1985 22' any advice?

[Cody w]

My wife and I are looking for our first camper. We've been looking for pop ups, but found a TM 22 near us for $1500. In pictures it looks to be in fair condition, just dated and a dirty. Any advice on what to look for/at? Are the older trailers prone to certain problems. The seller claims everything works good it just needs some"tlc" ( a couple cabinet doors need to be put back on, some trim needs to be tacked back in place, adjusting torsion springs, and the roof vent needs to be sealed).
Thanks in advance.
Cody

 

[Bill]

Cody -

The potential bugaboo in older trailers is always wood rot. The shells were framed with wood up until about 2002, and if water ever got into the shells, it would rot the wood. There are lots of discussions about how to detect it and what to do about it - just use the Search tool on the word "rot".

Beyond that, look for soft spots in the floors.

Try all the appliances. Make sure the air conditioner cools. Make sure the refrig gets cold - it will take several hours for the freezer to start to become cold, so ask the seller to turn it on several hours before you arrive.

Set up trailer, nice and level. The lower edges of the shells should extend straight and level toward each other. Sag in the ends of the shells is not a good thing.

Expect to replace tires and battery. If it has 13" tires, you might want to spring for 14" wheels and tires.

Not too much more than that.

Bill

 

[moaboy]

As usual Bill pretty muched nailed it. Not sure what one that old is worth, but I would not hesitate to offer less than asking, say $1,000 and that is assuming it is in decent condition.

 

[Padgett]

Just if it has a awning make sure it opens/closes properly, has no tears particularly at the edges, and has all of the hardware

 

[Cody w]

Thanks for the response guys. From what I'm hearing I think I'm going to pass on this one. In the pictures it looks like the back shell is sagging and another picture shows what looks like mold and water damage to the upper cabinets, but I'm not sure. Either way it's looking like more of a project than I have time for.

 

[Cody w]

Here's the picture of the cabinets.

 

[DAVLIN]

Thanks for the response guys. From what I'm hearing I think I'm going to pass on this one. In the pictures it looks like the back shell is sagging and another picture shows what looks like mold and water damage to the upper cabinets, but I'm not sure. Either way it's looking like more of a project than I have time for.

Good decision, Cody. That one would be a "money pit" for sure.

Dave

 

[moaboy]

Yea, unless you REALLY enjoy rehab work, the minuses outweigh the low price.
You'd be spending more time in the shop than the CG.

 

[hillbillyhotel]

cody ' this maybe a good deal, 2500. garage kept 97 model


http://knoxville.craigslist.org/rvs/5006783749.html

 

[Cody w]

Yea, unless you REALLY enjoy rehab work, the minuses outweigh the low price.
You'd be spending more time in the shop than the CG.

In my mind I'm up for a rehab project, but in reality I have a hard time keeping up with all of the regular everyday stuff that needs to be done( 2 kids, wife, work, mowing work, sleep....sometimes).

 

[Cody w]

cody ' this maybe a good deal, 2500. garage kept 97 model


http://knoxville.craigslist.org/rvs/5006783749.html

Thanks, it does look pretty nice, just out of budget and to far away. We're in northeast Oklahoma.

 

[hillbillyhotel]

lol
well was in Knoxville for 2500. well new owner today has it for sale in Ashville for 3700. it was a good deal, ,,
bill,, will delete mine In a day or so since it is a dead link now