Anyone near Elkin, WV that is available to do a pre-buy for some $?

[cire]

I know it is a long shot but is there anyone near Elkin, WV that can assist with a pre-buy? I plan to make a trip out there in the next week, but its 950 miles from me. I will gladly compensate you a reasonable amount for your time.

Thank you!

 

[Bill]

I guess I don't now what a pre-buy is, or what is involved. Perhaps you would fill me in?

Bill

 

[cire]

I'm used to airplanes so that is what we called it. Just looking for someone knowledgeable about Trailmanor's that is in that area and can inspect it for me before I consider buying it and I'd compensate them.

It looks like it is in excellent shape and the seller claims it was stored indoors and only used a handful of times, but I have been burned in the past with other items, travelling long distances just to find the item was severely misrepresented. Drove 4 hours each way for a boat that wasn't worth looking at for 5 mins when I got there. The pictures usually look way better than when seeing it in person.

If avoidable I'd like to avoid flying or driving 950 miles each way solely based on the pictures. The dealer doesn't know anything about Trailmanors, just that it allegedly appears brand new despite being a 2003.

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

I looked at the ad. I believe them when they say it wasn't used much. If you look at the bolt where the lift arm attaches to the shell, it shows very little wear. Most TM show an elongation of the hole on the front shell.

Whomever you get to pre- buy, have then check for how easily the shell lifts, especially the front shell. One should be able to lift it easily with one hand. This is not a deal breaker, rather, it could be a significant bargaining chip. If the torsion bars are undersized ( we seem to have come across one or two ) they can be upgraded with some effort.

But, this trailer could be a really nice buy.

Is SD near you? You could take it to the factory for a tune up in the way home.

 

[cire]

Thank you for the information. What do you think of the asking price? NADA shows 2003 to be worth around $5700. I'd say maybe $7000-7500 due to the condition?

I wish SD was near me. I'm in FL so that would be the opposite direction.

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

Sorry, I can't help you with price. That varies across the country. Up here in BC, unless a TM is wildly overpriced (some have been), owners get top dollar within days. East coast US tends to fetch lower prices.

 

[cire]

I got them down to $8250 which included the garbage dealer doc fee. The salesman even got me in touch with the original owner. It looks like I am scoring a real gem. Apparently it has only been in the rain 2x according to the original owner. I left a deposit on it to lock it up while I work on the other logistics (upgraded tow vehicle, addition of swing tongue/hitch). I hope all of the stars align and everything goes as planned.

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

Ooh... this sounds exciting!

 

[cire]

Thanks for sharing my excitement. My wife isn't interested in the details and actually wanted to buy new. I get to "surprise her with the "new" 2003 I find. We will see how this goes...haha

 

[cjminear]

Congrats!!! We just bought a 2005 3 months ago and we did some updates I posted some photos under the trailmanor photos thread. 2619 upgrades.

 

[cire]

Thanks...Congrats to you as well. I'll check out the pics...

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

I looked it up and found it to see the pictures. I'll love to see your pictures as well.

My wife was apprehensive about the camping thing, and buying used probably didn't help. I sold her on the idea with two carrots. 1) don't have to worry about bedbugs anymore. That was big. 2) I discovered Harvesthosts (it's really neat if you are into wine tasting or golfing, but it's fun even if you're not). There is a Lavender farm in WA just south of us and that was the hook, line, and sinker.

I try to do breakfasts and dinners, while she does sandwiches for lunch, so I've been trying to turn camping into a break for her too.

 

[Larryjb-HILO]

Wow, I had given myself a thumbs down in my last post! (since corrected) I was using my 10" tablet to write that. Imagine what I might have done if that were a phone?!?! Another reason why I hate using phones for Internet use...

Anyway, I presume that if you towed a boat before, you have tow mirrors. If not, McKesh mirrors are great. Bill introduced me to those and I have never regretted it. Also, I don't know what weight you towed before, but even though the Trailmanor doesn't require it, I do like to use a weight distributing hitch. The Trailmanor is heavier on the tongue than other trailers, which helps with sway. (I have never experienced sway with the Trailmanor).

 

[cire]

I ended up buying the 2010 2720 that is the most recent listing in the for sale area of the forum. I spoke to the owner on the phone Friday and studied the pictures he provided. He was the original owner. I changed my original airline ticket from WV to Texas and flew to see it on Sunday. It was exactly as described, and obviously more modern than the 2003 I was supposed to see in WV. The huge bonus was that it already has the factory swing hitch.

Thanks to the pre-purchase checklists found in this forum’s archives, I spent about 1.5 hours going through every detail, taking notes of any issues. I used the minor issues as bargaining points and we agreed on $10,125 instead of the $11500 asking price.

It needs a battery, tires and wheel bearings, and shipping from Texas. I am working on flatbed bids for shipping now.

To all of you knowledgeable folks on the site that make the TrailManor community the awesome support network it is, I just want to offer a sincere thank you. You are the reason I went with a TrailManor instead of a Hi-Lo. I am now the proud owner of a 2720 and will be spending much time hear going through the old posts to learn everything I can.