A few questions from an owner wannabe

[Axeman]

I’ve been looking at TMs over the last year and seriously shopping for the past couple months, primarily looking at used units. I’ve experienced what many others have - too few quality units that meet our needs/wants at a reasonable price and when you do find them, they move very quickly. I’ve lost out on three units I was pursuing in the last few weeks.

We’re looking nationwide, and would like to find a 2013 or 2014 2720 SL/QS, but I’m realizing we’ll need to be flexible on the year/model if we find a quality unit at the right price.

A few questions I would greatly appreciate your input on:

• Are there “good” and “bad” model years? I’ve read a few comments about quality issues with 2015s, but not sure if this is perception or reality.
  
• Assuming a unit has been properly used, maintained and stored, how old of a TM can I purchase without expecting a lot of work, component replacement, etc.? I expect some maintenance and minor repair, but don’t want to buy a “project”.
  
• I’ve looked at NADA for baseline info on pricing. Are there other sources you would recommend?

Thanks in advance for any input you can provide!

 

[Bill]

... We’re looking nationwide, and would like to find a 2013 or 2014 2720 SL/QS ... Are there “good” and “bad” model years? ... Assuming a unit has been properly used, maintained and stored, how old of a TM can I purchase without expecting a lot of work, component replacement, etc.? I expect some maintenance and minor repair, but don’t want to buy a “project”.

I'm not sure there have been any "bad years", since the design changed only incrementally from year to year. There have been very few major changes over the years. It is not like cars, where a whole new design is introduced at the beginning of a given model year.

One exception to this statement is the issue of wood in the walls of the shells. Before about 2001, the walls and ceiling of the shells were framed with wood, as was done with most RVs (and still is). If water got into the shell structure due to a leak, the water could be absorbed into the wood, and the wood would eventually rot. TM changed to aluminum framing in about 2001 or 2002, which eliminated that particular problem.

Since you are shopping for a much more recent model, this is of no concern to you, but may be to others who are similarly looking.

Bill

 

[Axeman]

Thanks for the feedback Bill. What you suggested in terms of the design continuity over the years makes sense. I was also somewhat curious if quality was affected during the shake-out period after moving manufacturing from one site to another. That’s kind of what I inferred from what I had read.

Yes, we’ve been searching for a later year model, but have started to move our sights back a little based on the units we’re seeing on the market. Still looking for our newness/cost sweet spot. We’ll get there.

Thanks again

 

[Shane826]

Bad years... The years the factory was in Nebraska weren’t the best quality units. That was 2014-16? You’ll also notice there aren’t a lot of units out there from those years.

 

[Axeman]

Thanks for the insight Shane.

 

[tentcamper]

I think across the rv industry, when they get 6-7 years old they show their age. The majority are stored outside, and if lucky get detailed once every few years. Plus many owners don't fix the little things as they break.

 

[B_and_D]

There's always that hidden gem. I don't know why, but we have metal framing in the roof. And ours is a 1997. We bought it in 2003 when it was 6 years old, it was in excellent shape, even had the sticker in the bathtub.

We've kept it up and replaced things as needed (except for the side A/C) because we never camp anywhere hot, but we kept the original drip pan and hose in case anyone wants to replace it.

For what i could get for it, I would never sell it since I have 10 acres to park it on.

We got hit by an oncoming wheel from a car going towards us on the way back from Yosemite one day, within 10 miles of our house, the insurance company totaled it, and we bought it back and got everything fixed except for a small crease in the passenger side top shell. It has a salvage title due to the buyback. It needs new tires since the tires are going to be 5 years old this year, only a couple of thousand miles on them, but we're planning on going to Wyoming this year so will replace them. No leaks right now, but you have to keep it maintained. We are older and I think our son might like to have the trailer and the truck if we aren't able to use it any more.

Don't be discouraged in your search. I think the older ones are pretty sturdy, and it matters a lot about how they are kept up. And no, ours is not for sale I have posted a lot of things here on the board, about what to look for in a used TM, do a search, tons of info here. Do a search for "buying a used TM".

Good luck!

 

[Axeman]

Thanks Tentcamper & B_and_D for the insight and encouragement.

 

[tentcamper]

We take our time and travel for the right one. Our first tn was 600 miles away and it took 4-5 months. Our second was about 300 miles away and we had been looking for 4-5 months.

 

[MSUDave]

Try every possible combination of words in your search and use multiple sites. We found our 2013 because there was a minor variation in the title of the post. Didn’t get a steal of a deal but likely saved us a competitive bid situation for a very solid unit.

 

[ChefLamont]

I have been casually looking for one for a long time (and trying to convince the wife that owning one would be awesome!).

In the same vein as the OP, I have been pondering how important the wood/metal changeover in 2005 is in people's minds. To me metal would be a whole lot better as there is no chance of wood rot which is so prevalent in campers. Granted, at this point 2004 and older is OLD in camper years, so the argument is getting more moot every year, but I was curious what others thought.

 

[tentcamper]

The change over for all trailmanors was 2003. Before 2003 some had aluminum and some had wood.

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

Keep in mind that there is some wood still used for attaching seals and other structures. However, this wood is comparatively easy to replace if it rots. Some common spots are the top of the door frame and behind the bag seals. However, if the wood is rotted behind the bag seals, the seals are likely worn out too.

Some have made their own bag seal from marine grade vinyl and then used the old seals as a template. Again, comparatively easy to do for many DIYers. If you need some one to do this for you, I'd look for a Trailmanor dealer, not just any dealer, to do the repair.

This forum is one of the big reasons I got into a Trailmanor. Everyone here is so willing to help out and has a solution to just about any problem you could ever get. There is even one link to some one who replaced the wood framing of one of the older TMs!

 

[Bill]

The change over for all trailmanors was 2003. Before 2003 some had aluminum and some had wood.

My 2002 2720SL had aluminum framing.

I'm not sure where you got the idea that the change happened in 2005. As noted in post 2 above, and then in post 12, the changeover from wood to metal happened a few years earlier than that. As Larryjb points out, the wood-vs-metal discussion is relevant to the framing of the shells, which is where wet rot usually happens. But the phrase "changeover from wood to metal" does not mean that there is no wood anywhere in the TM. For example, the perimeter of the floor has always been wood, and still is, as far as I know.

Bill

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

Just an additional note to what Bill wrote regarding wood in the floor:

Because of the design of the trailer, the floor rarely rots out. In fact, I'm not aware of a single case where the floor of a Trailemanor has rotted out. Sometimes the vinyl can separate from the aluminum floor. In this case, it is best to pull up the vinyl and replace with a nice vinyl plank instead.