Was this trailer price a good deal?

Interesting. It looks to be in good shape. The flooring is from the 60s. My neighbors had it in their kitchen. It looks pretty long, maybe a 16 foot box. If it’s as “healthy” as it looks, I’d spend $9k on it if I wanted a big trailer. I suspect we would spend $9k to buy Hamlet, and he only has a 10 foot box.

I think it's probably a pretty nice trailer. Prices are ridiculous in some areas and 8K seems low to me. The seller mentioned it had been under cover when not in use for the last 20 years. ALL vintage trailers should be stored that way.

I was looking for a small ham for a friend and there are VERY FEW out there that are decent and unmolested.

I'm almost sure this trailer was offered to me at $14,500... The seller was quite aggressive from a Facebook post: I had mentioned his trailer was too large for our tow vehicle. He proceeded to tell me several SUVs that he towed with and then asked what I had? Even tho my friend had the use of her family's Toyota 4 runner, I told the gentleman she had a Subaru Outback.(true) He then went on to ask if I was aware of the tow capacity, etc. He seemed quite anxious to sell his trailer.

A lot of people have suffered with these crazy times and some may really need the money. It might be that current prices are lower than usual. I'm still seeing many listed for 15K, even the molested glampers...

Please post some photos of the 66 Shasta. Thanks

Yes this trailer is probably worth it. The stove and refrigerator alone are worth $5k together. As long as the framing isn't all rotten to the core it's a good price.

Allow me to throw a wrench into this discussion. I suggest that we start with how much a "new" camper trailer costs. I know, kinda apples to oranges. Yes, new ones have modern appliances, TVs, and a lot of junky plastic, not to mention terrible construction materials. Anyway, crap like that STARTS at $16K

So, when I see vintage trailer restorers downplay costs, frankly, it makes me think of old folks who haven't gotten over that a McDonald's hamburger used to cost 15 cents.

Meanwhile, if you look at some Facebook groups for vintage campers (see my thread started recently on that topic), you will notice that folks are paying top dollar for "already gutted!" or lipstick-flipper campers.

If anything, the pandemic INCREASED sales and prices because a lot of folks actually had the money saved for vacations but couldn't travel. The RV industry shot through the roof and people had to wait in line to buy new campers. And when they got them, often they found that the rushed to market quality dropped even more.

That first summer of 2020 was CRAZY in the market with inflated prices. Now, me being a good capitalist (the social democracy kind), that is when we put our '63 Friendship Vacationaire on the market. Yes, it was a very cool barn find with fabulous original upholstery, etc. But, it was not perfect or anywhere near what I see lots of VTT folks producing.

Anyway, we posted it on Tin Can Tourists for a LOT of money, got an offer for $16K, and had two other parties begging to be told if that deal falls through to please contact them. I never posted it here at VTT because I knew your heads would explode at my asking price.

This reminds me of back in the music gigging days of my youth where our band of five musicians got $100 to play 4 hours in a smokey bar until 1:00 am. Sick of that, I started booking gigs for community events. When asked for our fee, I said $500. No one blinked.

Bottom line: Ask what you think it is really worth, not what you have only seen in the past. Yes, it makes it harder and more expensive to find prospective projects, but the ones you sell should sell for a lot more money. If there are really people who will pay, that is what it is worth.

Frankly, this camper looks better than my Friendship and therefore should be worth MORE than $16K.

I think they call this THE MARKET. Or Capitalism.

Let's keep in mind the easy financing with new trailers that you don't have with used and "restored" vintage trailers. In God we trust. All others pay cash...

Hi Friends,

I went to look at this trailer at the beginning of last week. It’s nice looking inside, no doubt. The paneling, where visible looks very good especially the ceiling around the roof vent with the exception of the vent hole that was where a Panel Ray heater once stood. The seller had sanded years ago and recoated the ceiling and walls, probably Varathane. That’s why it looks so nice in the pix. The stove doesn’t quite look right – possibly a retro stove. The axle had been replaced to accommodate new brakes. However, there was some serious rippling of the paneling behind one of the beds. I found decaying wood under the two front corners. Oddly, all the frame bolts were snug on a very heavy steel frame – not the usual canned ham frame. But, a careful eye spied separation from the corner cap rail in two locations – one 1’ long section just above the curbside front window and the other near the diagonally opposite corner. The corner cap rail was higher than the top of the sidewall skin leaving a quarter inch of the wall exposed in both those locations. I don't know what was causing the separation under the corner cap rail. Interestingly, twisty nails not screws were used to attach the corner cap rail. Window gaskets all needed to be replaced as they were shrinking. The seller had found some generic U shaped rubber gasket to replace the glass gaskets. 20 years ago, I am sure you couldn’t find grey window gasket material. He used what he could find.

The trailer was largely under cover the last 20 years, but it also sat out in the dry desert sun for decades prior. I saw “before” pictures. Classic image of a trailer having sat frying in the desert sun with horribly faded paint. The gold and red paint job was modeled after the faded colors that were barely visible. Pictures showed the window frames were either covered or replaced with rotting and weathered plywood – that’s where the water was leaking into the trailer. The previous owner – the one who owned it sitting in the desert sun had drilled screw holes through the Hehr push out windows at the rear to seal it up, I guess. The current owner had filled those holes in with aluminum welding. The painting of the window frames hides that.

I think the pictures that the seller used on E-bay were from many years ago. When I arrived to see the trailer, it was under a carport but very dirty and looked like it was dirty and then had been rained on. An area above the front window had been scratched up with a tree branch. The pictures don’t show this and the awning when inserted in the awning rail obliterates the separation of the corner cap rail.

The seller has tried several times to sell the trailer on E-bay, but each time, the buyers flaked and walked away despite winning bids. He had started at $14,900 and each time he relisted, he would lower the price. No one bid on this trailer this week, but it’s a week before Christmas too. People don’t usually look for trailers now.

The seller saved this trailer from the desert sun and breathed life into it again, but despite his efforts, this is a project trailer. It looks nice, but it needs the skins pulled for sure to start. It could be a really nice trailer one day, but I have enough project trailers already.

Cheers,

Rod