Help us choose a good bunkhouse trailer

As Benny Hill used to say: Learning all the time... ;D
Thank you for your two cents! I'm here to learn about RV-ing, negotiation, technical notions, maintenance, etc.
We thought that we needed to do the inspection, being our first TT and we let the sellers know about the inspection (it was going to be on THU and the seller agreed). But it was risky for them too, because if the inspector found anything wrong with the trailer we would negotiate the price down.
Next time we'll take the risk of buying without the inspection.
When it comes to values& negotiation, everyone says that Nada guides is just a guideline and we need to negotiate the price even lower than the low retail...But I don't know how many sellers agree to drop the price by 4k-5k to accommodate our needs. https://www.google.com/search?q=why+are+nada+trailer+values+so+low&oq=why+are+nada+trailer+values+so+low&aqs=chrome..69i57.14007j0j4&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=0&ie=UTF-8

Just one more thing, that I learned while shopping for the Holy Grail F250: when you're buying used, especially "really" used, you need to put some money into your "fix a few things" budget. The thing, everything has something wrong with it. Everything. Buy new and the "fix a few things" budget is part of the warranty. Buy used, and you have to set that for yourself.

The guys who sold us our F250 put new glow plugs in it, that was on their dime and they offered. They said it was time and they just threw that in. But, I would have considered new glow plugs part of my "fix a few things" budget if they hadn't.

After we bought the truck, we took it to a well-respected diesel mechanic nearby who went over it with a fine-tooth comb. He found a couple of things that were not that big, but should be fixed. We ended up spending another $1,500 on the truck ... not to get it road-ready, we could have driven it as-is ... but to avoid future issues and to improve our mileage. That's all we have ever done to it, other than routine maintenance.

The truck cost us the selling price plus $1,500 to fix a few things. I was neither angry nor surprised by the additional expense, it was expected and budgeted for. I was getting a used truck for about 80 percent less than a new one!

So, I would say to make sure your all-in budget includes some money for the expected minor repairs that come with anything whether it's new or used.

I hope you find the exact TT that's perfect for your family and have tons of fun in your travels!

Exactly! So we have to keep the initial value as low as possible. Will put an offer tonight on the Frontier and see what is happening. If he accept we have some money for possible repairs (the shower wall surround need to be replaced), maybe a generator. If not, will shop around some more. We're just getting the hang of it.

Good luck with the Frontier. I like that it's local to you, the sellers are disclosing the flaws, the floor plan is what you wanted and the price is right.

There are some great checklists in the library section that would help you do an inspection yourself -- I was just directed to them and downloaded yesterday. Very thorough.

Hope  it all works out for you!

We're still not sold on the Frontier, because the slide is manual and we have to fold the couch, take the table down, push and lock into place the slide, every time we move. We want to travel as much as possible, not just weekend camping so we will get tired of so much hassle every 2-3 days. And the Nada average price is 7k but the seller wants 8,5k. I don't think he'll cut the price that much even though it's a 2005 trailer. I know that a lot of you told me to get it if we like it, but if the price is inflated, we better wait for a better deal. I'm a cheapskate I can't help it...
I'm looking at some Passports now but one is 5100#, 33' long and 10' high... seems to much to handle for our truck. But if the seller answers will take a look at it.
We have another RV show this week in our city so we might go there.

Guguluff said:

And the Nada average price is 7k but the seller wants 8,5k. I don't think he'll cut the price that much even though it's a 2005 trailer. I know that a lot of you told me to get it if we like it, but if the price is inflated, we better wait for a better deal. I'm a cheapskate I can't help it...

Click to expand...

No shame in that!  And sure, paying over NADA suggestions are fine if it's the perfect trailer for your family & uses.  But it doesn't sound like that is necessarily the case with this model.

We found this 2009 R-vision Trail  Sport TS-29BHSS for 12,5k and he is willing to sell it for 11,3k without the hitch. It is 1k above the average Nada retail. Just one problem, it was not a soft spot but it looked like a kind of water damage. Should we check the roof for leaks or could it be from the shower?
Should we bring someone to inspect it?
It was in good/great condition besides that.
 

$1k above NADA Average is quite optimistic, for something that might have water damage and does not include a hitch that you'd still need to buy separately.  Are you getting the water damage assumption from photos, or description from the seller?  Where is that located?  Roof, windows, shower are all possible sources depending on where the damage is located.  It sounds like you haven't seen it in person yet.

We've seen it today. The guy was the second owner. And we already got the hitch.
I can't attach pics from the phone will post back.

Here's one listed for $12,995 (for comparison)

http://www.rvtrader.com/dealers/RCD-Sales-Company-LTD---Delaware-2978396/listing/2009-R-Vision-TRAIL-CRUISER-29BHSS-115863162

https://kansascity.craigslist.org/rvs/5455815255.html This is it. It looks well taken care of and it's got a bunk room with 4 beds and a slide with the kitchen and the couch. It is around 4200#
The spot on the ceiling is ~ 8 inch and it looks wavy but it's not spongy. I've cropped the pic with the wavy part and save it over the original one so the quality is terrible. The only ugly parts are around the skylight over the shower and by the bathtub, in a corner. I checked the windows, under and around the slide, in the cabinets and I couldn't find any other water signs. The seller said that he replaced that skylight.
We could be ok with the price (like you said if it is the right one: light weight, w/ slide, w/ separate bunk room, fiberglass exterior, looks good inside, well maintain and we like the design, pretty simple and easy to figure it out. But we don't want to buy something over priced and invest more in expensive repairs...
The tires need to be replaced, all 5 of them. He list the TT yesterday and he was amazed that someone called him so soon. He took the price down with $1200.

Any opinions? Should we get an inspector to look at that spot in the ceiling? Or is it better to walk away?

In our area I found a lot of expensive damaged trailers. This one with front/ slide damage for $7200: https://kansascity.craigslist.org/rvs/5430323170.html
This one has a huge water damage in the bedroom, on half of the ceiling: https://kansascity.craigslist.org/rvs/5443111334.html
The ones around 10K are either older models (2000-2005), small or damaged.

So have you given up?

There are a lot of places where trailers are for sale other than Kansas City.    What's the farthest out you have searched?

No! I'm too crazy about this to give it up. 
I've searched 2-3h away and even 8h away (PPLmotorhomes), but the hubby doesn't want to drive so far, without knowing that we are going to buy that unit.

We found another one: https://kansascity.craigslist.org/rvs/5458291282.html and we saw it today. It's in good/ great shape, inside and out, I could not find any signs of water damage, the roof was in good shape, my husband checked it. We have to give up privacy but it's roomy and the layout is interesting. The tires need to be replaced, because they are the original ones. Nada low price is 9,2k: http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2007/Rockwood/M-2501S/4091655/Values. The seller is willing to sell it for 9k, BUT...
Because it's always a but, in our case, at least... They have a lien on the title. He told us that he's gonna ask the bank tomorrow how  to get the lien removed. He was not sure, but he told us that it could take up to two month to have the TT registered in our name. I'm a little worried about this because we want to start the adventures in the spring brake. We have to check with the Kansas DMV tomorrow and see how it goes.
I hope we'll get out of this in one piece, because my husband doesn't want to back out, because he shook hands on it.

If the trailer is financed local it shouldn't be a problem. If he notifies the bank he is selling it, they should have the title there. You do the transaction at the bank they release the lien and hand you the title.
Here is a couple more in your area.
https://kansascity.craigslist.org/rvs/5454243725.html

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/rvd/5458056479.html
https://kansascity.craigslist.org/rvs/5437456430.html

What's up with the bed? Do you have to fold the sofa down to sleep? Doesn't have a regular mattress?

Thanks for the suggestions. The first one is too boxy (we've seen a lot of them new or used), without the slide. The second one is  again boxy (the low Nada is just $3,900). The 3rd one is also 3k above low Nada price.
I don't want to sound picky but buying something older and overpriced doesn't seem like a good idea. You taught me to search for a good deal because we need some money for eventual repairs anyway. So lesson learned!

The seller is the second owner of the TT so probably he used the trailer as collateral or bought the trailer on a loan. We don't know how much he owes to the bank but we are not giving him any money, we read that we should pay the money thru the bank and ask for a lien release form.
It has a half bed and the folded mattress (a heated one ) but it doesn't bother us. We can add a foam topper. Just that we can't install a plastic folding door. I guess my man is tired of this search and he wants to get it over with. I found another TT w/ a slide and light weighted but it's 3h away: https://springfield.craigslist.org/rvs/5452653103.html (I don't like the aluminum siding but this unit is priced between low and average retail and the layout is better than the Rockwood's). We'll see how it goes w/ the Rockwood and if the deal is off, the search continues.

p.s. and another one with the rear slide, newer and cheaper https://topeka.craigslist.org/rvs/5461202870.html 2007 K-Z Frontier - $7950 (I like this model because is just 25ft. long and it's got a separate room with 4 bunks)

L.E. The seller reply: "if the deal is cash, you can take possession of the trailer immediately. The bank will notarize the bill of sale. Then I will send you the title when they release it to me, typically 2-3 weeks. Saturday morning works for me." We have to call him to ask more details.

I wouldn't give the guy any money without being at the bank that holds the lien on the coach. It shouldn't take no  2 or 3 weeks to get the title for it. If that's the case I doubt he ever sales it.

I definitely would not give cash under those circumstances. I guess he is going to use the cash to pay off the lien and get clear title? I agree with 92GA, I would have to be AT the bank that holds the lien and get a bank officer to okay the deal...in writing.

The bank will release the bill of sale. I hope it's enough proof for the purchase.
http://www.dmv.org/ks-kansas/bill-of-sale.php
"A bill of sale is similar to a receipt; it shows the amount of money paid for a vehicle, the seller's name, the buyer's name and can even record such information as the odometer reading and any terms related to the sale."

Both of us will go to the seller's bank and we won't give any money except to a bank employee in exchange for the bill of sale.
He told us that he will have to cancel his insurance before someone else takes possession of the trailer. The seller is willing to give us the trailer on Saturday after we finish with the bank. The trailer is under the truck's insurance while towing it towards our home and it would be safe to keep it on our driveway till Mo, but we have to insure it before we move it to storage.