What to look for when buying a used tent trailer

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woodosgood

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Feb 27, 2012
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8
Just looking for some hints on what to look for in a used tent trailer.
Saw a 2010 Coleman Santa Fe at my local dealer this weekend and it look good. Clean interior, no tears on the screens or fabric, body (or box) in good shape, no floor warping, tires and wheels look fine, no rust on the tongue.

The dealer will pack wheel bearings, and check electric brakes, but basically it is "as is".  What else should we look at that might indicate problem spots or repairs, or any show stoppers.

Asking price is $5,995.

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
one thing i can suggest. my friend bought one last summer and asked me to come over and show him how to light to fridge. when i got there i started looking and didnt see any controls or propane exhaust vent for the fridge. it still had the propane tanks as it had a stove. after looking closer he was dismayed to find out that he didnt have a fridge, he had an icebox. keep in mind lots of them dont have fridges , they have iceboxes. if a fridge is important to you a glorified cooler (icebox), might not do the trick.
 
We have a 2004, it has the fridge. Some of the 'extras' we had to pay for: the propane hookup changed to accommodate a BBQ instead of the outdoor stove and then buying the BBQ, the spare tire cover, the battery box, the 8x10 privacy screen room and awning, the water filter kit for hookup, the sand pads... some of the items thrown in were the hanging wardrobe, the mirror/toothbrush/holder. I can't remember if they were part of the price or not but the fan/light combo units that hang above the beds are nice to have. Ours is still like new and for sale for $5500 if that helps you determine price.
 
i have dealt with a lot of "canvas" campers like pop ups and truck campers that pop up, the big thing you need to check very close is to look for any kind of small stains in the canvas, it could have been mold that was cleaned, if it was then the canvas could be bad, i had one and cleaned the mold off it and it looked good and when it was dry and i was folding it down i "pushed" the canvas in as it was closing and i put 3 fingers right through the canvas just like it was paper, :( apparently mold will eat away at the canvas and even if you clean it will still be weak...

second big thing is to look over the roof edges inside and out, because pop ups are good for rotting roofs..
 
Check under the beds to see if there have been any leaks there.  Also, lower and re-raise it to check the popping up and down of the door.  And, check the corners for tears and general fit.
 
Thanks to everyone who replied.

We bought that 2010 Coleman Santa Fe and it's been on 4 trips.  Everything worked when we bought it, but during the last trip we had some power problems and had to replace the converter (a new 3-phase one is about $150).  We've also purchased/made a few things to customize it (sand pads, BAI leveler, stand-up storage, water filter, new drawer pulls that double as towel holders, bird proof cover for the A/C, etc.).
 
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