Who has bought sight unseen except for detailed pictures ?
Robbie R.
Yes.
Have they been happy?
Occasionally. SOME sellers are honest.
It's so easy not to see damage such as floor rot or frame weakness on pictures. It's also impossible to smell the foetid odor of old rat urine.
Get a volunteer inspector or bite the bullet and take the trip to do the look-see yourself. If you think 500 miles or more is too far to travel... why are you interested in a travel trailer?
Paula
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Today is a gift. That's why they call it "the present"
I am commited.......and feel really good about it so far but it has not been delivered yet.
I just wondered if you AS people would care to look at a local forum link for sale ad where my soon to be AS is and tell me if you think it looks as good as I do ?
Not many pics but I have some really good ones of interior I would love to email someone so they could encourage me even more............
We did, but we bought from a fellow AS Forum member, and exchanged a number of e-mails and a longest phone call before making the offer. We sent a down payment, with the understanding that if we got down there and decided not to buy, the downpayment was hers to keep. We then had a bank check with us for the balance when we went to pick her up. The main reason we did it this way was because the trailer was exactly what we were looking for (size, age, price, condition), it was still pretty much winter up here, and the AS was in Mississippi, so we needed to wait to get down there until April. One of the nice things was the PO sent us so many pictures, and detailed pictures of all the flaws, that we felt very comfortable with making the purchasing decision before actually seeing the AS.
If we were looking for a ready to camp in, almost perfect condition trailer, I would have made a trip to see her before buying.
I think it depends on the trailer, and the buyer. Even honest sellers make mistakes, or just don't know. How many on here know FOR SURE everything that might be wrong with their trailer?? I doubt unless you do a full monty, you know for sure, even if you are trying to be completely above board.
In our case we were looking for a basket case, and planned to pay accordingly, so we found several in our price range, and then it was a matter of choosing which one looked like the most interesting to rescue. The seller did his best to list what was wrong, and we had the option to back out if when we saw it in person we didn't think it was doable by us.. Some of what needs to be done is straight up just doing it... some is a big learning project... but on a side note.. NEW TOOLS and skills!!! and yes, there is/was stuff wrong he didn't realize.. But we are just about campable, for not a whole lot of $$$, but a lot of work..
good luck.. and post up the link to the unit already!!!
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See our blog here on how two RV/AS rookies tackle a 1979 Sovereign resto!!
Link to just the photos.. (sometimes you don't need the blog, just a picture worth a thousand words..)
1979 Sovereign International
2004 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer
2 Golden Retrievers
I'm on my second AS, both were purchases I was able to see before buying. However, I sold the first one on Ebay to a person halfway across the country. We
agreed to the stipulations as to his committment and mine upon his first chance to
do a hands on inspection...and seemed to be happy...
I bought from pics only 2 times now.
1st was from a add here on the forum.
2nd was from Ebay.
I found the 1st in better condition than discribed in the telephone conversations.
The 2nd was in a bit worse condition as discribed.
If my wife alows me to go shopping for a 34 ft the ads here on the forum would be my 1st choise.
But would not say no to Ebay if the price is low enough.
I would take the chance again, flying out from europe to look at a trailer is a bit costly.
Thank you all, any opinions on the one I am looking to buy ?
It looks like a nice trailer. Your odds of doing OK buying sight unseen are better given the trailer's relatively new, but of course, surprises can happen. There was a case on here of someone who bought a 04 Bambi CCD long distance sight unseen, only to find the floor had soft spots. That's bad.
I'm actually scheduled to fly out to "visit" the vintage trailer that I have a deposit on. (If all is good, then I'll make the 10 hour drive to get it.) If you can swing it, it might not be a bad idea.
But, to be fair, I bought my used T@B sight unseen, and it was a 14 hour drive away. Worked out fine, with a very scrupulous seller.
We bought one from pics and floor plans only. Sold it a month later. Bed was too small and so was the bath. Somehow that 19 footer looked a lot bigger than it was.
The trailer was exactly as described and in perfect shape.
Make sure you and the trailer fit each other before buying. Lay on the bed, sit in the bath, move around inside. It'll save you some serious loot.
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