WHat to do with a very old RV

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sylvynn

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Posts
5
HI there - I'm new to the board. I have a 1974 Prowler pull behind that was a hand me down camper. We used to take it to a campground in the spring and leave it til fall, going out at least once a month to stay in it. Then we would tow it to a relatives land to sit for winter. We no longer have anything to tow it with and it's been sitting for 3 years now. Our relatives want us to get it off their land (basically to get rid of it), but I don't know how.

There are probably some salvageable items - it had updated fridge, freezer, air, etc, but is mostly probably ready for the junkyard.  So...  what do you do with an old RV that no one wants?

Thanks for any advice!

Nico from Missouri
 
if you have the space and the ability hire someone to drag it to your place and strip the salvageable parts and sell on craigslist and the like.
If not put it on craigslist for next to nothing or on freesycle or local paper (if they still have those things) I bought a camper for $150. when I was doing the rebuild on my current MH. used the cooktop, sink, microwave, 30 amp power cord and anything else that was any good in mine. Sold the fridge and awning and cut the body off the frame added new lights and sold as a homemade utility trailer. all told made about $1000 bucks. still have the heater and power center for it that I hope to get rid of soon.
I saved twice that just in all the little things I was able to use in my own rebuild.

 
If you want to try selling it, you can post pictures of it here or on Craigslist as mentioned.


If you want to "just get rid of it" you can do the Craigslist or Freecycle as also mentioned but misspelled. Being a moderator for my local Freecycle group, I can say with reasonable assurance that a posting of that nature wouldn't be on very long in my area. You would have to see whether or not your local group allows pictures, but the description alone would suffice here in NY.


http://www.freecycle.org/group/US/Missouri - Freecycle Missouri
http://geo.craigslist.org/iso/us/mo - Craigslist Missouri
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/board,32.0.html - RV Forum Wanted/for Sale
 
If you're in a hurry, why wait 7 days? In your Craigslist ad mention it would make a great mobile meth cooking lab. It'll be stolen by morning. Be sure to report it as sold to your worst enemy, so they can get stuck with the cleanup costs after it's trashed.

I'll bet a buck that the FD won't take it. The paperwork/training coefficient is too large to make it worthwhile.

Ken
 
bucks2 said:
If you're in a hurry, why wait 7 days? In your Craigslist ad mention it would make a great mobile meth cooking lab. It'll be stolen by morning. Be sure to report it as sold to your worst enemy, so they can get stuck with the cleanup costs after it's trashed.

Great idea!  Tell them you'll leave a case of Sudafed and a police scanner in one of the cabinets.
 
too funny :) 

thanks for the ideas. I think we're gonna try to salvage the useable parts/appliances and trash the rest.

Nico
 
Ask the fire department first.  We had a friend who donated to the local fire department an old house on his property and they loved using it for training.  He got rid of what had become a nuisance and they had a training exercise.

ArdraF
 
Our county will take them and set up mock accidents at the fire training ground, or use them for fire training.
 
I would not be to quick to salvage it as there are some people into restoring old units and wou xould make some good money on C List or ebay, unless of course you just want to get into all the mess and then keep the salvage stuff around for a few years until you get around to having a garage sale and then selling it off for $5.00 a pop

Do a search on    searchtempest.com    and look for older units you would be surprised at what people want and are ready to pay for.  I did a search of 500 miles and found a 73 and a 78 Prowler that had been recently listed and most likely sold.
 
There's a FaceBook group called "Vintage Campers For Sale". I'll bet somebody there wants it.  There's a growing bunch of people that are into restoring these, like Tin Can Tourists, Sisters on the fly, Loyal Order of Glampers, Glampers on the Loose.  We put my wife's restored canned ham on there and it sold the same day.
 
I would say to the relatives:

"But we gave that to you 3 years ago!"  ;D

I agree with the Ebay suggestion, there are plenty of auction addicts and it will go quickly. Many people can and do restore old units.

Your relatives may not want to wait 3 more years while you part it out, one part at a time. Sounds like they've been more than generous thus far. Don't forget to kick some salvage money their way too unless you've been paying them rent all along.  ;)
 
Last year I helped my parents sell a 78 Prowler and it was a mess. It had sat and had leaks, the fridge was gone, floor was soft etc. I listed it and its issues on craigslist as a hunters special for $500 and it sold in a day.
 
Our very first was a 1978 Kit Road Ranger.  16' long and a single axle.  Paid $1600 for it in 1988.  Used it for a decade, and it was starting to get ratty.....hail beat the snot out of it, insurance company totaled it and gave me $1400.  I gave them $100 back and bought the salvage.  Sold it from a Dandy Dime ad a week later for $600 as a hunters special.  Got 10 years of use out of it, came out $300 ahead.
 
even better ideas - thanks!  I will try to sell first as a hunter's special. It did us good for several years and probably needs new tires and the roof replaced, but no leaks, just some soft spots. :) Floor is good and all appliances work, so that might be the better route (and I am wiping my brow at all the work salvaging parts would be - don't think I am equipped to do all that) :)

THanks again everyone!

Nico

 
Most people up here sell the appliances out of the RV and then tear down the body to the frame then cut the frame up and haul it to the local scrap yard.
 
We were at a monster truck race once where the trucks climbed up and over a long row of derelict vehicles.  There were a couple of old motorhomes in the line with everything removed.

ArdraF
 
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