Looking to buy our first popup

[Stonez]

Hi, we just registered and could use some advice

We live in Arizona and we borrowed a friend's 1999 Coleman Nevada for a week long trip in San Deigo this past summer. We have two kids (18 months, 3 yrs) and both did great with the trip although we didn't really rough it since we stayed at Campland on the Bay.  We loved the trailer we borrowed and decided it is time to get our own.

We went looking at the new ones on the dealer lots in town, and couldn't find anything in our price range (under $7.5K) with the features we wanted (refrig, outdoor shower, inside toilet, King bed (at least one)) and outside storage box or boot).

So we are starting to consider used, and we saw one near our house, 2002 Coleman Utah that seems to have all we want, but they are asking $8K. It looks to be in pristine condition from the outside. We are going by to see the inside tomorrow morning.  The only thing it has that we are not keen on is the slide out dinette since that makes the trailer heavier to tow.

Our 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee had no problem towing the 1999 Nevada and we don't figure we will have a problem with this one either.

So my question is, is $8k too much to pay? If we are buying used, we didn't want to spend more than $6k total.

Is the Utah a nice pop-up and is there anything "special" to keep in mind when looking at the slideouts?

Any help would be great

[hoppy]

The 02' Utah is a really nice unit. Heavy.... but nice.

 But there are a couple of things to look for (Achille's Heel) in this model.

 It is equipped with the ill-fated ABS roof, that had some problems with roof sagging, cracking (especially under the awning bag if so equipped) bowing, delamination, blistering, and roof seal failure.

 They also had a problem with the front storage area leaking in the rain, causing floor rot in that area, and may possibly extend into the box area of the PU.


   Most of these problems can be found during the visual inspection in these areas. The roof sag is checked by lifting the roof off of the box area about 4", and holding a string tightly along the side of the roof line from front to back, and measure the space from the string to the lowest point of the roof. The lowest point will typically be at the center point of the front and back lift arms. If it's greater that 3/4 of an inch, it has sag. Now if the seller is the original owner, they can have the roof replaced at the expense of the shipping costs to get it to their nearest Fleetwood dealer. The roof and labor to install it will be covered by the Fleetwood warranty.... but not the shipping costs.

   You can check the actual value of that PU using the NADA website. All you will need to do is add in all the options to determine the approx. pricing. Options would include in this model AC, furnace, water heater with outside shower, 3-way fridge, decor package, screen room, add-a-room, and awning. Just about everything else in that model is pretty much standard equipment if I recall correctly.

  BTW, this was the model I was actually looking to purchase used, until I stumbled  upon my 2001 Mesa deal.

   Good luck.

[OC Campers]

This is a nice model.  If I was buying used this would be one of my first choices.  If your tow vehicle can handle the load you will really enjoy the slide out.  It makes a world of difference in the amount of room inside the popup.  With 2 small children the more room the better in my opinion.  We own a Westlake and I wish we had bought a slide out model.  We have 3 children and at times it is very cramped.
 
The price sounds fair.  Unfortunately, west of the Mississippi the prices are higher.  It is very hard to find nice and clean used units.  One thing you may want to see too is if it is a CP model.  This means it has a cassette potty.  If it is a straight Utah it won't have the toilet (unless you buiy a porta potty).
 
Best of luck
 
Jacqui

[4campinfoxes]

If your tow vehicle can pull it you will love the slide-out, especially if you keep the camper a number of years.  We've been camping with 2 kids for about 6 yeras now, the youngest was just about 2 when we started.  Our first camper was a jayco 10UD, a nice pop-up but it got a bit cramped when the weather was less than ideal.  Our 2nd (& current) pop-up is a Coleman Bayside - we love the slideout & the front storage area.  We have had no real problems with this camper in the 4 years that we've had it.

Good luck!

Sharon

[tlhdoc]

The Utah does not have the inside shower like the Nevada has.  It may come with or without the cassette potty.  The roof is the biggest thing you will need to check out.  Look to see if it sits on the edge of the box or if it is sagging over the sides, along with checking if it has a sagging problem.  Check in every nook and cranny in the trailer.  Try all of the appliances, stoves (the Utah has 2 like the Nevada), furnace, water heater, water pump, etc.  Good luck.

[lman2b]

We just bought that exact year/model about 2 months ago and are thrilled with it. We have a 17 month old and a just turned 3 year old and the slideout was a fabulous thing to have as their energy was unbelievable and it was nasty outside. THey were able to jump and run all over the floor. We removed the table and they sat on the floor of the dinette area and ate all their snacks, it was much easier to clean and keep clean and it was a huge area for them.

The only thing ours doesn't have is a potty. I plan to buy one for it, it has the cabinet space for it. Right now I have a little portable potty for my daughters so that worked, but I'd like to get one for me too. It wasn't an issue on our first trip though.

We drive a suburban so towing was no problem for us.

We checked ours out thoroughly and we had guidance from a top service person in one of the largest dealerships here, we were very confident that ours had no problems at all, it was in perfect shape!

if you can do it, its a great set-up. But its large, even when its stored its very large compared to others! But with small kids it was great, although all that bed room wasn't necessary, it was the floor space that was so nice!  

Oh yeah, the money part! We got a steal, we paid $6500 for ours but they were desparate and we showed up with cash. It was our whole account and we told them that, they chose to take the money on the spot rather than continue to try to sell it. We figured we got it for a minimum of $2000 under nada. I think $8K is probably the average price for it, maybe a bit of a bargain. Its the end of the season and now these people have to try to store it etc and you may be able to get a much better bargain, its worth a try! All they can do is say no! CHristmas is coming and they might need the money!

good luck