Needed:Pop-Up buying advice

[KimB]

Hello,

DH and I have been looking at used pop-ups.  What kind, what size, what features, what price, and typical problems of used campers we should watch for??  I have browsed this site looking for some answers but am still confused.  I am hoping that we may be able to get some advice and/or opinion of where to start.  One of my biggest questions has been - How do you know the canvas won't leak all over on a used pop-up? If you have any links with info. that would be great also.

Here are some facts about us:

We have been tent campers in the past, no experience with campers.

The camper will be home to DH, 5 month old DD, one med. size dog, and me.

DH thinks he wants A/C, I know I want a furnace!  Living in MI, probably not a bad idea for both.

Currently tow vehicle would be a 2002 Ford Escape which we know limits the weight of the trailor.

Would like to keep the purchase price under $3000.00 but reality may change that when we really start looking harder.

Thanks in advance for your help!!
Kim

[fritz_monroe]

Welcome to the forums.  You are right that you are limited a bit due to your TV.  But there are many pups that you can tow with your TV.

As for AC, you did without it when camping in the tent, didn't you?  Then you can do without it in the pup.  You can always add it in at a later date.  I'm not saying that you shouldn't get it, but if it is a must have, then you could be cutting out a lot of potentially really nice pups.  It will also keep you closer to that target price.

As for furnace, we use ours when it's cold, but there are many people with furnaces that rarely use them.  Some of them use ceramic heaters when they are in electric sites or a Mr. Heater type of heater when not hooked up.

Take a look at everything that's available in your area.  You may find a hidden gem.

[mjsmith1223]

Just a couple of questions for you:

Where will you be camping the most?  How often will you be camping in July/August?        

The answers to those will help you determine how much of a need A/C really is.  We don't have A/C and have never felt we needed it.  However, we almost always camp somewhere in the tip of the mitt, or in the UP and always near Lake Michigan, Huron or Superior.  Due to my work schedule we rarely camp in July, but often in September/October.  Our furnace gets used a lot.

If you plan to camp quite a bit in mid summer or somewhere south, then A/C might be more of a "nice to have" and certainly is something that can be added later.  I could see the appeal if we camped more often when it's hot.

As far as leaky canvas, make sure to open the trailer up when you look at it.  Look for signs of water damage.  Sniff to make sure its not mildewy.  Poke around a little looking for soft spots in the floor and ceiling.  The canvas in a popup is good stuff and will last a long time when properly cared for.  On our 1984 Coleman we finally had to replace the canvas in 2003 due to sun damage to the sides, not leaks.  We just used it too much  

Be sure to look for obvious signs of rodents when you open it up as well.  Look for droppings, nests, chewed up canvas and/or hoses and again give it the sniff test.

If you can, crawl under the trailer and look at the underside.  The floor should be dry (unless it was just towed in the rain).  Poke around a little again looking for soft spots in the wood floor.

Good luck in your search.

Mike

[austinado16]

One important consideration......do you guys want to/can you/are you willing to, work on it yourselves.

If not, buy the nicest one you can afford.  You can always trade up next year.

If you can do your own work, then you might consider something that needs some work, but has more of the creature comforts you're after....and at a lower entry price.

I'd start looking at different brands and see if you can get an idea of quality.  You may find one brand is a better built camper than another, and that may steer you in a certain direction too.......and hence help narrow the field.

As stated above water damage is a HUGE issue.  Either from leaking roofs and side walls at corner seams, or from being put away wet and left to rot and mildew.

Really spend time inspecting the roof, the lift system, the under floor/frame areas.  Look at the metal flanges where the axle bolts to the frame.  Open all the cabinets and look back in the nether regions with a bright flashlight....that's where you'll find water and rodent and ant damage, etc.  It's also where you'll find out the quality of the build.

Also, look at how the bunk wood is made.  Is it cheap particle board, or is it plywood?  Is it thick, or thin?  Metal clad or exposed to the elements.

Remember, they sell like hotcakes.....just watch 'em on ebay.  So buy a nice one, or one with a bunch of nice features you can fix up, and then trade up as you outgrow it, or find a different model you like better.

Welcome, have fun searching, and good luck!

[wavery]

ALL good posts.......just one more thing. This isn't the best time to buy.

If you can hold off, just after school starts you may find a lot more PUs on the market and fewer buyers to compete with. That's what you call a "Buyer's market". Right now is a "Seller's market"..

What we did was took out of the bank, what we thought our budget was. Put the cash in our pockets and had the ability to tow the thing off as soon as we made the deal.

We went out one Saturday morning (in October) with $X in our pocket and came home with a deal that we couldn't even have imagined.

We found a guy that wanted the PU gone because he moved up to a TT and didn't have room for the PU. Camping season was over and he was getting little response to his ads. He asked what we could afford, we were honest with him.

We paid him and towed it home. He was happy....we were happy. Win-Win......it just doesn't get any better than that.

If you are a "Hobby guy" maybe a "Fixer-upper" may be a good thing. However, there are very few instances where a "Fixer upper" will save you actual $$$.

[harleywolf]

A couple of months ago we were in the exact same position as you. Here

[want2camp]

It took us over 2 years to find the PU we just bought.  We had never really been campers (except as kids with our families) until 2 summers ago.  Two cousins of mine have HUGE motorhomes, as does my sister.  They decided to meet in Maggie Valley for a few days and invited the whole clan to come (about 40 of us!)  This campground has small cabins for rent so we went.  We instantly fell in love with the whole atmosphere of campers and began our search.  DH was reluctant to spend $15,000 or more on something new, not knowing if we would really like it so the hunt began.  I literally went online everyday FOR 2 YEARS (!) looking at PUs for sale, reading articles, pros and cons of different features...Well, 2 weeks ago, I followed a link from this site to the SouthEast Pop Up Campers site, went to the "for sale" section and began reading the first post.  It was for a 2001 Niagra with all the features we wanted and in excellent condition.  There are actually pictures of the interior on this website in the modification article.  When I got to the location of the camper, I nearly fell out of my chair...it was in my very own town!  We looked at it the very next day, got our check book out, and had it home 2 days later!  The couple we bought it from were fabulous to work with...they followed us home to help us set it up and we are looking forward to camping with them as soon as we can find a common time to go!  Long story, I know, but just wanted to let you know you can find a great camper if you are patient!

 :-()   (that's me, doing the happy dance when we bought the PU!)

[Used 2B PopUPTimes]

In 1997 we bought a brand new 1995 Jayco Eagle 10 that was left over on an RV dealer's lot. He was glad to get it out of his inventory and sold it to us for $3000 with a 1-year mfr's warranty. Optional equipment included only an awning and a battery. We had a few hot nights when an AC would have been wonderful and it would have been nice to get hot water from the sink, but we enjoyed camping in it. Our current camper has everything, but honestly I would be just as happy in that 95 Jayco E10. It got me off of the ground, it was easy to tow, easy to store, and cheap to keep.

[cpl215]

If you are like me you are really anxious to get started camping in a PU.  I have camped my whole life in tents.  The wife had never camped.  I told her I was taking my daughter camping and the wife wanted me to take her niece and nephew.  I told her I would as long as she went to help with the kids.  She did, she loved it.  We tent camped that whole year.  I realized that I had gotten older and needed a/c to take my afternoon nap.  I started really looking for a PU (behind the wifes back, she's kinda cheap).  Everytime I found one and called about it was sold already.  Once winter rolled around things were much easier.  I found a 2000 coleman timberlake with inside shower, cassette toilet, a/c, furnace, hot water heater, two king size beds, in a 12 foot box.  I got it for $5000.00.  She loves it and we use it not only for "camping" trips, but we use it when we travel to places we use to stay in hotels at.  

Take your time, follow wavery's advice and wait for the buyers market.  It depends on where you live, when that time will be.  I live in the south so even average campers camp well into November.  I bought mine in Jan.  

Good luck with the search

[KimB]

Thanks to all that replied.  Got some great information to get started looking.  We are not in a huge hurry to buy since we did not plan on camping this summer with the baby.  We will probably wait to make an actual purchase until later this year(good advice to wait for a buyers market).  I am going to try and get DH out this weekend to start looking and learning.  Of course I will have the checkbook tucked in the purse just in case .

Kim