Letter to Trailmanor

Dear Trailmanor
Although we have found your product to be a
interesting piece of engineering, you like most
manufactures have forgotten about the lower budget
campers in this world. It would be nice to able to
dish out $20,000 to $30,000 dollars for one of your
trailers but many of us cannot afford it. Do you
realize just how much money that is? We were heart
broken when we discovered the sticker price. We would
do most anything, except starve to own one. We tried
to get a used one but they are just about impossible
to locate in S. California. The few we have seen were
in bad shape and still priced to high. After some time
on the internet talking to other campers there are
many like us who feel the same way. What would be the
problem with selling a more stripped down version for
us who are already loaded down with all the camping
gear we need. Forget the 3 way fridge, heater, fancy
fan and all the other whistles and bells and make them
options  The tent trailer industry seems to be doing
it, why can't you? The soon to be Mrs. says I am just
wasting my time in writing you. Maybe so. And if as
she predicts, I do not get back a reply from you we
can always spend half the money and live with a tent
trailer.
Heart broken in Ca.

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Why not contact TrailManor directly.  That way you will know that you reached them.  They have always been very personable and attentive whenever I have talked to them.  Based on letters in this site, other people have found them to be very agreeable.

I have known many people that have ordered a TM constructed to their desired specifications.  Why not ask them to figure a cost for you that eliminates the things that you don't need.  You do have to understand that the main reasons for going with TrailManor include the fold down feature and the fact it is light weight. These and  other features are what makes TrailManor so unique.  Most likely these features determine the basic price.

Contact them and tell them what you want and I'll bet they will come up with an offer.  Please let us all know their response.
Hal

They would not return my call when I told the operator what I wanted.  

i suggest that you contact Custom RV in Anaheim, CA. www.customrvsales.com. Thay are a TrailManor dealer. Ask to speak to Bob Eichoff. He has clout with TrailManor. You would have to order a custom model from a dealer, anyhow. Bob has custom designed some new TrailManors for customers. I think it was his idea for the swing away hitch design. It's worth a try. BTW, Trailmanor once produced a generic 18 foot model for a few years.

We did have a chance to visit Custom RV and spoke to Matt there. Other than that they said all models would be available to look at, they only had three because of a RV show in Santa Barbara,  Matt was very helpfull. We had spoke to Bob on the phone earlier that week but he was at the show so we missed him.  We will try to contact Bob again the next time he is in town.
Thanks for the help.

jserere,
(i hope i spelled that right)--there are great deals in TMs to be found if you are dtermined and you dig. i found about 5 on the internet that i would have traveled to get. luckily i found one in our own backyard(town) --a gorgeous, near mint 98 for 7000.00. maybe it takes a bargain hunter instinct, like mine, i don't know. but i know they can be had, and for me it was a fun challenge to search.
i'd be glad to offer tips or help if you decide to search for another bargain. since you live in CA(you're right, i found no bargains there), you might need to be willing to travel to , say, the dallas area,(and only after you had determined there to be a few great prospects in the area)) and look at several along the way. of course, being able to sort of "read" people(sellers) is important, and deal with only top notch types on your trip. after all, it would be pointless to travel so far and not have a few good TMs being sold by fine folks or dealers)
i hope this encourages you.
let us hear !
2swans

I agree you can find a deal on a nice used TM with persistance, luck and a good search engine. I looked for a couple of months and finally one Saturday morning decided to try a google search by model numbers rather than Trail Manor. A single hit on our 3326 popped up 2,000 miles away in Iowa. The price seemed fair at $12,900 if the 3 yr old was in good shape(less than half of a new one out here in Seattle) so I called the dealer requested digital pics, liked what I saw, made an offer and bought it for $12K. It was bigger than what we had  been looking for and so I had to find a better tow vehicle than our Pontiac Minivan. After looking locally for a week or two, I decided to try the Davenport IA ads at my price range(cheap) Found a like new  1991 Astro with 29K original miles for under $5 K. Bought a $200 one way ticket and sent my son-in-law off to do the 3 day drive back. Yes, it was time consuming and yes I probably should have held out for one that my van could tow, but I needed to replace one of the cars anyway so I don't count the Astro in my Trailer cost. Point being, use the internet, lots of folks travel a 1000 or miles to get their used TM's. With only two dealers within 600 miles of our home, looking locally was tough unless you bought new and the prices were at full list and people were preordering and waiting for new deliveries to come in.  Good luck on your search and keep at it.

Colin

I have to agree with everyone else.  I searched the internet for 2 months back in 1998 before I spotted mine down in Cincinatti.  The dealer doesn't sell Trailmanors, but took it in on trade.  I called the dealer to inquire about it's condition.  After explaining to him, that I live in the Detroit area, and I'd be driving down with my wife and 3 month old daughter, I would be one VERY UNHAPPY CAMPER if he was full of it.  He said that everything worked in the camper, it needed a good cleaning.  I had $700 work of WD hitch,trans cooler, and electrical installed on my minivan and made the drive.  Sure enough, it was exactly as he said: Dirty but completely functional.  The inside table was cracked, but they agreed to purchase a new one for us.  I made an offer of $6000 for my 91 model and they accepted.  They're out there, and many times when a dealer takes them in on trade that doesn't sell Trailmanor, they'll take any reasonable offer to get it off the lot.  Keep Searching and be ready to drive to pick it up!  It's worth it!

Gary

You guys would laugh if ya heard how I got mine. We were looking for a pop up of some sort. I was running a part to a junkyard when I happened to see something that looked like a pop up about 100 yards out on the lot, asked if it was for sale......I said, "how much?" He said, "Make an offer"......I said, "I really couln't tell ya, I haven't even looked at it yet." He said, "Ok, I'll just sell it to you for what I got in it.....$400.00".   Went out to look at it, wrote down the word "Trailmanor", went home, and searched the net I found their web site immediately, then after using a search engine, I found this place. Read about all the messages in one evening, next day, threw $400.00 in the guy's hand and ran!  LOL After the RV shop, and all the materials I've put into it, I've still got less than $1,000.00 in it! The best part was only 20 mins from my house across town!   ;D

Happytrails......

When we decided our next camper was going to be a TM and we wanted a 2720, I searched the TM for sale site every morning and night religiously for 2 weeks when we came up with our TM.  We drove 8 hours one way with a certified check in my pocketbook if we liked what we saw.  10 minutes of looking and we were sold.

If you live in an area where TM's are not readily for sale, you will have to be willing to make the comittment to drive to get a unit.  Asking the seller to drive the unit to you is not reasonable, in my opinion, unless they offer.   You have to have a vehicle to pull the unit or be willing to purchase one.  My dear brother in law offered his truck as ours did not have electric brake hookup.  

I had prepared my loan officer with details and had gotten "approval" for a loan in the beginnings of my search for the TM.  When a unit comes up for sale at a good price, they go quickly.  Ours hit the internet at 7:15 on Wednesday morning and we bought it on Saturday.   If we had not taken the TM, there was a waiting list, literally, with people as far away as Texas willing to come in to purchase the TM.

It really comes down to how bad to you want a TM and to what lengths and expense are you willing to go to get the TM.  Don't blame the factory for making an expensive product.  This is a high end item and isn't meant for every camper's pocketbook.  Good luck in your search for a TM.