Do NOT buy a vintage travel trailer!

You need 4 things besides the desire and motivation to do a complete vintage camper restore....

1. A Budget... You don't need to have all the money on hand at once. As the money comes in go ahead and order the things you need. Install them as you get the time. But do sit down and take inventory on all the items you will need before you start so you know where you are going money wise.

2. My videos... I'm not a professional by any means and don't care to be one. I don't make my living doing this. Quite the opposite. I'm that guy who spends a ton of money building a $15k trailer and sells it for $12,500 so I can move on to the next one. But I got really tired of typing out instructions over and over so I began sharing my build experiences on You Tube. The videos are there to help you along and maybe make your restoral journey a better one. I don't claim to know it all but my videos will give you a good start. This forum will also help with your education.

3. This Forum... There is no better resource for vintage trailer information than this forum. 

4. A place to do it... Having a place indoors to work on your trailer is always the best way to go but very few people actually have that option at their disposal. I have built all of my trailers outdoors and have had to hunker down for every type of weather except snow. That's where living in Southern California has benefited me the most but we do get our share of wind, hail, thunder and lightning and sometimes huge amounts of rain. And the real problem is that it can sometimes come up out of no where. One moment the skies are clear and a half hour later it's raining cats and dogs. So you must be prepared to shelter your project in some way. Tarps work but they don't last. Wind and the sun will just eat them alive. I highly suggest you spend some of your money on a metal cover because once you are finished you will want a nice shelter for your beauty anyhow.

Don't be afraid to ask questions here folks because there really is no such thing as a stupid question in this hobby. Might be a lot of stupid answers so take it all in and do your homework. Research is key. Patience is also key. This is a hobby, not a race. Enjoy and good luck to you all.

I thought I was done rebuilding campers until a friend called and said she needed to get her old family camper out of the driveway so she could bring in a chicken coop. Free? Ok, if you insist. Now if I just had a shelter tall enough to work under. I've considered one of those portable garages but they aren't tall enough. At least not one in my price range.

My advice...Do Not put a cool looking camper on your watch list with 5 days to go on ebay, and then go back and view it every day until there is still 2 days left and no one has made the minimum bid. You might feel like it is time to "get the bids rolling"..I mean there is still 2 days and many lurkers are just waiting for that first bid before jumping in themselves, right?. How do I know this? I hit that Bid Now button...I mean, why not...it was only $525 for a 23'(w/tongue)1950 Travelo that was kind of a breadloaf for crying out loud! With the interior pretty much intact including the original Marvel fridge. Boy was I surprised when I got my congratulations notice that I won!...did I mention I live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the Travelo was in MAINE? Well that is another item to discuss...BE SURE YOU PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE THE CAMPER IS LOCATED...I do have to admit I still love that Travelo:)

Hello everyone, I am new to this board and find it fascinating reading. I am seeking some advice. My daughter and I are very interested in buying a vintage trailer, but are on the fence as to how old to go. Since we are two "girls" is it better to buy a trailer that has been mostly restored, and we can decorate ourselves. Or should we walk away from this crazy dream of ours. Reading all the posts of what could go wrong and it being a money pit is scary. Because we live in Canada (close to Buffalo) old trailers are hard to come by, compared to the west coast and the southern states. 

gordy...welcome to VTT . I would suggest that you and your daughter could get into a small camper that you can enjoy decorating and learning how to hook up/ set-up and tow. If your budget is not bare bones, buying a popular model that might more easily resell if and when you are ready for something else would be desirable. That said, something like this Shasta Compact that is painted inside and appears to be ready for personalization might be something to consider. In my opinion the price is too high, and a personal inspection could allow you to see where problems are, that would allow you to negotiate a (much) lower price. Other Members could help suggest a more realistic price. But at entry level, you can't beat a (next gen - from the canned ham shape) Shasta Compact with her wings. If this camper interests you maybe we have a Member who would be willing to arrange to meet you and help with the inspection if a Member lives near this camper. In reading the full comments in the ad, please note...the cylinder for the door can be removed and taken to a DIY Big Box store like Lowes and be re-keyed for less than $5. Can't believe the seller does not know this. The cylinders on the storage compartment can also be removed at the same time and be keyed to the same key for probably less than $10 total for all three cylinders. Easy removal and refit. I know because even I was able to do this with my 1961 Shasta Compact. Good luck!

hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/rvs/4900332469.html

That compact is completely painted inside and I went to her website to view the before and after photos she spoke of and couldn't find them. That's the absolute weirdest website I have ever seen. but then again it's done in Flash. Not my cup of tea. So I would want to see the build photos before I considered a purchase. Of course I would never buy a trailer who's insides were painted anyhow but that's just me I  guess. if it's had any rot repaired properly then it could be a good buy. But all that paint tells me to look very closely. Was anyone else able to find the before and after photos the seller spoke of?

I already have my vintage trailer project and wouldn't trade it for anything. A 1968, 19' Concord. I did buy it off the internet, sight unseen. It took a days work to make it road worthy and had to tow it 1300 miles home. I must have gotten a little lucky. I feel like I got a deal on a trailer exactly like I wanted.
After three road trips with it I can't wait for the next, which will be New Orleans in March. This is my first, (well, except for a vintage pop up), trailer project and I'm learning as I go. Several up grades have made it more fun and it's a work in progress.

Now, A while back I located an interesting looking old travel trailer in a private junk yard. It's complete, original and in pretty good shape. I casually inspected it and snapped a couple of pictures. The name on the front is "Full Moon" which didn't mean anything to me until I googled it yesterday. It's a twin to the trailer in the Desi & Lucy movie, "The Long Long Trailer" from the mid 1950's.
It's available to me, but I have no idea what it's value would be. I know the owner and have bought, sold and traded with him before. Here's how it would go....
Me, Would you sell the trailer...? him, sure. Me. what would you take for it...? Him. What will you give....?

It's huge, probably 40', and I don't know if I have the resources to restore, or even fix it up. But it needs to be saved.
Any ideas on what I should offer without making him mad....? LOL.