We just purchased our first travel trailer!

zinger60 · 01-23-2015, 10:12 PM

We are new to the forum and new to owning our first travel trailer. We are excited but kind of scared at the same time. We went to look at a trailer that was listed on Craigslist. It was at a car dealership so I'm thinking they took it as a trade in. Well, needless to say, we fell in love with it and bought it at a price I could not turn down. It's a 2011 Micro Lite 23LB and we got the price down to $9,200.
We owned a pop-up for the past 6 years and loved it but as we are getting older, cranking it up and setting everything up is just getting too difficult. We had our pop-up for sale since September and just sold 5 days ago. I never knew we would find a travel trailer so quickly

The difficult thing is that we don't know the first thing about using a travel trailer. We don't know how anything works. I'm not sure if the trailer even has all the manuals that we need to figure out how to work everything. Since it was at a car dealer, they had it in a large garage but no way to hook up anything, even the electricity was not on. We got them down almost $2000 on the price but they expected us to take it without seeing if everything works. I said no deal. I want to make sure everything works before I take it so we made a deal that the sale is contingent on everything working like it should or the deal is off. They are going to get everything going like the fridge and the electricity on Monday so we are going to go check things out and give everything a closer look. What kind of things should we be looking for?

KenHwy61 · 01-23-2015, 10:24 PM

You will probably get lots of replies! I suggest taking someone with you who is very familiar with RV's if possible. There is a lot to look at. The most difficult problem to see and fix is often water leaks causing rot/mold. By the time they are obvious the damage has been done.

cjearle2 · 01-24-2015, 12:32 AM

I agree with with KenHwy61. Make sure someone with experience is with you. Rot will be a big problem. Check for Leaks, AC working, heater if there is one, all lights, Black tank, fresh water and gray water tanks aren't leaking. Dont drink water out of the fresh water. Don't know how well it was maintained. Does the shower area have any signs of mold around the linoleum or wall paper. What shape is the rubber roof if that is what you have? Was this camper kept primary out in the elements? Or was it kept indoor storage?
Good luck! We are now Travel trailer owners as well. Went from tent to popup, then Hybrid and now 34ft trailer. I love it!

Mojojojo · 01-24-2015, 12:42 AM

Google mobile RV repairs in your area most of them will do a pre purchase inspection for anywhere from $100-$400 depending on area and how much time it takes to inspect as well as how thoroughly you want it checked.

**Platokidd** · 01-24-2015, 06:45 AM

Welcome to the forum from the top side land of Lincoln

I purchased many used campers over the years. One thing I found was a lot of was soft spots in the floor and ceiling on used units. (water damage)

CampingGator · 01-24-2015, 07:28 AM

Ask to contact the previous owners. We did that when buying a used car years ago. The folks said it was a lemon. They should be honest with you, since they have already sold it to the car dealer. They may have the manuals too. They also might be willing to go over how things work on that unit. Good luck! Due diligence, then enjoy it!

GlenZ · 01-24-2015, 07:39 AM

Welcome to the forum from Dawsonville, GA!

dmdrj5 · 01-24-2015, 07:50 AM

Insert "PDI" into the search bar to get ideas on what to look for during walk throughs.

Good luck,
Don

Flagstaffer06 · 01-24-2015, 07:58 AM

x2 on talking to the previous owners. We just bought ours used too at a new car dealers (in August). It was on their lot for a few months and I kept interest in it and inspected it head to toe. I spoke with the previous owner and I spoke with the original dealer who sold the RV. They even sent someone with me to inspect it for about the 4th time at no charge only because they are the local in town dealer for the Pocono mountains here in PA and I buy other things from them.

I agree you have to look over EVERYTHING and it's best to have someone experienced come along. However, I would speak to the previous owner or the deal would be off in my opinion.

I got the it was only used twice from the car salesman, another one said it wasn't even used. Two of them said it was their customer that traded it in...lol. However, in the end I got the story from the previous owner on condition etc.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

SeaHarley · 01-24-2015, 06:59 PM

Congratulations on the purchase and welcome to the beginning of learning a lot!

**Terier** · 01-24-2015, 07:49 PM

I also agree with:
1) Having it inspected by a professional. Can be well worth the cost.
2) Bringing along someone with experience.

Bring along a good flashlight for the inspection. It's not uncommon for used units to have black tank issues that can be taken care of but at at an addition cost to the new owner. It might be helpful to have some quiet time without the sales person around. For me I found it easier to think things over to come to the right choice for me. I almost walked away from my TT but asked for time alone.

As for not knowing anything about travel trailer remember that the Internet can be your friend. This forum is a great resource and you can find lots of videos online too. The best way to gain knowledge & experience is by using the trailer. Driveway camping is a good idea as you can find out ahead of time what you know and what you need to find out before hitting the road. The same with camping locally. Campsite neighbors are usually willing to help another RVer.

rabraz · 01-24-2015, 07:52 PM

Congrats on your purchase. Sounds like you got a deal that made you and yours happy. Enjoy your trailer. You will find this is huge step up from your pup and you will also find a hundred and one ways to spend money to make improvements on your new investment. Its lots of fun and I hope you grab for your share. You will meet a lot of good folks and they all will be willing to share their experience with you.
Lots of luck and here is to great new camping season to all!

KMP44 · 01-24-2015, 08:02 PM

Good job in negotiating. In the library section here you can find the PDI checklist as a guide of what to check, and if you can find a mobile rv tech to help you, even better.

We also had a popup for 13 years, and loved it, but eventually its just time to trade up. This forum has helped us a ton to learn and enjoy the new trailer.

Congrats!

zinger60 · 01-25-2015, 10:54 AM

Thank you, everyone, for all the good information. I remember when we first bought our pop-up and didn't know the first thing about it. Fortunately, when we purchased it, the previous owner took us on a 2 hour tour of the pup and explained how to do everything. Now with owning a travel trailer, it's starting over again only this time there seems to be so much more to learn and no one to show us what to do. That's why I came to this forum.
Unfortunately, we have not found anyone to do an inspection on the camper and we have to go take possession of it tomorrow. I contacted the only 2 people in my area that I could find. One can't do it Monday and the other will not get back with me so I guess my hubby and I are on our own. Just thought I might ask a couple more questions before we go tomorrow.
When we were looking the camper over the other day, I noticed the hand held shower was hanging off the hook so I hung it up. When I did, water was dripping pretty fast from it. Is that something that would be normal? The camper has been stored inside and I don't think it has been winterized. Where would the water come from that was dripping? I would think the water tanks would have been all drained. How do we tell? They are going to store it for us for free until April 1. I don't know how cold it will get inside of this huge building it is in. How low can the temps be before we have to winterize?
The camper has a vent above the front walk-around bed. We noticed that the vent cover is completely shattered and almost nothing left of it. Looks like a walnut sitting in there on the screen. They said they would fix that until we talked them down on the price almost $2000 so now it's up to us to fix it. How do we know if the roof can be walked on in order to replace the vent cover? How do you put a ladder up against the camper to get on the roof? Seems like the ladder might do some damage if it is leaned up against it. The camper is fiberglass. Is the vent cover an easy fix? How do we check for leaks in the tanks or plumbing or if everything works if we have no access to water?
Thanks again for all the help. I will look over the walk-through details on here and hopefully we will make the right decision on whether to go through with the deal.

KMP44 · 01-26-2015, 09:03 AM

The shower might just have been some water left in the lines.

You should be OK to get on the roof. Below is a picture from the Rockwood brochure. Its a good idea to wash the roof periodically and the seams need to be inspected, so its necessary for somebody to be on the roof occasionally. The vent cover might be an easy fix depending on how the cover is attached. Otherwise you might want to get the mobile tech back on the phone. If you do need to get on the roof, I wouldn't lean a ladder against the gutters on the sides. Either put the ladder against the back, or better solution is a tall step ladder so you don't have to lean anything against the trailer.

If you have a water jug with a spout you could put some water in the tank and test the system by running the water pump. If the trailer is going to be below freezing for any extended period, it should be winterized either with anti-freeze or by blowing out all the lines with compressed air. And you'll want to sanitize the system when you get it out in the spring. You can find that procedure here on the forum too.

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