Hoping to be newbie in NW Florida

[P'colaTear]

I just discovered teardrop trailers and I have fallen in love. I have owned a "regular" travel trailer in the past. It was small as TTs go, 19' and I managed to travel from Reno, NV to Pensacola with a teenager, 2 big dogs and a cat. We were on the road for a total of 4 months - best time of my life. That was the summer of 2003 and I have been living the grind since. The TT was sold a couple of years ago and lately I have been getting the camping bug again. In my search for another TT - I discovered the perfect compromise between tent camping and a regular TT. I want a TEARDROP.

Now the big question - OK probably going to be more than one question: I have found a used 2006 4x8 with hinge damage. The owner says that he got caught in strong cross winds and the wind got under the galley hatch and lifted the aluminum sheeting on the hatch and damaged the hinge. There is some water damage on the inside galley side wall, but doesn't look too bad from the pictures that I have seen. I guess what I want to know is if I would be making a good deal or throwing my money away. He is selling the TD for $1250. It has a platform on the tongue in the front which holds a large toolbox, diamondplate on the front, around the sides, across the back and fenders. Nice, simple sliding door cabinets in the galley with a center pass through to the inside. Seems like a good, simple basic model to use as a starter.

I just want to make sure that it is a good investment and the projected repairs won't be too difficult. It seems like a no brainer to me, but I need some advice from some seasoned experts to put my mind at ease. Also, I will have to travel 4-5 hrs. to get to see it in person, so before I make the trek, I could use some commentary.

Thanks in advance for your input. javascript:emoticon(':worship:')

[bobhenry]

Looks like a road trip is in order. There is only one way to be sure of what you are getting. The frame would be the easiest to inspect and a good clue as to the quality of the build. If the builder took the time to weld up a custom frame and it looks good he was building it as his own and more than likely no corners were cut. Look at the electrics if things are fused and layed out in a sensible order then he was probably building it as his own. The hatch damage is a new hatch at worst and may be an even more simple fix than that. A frame up build will surpass the asking price and you will have 100's of hours in a ground up build. I think I would look at it as a road adventure and if you come home with a trophy all the better. My 2 cents Bob

[Steve_Cox]

Hello "P",

Welcome to the forum, nice to see another Floridian. Glad you found us

Can't really say much about your unseen find. As some damage is repairable, and other damage (wet plywood) is only replaceable. I repaired a water damaged teardrop for a friend once because the local RV repair shop rate at the time was $102 an hour. I spent $100 on materials and about 12 hours labor myself. If your tear drop find was an easy fix, seems the builder would fix it rather than selling cheap. Hope I'm not trudging on another forum members toes here. Many homebuilt and factory built tear drops and RV's in general leak and get damaged for two reasons, either they are poorly built or poorly maintained.

Good luck with the tear drop search!

[P'colaTear]

Thanks for the input so far, and the welcome. There are no electrics involved - other than an extension cord. Keeping it simple. The current owner said that he purchased the TD from someone at Daytona car show that was selling 4 at that time that had been "home built". He did say that it was apparent that an incorrect hinge had been used as it was not waterproof. Hopefully one of those won't be hard to find. He further said that he wasn't fixing it because he didn't have the time right now. He is also looking to upgrade considerably to a motorhome upon retirement. Can't say that I blame him for that.

I am still pondering the road trip. Did locate another TD in Nashville for $3000 that appears to be in perfect shape and comes with loads of bells, whistles, camping gear and other miscellaneous cool stuff! I may need to check that one out too.

I think that I have discovered that I desparately need a road trip - somewhere, anywhere, and getting a TD along the way will be a bonus.

[rebapuck]

LOVE ROAD TRIPS!!