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Post by kjones9999 on Sept 23, 2014 19:35:44 GMT -8
Been searching for quite some time. I would take anything, but I REALLY want an Astrodome. My wife and I are teachers, so money is the big key. Found one 90 miles from my home in NC that was $400. It had been on craigslist an hour. Contacted right away and it sold within minutes of the posting. I feel as though my one opportunity is gone.... Had a hard time sleeping last night.
Anyone else have close losses they want to share to help me sleep? And what system do you use to scour craigslist?
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Sept 23, 2014 20:15:06 GMT -8
Hang in there. Something will come your way. Warm weather camping season is coming to an end so people will start selling their campers. There always seems to be more available at the end of summer and the beginning of spring. Just keep scouring the ads. And who knows, you may find one by accident while driving down the road.
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John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Sept 23, 2014 20:18:44 GMT -8
Chances are that missing out on a $400 trailer, was the best thing that has happened you this week. It would have cost you thousands of dollars in parts, and hundreds of labor hours to rebuild.
One thing that I have learned the hard way. The cheapest vehicle to buy, is the most expensive one you can afford. Buy as nice of a trailer as you can find, that is still within your price range. The more you narrow the options, the harder it will be to find a nice trailer in your price point.
There's NO SHORTAGE in "nice restorable" trailers.
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yodi14
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Post by yodi14 on Sept 23, 2014 20:32:06 GMT -8
Gosh I wish you were closer. I was fortunate and given a 68 lo liner I too teach. I've had to stop working on it (waiting for some help) Any way I would have loved to pay it forward, which is what I'm planning cuz some one just offered o 1962 ALJO so I took it. Yes this time going to take my time and built it bet be enough
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Sept 24, 2014 7:43:15 GMT -8
...It had been on craigslist an hour. Contacted right away and it sold within minutes of the posting. I am also in NC so I feel your pain. Finding a vintage camper in good condition for a fair price isn't easy here. We started looking about three years ago. After 6 months scanning anything for sale in NC I expanded our search. We bought our first camper on ebay, a 1962 Forester, sight unseen. Not the brightest thing to do but it worked out well. It was a learning experience. Our second camper is a 1962 Shasta Compact we bought on Craigslist from an owner near the Utah border. (Yes, I mean 2000 miles from us in NC) After two years looking I developed a theory: With Craigslist, if you aren't a few miles away, and you're not willing to gamble with the deposit money to hold the camper for you, I think you're wasting your time. Scan searchtempest.com every day. It searches every craigslist in the country (or a smaller area) in minutes. Search "vintage campers" to get a lot of options or "Shasta Astrodome" if you want to narrow the search. When I found our Shasta it had been listed for less than an hour and he had several people scheduled to see it the next morning. I asked my list of questions, asked for a few iPhone photos of key areas which he did while we talked, then told him "I'll take it!" followed by "How much nonrefundable deposit do you want? If it's not what I expect, you keep the deposit." I fly for free because my wife works for an airline. So I flew out west, saw the camper, paid for it, and drove out a few weeks later to pick it up. Searchtempest isn't perfect, but it makes searching a defined area much easier. Also, John is right (as usual) when he says pay for something in solid condition and you'll save money in the end. Watch the videos on cannedhamtrailers.com/57shasta.htm and you'll REALLY learn a lot about what to look for while shopping. The man who does the videos is the Yoda-of-Canned-ham Best of luck with your search. Astrodomes are hard to come by but they are groovy. An interesting thread idea…what to ask when calling somebody about a vintage camper for sale.
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txoil
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Post by txoil on Sept 24, 2014 14:38:00 GMT -8
Do not lose sleep. You WILL find what you want. and John palmer is spot on, buy the best condition you can for the money! It takes the same amount of work to replace birch, skins, repaint etc, so starting out in better condition puts you ahead of the curve. We looked for 6 months, and actually had a verbal contract with a guy in Des Moines for a 59 Airflyte, but he reneged two days before we were to leave from Louisiana to go get it. Later that same night my wife found a listing on a local hot rod/vintage board for the '60 Deluxe we ended up buying. It was in better shape and costy less than the one we had really wanted!
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turbodaddy
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Post by turbodaddy on Sept 24, 2014 15:43:17 GMT -8
Check this out ....http://maine.craigslist.org/rvs/4639902312.html
I bought one of these in May, been working on it for hundreds of hours. It is a 1965 and was in remarkably good shape. I think that FANs were better built and are at least as funky as a Shasta Astrodome. Don't fret, when the time is right the right trailer will find YOU!
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Post by kjones9999 on Sept 24, 2014 16:03:41 GMT -8
That Fan is cool! Thanks everyone for the sound advice and the encouragement! On with the search!
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Sept 24, 2014 17:29:01 GMT -8
And just one hint when looking for soundness in a trailer: Don't confuse it with "lipsitck on a pig." Check around on this site for all the usual trouble spots, and when you finally go to get one, you'll at least know what you're getting. John Palmer is right, the least expensive is the most you can afford... but plan on doing three times as much work as you thought you'd have to, and spending at least twice as much, then if it comes in under that, you'll feel like you won a jackpot!
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59shastadeluxe
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Post by 59shastadeluxe on Sept 24, 2014 17:59:52 GMT -8
Insomnia helped me find mine! Couldn't sleep, so read a little... checked craigslist and there it was! Just posted by another insomniac a couple of hours away!
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Sept 24, 2014 18:44:32 GMT -8
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Sept 24, 2014 18:55:27 GMT -8
Searchtempest.com has the same effect on adults that an iphone has on a teenager... addicting.
The trick is getting to the camper first.
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swirlygirls
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Post by swirlygirls on Sept 25, 2014 9:41:21 GMT -8
I did the hunt for my trailer 2 years ago. The market was hot then but I know it's much worse now. I was feeling demoralized as well but then one day, early, like at the crack of dawn, I saw a new ad. I called. No answer. Did that repeatedly. After about 8 hours I was getting ready to give up but pushed redial one more time and he answered. He'd been busy, had his phone off etc. I jumped in the car, broke the speed limit, got there with cash that I had at the ready, and it was MINE. It only takes one. Hang in there.
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59shastadeluxe
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Post by 59shastadeluxe on Sept 25, 2014 11:32:17 GMT -8
Good story swirlygirls!
I'm still surprised I lucked up. Not to mention how rare canned ham shaped ones are in my area and surrounding areas. The guy and I had texted all day and one text told me his neighbor friend had expressed interest first, but had an emergency with his daughter and was at children's hospital. She had swallowed a quarter. Waiting for him to hear from the neighbor friend was grueling! I finally get a text that neighbor passed and I could look. Yep... I wanted it. The neighbor friend ended up being the one to handle the bill of sale for me. Everything about finally finding one after years of searching was pure luck. Don't give up. Lose sleep if you have to. Set notifications for new ads on apps. Just hang in there and know that luck will eventually come your way!
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Post by vintagebruce on Sept 28, 2014 12:59:02 GMT -8
kjones9999...one question. What do you plan on towing your astrodome with if you find one? You might want feedback from some dome owners. I have no experience towing an astrodome, but I have the impression they might be a bit more difficult than, say, towing an Airflyte, while delivering very little extra in return. In my opinion domes are like the ugly children of doting parents...only the parents think their kid is gorgeous (he says with tongue only partly in cheek). Cutters feel free to chime in...as far as the search, I have found just before the first predicted snowfall some owners decide it isn't worth cleaning that vintage camper's roof off that they didn't use at all again this year, for another winter, and they get real anxious to get it sold. The only other time you will discover the area you live in being flooded with bargain vintage trailers will be one week AFTER you pull the trigger and buy one that you did not really really want because you were so frustrated. When buying your first vintage camper PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE. Finally remember if still searching, drive like Marty Feldman...keep your bad eye on the road and your good eye looking behind outbuildings and the woods lines behind older homes on county roads and don't let "trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again" signs deter you from climbing the fence and approaching that farm house! Unless they have gun slits built into the closed shutters, they are bluffing. Good luck in your search!
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