Found this - looking for advice :)

[Stacy B.]

Good evening oh great and wise TTT forum members,

Can anyone tell me more about the "Hoot" teardrop trailer? I found this in my local area and the seller was kind enough to send me some photos, but I'm not really familiar with the brand or really anything about the trailer. I can tell you its a 2007 custom built that the seller said was used only twice. It seems really nice. I like it.

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rvs/915388199.html

I've squinted at the photos and can make out a sink and light in the galley, I think ...an ice chest? Not really sure.

There weren't any photos of the inside, but the seller seems quite kind, perhaps they can describe the inside for me.

It is listed as $4,000 -- good buy?

Anything anyone knows would be of great help and very much appreciated. I've been frequenting the board as a guest, but today I found something that caught my eye and wanted to get some feedback from "the experts"

Thanks,

~Stacy

[madjack]

..."hoot" was/is a member here on the board but he has not posted in a year and a half(orso)...here is a link to his profile/posts/album http://tnttt.com/profil ... ile&u=3837 he has some pics of his work in the album.........
madjack

[NW_Subie]

Been for sale for some time now.

Have you looked at this one?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/rvs/941064940.html

[bledsoe3]

Been for sale for some time now.

Have you looked at this one?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/rvs/941064940.html

That is Shiro's tear. He is a memebr here.

[Stacy B.]

Madjack -- hey! That's the Hoot I have been considering! What a small world...!!

And NW_Subie, I did see the craig's listing for the one in Seattle as well.

There are a couple teardrops in the Pacific Northwest right now:

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rvs/944745847.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/rvs/945426783.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/rvs/946392153.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/rvs/946121105.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/rvs/939765279.html

I found that I really like the T@B Clamshell design, but unless 2007 is in Canadian dollars, it seems to be a little higher than some of the other one's I've seen around the country.

[NW_Subie]

The 06 T@B in Kelso looks like a fair deal. I like the T@B ,but it's too big for my Subaru up and down the NW Mountains.

[greg755]

So.....
Which one did you buy????

[Stacy B.]

Oh my, I have yet to become a owner of a teardrop!

I found a lovely 2008 T@B T-16Q with the add-a-room tent for $9,500 which sounded like a great deal to me. Also had my eye on the Hoot that was mentioned earlier for $4,000. (Both are still available, last I checked.)

The biggest set back was when we found out that our V6 sedan is not capable of towing ANYTHING. Period.

<laughs> We are now in the process of looking at purchasing a used vehicle with towing package. As I type this, my husband is eagerly browsing Craig's List, drooling at 4Runners.

So...the price of poker just went up. But the more I read these forums and how much folks love camping with teardrops, it makes me think "All good things in life are worth waiting for!" So car first, then teardrop. .

[greg755]

A sedan with a v6 can pull 1200-1500 pounds, for Gods sake my cruddy Ford Focus, pulls my utility trailer (about 1300 pounds loaded ) just fine.

Its actually a good car it just wasn't designed to tow anything.


Just take your car down to U-haul and have a class two hitch put on it.
Will only cost about $250 and that includes a wiring harness.

On the other-hand, if you are going to get a big trailer (not a tear drop) over 1200 pounds, then you may have to upgrade....

There are a lot of BEAUTIFUL teardrops out there from $3600 to $6000 that are under 1200 pounds, that are ROOMY and NICE. You shouldn't have a problem finding one...

Just my opinion

Good Luck.

[Stacy B.]

We just had this big discussion on a T@B trailer Yahoo Group a week or two ago on the subject of a V-6 sedan being able to pull a T@B or any tear drop for that matter. (Trust me, I almost squeaked "Please?? Even 800 pounds?" during one phone call, in hopes my car could tow ANYTHING).

The bottom line - The mechanic said no, the dealer said no, and the T@B dealer said no. I'm not taking my chances.

Had tinkered with the idea of building my own. I'm a bright gal, quick with computers, good at art, but when it comes to saws and power tools, I'm all thumbs. (I think my dad is down right embarrassed at times!)

I'm keeping my eye on Craig's List in the mean time...

http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/rvs/962512087.html

http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/ctd/959485627.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/rvs/966882624.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/rvs/965672422.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/rvs/964280703.html

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/rvs/962479847.html

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/cto/954638317.html

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rvs/946197424.html

[starleen2]

what type of V-6 sedan - Make and model?? I'm sure that most V-6 's are rated to pull at least 1000-1500 lbs. Heck when we're younger, we'd pile a whole bunch of people in a 4 cylinder pinto station wagon just to go to the drive in! if it could haul our fat behinds, surely a v-6 can!

[grant whipp]

A V-6 that's not rated to tow anything? What's that all about ... ...?

I've got a 2000 Saturn SL2 Wagon ... 4-cylinder, automatic ... it's rated to tow 2,000#!

Of course ... if that V-6 is in a sedan that would more appropriately get a V-8, then they might have a valid point ...

Which ever way you end up going, Good Luck with your search! There are some pretty good trailers in the lot you've listed above!

As always, then ...

CHEERS!

Grant

[angib]

..... for Gods sake my cruddy Ford Focus, pulls my utility trailer (about 1300 pounds loaded ) just fine.

Its actually a good car it just wasn't designed to tow anything.

In Europe Ford give the Focus a tow rating of 1500-3300lb depending on the model - 1500lb is for the 1.4L gas and 3300lb is the 2.0L turbodiesel.

This doesn't mean the same North American model can tow this, but it just shows that, for example, the back of the body isn't going to fall off, as some people suggest....

Andrew

[asianflava]

The bottom line - The mechanic said no, the dealer said no, and the T@B dealer said no. I'm not taking my chances.

Sad to say it but I don't trust the car dealership. You'd think that they'd be the expert because they see the same cars day in and day out. They probably don't know anything more than what the manufacturer tells them. It was like pulling teeth to get them to turn off my passenger's seatbelt chime. When you put something in the passenger's seat (i.e. grocery bag or books) it thinks someone is sitting there and it will start to chime, then you hit the brakes and it thinks they are gone, when you get on the gas it thinks the person is there and will start to chime again, it's SUPER ANNOYING! First they said they couldn't do it, then they tried to tell me that they legally couldn't do it, then they said it would be a $200 diagnostic fee to hook up the laptop. I finally got a friend who is a mechanic at a dealership to hook up the laptop and do it. It took all of 10min 6 of that was the computer establishing communication with the truck and checking the Wi-Fi for any new software updates.

-Sorry for the rant-

On the other hand, if the T@B dealer said no, that is something to think about. They want to sell the trailer, and usually will tell the customer anything to seal the deal.

[Wimperdink]

Sad to say it but I don't trust the car dealership. You'd think that they'd be the expert because they see the same cars day in and day out. They probably don't know anything more than what the manufacturer tells them.

I'm going to doubt that its because they dont know their cars. I would say it has much more to do with your statement from another post.

It was also a less litigious time.

Noone wants the liability, especially when it doesn't affect their own lifestyle. Its so much easier for them to just say, don't take the chance.

That being said, I had a buick regal with a v6 in it and towed anything and everything with it. It was a work horse.