New member: bad luck or just a typical experience?

[Harriet 1400]

Hi there! I've been lurking for a while. We don't have a camper, yet, but have been hoping to get one. Trying very hard, actually. We seem to be having especially bad luck, or at least we are from my perspective. Three sellers have backed out or stopped responding via email. I guess I'm writing to ask... is my experience typical? Is this just what happens?

They have not all been Shastas, but here's my short history of trying to purchase a vintage camper:

The first one was from a guy in North Carolina, who while we were asking about details (weight, hitch size, title, etc.) told us he had sold to someone else. Fine--that happens! What's weird is that the ad is still up as if the sale didn't actually happen. He hasn't called us back, even though we were clearly interested.

The second was a guy in Kentucky. He told us we were the first to call--I responded fast! We offered his asking price, he accepted, we made plans to schedule a time to drive down to pick it up. My husband scheduled a vacation day, and since it was title-less, I spent a good deal of time talking to the KY DMV to see if they could provide what we needed so we could get a title in our own state. Everything was set... but he called us the day before we left to say his wife had changed her mind and doesn't want to sell until after Memorial Day when they go camping in it one last time. He says he'll call us. We're not sure if he will. It seems like a weird way to scam someone; he never asked for any personal information, and never asked us to send him money. But it just seems so inconsiderate, we're not sure what to think.

The third was a LoFlyte in NY. I responded within 30 minutes of the ad being posted. She sent photos, we told her we wanted it at her price... and then she simply stopped responding. Her ad is still up. Maybe she sold it to someone else...?

The fourth was a 1400 in Ohio. Again, I was told I was the first to respond. The lady sent exterior photos and said the camper was at the campsite and she'd send interior photos Saturday. She promised she'd give us first refusal, but I told her that presuming it was as tidy as she described, she could consider it sold at her price, and that we would make the trip to Cleveland on whatever day was most convenient to her and pay cash. When I asked for the VIN number for our insurance, she flipped out--called me a scammer and said she wouldn't sell to us. I explained that if she didn't want to send the VIN, that was fine... we could fax it to our insurance later, but she seemed to just have gone nuts. I tried to calm her down and tell her that asking for a VIN really wasn't a scam. There are whole databases of Shasta VINs to try to help narrow down manufacture date. Car dealerships post VINs of their used cars online so potential buyers can check to see if the car has been in a wreck. And I pointed out again, that we had merely asked for it--not demanded--and that we had told her if she didn't want to send it early, we could just fax it to our insurance agent once we made the purchase. However, after having promised we could have it if we wanted it, she said she was going to sell to someone else.

Was it weird to ask for the VIN? Is that just not done? Our insurance agent asked for it... even ebay motors says you must provide a VIN for selling cars: pages.ebay.com/help/sell/motors.html

Am I crazy?

All this is not to mention the numerous others campers we've expressed interest in with no response at all. (This one, for example: vintageshasta.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=trailersforsale&action=display&thread=8195) Not getting any response isn't nearly so painful as having sellers back out repeatedly, after terms have been offered and/or agreed upon. Th

So, tell me... is this the normal sort of trial by fire I should expect, or am I just cursed?

[LittleVintageTrailer]

llysse,

Unfortunately, I think your experiences I'm hearing about more and more often. I think as the demand continues to go up on vintage trailers they are getting harder to snag. Note I said snag, not find. Because what I'm hearing is a significant number of stories similar to yours where the would-be buyer tries to make a deal over the phone...even sight unseen and the seller agrees but only to then sell it to someone else that shows up quicker with cash in hand. Another thing I suspect is where another would-be buyer comes along and offers the seller a higher cash offer, even over their asking price and the seller ends up selling it to the other person.

That situation where the wife wants to use it one last time on memorial day....I don't buy that for a minute. I bet they got a better offer and/or already sold it to someone that came right over and paid cash.

A lot of sellers these days don't want to mess with things like:

1. Having to wait for someone out of state to come pick it up if they have a local buyer make them an offer. They don't want to "hold" the trailer for anyone at least without a deposit.

2. They don't want to mess with would be buyers that are educated and therefore might find damage that they tried to cover up or weren't planning on disclosing. So if a seller dodges questions on the phone...consider that a red flag.

3. They will sell to the first person to show up with cash in hand. Less hassle in their minds and they simply want the deal done.

As far as the Vin number issue that one seller had....that's weird. Maybe the trailer was stolen and she didn't want you having a Vin. That's probably a stretch but you never know. Either that or she just got a cash offer from someone else right before you asked that question and she took it. So she had to come up with some reason she could no longer sell it to you.

Hang in there. It's a tough arena right now. I've seen this happen time and again to folks. I feel bad for buyers and grateful I'm not on the hunt anymore. It seemed much easier back when I bought mine. But you know at some point the tables will probably turn in favor of buyers IF/when the popularity of vintage trailers slows down a bit.

[lopo]

IMHO, this is weird. I'm wondering...just a thought...in all cases or most you jumped at it. it's possible that the sellers then panic that they've priced it too low? Just a thought. (I was writing this as Kelle was replying above, and I'm sure that she's more aware of what's going on than I am.)

[soup]

Sorry to say but that all sounds pretty normal to me these days unfortunately.

Talking/thinking out loud as a past seller;
I don't hold nothing for nobody.
1st cash here in my hand at asking price or above gets it.

Sales end for many reasons if you delay at all. Also for some reason people on CL and others are never in a rush to remove ad or mark as sold. Never could figure that one out either!
I sell something ad comes down.

People looking for these campers are now started buying via paypal, paying in full before even seeing them in person.

Less than 16 foot camper for sale?
Think HOT, HOT, HOT, SOLD, GONE!!!
I got into these after wallering in classic cars for decades. The people who buy these are more easy going and a lot less stress than classic car people. LOL

You'll probably get a call from the people after they camp one last time!

Welcome to VSTF and good luck in your search.
Soup

[Harriet 1400]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure if it's comforting to know this seems to be happening more and more, or if it's horrifying.

Little Vintage Trailer, as to the Memorial Day thing... my husband thought the same thing, that perhaps someone had offered more money. But if that's the case, I wonder why they wouldn't just have said they changed their minds, period, rather than stringing us along until Memorial Day? I don't know. Maybe they really do intend to sell, later, but we're just not sure what to think. We don't want to stop looking for three months on the strength of the word of someone advertising on Craigslist--someone who already backed out once.

Lopo, maybe that's one problem--we jumped fast and didn't haggle on price. I guess I felt we lost the first one because we hesitated too long. It seemed perhaps slightly overpriced--not that I'm an expert--so we wanted to be clear on all the particulars before making an offer. After that, the ones we've been jumping at have the appearance of being relatively good deals (I suppose if I didn't think that, then why would I be offering?), at least on the information we've had to go on.

Soup, you're right: we're looking for the smallest of campers because our tow vehicle is small, and I know those often harder to find. I do understand that some people will buy them sight unseen, but we're just not those people and it doesn't seem like a smart thing to do, unless you're well enough off to pursue the issue of you get rooked. Maybe if it was a different world, we'd consider doing that. Still, since we told this last seller that, presuming her description and the photos are accurate, we'd take it... AND we offered to be there with cash at any time that was convenient for her, you'd think the whole "1st cash here in hand" thing would mean we'd get first shot. My husband apparently called her back again this morning after my emails trying to calm her down didn't seem to get anywhere, and now she says (again) that she won't sell it to anyone before we see it. He also said she sounded genuine; he could hear her kids in the background, and she just said she was paranoid from previous Craigslist dealings. That could be true. However, I have this terrible fear that we're going to drive up there and no one will be there. Maybe I'm just getting paranoid, now!

Thanks for the welcome, at any rate. I hope that I'll be a bonafide Shasta-owning member of the forum some time soon... at which time I'll doubtless have new worries, having to do with maintenance issues, hahaha.

[65callie]

Mar 8, 2013 11:57:52 GMT -5 Harriet 1400 said:

However, I have this terrible fear that we're going to drive up there and no one will be there.

I know the feeling. We drove 4 hours to get our son's compact. The owners said they would hold it for us and they did. We called a few times on our way to make sure they knew our progress/arrival time so they wouldn't leave. Just told ourselves if it wasn't worth getting or the owners bailed on us, we would consider it an adventure/road trip. Luckily it was in good condition and we got it for much less than advertised, possibly because it wasn't in a large city. But you really do have to jump on them fast. The little ones go quick, and will always need work unless you pay the big bucks to buy one already restored.

It's frustrating but don't give up!

[Deleted]

It definitely can be frustrating, but remember, "All is fair in love and Vintage Trailers".

I am sure that there are a fair share of sellers on the CL that have experienced problems with potential buyers before, and that tends to make people approach selling very differently. It also makes it tough on the serious buyer as well.

Just out of curiosity, where are you from? It may help throw the radar up to help you look.

[Harriet 1400]

65callie, glad it turned out well for you. I hope it does for us, too, fingers crossed.

Crw2620, we're in West Virginia, which means we're more or less within a day's drive of most states in the eastern US.

[offspringin]

Sorry to hear your troubles with that. I think sellers are becoming more hostile, whether its a trailer or anything else. I think in most sales, its the buyer who is more excited about getting the item they wanted. The sellers generally seem bothered by the questions from potential buyers. I have seen many craigslist ads that say they will not send more photos, will not answer questions etc etc, just come in person with cash. From the seller side I think some people don't hold items because they have been burned before. I have gone out of my way to meet up with people when i am selling and have been burned a few times. Sometimes they call and say they cant make it, other times our meeting time comes and goes and they never show.

So i can see it from both sides.

I agree with Callie though that you should go into it with the "hope we get it" attitude and then if you do its great. I admit that driving hours to be burned would be a real bummer though.

I also agree that i would never buy sight unseen. That being said. When we bought our first trailer i could have bought it sight unseen because there were so many things i didn't know to look for, or didn't dig deep enough.

I think people as a whole have lost respect for everyone, very few people give the respect they expect to receive. People have become rude, they are so involved with their own life which in many cases is no more important that anyone elses. They selfishly make decisions not caring what other people think. Its sad. I think most the active community on here are pretty honest, hardworking folks who want to see this hobby/lifestyle stay un-tainted by modern attitudes. The reason this forum exists is for everyone to share, learn and be excited about something that everyone else on the board loves too.

I think the right trailer will come along, and maybe with the right seller. I wouldn't let this bad taste make you think that its only people selling old trailers that have this attitude. The smaller ones are getting harder to find, seems like I'm seeing more late 70s/80s larger models for sale recently. Or some really haggard small ones that will need a ton of work and are usually overpriced because "all it will take is a weekend of elbow grease to get this trailer camp ready". never mind the fact that its been rotting in a field for 30 years.

There are great people on this site. If you post the trailers your considering you will get honest feedback on whats to be done, and what to look for should you go take a look at it.

Good luck and happy hunting (snagging)

[mobiltec]

I get all my trailers out of back yards... Got one from a ghost town. The Westerner. I even found the original owner and got the pink slip.

One piece of advice I can give you. Be very careful about buying trailers with no paperwork. You can lose big time. I know someone who restored a trailer, found out it was stolen when they ran the VIN and had to give it back to the rightful owner. A trailer with paperwork or current registration is worth MUCH more than without. I won't pay more than $200 for any trailer without paperwork.

[schweetcruisers]

Mar 8, 2013 21:42:14 GMT -5 mobiltec said:

I get all my trailers out of back yards... Got one from a ghost town. The Westerner. I even found the original owner and got the pink slip.

One piece of advice I can give you. Be very careful about buying trailers with no paperwork. You can lose big time. I know someone who restored a trailer, found out it was stolen when they ran the VIN and had to give it back to the rightful owner. A trailer with paperwork or current registration is worth MUCH more than without. I won't pay more than $200 for any trailer without paperwork.

x2

Here is a great example

vintageshasta.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sobforsale&action=display&thread=8206

A year ago this trailer was for sale on Craigslist for $800, it was sitting in a junkyard and didn't have a title. Now it resurfaced, it doesn't look like they did much by the exterior but now has a CLEAR title, it's worth every penny now!

[Deleted]

llysse, I just want to encourage you as well. I only picked up my Shasta Compact last week, and I'd been searching for a few months. Another friend of mine searched for seven months. And they are tougher to find east of the Mississippi.

I encountered similar craziness when I searched for a proper tow vehicle (in spite all of the lovely ads from the '50s and '60s, convertibles are NOT recommended for towing anything, so I purchased another vehicle solely to tow). My thinking is, I'm not gonna beg someone to take money from me - not that you're begging, only that if the seller was serious, you shouldn't have to make so much effort. They would communicate with you and do the respectable thing by letting you know if they'd already sold the trailer. As far as my experience in purchasing a tow vehicle, the sellers were always communicative until I mentioned bringing my mechanic with me; then, they'd vanish. I had one guy literally hang up on me mid-sentence when I brought it up (wouldn't respond when I phoned back, nor return my voicemail).

Count yourself rescued from a mess with these shady sellers, and know that the right trailer is out there. I was already far along into my search, but the VSTF is developing a network of people willing to go look at trailers and a couple are even willing to deliver: vintageshasta.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=trailersforsale&action=display&thread=1717

So it might be worth looking a bit further west? I dunno, just don't want you to give up. Hang in there!

[kto17]

Have hope. There are good trailers and sellers that will work with you out there. Just be willing to put a deposit you'll never see again after getting the pictures you want and talking to the seller, but only if you get a good feeling about them.

We bought the Astrodome in northern Tennessee with no deposit, four hours one way. We looked for 6 months for it.

We bought the Deluxe putting a $200 deposit on it. It was in Northern Indiana, 12 hours away! I was a little disappointed that the new tires were car tires and it needed a little more work that described but it is a good condition survivor with the typical rear window and dinette window water damage. We looked for it for about 6-8 months.

Be patient. You'll find one.

[kto17]

Want an Astrodome? It needs work but all there except wings. I would hold it for you. It's in GA.

[schweetcruisers]

Mar 9, 2013 10:26:50 GMT -5 kto17 said:

Want an Astrodome? It needs work but all there except wings. I would hold it for you. It's in GA.

Then you could bring it to Denver and I could give it a domecut!

[Hamlet]

Schweet is a rascal!

[kto17]

Mar 9, 2013 12:06:11 GMT -5 schweetcruisers said:

Mar 9, 2013 10:26:50 GMT -5 kto17 said:

Want an Astrodome? It needs work but all there except wings. I would hold it for you. It's in GA.

Then you could bring it to Denver and I could give it a domecut!

If I can get the SOB I found, you can do whatever you want with it, as long as I can keep the little windows and visors from the bunk.

[Gone Kayaking]

Have you seen that many of the members here will go take a look at a trailer you are considering if it's close to them? Here's the link to the map. goo.gl/maps/4Ylfa If youl look at the states that you are willing to go to you'll see that members have pinned it with their user name so that you can them pm them from the board to go take a look for you.

Also feel free to tell us what you are looking for and where; there's more than a few members who can't help but keep an eye out for trailers for sale, even if they can't get another themselves.

You will find the trailer that is right for you!

[Harriet 1400]

Thanks, everyone, for the encouragement. Vagabond Blues, I feel like a couple sellers stopped communicating when I began talking about the title. Some states, I guess, don't require a title if the trailer is under a certain weight, but WV seems to require one. It looks like it's relatively easy to get one here: the seller has to sign an affidavit stating that there is no title to his/her knowledge, and that state's DMV has to do a title search stating there is no current title. Even so, I guess it's easier to sell to someone who lives in a state that also doesn't require a title. Maybe.

kto17, thanks so much for the offer. I think an Astrodome would be too big for us, though. My vehicle only tows about 2500 pounds, and I think that model is more than 2000 pounds empty. To make sure we don't strain the engine, we really need something lighter. We've been looking for compacts, 1400s, 1500s, loflytes, that sort of thing.

The lady I mentioned before who was selling the 1400 sent photos, and we agreed to pick it up on Wednesday. They do have a clear title, which is great. Still a niggling part of me is afraid they're going to flake out, again, but my husband seems to regard it as settled. I'm a worrier, so it's probably best to go by him, hahaha.

We're not sure exactly how much this particular camper weighs, but it looks like 1400s should be 1650 pounds or thereabouts. I don't know if it varies much by year; this is reportedly a 1970. That should give us some leeway for gear.

The owner had described that the back lounge was covered in leather, but I must not have understood her properly. In the photos, it looks like they removed the original and one of the dinette seats and have some sort of overstuffed sectional in there. :-( The icebox is also missing. They replaced it with a little dorm fridge that doesn't match or really fit the space. She's also replaced some light fixtures. It does have the blonde paneling and green stove.

Still, it looks very clean (meaning, I guess, that all those little leaks it has inevitably experienced have been hidden leaks.) I don't even see any damage under the rear window, but perhaps there is some evident in person. Original drawer pulls, except it looks like they replaced the pull to the closet/bathroom. There is a shelf they added below the mirror that will come off, hopefully. Newer tires, and the exterior looks good. They report the floor to be solid; I'll have to knock around and take a look underneath when I get there.

Even with the removal of the original seats, I think it will be okay for us. I have no doubt we'll discover all sorts of horrifying things as we go along, but I imagine that would happen with most that haven't had a frame-off rebuild. I'm curious about where the storage under the gaucho went... did they keep that somehow under the leather thing? Or where does the little trunk door lead now? It's a mystery. Unless there's some immediate damage that needs attention, first order of business will be to rebuild the couch and missing dinette.

Which reminds me... have any of you ever used this place for replacement cushions?

www.vstarproducts.com/Custom-Made-Set-Dinette-Cushions-DINETTECUSHIONS.htm;jsessionid=3EC10FBF4F58BB0E13965EF0FDFF62F6.qscstrfrnt05

It seems awfully inexpensive. There aren't too many fabric choices... but I have doubts about how well my sewing machine could handle vinyl, not to mention the doubts I have about how well I could manage skill-wise. Curtains I can do, but re-upholstery worries me a little...

If we are able to make a successful pickup, I'll start another thread and post photos. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

[Gone Kayaking]

I haven't seen that website before for cushions but that's actually not a bad price didn't get as far as shipping. Out here one the west coast I was getting quotes of around 700 to reupholster my box spring dinette seats. I did it myself for about 100 including new foam. (i was able to reuse the springs and frames).

Good luck with your pick up. look forward to seeing the finished product.

[Deleted]

If that one doesn't work out, get someone on the forum network to go see about this one - it's a Scotty, but so, so cute! (if the link doesn't work, it's featured on Vintage Trailer's Facebook page)

www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=520118214696452&set=a.520118201363120.1073741839.128986567142954&type=1&theater

[Hamlet]

I checked the website and did an estimate using the upgraded foam that we used for Hamlet - and added another $125 for the fabric we got. Came up with about $400 without shipping. That's a little less than ours would have been to have them done (but our foam was wrapped with polyester, which makes it more comfortable and less trailer-y, nicer, but adds to the cost). If you can do it with someone local, you might be better off: You will have an actual person to hold accountable if something goes wrong, and you will be supporting your local economy. I'm all for using the internet when I can't get something close to home, but you might be able to do better in your own neighborhood. Good luck!

[schweetcruisers]

Here is that link, I fixed it!

www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=520118214696452&set=a.520118201363120.1073741839.128986567142954&type=1&theat%20e

[Harriet 1400]

Gosh, that Scotty is adorable! And I can't believe how reasonable the price is. Alas, though, California is just too far for us, I think. I've seen quite a few darling little trailers appear on the West Coast. I'll be happy if we get this one with a drive of only a few hours to pick up.

As to local upholstery, we live in the middle of nowhere, so even "local" for us likely means about an hour's drive. If the prices are close, I'd prefer to do local, too. I will definitely check everything out and make comparisons before I make any decisions. At this point, I'm just sort of window shopping and seeing what resources are out there.

This is probably one of the fun parts, when restoration plans are all nebulous and vague because I haven't seen it in person, yet. That allows for a good amount of wishful thinking.

[cowcharge]

It takes a certain lack of integrity to agree to a price with someone and then sell it to someone else for more money.

[mobiltec]

Mar 12, 2013 12:01:53 GMT -5 cowcharge said:

It takes a certain lack of integrity to agree to a price with someone and then sell it to someone else for more money.

People with integrity are a dying breed.

[beverly66]

Harriet, first I just love your name!

And to respond to your questions, I have run into a significant number of dead ends as well. CL seems rife with ads staying up after the item sells. But I think things work out when they are meant to. I called the lady from whom we bought our '66 Shasta just a couple weeks ago. We started out on topic but the conversation wandered and we had a really pleasant chat. She told us later that she had had other offers to purchase and she turned them down because they weren't the right person. After chatting with me, she knew I would love and care for her little camper and she felt good about selling her to me.

The right one IS out there; you just have to keep kissing frogs.

[Hamlet]

It's funny. We tend to anthropomorphize our trailers, so for some folks, it's not like buying or selling one, it's more finding the right family to adopt one.

[vikx]

Mine go to Good Homes......

[Harriet 1400]

Beverly66, thanks for the name-love! I was thinking of Harriet Smith, from Jane Austen's Emma. And also about Ozzie-and.

I should acknowledge we've had some good experiences along with the bad ones. For instance, one of the trailers I had called about was here in WV, not too far away. It was one of those craigslist ads with not much of a description, just a few words and a photo. As I recall, it was a Tagalong. I called the owner, and we determined in about 30 seconds that it was too big for us, 2100 pounds. Still, we chatted for 30 minutes or so about chickens. How did we even get on that subject? I don't remember. I also called a restorer in PA on the off chance he might have a little Scotty sitting around, and he offered us a BEAUTIFUL rebuild (which was alas, out of our price range). It was worth every penny of what he was asking, though... probably more. It didn't work out for us, but he was super nice.

Maybe picking up the 1400 today will turn into a good experience, too, just with a flaky hiccup in the middle. This lady has apologized a couple of times for the name-calling. It's okay. I can understand caution, I guess, so it will just be water under the bridge, fingers crossed. My husband keeps reminding me that some people just don't think to do a Google search for something they don't know about, and just tend to have knee-jerk reactions.

So, wish me luck. We're leaving later this morning to make the pick up. Hopefully everything goes well.