventually contacted the tire. 25 feet of cord were sucked around the tire before you can say Oh #)$+*(@!!The cord cut the tire apart and wrapped the carcass and the cable around the axle.Once we sawzalled the tire parts away from the axle we drove our tow vehicle to a local tire shop and got a tire mounted on the wheel. The good news is that we needed two trailer tires and we got a great deal on them mounted and balanced. I know bad things can happen but if you do your homework and research you can find the trailer of your dreams.
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