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Brawny · 01-20-2016, 12:03 PM

Greetings All!

My wife and I are avid campers and have been since we were kids. We've had trailers over the years, and an old Class C motorhome at one point in our search for the best 'mode' for retirement. We've settled on Airstream, and after having looked at a number of models, we've decided on a 30' Classic as our preferred size.

Our local dealer (Can Am) has found one that the current owner is looking to sell at the end of the current snowbird season, as they're hanging up their camping shoes. They're due to bring it back to Ontario from Florida at the beginning of April when the snow disappears. We've put a deposit on it already, to insure that it doesn't get sold out from under us (as happened a month ago, when one we waffled on got sold 2 hours before we came in with a deposit!)

We haven't seen the trailer yet, except for a handful of pictures of it taken in Florida by the current owners. It looks to be well maintained and well loved, but we obviously can't kick the tires until it arrives back here in the spring.

My question is this - while I trust the folks at Can Am to be honest and fair in their dealings, I wonder whether we should be looking for an inspector to take a thorough look at it before we agree to purchase. I'm concerned about getting caught short on something that would be difficult to find without the proper knowledge, and expensive to fix, like a water leak, or an issue with electrical/batteries/solar that I wouldn't be able to find on my own until afterwards.

As an aside, if you're the owner of this trailer, I'd be interested in talking with you and getting your insight on the trailer and its 'quirks'. Obviously we have an agreement with Can Am that we're honour-bound to respect, but it would be helpful to talk to you directly about the trailer to get your first hand knowledge. The pictures of the trailer showed it hooked to a van (Toyota Sienna, I think). We're in the market for a TV as well, and would be interested in discussing with you if you're considering selling the van as well as the trailer.

Thanks to all in advance for your advice and opinions!
Brawny

dkottum · 01-20-2016, 01:00 PM

What year is the Classic? More importantly, is it parked near the coast in Florida?

mefly2 · 01-20-2016, 02:19 PM

Filiform from the sea air ???

RamblinManGa · 01-20-2016, 02:36 PM

Hi from AZ. . . Having Can-Am involved would seem like a good thing, particularly if they've been maintaining / caring for it. A local person in Fl to look at it wouldn't be a bad idea, to get lots of pictures if nothing else. . . just my thoughts...regards, Craig

Brawny · 01-21-2016, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkottum

What year is the Classic? More importantly, is it parked near the coast in Florida?

Its a 2004. I'm not sure where in Florida its parked. We have a few pics - I'll see if I can attach them, but it doesn't look like there's any corrosion. Of course, we'll have to look closer when we see it in person.

Brawny · 01-21-2016, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RamblinManGa

Hi from AZ. . . Having Can-Am involved would seem like a good thing, particularly if they've been maintaining / caring for it. A local person in Fl to look at it wouldn't be a bad idea, to get lots of pictures if nothing else. . . just my thoughts...regards, Craig

That's a good idea. I had wondered about getting an inspector back here in London to have a look, since we don't know where the trailer is or who the owners are - we're purchasing through Can Am. If we ARE able to get information from the owner from Can Am (haven't asked yet, and not sure if there would be any privacy concerns), we'd considered that this could be an excellent excuse to go to Florida some time this winter...

Brawny · 01-21-2016, 01:39 PM

Here are some pics that we were given of the trailer.

55AS · 01-21-2016, 02:03 PM

Looks like a pretty big load for that TV.

dkottum · 01-21-2016, 03:26 PM

The pictures look very nice for a 2006, or even a 2015. Looks well-cared for without heavy use. Your dealer has a great reputation among their many customers, many on this forum. That dealership is also known for their expertise on hitches and custom tow vehicle setups, which accounts for thousands of tow vehicles similar to this working well for them.

woodfox45 · 01-21-2016, 05:12 PM

Looks very nice good luck with your purchase

LyleRussell · 01-21-2016, 05:20 PM

Crawl underneath and look for rust and the condition of axles and suspension. Check the age of the batteries and age and mileage of tires. Those are the two big replaceable's. Try each of the systems, water pump, inverter, furnace, air conditioner Hot water heater shower inside and out stove, etc. Otherwise dealing with a reputable dealer like CanAm or in our case Colonial is the way to go.

LyleRussell · 01-21-2016, 05:21 PM

For what it's worth, We love our used 2011 Classic.

woodfox45 · 01-22-2016, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodfox45

Looks very nice good luck with your purchase

Have the dealer do a pressurized leak test .

m.hony · 01-22-2016, 10:56 AM

That trailer appears perfect.
Hope it works out for you.

Arcticfox · 01-22-2016, 11:02 AM

Your dealing with one of the best dealers around... Also it sounds like this trailer is coming from a very goo home. I would just talk to the management at the dealership and get them to agree to warranty any issues that you might find in the first few months. That should give you enough time to assess anything that might be wrong.

Cheers
Doug

Brawny · 01-22-2016, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LyleRussell

Crawl underneath and look for rust and the condition of axles and suspension. Check the age of the batteries and age and mileage of tires. Those are the two big replaceable's. Try each of the systems, water pump, inverter, furnace, air conditioner Hot water heater shower inside and out stove, etc. Otherwise dealing with a reputable dealer like CanAm or in our case Colonial is the way to go.

Good suggestions! I'll be sure to add those to our checklist when we inspect the trailer.

Brawny · 01-22-2016, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodfox45

Have the dealer do a pressurized leak test .

Another good suggestion. Thanks!

Shacksman · 01-22-2016, 11:18 AM

Can Am is not the kind of dealer that will hide things from you. If there is a problem they will make it right and if you change your mind they have a long list of people waiting for good used trailers.

Brawny · 01-22-2016, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m.hony

That trailer appears perfect.
Hope it works out for you.

Thanks Woodfox and M.Hony!

We're really excited about this trailer, and really hoping things work out. The waiting is probably the hardest part - not getting a chance to look at it until April when its back in Canada...

Brawny · 01-22-2016, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcticfox

Your dealing with one of the best dealers around... Also it sounds like this trailer is coming from a very goo home. I would just talk to the management at the dealership and get them to agree to warranty any issues that you might find in the first few months. That should give you enough time to assess anything that might be wrong.

I've been doing a lot of reading on the forums, and I couldn't agree more about Can Am. They appear to be completely above-board, which is also our experience in person so far.

My understanding is that the do a complete inspection on any AS they sell - new and used - and anything that's not working is fixed before it leaves the lot. I believe they also provide a warrantee (possibly a couple months - I can't recall exactly) on all trailers, so that's reassuring.

Perhaps I'm worrying more than I need to. Just really excited about the purchase I guess, and wanting to make sure everything goes as planned, and there are no surprises.

Thanks to everyone for their input!