Lump of coal....

[Rugster]

Well, it is a little worse than a diamond in the rough, but I like it. I saw an ad on Craigslist for a hunting camper, no title, 13 feet, $350. There was no picture and the ad asked for calls only. I decided to call and then decided to go take a look at it.

I don't know if you had read my intro but I realized that if the camper was ok, I'd not only have something we could camp in on weekends but if push came to shove, I'd have somewhere to go that I owned.

So, I took a drive to see it. I pulled up to the owners yard and my heart sank. It looked kind of rough....but I thought I wouldn't lose money on it so might as well take a look.

It is ugly but the funk will wash off and it has a horrible paint job, barely even one coat, brushed on. It has a spot where the walls will need work but doesn't smell moldy and it is dry. 

When my Nephew and I went to tow it home, we measured it and it is a 19 foot trailer. No idea who manufactured it or what year it is, but I like it

 

[Rugster]

The good news is after my Nephew looked it over, he said he'd pay me $350 for just the trailer, so even if this is nothing but a learning experience, I will turn a profit

 

[SoulRaven]

Could be that with a bath and a little elbow grease and some paperwork it will turn out to be the catch of the year.

If you can't find a plaque somewhere to tell you what it is, do a google image search for vintage trailers and try to match up a picture.

Good Luck!

 

[sparky1]

a lot of the vin numbers are on the tonge..somewhere , Good luck on your Project camper.

 

[LeeRevell]

How about some interior pics so we can see a "before"? Then you can detail the restoration.

 

[Rugster]

This is the back of the camper.

This is the front of the camper. The ceiling fan is a sure fire way for me to get knocked in the head  Behind the fan on the wall is a lamp that runs on propane.... I think both are going to go

This is the oven and stove feom the entrance of the camper. I'm hoping it is super rare unobtanium and I can sell it to buy a Class C (a guy can hope, right?)

 

[Milk Hauler]

The inside looks so much better than the outside. I'd say it has potential for $350. Buy a ton of simple green, and post up some aftet pics.

 

[jimindenver]

I love old campers for some reason. I don't fit in them but I love them. lol

Get it cleaned up and resealed first, then start checking out the systems. There is leakage under the AC unit and some on the roof too by the looks of it. Otherwise, get it a paint job and it'll look pretty decent. You might find a date of manufacture on the stove that will help narrow down the age.

 

[Rugster]

Thanks for the comments, it is appreciated. My Brother saw a picture I posted on Facebook and when I asked what he thought, he said 'Not replying should show what I think...' but he was only half serious.

I think the roof is ok, but I haven't done a thorough inspection. There was a ton of pine straw on the camper that I removed when I first saw it.

 

[Seraphim]

Just curious - state laws differ - can you get tags for, or do you plan on leaving it in one spot? Once you find the VIN, make and model, perhaps the guy you bought it from will sign a receipt stating you bought it from him and for how much. Just thinking down the road...

 

[Seraphim]

Looks like a neat project. From the way the ceiling looks warped, I say there's a roof leak somewhere. But just guessing. Got a compressor with a sand blaster attachment? Easiest way to clean it, repair anything you find, then paint it.

Have fun and good luck!

 

[LeeRevell]

Florida requires a bill of sale only, no title on trailers. Still need a viable VIN though.
I almost bought a Scamp 13, but couldn't find a viable VIN.

 

[gypsychic]

You have the right attitude and the inside pics do look better than you'd think from the outside. Elbow grease and a canvas to learn on. You probably won't be too upset if you make a mistake while doing something. At least not as upset as you'd be if you paid $35,000 for it. Also, for all intents and purposes, you are the one who needs to be comfortable in it. Others may laugh or shake their heads but if if it's a possible place to lay your head if you think you might need that in the near future then I bet it will give you some peace of mind as well.

Good luck and have fun on your project!

 

[Rugster]

Yeah, it appears Florida does not require a title if the trailer is under 2000 pounds, which opens up a lot of options for what I can do with the trailer.

The plan is to get it liveable and registered, but if unable to register it, fix it up and place it in permanent spot or sell it for profit/junk it for profit.

But, since it can be registered, we may get it on the road and go camping The back right corner would make a good bathroom/shower.

 

[raygun]

I think it is great. I would love to have a little cottage like that which is super light and easy to maneuver. Looks like a super fun project to me. Maybe youcan find a VIN and maybe you can't. Either way I would still fix it up to make it livable and leave it as a guest house on a piece of land (if you have it). It's got so much potential.

 

[Rugster]

Yeah, I have spent most of my life in Florida, I know all too well that if you ask a question you'll get a different answer depending on who you talk to. If I'm in this situation, I have found it is always best to speak face to face and present your information as you ask the question. That tends to get the actual question answered.

We went to the City to see what we might have to do to use a building that was zoned for childcare center but also zoned for several other uses. The guy told us since we were building a development, we'd have to put in sidewalks. On an old two lane street with no room for anything else. I told him we weren't developing anything, the building was already there. He said that doesn't matter, you have to put in sidewalks. I asked to see the statute, which actually did say that if you built a development, you had to add sidewalks. I laughed and said the statute clearly said 'building a development'. To save face, he said we would have to ask for an allowance. I told him we would not need to ask for an allowance to use a building as zoned.

So, long story short, I no longer accept anyone's word without proof. Especially if it sounds stupid.

And, again, thank you all for your kind words, they are very appreciated. This is a good group of people.

 

[highdesertranger]

my thoughts. it does look like something is up with the roof. I love that turquoise stove, very retro, might be able to get 350 for that if it works and is all there(grates?). those louvered windows are terrible. don't expect them to keep anything in or out with those. where you to ask me, I would say 350 is to much. in the late 90's I bought a 16' prowler trailer(1973) for 300 bucks and it was ready to go everything worked and it was clean. in 2009 you could pick up trailers for a song. I would say if you are not in a hurry or in a bind and need something right now is to shop around a little. highdesertranger

 

[Rugster]

The roof itself feels good but the interior panel is loose. I don't know until I have time to take a better look which will be tomorrow. I still feel good about it and hope the repairs needed will be minimal.

Here in N Florida, $350 doesn't buy you much, any clean camper will be much more than $350. I've seen much, much worse for a much higher price on our Craigslist. If they had spent an hour or so cleaning the exterior, the owner would be able to get double what she settled for.

Heck, if I can get that much for the stove, sell the trailer to my Nephew and scrap the rest, maybe I'd do better to go out west and find something

 

[LeeRevell]

Yep, Florida is funny that way. Decent small TT's and slide-ins are rare. So many snowbirds and transplants from the north down here, with more money than common sense, they like the big RVs, TTs and 5ers. So that is what we see at the dealers. The few smaller units that a buddy and I looked at had problems, and the seller wanted too much for them. Couple that with the humidity down here, and the salty air close to the coast - all vehicles tend to rust.

 

[Rugster]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Slowly trying to get some work done on the camper