Time for some last-minute thoughts on this Argosy!
I'm planning on bidding on this Argosy tonight. (DESPITE the fact that the seller is apparently too busy to respond to my request for my cousin to go out and look at it for me - unless he responds today and my cousin can go look at it tonight just before I bid.) and of course that makes me nervous, if there's some issue or damage that he didn't disclose, Ebay doesn't cover that under their purchase policy because the trailer is more than 10 years old.
But it does have a nice policy for getting my deposit/payments back if I a) never get the trailer or b) never get the title. And I'm hoping to get it for a bargain, so I have some wiggle room in my savings.
The pros of this trailer are:
A wood floor, a new stove, a pretty nice exterior, a clean-looking interior, a composting toilet, intact windows, my preferred layout and length, recently towed and ready to roll, intact frame, he says the plumbing works.
AND
Another great pro is that the trailer is located in a city where I have family that is experienced in buying/selling vehicles because he's a motorcycle enthusiast, and he has a truck and a property where he can put my trailer until I can drive up to get it.
The cons are:
That bowed door that he says closes/latches but needs adjustment, possible title weirdness, the fridge is electric only, the annoying lack of communication (he answered my first question about plumbing and the refrigerator!), missing propane tanks, that ugly couch in the front.
~~~
I'm just tired of shopping, and this is the closest I've gotten to what I want in quite a few months. The first overlander I looked at was near-original condition, but I didn't have $7k saved up. A ready-to-roll 30 ft Argosy caught my eye a couple months ago, but again, I didn't have the $6k they wanted and it sold to someone else. I may end up getting this one for less than $3k, but I'm thinking I'm willing to go a little higher as a max bid just in case.
This one is in my budget, it seems like most of the repairs needed are doable... it's a little younger than I was first going for, but I realized there are basically no trailers from before 1972 that don't need some sort of work on the frame and subfloor.
I want an Airstream in my yard, I want to start putting time and money into it and start planning on when I can start hitting Fan Conventions again! I've been living at home for a year, for the purpose of saving up for this very goal. It feels like the right time, this feels like the right trailer. I can see myself in it. I'm trying to hold back my fear and excitement. It's not a guaranteed thing. I'm trying not to get my hopes up.
I just haven't spent this much money on anything since college tuition, but it makes me feel better than I'm not going to be spending ALL of my savings on it. (I'm also in the process of shopping for a tow vehicle, I have a buyer in the wings for my smaller SUV!)