Second hand camper trailers
Submitted: Monday, Feb 06, 2006 at 23:12
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Campingcop
I've been looking at cheaper options to buying a ready to roll new camper trailer. The primus camper tops look interesting to me ( I don't know much about them) but I figure it will cost me around $4500 to $5000 to set up a trailer with one and a few basic extras just to get along reasonable dirt / gravel tracks with a two wheel drive vehicle. Would I be better looking at second hand campers from companies that produce a complete package. What should I be wary of other than the bleeding obvious like rust spreading like cancer, bent / poor quality repairs to chassis etc? Is there much that can go wrong with canvas (other than falling apart)? Where do you start looking for good second hand camper trailers? Has anyone recently dealt with a company they can give a positive recomendation for?
Reply By: Member - Crazy Dog (QLD) - Monday, Feb 06, 2006 at 23:32
Monday, Feb 06, 2006 at 23:32
Check out the trader section of this site.....
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153507
Reply By: Member JD- Monday, Feb 06, 2006 at 23:33
Monday, Feb 06, 2006 at 23:33
Hi Campingcop,
Last time I looked there was, I think about 44 campers for sale in the Trader ads,..good luck..by the way canvas does shrink..the rest is common sense.
JD
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Reply By: Member - Brian (Gold Coast) - Tuesday, Feb 07, 2006 at 07:40
Tuesday, Feb 07, 2006 at 07:40
Campingcop
We bought ours second hand, picked up a 10 year old Cavalier for $6K. We looked at 5 on the day, all with $1k in price, but this one was the best. (They were ALL good!) Looked in the Trading Post for ours..... there wasn't any local on the ExplorOz site at the time.
Things to look for???? Rust, holes in canvass, general condition, signs of abuse, with a trailer it's hard to hide damage.
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Reply By: Grif - Tuesday, Feb 07, 2006 at 08:29
Tuesday, Feb 07, 2006 at 08:29
Don't touch the imported one. I had a close look with a mate who makes canvas blinds. He said the a lot of the canvas products coming out of Asia are not made with long life in mind and will break down faster than the good Aust. brands of canvas.
I'm also looking around and will keep my eye on Trader section and Trading Post etc. If no luck will grit teeth and buy new as re-sale prices are generally good.
I know in Qld Camper Factory have good range and good quality. Also Tough Country are in same area. I saw a sensational hard floor model that was under $20k from memory it was at Camper Factory.
Plenty of companies in SE Qld if you are in that area.
Grif
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Reply By: flappa - Tuesday, Feb 07, 2006 at 09:22
Tuesday, Feb 07, 2006 at 09:22
You can buy Brand New CT's starting at $5000 for an offroad model.
You are talking about towing with a 2wd , so , an onroad model would work. They start brand new around $3500.
2nd hand is good because , often , they come with all the bits already there. Have a look on here , and in the trading post.
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Reply By: Member - Camper (SA) - Tuesday, Feb 07, 2006 at 11:57
Tuesday, Feb 07, 2006 at 11:57
We bought a S/H offroad for $4.8k and we are quite happy. It has a kitchen
home-made by the previous owner which is quaint but adequate and I have made my own additions and mods.
Look for one by a reputable builder and crawl underneath and look for broken welds excessive bumps and dings and have a good look at the suspensin for wear.
Check the wheel bearings at least by wobbling each wheel to
check for play and you should be right if it all checks out.
We took ours to the trailer manufacturer for a service after we bought it. for $45 he checked it out, fixed a wheel bearing adjustment problem and checked the
suspension for excessive wear all of which set our mind at rest.
It has given us good service so far.
Camper
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Reply By: Campingcop - Tuesday, Feb 07, 2006 at 19:34
Tuesday, Feb 07, 2006 at 19:34
Thanks everyone for the advice,
What do people think is a good size trailer for these purposes? Is 6' x 4' adequate? Is 7' x 4' better? Is 7' x 5' better still? I have a Falcon
sedan so 5' wide is no real problem. I have 3 kids so I'm guessing the extra storage underthe camper would be of benefit. How many do you have, is your trailer bir enough for your family?
Regards
Paul
ps If anyone knows of an upcoming bargain (and isn't already looking themselves) let me know. It's funny how once you get something you find all the bargains you missed.
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