First AS, Are these reasonable?

[willski33]

First of all, thanks to all previous posters...I've spent several hours/days just reading over posts and getting a good idea (I think) on what I'm looking for in a used AS.

We are: family of 4, 2 medium dogs (lab/GSP), possibly another baby in a couple years. Moving to Albuquerque. Looking to camp 3 season mostly (hot), rarely in winter (near ski areas). I own a 2007 Toyota Tundra 5.7L.

We (think we) want: 25'-29', preferably 70s, although some late 60s models have entered the mix. The trailer has to be in great mechanical towing order, as we will be hauling it from ND to Albuquerque almost immediately. We are not super handy, although I can work minor plumbing/electrical/mechanical issues. I am not comfortable doing anything involving gas, towing mechanics, or involved disassembly. We understand that purchase price of a used AS is just a downpayment, and with that said would like to pay not much more than $6500, with our two year budget for fixes/improvements no more than another $2K.

I have found three trailers that I think fit the bill within driving distance of where I'm at now. A '74 Tradewind twin, new bearings, clean, broken fridge and water pump-$6900. A '67 Ambassador twin, all appliances work, no furnace, two plexiglass windows that need replacement-$5850. Finally, a '73 Tradewind double, everything works (it's twice as far away as the other two, and we prefer the twin setup)-$6500.

To make the cut, they all had to (at least by the owners account) have: good axles, no rear end separation, solid floors. We're not too interested in keeping things vintage, as we intend to do interior renovations to suit our needs.

I know that there are tons more details that go into an accurate pricing, but are these in the ballpark? I keep hearing about guys picking trailers up in good working order for $4000.

Thanks,

Will

[DKB_SATX]

The '73 and '74 will have a graywater tank unless it's been removed by a PO... that might be important for you with lots of people on board. Remember that asking prices are a starting point for negotiations, but most sellers will balk at taking a HUGE chunk off, probably none of the 3 sellers will easily go for $4k but they might come down quite a bit.

[Splitrock]

If I would have budgeted purchase price plus ten thousand, I'd have been a little low for fixing up a 70's trailer. Everything that looked good was bad, and everything that looked bad was terrible.

Gary