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01-20-2016, 12:03 PM
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#1
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2 Rivet Member
2004 30' Classic
London
, Ontario
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 93
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Purchasing Airstream used from Dealer. Do I need an inspector?
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
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01-20-2016, 01:00 PM
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#2
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Rivet Master
2012 25' Flying Cloud
Battle Lake
, Minnesota
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 7,714
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What year is the Classic? More importantly, is it parked near the coast in Florida?
__________________
Doug and Cheryl
2012 FC RB, Michelin 16, ProPride 1400
2016 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab 4X4 Ecodiesel 3.92 axles
The Truth is More Important Than the Facts
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01-20-2016, 02:19 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
2015 25' FB Eddie Bauer
2013 25' FB Eddie Bauer
2012 20' Flying Cloud
Small Town
, *** Big Sky Country ***Western Montana
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,860
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Filiform from the sea air ???
__________________
2015 25' Eddie Bauer Int'l FBQ / 2023 Ford Lightning ER
2022 Ford F350 6.2 V-8; equalizer hitch + Shocker air hitch
Honda Eu3200; AIR# 44105; formerly WBCCI 2015.1
Terminal Aluminitis; 2-people w/ 3+ dogs
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01-20-2016, 02:36 PM
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#4
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Rivet Master
2016 28' Pendleton
Currently Looking...
Scottsdale
, Arizona
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 840
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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
__________________
WBCCI 2851,4CU
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01-21-2016, 01:23 PM
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#5
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2 Rivet Member
2004 30' Classic
London
, Ontario
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 93
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkottum
What year is the Classic? More importantly, is it parked near the coast in Florida?
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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.
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01-21-2016, 01:26 PM
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#6
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2 Rivet Member
2004 30' Classic
London
, Ontario
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 93
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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
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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...
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01-21-2016, 01:39 PM
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#7
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2 Rivet Member
2004 30' Classic
London
, Ontario
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 93
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01-21-2016, 02:03 PM
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#8
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Rivet Master
1955 22' Safari
Laredo
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,342
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Looks like a pretty big load for that TV.
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01-21-2016, 03:26 PM
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#9
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Rivet Master
2012 25' Flying Cloud
Battle Lake
, Minnesota
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 7,714
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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.
__________________
Doug and Cheryl
2012 FC RB, Michelin 16, ProPride 1400
2016 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab 4X4 Ecodiesel 3.92 axles
The Truth is More Important Than the Facts
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01-21-2016, 05:12 PM
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#10
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4 Rivet Member
2000 30' Excella
Toledo
, Ohio
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 493
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Looks very nice good luck with your purchase
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01-21-2016, 05:20 PM
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#11
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2 Rivet Member
2011 27' FB Classic
Camp Hill
, Pennsylvania
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 75
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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.
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01-21-2016, 05:21 PM
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#12
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2 Rivet Member
2011 27' FB Classic
Camp Hill
, Pennsylvania
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 75
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For what it's worth, We love our used 2011 Classic.
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01-22-2016, 04:37 AM
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#13
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4 Rivet Member
2000 30' Excella
Toledo
, Ohio
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 493
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woodfox45
Looks very nice good luck with your purchase
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Have the dealer do a pressurized leak test .
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01-22-2016, 10:56 AM
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#14
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Rivet Master
2013 30' Classic
Greenwood
, Mississippi
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 12,111
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That trailer appears perfect.
Hope it works out for you.
__________________
2013 Classic 30 Limited
2007 Silver Toyota Tundra Crew Max Limited 5.7 iForce
2006 Vivid Black Harley-Davidson Road King Classic
1999 Black Nissan Pathfinder LE
TAC #MS-10
WBCCI #1811, Region 6, Unit 56
Airforums #70955
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01-22-2016, 11:02 AM
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#15
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Rivet Master
2013 28' Flying Cloud
Central
, Canada
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,082
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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
__________________
Trying to use my camera to create memories - not photographs!
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01-22-2016, 11:14 AM
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#16
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2 Rivet Member
2004 30' Classic
London
, Ontario
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 93
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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.
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Good suggestions! I'll be sure to add those to our checklist when we inspect the trailer.
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01-22-2016, 11:15 AM
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#17
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2 Rivet Member
2004 30' Classic
London
, Ontario
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 93
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woodfox45
Have the dealer do a pressurized leak test .
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Another good suggestion. Thanks!
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01-22-2016, 11:18 AM
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#18
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Rivet Master
1960 28' Ambassador
Vintage Kin Owner
1998 25' Safari
Avonton
, Ontario
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,331
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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.
__________________
Doug & Terry
VAC - TAC ON-1
60 Ambassador Int.
1950 Spartan
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01-22-2016, 11:22 AM
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#19
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2 Rivet Member
2004 30' Classic
London
, Ontario
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 93
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m.hony
That trailer appears perfect.
Hope it works out for you.
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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...
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01-22-2016, 11:32 AM
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#20
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2 Rivet Member
2004 30' Classic
London
, Ontario
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 93
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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.
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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!
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