Where to start ?

[billiebob]

So many choices, but I'd say the best buy is an ancient travel trailer like this.



Why ??

Cuz for under $1K you get windows, a propane stove, fridge, heater and hot water. Plus a water pressure system, sink, tiolet, maybe a shower. Plus a steel frame, axle, suspension which can easily be cut up, resized to suit what you need. The hardware, door, hinges, vents, lighting, maybe even wheels, tires and brakes are like free. And on these old trailers, you can cut and resize the doors and windows as long as you want to go smaller.

Pretty sure, next expo trailer I'll start here.
Asking price on this one was$900.
i bet $100 and a hitch would buy it.

 

[old_CWO]

I have thought the same exact thing for a long time. Certain vintage RV parts like jalousie windows, sink fixtures and gravity heaters can even fetch good money from folks doing restorations. The only caution is chassis strength - TTs are usually built assuming the coach provides some torsion box effect. It's a simple fix, especially if you're cutting it down and have the extra steel handy.

Some years ago a friend picked up a 26' hurricane damaged TT for free. He sold the appliances and some of the doors off it and then towed it straight to the dump. We got after it with cordless reciprocating saws and kicked the roof, sides and interior off to the garbage heap; came home with a bare chassis. After adding some reinforcement here and there plus a wood deck and a few other things, he ended up with a budget friendly deck-over race car hauler complete with dual braked axles. Talk about recycling...

When my current list of projects subsides, it might be fun to reconfigure a worn out TT like that into a teardrop. As you say, most everything on it can be resized smaller without too much pain.

 

[jays0n]

After growing up spending summer vacations in a 1980's camping trailer I would be cautious about counting on anything made from plastic in a vintage trailer. Things like plastic water fittings, toilets, etc are likely to be beyond their serviceable life and will either fail and/or crumble when removed. Plastic in the 80's was NOT what it is now unfortunately. That said I still think it's a great idea to find one cheap and part it out, in my experience parting a vehicle out to get a few parts you require almost always gets you ahead in the long run!

 

[BeNimble]

Vintage campers are trending, not free anymore.
$8,000 for this one on CL..

 

[old_CWO]

Vintage campers are trending, not free anymore.
$8,000 for this one on CL..

It largely depends on condition and desirability of the model. For example this fine specimen is listed for $600 but I am thinking it could be had for much less. I sure wouldn't bat an eye about chopping it up; a clean Shasta or Aristocrat Lo-Liner not so much.

 

[Buddha.]

It largely depends on condition and desirability of the model. For example this fine specimen is listed for $600 but I am thinking it could be had for much less. I sure wouldn't bat an eye about chopping it up; a clean Shasta or Aristocrat Lo-Liner not so much.

View attachment 640295

A rig like that would be worth 10k around here.
I set the filter at under 2k and the only thing that pops up is units that are rotten and sinking into the ground where they’ve been sitting for 20 years. Or scams. Been seeing some sweet travel trailers pop up for good deals. They often have three slides, diesel generator, and residential refrigerators, all in a 13’ casita.

 

[jays0n]

Here in Seattle the city kinda allows you to park them on the street and live in them if you're homeless. There are people that buy every one that appears on Craigslist and parks them in the city then rent them to homeless people and raging drug addicts for almost nothing. Either they burn down or the city eventually does a sweep, picks them all up and sells them at auction, where they get bought for pennies by the same people and put back on the street, like portable slum lords. If one is good enough to not be bought by those people it will be at least $15k. Basically junk gets grabbed up and everything else is priced like it's brand new

 

[old_CWO]

Here in Seattle the city kinda allows you to park them on the street and live in them if you're homeless. There are people that buy every one that appears on Craigslist and parks them in the city then rent them to homeless people and raging drug addicts for almost nothing. Either they burn down or the city eventually does a sweep, picks them all up and sells them at auction, where they get bought for pennies by the same people and put back on the street, like portable slum lords. If one is good enough to not be bought by those people it will be at least $15k. Basically junk gets grabbed up and everything else is priced like it's brand new

Wow, that's....depressing...

Another good way to find one cheap: wait for the end of Burning Man and buy it from the dirty hippies that don't want to drag it home. Sure they're full of playa dust and questionable DNA samples but hey, the price is right!