Follow up from "I think I found "the one"!"

[jensspark]

I received the pictures from the underside of the camper and have added them to the webshots page in the "camper" folder.  The flooring looks fairly solid to me, but I'd like some other opinions.  
Pictures
The pictures from underneath are on page 2.  Take a look and let me know what you think.  

Jen

[SkipP]

I received the pictures from the underside of the camper and have added them to the webshots page in the "camper" folder. The flooring looks fairly solid to me, but I'd like some other opinions.
Pictures
The pictures from underneath are on page 2. Take a look and let me know what you think.
 
Jen

I was wondering how you have made out! Bottom side of the floor looks fine to me. If the owner say's it hasn't been in standing water then that rust is probably just superficial and easily taken care of. Certainly, the additional pictures (and the willingness of the owner to send them), should give you some confidence.
 
Best of luck!

[TheViking]

That just looks like surface rust from what I can see.  The wood floor looks good.  Make sure you lube everything underneath real good when you get it and you should be fine.  My grandma has a 1978 T-Bird that she has had since it was new , the whole underneath side of this car is surface rust from when she lived in Indiana, she still drives it daily.  Good luck and happy camping!

[tlhdoc]

I think you found a nice PU.

[Shelbs]

I agree with all of the above. Doesn't seem like the seller is trying to hide anything from you. In fact, based on info you previously shared, they have been very forthright Hard to tell in pictures with my lousy eyes, but the floor looks sound and the rust is easily handled. I think you should go for it!
ENJOY!

[PITPOP27]

If you are willing to put in a little effort for the money, I say go for it too.  The inside is great!  Hopefully the floorplan suits your needs.  It's hard to make a decision, you want it to be right and not a money pit (I know) but if everything is telling you yes, then it's yes.  Doesn't sound like they want toburn you, they just snapped the pics and sent them off...rust is easily treated at that stage, it's when you let it go longer .....

[wavery]

Obviously you feel more comfortable going to look at it now.

My opinion is, consider all of the facts when you go to see it. Don't get locked in before you leave. There are a lot of rather expensive items in that trailer that need evaluating. Make sure that they work. If something doesn't work, I would ask to either have the owner replace it or reduce the price accordingly.

They are asking top $ for that PU (IMO). It should be in reasonably good condition with everything working. Don't let anyone tell you that rust is "Easily" taken care of either. It's a big job. There is a lot of steel under that trailer. IMHO, it should be completely taken down to bare metal, primed then painted (just my opinion on what I would do). All of this work will have to be done laying on your back (unless you have a crane to lift it or lay it on it's side), wearing goggles, respirator and protective clothing. It's not an easy job by any stretch of the imagination. You might want to find out how much it would cost to have a dealer or paint shop do the job before you leave. On the other hand. The trailer seems to be usable and you could choose to leave it the way it is. It may well service your needs for years to come. The thing about rust is, it only gets worse over time. When you go to sell the trailer, the new buyer may well ask that it be taken care of before they buy it. Why not do it now and enjoy it while you have it. The rust will always be a factor in the trailers value and it won't get better on it's own. All I am saying is, don't minimize the presence of that rust. If it were not there, the trailer would be worth more than it would be with it there.

Personally, I would (at the minimum) pull all of the leveling stands off (they come off with 4 screws) and have them sand blasted. Then you can put a coat of paint on them. Let the paint dry for about 30 days before you put grease on them. They can be pretty hard to let down, even when they are in good condition. It doesn't look like the previous owner greased them or they wouldn't be that rusty.

You won't be able to tell the condition of the floor until you actually walk on it. If it has soft spots, the flooring material could be damaged. The pictures really don't tell you anything about the floor. It is nice to see that there is no material hanging down or holes in the floor but I wouldn't expect to see that anyway. If the trailer hasn't been in standing water, the floor is probably fine. They last for ages if not soaked.

When that floor material absorbs water, it gets soft but soon returns to it's original "Look" when it dries. However, it permanently loses it's strength and will feel "Spongy" when you walk on it.

I would love to agree with others and say "Go for it". However, I don't think that is responsible nor is it why why you are asking the questions that you are (which I think is smart). There is no way that I would advise someone to "go for it", after merely seeing pictures, even if it looked perfect. My feeling is that you are trying to go into this thing with your eyes opened and want some advise on what to look for. That's all that I am giving. In NO WAY am I advising against buying that PU. All I'm trying to do is help you understand what to look for and be realistic about the value of what you are buying.

Even if you were buying a brand new PU, you would obviously make sure that everything worked. If something didn't work, you would have it fixed. In this case, if something doesn't work, you don't have that option. Best address the issue right on the spot.

Good luck. I hope that the PU is everything that it appears to be in the pictures. Looks like a great PU. I love the floor plan too.

[Shelbs]

).



I would love to agree with others and say "Go for it". However, I don't think that is responsible nor is it why why you are asking the questions that you are (which I think is smart). There is no way that I would advise someone to "go for it", after merely seeing pictures, even if it looked perfect.
.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that Jen write a check and mail it this morning. I think that in this case, "go for it" simply is a suggestion of support and that she should persue the deal. Clearly, only an idiot would "go for it" based on the pictures, as good as they look. I think it's equally silly to suggest that there would be extensive work needed without seeing it in person. Just my .02

[brainpause]

As you would do even if buying a new one off the lot, make sure everything works. I mean actually try everything. There seems to be a bit of rust inside one of the open appliance doorson the outside. Check that out.

Other than that, this looks like a decent trailer.

Larry