Fix up or buy new?

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by cosmotini

Have you thought about having your trailer restored by professionals?

You could contact them and get an estimate for having it done.

David Winick and Colin Hyde both post here and are within driving distance for you.

Here is the link to David Winick's site, Vintage Trailering. Colin Hyde's is GSM but I don't have a link to their web-site.

I think there's one in the Carolina's too.

Colin's site is here: GSM Vehicles

Currently listening to Colin, Rob and Tim on TheVAP.com.

Bill

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by daveandpamz

Based on the AS weight charts, I think we could tow up to a 25' mid-80s to early-90s Safari (or some such) with my current car. It has a 5000lb tow capacity, and those AS top out about 5600lbs dry weight. Given that my Jeep is a diesel, we tow infrequently, and usually over flat land, that overage doesn't scare me.

better re think this...

again.

given the unibody design, hitch capacity and wheel base of a jeep liberty...

you really are in the 'casita', t@b, basecamp and vintage bambi, argosy 6m size range...

25 footers, wider bodies and dry weights of 5600lbs are completely inappropriate for the jeep liberty...

forget about flat land, even down hill a mid 80s double axle unit is too much trailer.

a restored 27ft overlander towed with a jeep liberty?

not a good choice either.

cheers
2air'

[daveandpamz]

2air,

Hmmmm. Admittedly, watching our Liberty tow the Overlander is a bit like watching the tail wag the dog, but we've had no problems, really. Sometimes when it's windy I have to slow down to 45 mph or so, but beyond that, I can cruise at 60 with no real issues (overdrive off).

But we're pretty cognizant of where we need to stop putting pressure on the car. So far,anyway.

Pam

[2airishuman]

hi pam

not my intention to be overly critical.
the primary concern is safety.

cruising is seldom a good measure of towing issues.

brake hard, change lanes, control a tire blowout or semi blow-by....

all on a downhill curve

these things define towing margin.

notice i typed 'restored' overlander, which may often weigh more than stock.

and 27 feet of anything is a lot of tail for a 104 inch dog....

so really it's back to needs and wants and affordability and other personal choices...

travel infrequently and keep to short trips on the blue roads at 45...

and gamble that all remains tranquil.

but if the goal is more trips or longer trips, 4 lanes, traffic and normal issues...

it would be hard to match all but the smallest modern trailers (with little cargo) to the liberty

the diesel powerplant in the jeep'r is a great engine, wish i had one in something...

but length and mass are issues not to be ignored.

load up on eye drops and read a few towing threads....

have a great camping season!

2air'

[AgZep]

BTW, we went down an extremely similar path. I had an almost new Liberty that I loved. We did a lot of research and figured the largest new trailer it could handle was a 22' CCD, which was not big enough for extended trips.

So the Liberty had to go, in favor of a 3/4 ton Chevy pickup. I still really miss the Jeep, and the new Liberty coming out next year loks awful, in my opinion. But happily, the new 3/4 ton Chevy pickups look great!

[daveandpamz]

Hello all,

So, we went to a local AS dealership yesterday and looked (again) at the new 25' FB Safari. So cool, so perfect, so big. Too big, too wide. 2air is correct (heavy sigh) -- we've been talking about trying to go farther and further south, like over Jellico (toward the Smokies) and maybe even up to Asheville, NC. And under no circumstances will my beloved Jeep make that trip with that camper.

We're wishy-washy now. We're taking your good advice and looking at 3-5 yr old units, trying to figure out which floorplan and how much to spend. And we'll check out the restore guys you've recommended to get their take on our situation. And I still won't trade in my Jeep (not yet, anyway).

I'll let y'all know of our progress. If we have any before the season is over!
Pam

[mwinter]

You can get a used Ford F250 Diesel and Suburban Diesel at a good price. I think you still need a new TV even if you get a 4-5 yr-old trailer.

M.W.

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by daveandpamz

So, we went to a local AS dealership yesterday and looked (again) at the new 25' FB Safari. So cool, so perfect, so big. Too big, too wide. 2air is correct (heavy sigh) -- we've been talking about trying to go farther and further south, like over Jellico (toward the Smokies) and maybe even up to Asheville, NC. And under no circumstances will my beloved Jeep make that trip with that camper.Pam

For what it is worth, If you are planing on camping in the smokey mountians (and not just the park) the vintage trailers are perfect for those roads. I have a '68 that has been there the last 2 years. NOT ONCE did my Trade Wind get out of my lane, even in the hair pin curves. That is worth a lot to me. I guess it doesn't bug most folks, but I like the narrow body when towing in the hills. I too paid about $3K and at this point in the process have about $9K in it (new axles, tires, brakes, water heater, furnace, refer, vintage awning, trifuel genset, pergo floors, and part of a polish job and new PEX underway). I still have some other projects for next season. Having said that, it is supreemly suited for me at a price that I could swing. On top of that, it is an attention getter . As to an earlier comment about the skills and tools needed to own a vintage, well it turns out you pick up both along the way...

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by daveandpamz

Hello all, So, we went to a local AS dealership yesterday and looked (again) at the new 25' FB Safari. So cool, so perfect, so big.

hi pam

is you liked that one work it out!
20% off, 20% down and reasonable payments....

a 6-10 year old 3/4 diesel or big v8/v10 and use it just for towing....

trucks are fun and multipurpose. good prices on these older ones.

even if you find a 3-4 year old unit you'll still need a bigger horse.

buy one!

cheers
2air'

[daveandpamz]

Hello all,

Dave and I sat down and crunched budget numbers last night, and as I suspected, we don't have the money for a new camper and new TV. We looked at RV financing sites and saw that all the loans are simple interest - ouch! - which would be a HUGE cost over 30 years.

The 25' FB is pretty perfect, so we're going to wait until we can afford to buy it and another TV. By then, the AS and the new Grand Cherokee diesel will both be a couple of years old and fully vetted (by someone else ).

So....the new A/C goes in next week and we'll install new Marmoleum tile ourselves. I know that we're putting it over bad subflooring, but I can't stand that nasty carpet any longer and the marmoleum is durable and reasonably cheap for now (with Dave's to-the-trade discount). I have a line on some vintage fabrics, so I'm going to make new curtains and see about having the gaucho recovered. And then we GO CAMPING and forget about all this mess for awhile.

It's so easy to get caught up in the rush for something new. I'm really thankful that there are good vintage units with good people who know something about them. Thanks again for all your input -- it really helped us clarify our priorities and options.

See ya on the road, just look for the small silver dog with the really long silver tail !

Pam

[milesmason]

I recently sold our 27 ft 71 overlander and bought a previously owned 03 ss safari ls 25 ft. Our overlander sold for 8500. The purchase price of the safari was 27500. I recommend buying a slightly used trailer over a brand new one due to the huge hit in depreciation. I could have been happy with either trailer, but what sealed the deal for me was making the wife happy. Good luck to you.


Miles

[daveandpamz]

We made the decision to keep our '77 and went camping again. And we had another water leak. And I was out in 95 degree heat with my hands up the rear compartment of the unit trying to stop the leak. And I blew my own gasket. My husband and I put a dollar amount on our time, and it was (and is) too valuable to spend it trying to fix something every time we go camping, just to "get by."

So, in the beginning of August, we ordered an '08 25' Safari FB. ELEVEN WEEKS LATER it arrived (that would be yesterday). We go camping in it tomorrow. I miss the burnt orange of the '77, but not that much. I'll take pics of the newbie this weekend (Halloween weekend, no less!). It's very shiny, shiny, pretty, pretty. Smells new, too.

And I will give credit where it's due: y'all scared me into giving up my beloved Jeep. We found an '03 Suburban (diesels were non-existent) with 50K miles on it for the same money we were paying for the Jeep, so we traded. The 'Burb is comfortable and the commoners show proper deference, parking is a bitch and so is the gas mileage. But it will tow the new camper wherever we want to go, so it's worth it.

The 'Burb has plates that say "lovboat", because you gotta have a sense of humor when you drive a vehicle that needs a barge horn for backing up. The camper will get plates that say "lovshak".

As always, thanks to everyone for providing a learning experience.

Pam