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Old 05-07-2021, 06:23 AM   #21
Ken / Claudia
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I appreciate good quality and ingenious ways that a person can build something. I have seen many home made truck campers, buses and other vehicles converted into motorhomes and converted cargo trailers into travel trailers. Some are just junk and dumb at best while others show great craftmanship.
Early 1990s I got to know the owner of a RV dealership that took in consignments. It had about 6 converted buses. I went through each one while waiting for a repair. I asked him about building or buying 1.
He said they are a novelty and really hard to sell. The owners dump lots of money and time into them. Many become too personalized. He sold many used motorhomes, but few homemade converted motorhomes and in the end they are just a money pit for the person that built them. Time could have changed that point of view, I do not know just relating what a RV dealer told me.
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Old 05-07-2021, 07:03 AM   #22
JRTJH
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia View Post
I appreciate good quality and ingenious ways that a person can build something. I have seen many home made truck campers, buses and other vehicles converted into motorhomes and converted cargo trailers into travel trailers. Some are just junk and dumb at best while others show great craftmanship.
Early 1990s I got to know the owner of a RV dealership that took in consignments. It had about 6 converted buses. I went through each one while waiting for a repair. I asked him about building or buying 1.
He said they are a novelty and really hard to sell. The owners dump lots of money and time into them. Many become too personalized. He sold many used motorhomes, but few homemade converted motorhomes and in the end they are just a money pit for the person that built them. Time could have changed that point of view, I do not know just relating what a RV dealer told me.
I see the same "personalization" in most travel trailers and fifth wheels (motorhomes too). Almost every RV owner will make "personal changes" to their RV. Some improve the galley with tile backsplashes, add an outlet to the wall where they want to plug in a small appliance, some change out a grill for a griddle or a stovetop for a grill in the outdoor kitchen, some add a spare tire rack under the RV or run a LPG quick connect fitting to a convenient spot for their use.

Then there's those who remove all the beds/sofa from the RV, install two recliners or remove the shower and make the space into a closet, or install a 12K BTU window air conditioner "through the wall" and when the wall "weakens" the A/C sags and the wall bows outward. Some even go so far as to remove the black tank and install a "S&B flush toilet"...

Then when it comes time to sell/trade, they seldom get anything more than the "bare minimum minus the dealer's loss expectations"...

While I wouldn't suggest never changing an RV and worrying about resale value, to many people who are "in the upgrade stages of RV ownership" and plan to buy bigger or buy a better grade RV when they can afford the tow vehicle for their objective, then "tearing apart the current RV to make it fit us" may not be the greatest idea....

Some may buy an RV with no expectation to do anything but tow it to a salvage yard when they want to upgrade. Most will "hope for at least the down payment on the next one" when it comes time to upgrade....

Depending on future expectations, either "be aware of" or "completley ignore" what upgrades done today will mean to the value of the RV to a potential future buyer....

Mods can make an RV attractive to a large group of potential buyers or some mods can reduce the buyer group to less than 10, and sometimes, less than 1.... If it matters to an owner, it pays to think through that "extensive mod that's running through future plans".....
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Old 05-07-2021, 09:29 AM   #23
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This Cougar has been up for sale for a long time. Any idea why?
https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-r...untry_rv-46317
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Old 05-07-2021, 09:51 AM   #24
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This Cougar has been up for sale for a long time. Any idea why?
https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-r...untry_rv-46317
Makes ya wonder, eh???

I walked into a fifth wheel "downstate" that the owner had removed the front bed and made a "two station gaming center" complete with two rolling office chairs, two consoles for computers and 4 monitors, two on each console. The bathroom had been gutted with only the toilet and sink left in it. The kitchen had been removed with only part of the countertop and the microwave left (I suppose to pop corn and store paper plates) the refrigerator had been replaced with a 6 cuft "drink cooler" and the entire living room section had been gutted with two more "gaming consoles"...

It had all been painted a dark gray (apparently to improve monitor visibility???)

It was "just what every new RV'er wants to take their family camping... Asking price was almost double the NADA "average pricing"... And, the computer equipment and chairs did not stay with the unit.....

It did have TK tires on it, so with the reduced overall weight, it probably was "OK to tow".... I didn't check tire manufacture date....
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Old 05-07-2021, 11:12 AM   #25
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This Cougar has been up for sale for a long time. Any idea why?
https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-r...untry_rv-46317

Holy Cow!! What a GREAT looking trailer.....and it still has the OE Towmax tires!! What a find!
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Old 05-07-2021, 11:32 AM   #26
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Holy Cow!! What a GREAT looking trailer.....and it still has the OE Towmax tires!! What a find!
And they still shine!
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Old 05-07-2021, 11:37 AM   #27
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Prior to my education I owned a Lance truck camper that weighed about 1700 lbs. I had it on a stock 2013 F150XL and believe it was very likely well above my payload. What is payload? I did put LRE truck tires on as it appeared the 35 PSI car tires that came on the Ford were going to blow up with the camper in place. My Lance had a "wet bath"; that is shower while sitting on the toilet. While some may view this as an opportunity to multitask, the missus didn't find it amusing. Also, in cold weather, the camper would sweat (a lot) from the metal framed emergency exit out above the bed. While the bed was comfy enough, the dripping water wasn't. The camper was sold relatively quickly under guidance from the boss and CFO. One of the worst "features" was NO DSI water heater; you had to hold a lighter under a pilot light. My eyebrows have since grown back mostly.
Was working on a 75+ year old gravity gas furnace 20 years ago in the city, it had a gas conversion burner in it(originally was coal).
Pilot was on a long arm that reached in to the burner.. I lit it and turned the thermostat up.( I didn’t realize the pilot assembly dislodged from the burner head)
A few seconds go by and I hear the gas valve open and full gas sound whooshing out but no ignition
“Oh sh&$“ !!! Was all I could say ...all of a sudden the gas found the pilot burner that was knocked aside... WOOOMPH!!!... flame shot out and over me and lost some of my eyebrows as well
Lady from upstairs “are you ok down there??? I heard a ...noise”

Me ....I’m ..fInE! ..I’m a pRoFeSIoNal!...as a stood there smoking like one of sourdoughs pork belly bacons ..

It’s amazing how long it takes to react when you hear gas rushing full steam and you know the explosion is imminent
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Old 05-07-2021, 02:35 PM   #28
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This Cougar has been up for sale for a long time. Any idea why?
https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-r...untry_rv-46317
That looks like a couple RVs my SIL has "remodeled"!!! Then wants us to tell how good it looks! I guess it does if you're color blind.
Then her husband could'nt understand why it took 3 years & several price reductions before it sold.
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Old 05-07-2021, 03:14 PM   #29
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All in all, wouldn't mind owning a trailer that length w/50A service BUT I can see repaint on the green mess but that red looks like wall paper of some sort; not sure how someone would deal with it. What the heck is that thing on the rear window (electronic gizmo with wire hanging off)?
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Old 05-07-2021, 03:26 PM   #30
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All in all, wouldn't mind owning a trailer that length w/50A service BUT I can see repaint on the green mess but that red looks like wall paper of some sort; not sure how someone would deal with it. What the heck is that thing on the rear window (electronic gizmo with wire hanging off)?
HD tv antenna? Or FM? The outside of the rv looks nice and clean, it’s just the inside that looks like it was redecorated by a 6 year old child
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Old 05-07-2021, 03:58 PM   #31
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A time out should have been given as soon as the green paint and paint on the cupboards was done and a spanking when the wall paper went up. I also wonder how they keep from scratching the vinyl floor when the slide comes in. I do understand personalizing a camper but destroying its value is another animal.
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Old 05-07-2021, 06:23 PM   #32
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I'd call that interior design "Early Nauseous", if I woke up to that I'd want to puke.
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