After too many years of tents and hard ground I am looking forwards to moving up (off the ground a bit) into a bit more luxurious camping. I purchased a 2006 Chevy Duramax 3500 Crew Cab long Box 4wd SRW pickup a bit back with the intention of being able to handle pretty much any camper / trailer I wanted.
I went and looked at a 96 Skyline Weekender 11 1/2 camper today. It appeared to be in very good shape, especially for its age. The seller was pretty honest and straight forwards and I felt answered all my questions honestly. He bought the camper off a buddy of his with the intention of cleaning it up and flipping it. He said his buddy put a new roof on a couple of years ago and the roof did appear to be in very good shape. He had it plugged into a 20 amp circuit and the AC would not stay running (He blamed this on the 20 amp circuit instead of 30 amp and I am a little hesitant about this). There was one good dent in the skin that was mostly covered by the awning the rest of the skin seemed in very good shape. He had the refrigerator running on propane and it was very slowly getting cold (which I understand is normal). Inside seemed in very good shape. There was a new full length queen bed but of questionable quality. I looked through all the cabinets and ceiling for any signs of water damage... I could find none. I got down on my hands and knees and thumped all over the floor (Inside and out) paying particular attention to the bathroom area... all seemed solid. The electric jacks all worked. It had a clean smell inside unlike many campers I have been in. We liked the camper quite a bit. I really liked the layout with the side entry door instead of the usual rear entry door. The only list I could find for weight is 2850 which I assume is the dry weight and should be well within the capability of my tow vehicle.
Although everything seemed in good shape the build quality did not blow me away. It appeared that there was a lot of stapled together stuff. The bathroom wall had bowed just enough that the bathroom door would no longer latch. I don't know what the body is made out of but I got the feeling of particle board.
My question is does anyone have any feedback on Skyline Weekender campers? This is my first venture to camping in something other than a tent. I don't need top of the line for as much as I will use it but I would like something that holds together. The asking price is $4999 which seems pretty high to me. The Nada guide prices it out at $3000 on the high side for what ever that is worth.
I went and looked at a 96 Skyline Weekender 11 1/2 camper today. It appeared to be in very good shape, especially for its age. The seller was pretty honest and straight forwards and I felt answered all my questions honestly. He bought the camper off a buddy of his with the intention of cleaning it up and flipping it. He said his buddy put a new roof on a couple of years ago and the roof did appear to be in very good shape. He had it plugged into a 20 amp circuit and the AC would not stay running (He blamed this on the 20 amp circuit instead of 30 amp and I am a little hesitant about this). There was one good dent in the skin that was mostly covered by the awning the rest of the skin seemed in very good shape. He had the refrigerator running on propane and it was very slowly getting cold (which I understand is normal). Inside seemed in very good shape. There was a new full length queen bed but of questionable quality. I looked through all the cabinets and ceiling for any signs of water damage... I could find none. I got down on my hands and knees and thumped all over the floor (Inside and out) paying particular attention to the bathroom area... all seemed solid. The electric jacks all worked. It had a clean smell inside unlike many campers I have been in. We liked the camper quite a bit. I really liked the layout with the side entry door instead of the usual rear entry door. The only list I could find for weight is 2850 which I assume is the dry weight and should be well within the capability of my tow vehicle.
Although everything seemed in good shape the build quality did not blow me away. It appeared that there was a lot of stapled together stuff. The bathroom wall had bowed just enough that the bathroom door would no longer latch. I don't know what the body is made out of but I got the feeling of particle board.
My question is does anyone have any feedback on Skyline Weekender campers? This is my first venture to camping in something other than a tent. I don't need top of the line for as much as I will use it but I would like something that holds together. The asking price is $4999 which seems pretty high to me. The Nada guide prices it out at $3000 on the high side for what ever that is worth.
