Price check (1970s 25' travel trailer)

[Wabbiteer]

Okay, fine, true confession time.

I eagerly paid $1,500 for this bent 1972 29' as I wished to have spare parts. The interior is clean and without much wear, all utilities work including the Armstrong A/C. It is destined to live out its days gutted as a power-house & work shop on rural property... Just go see how much 'shed' $1500 buys these days!

[Eastsideloco]

You got your money's worth in spare parts AND you got a free shed to boot. Congratulations!

[Mike Leary]

Originally Posted by Eastsideloco

Nice view from your front door. Sonoran Desert?

Yup, Organ Pipe NM in Arizona, where we'll be in November.

[Belegedhel]

Ok, the fact is, that there are plenty of 70's era beaters out there for less than $1000, but, as you mention, getting them to you could cost more than the trailer. I live in Houston and have seen long (~30 ft) trailers from the 70's go for $500, but I looked at some of them, and they were not towable, and you would have had to put the effort into removing the nasty, stanky interior, just to get it where the one you are looking at already is. So, let me give you a few price points of actual trailers I have seen in Tx in the last two years:

Late 1960's vintage ~25' trailer in "original" (rough) condition: $1500
'70" vintage Excella in really nasty, rough condition: $500
Various 18-21" late 60's to 70's trailers (of course more desireable with shorter length) $3500-$5000.

So...My recommendation...I wouldn't pay more than $1000, and that is assuming you don't have any illusions about being able to pull it and go camping without a lot of additional expense. this also assumes that you can get it to your property without major expense.

good luck!

[Eastsideloco]

Thanks. Those are great numbers to have.

I definitely have no illusions or desire to use this for camping. But I've definitely had illusions of having a job site trailer parked in my driveway for use an office. An aluminum tent seems more interesting aesthetically, both from the outside and the inside, and the rent would add up.

[Wabbiteer]

Remember to shop with your nose. If there is even a mild disagreeable odor or irritant it will only become more and more noticeable over time. I ended up doing full rehab plus to get rid of a toxic odor, the catch-22 of passing the project along or manning up to solve problems probably is in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) and I cared which side of that fence I stood...

The floor decking is exposed and the walls are insulated

New insulation I hope? You don't want to see the details in old insulation of the lifeforms they've supported over 40 years - do you know what a mouse/rats nest smells like? That faint piñon odor may not be the old fir plywood floor...

Even with toilet gone that era used formaldehyde preservatives in their holding tanks - that degrades to formic acid and a bazillion other flavors of 'don't feel right' aromatherapy. If the bathroom sheet has not been replaced already I think that would be a minimum requirement for continuous occupation as an office. Also the trailer may be too tight air-exchange wise without some automated HVAC controls, to include air-to-air heat exchanger to conserve energy over the next X years...

[perryg114]

I have not thought about the shed idea. I need shed space right now since my shed got blown away in March. I could even put a garage door in the back and take the axels off and put if on the ground. I live in the country I could get away with it.

Perry

Originally Posted by Wabbiteer

Okay, fine, true confession time.

I eagerly paid $1,500 for this bent 1972 29' as I wished to have spare parts. The interior is clean and without much wear, all utilities work including the Armstrong A/C. It is destined to live out its days gutted as a power-house & work shop on rural property... Just go see how much 'shed' $1500 buys these days!