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Old 04-18-2021, 04:51 AM   #1
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How to know what a 1981 15.5 ft worth

I am in the process of purchasing a 1981 15.5 ft in good shape.
How do I value the camper and decide if the asking price is too high?
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Old 04-18-2021, 06:54 AM   #2
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Hi AuntieM,

I responded in this post to your other test thread. It may give you some insight to the pricing on the camper. https://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f...ine-20055.html

In the cases of a used camper, if you could post some pictures, inside and out, this helps us better see what you are trying to buy. We can possibly spot things good and not so good about it to help tell you what may need to be fixed. If you need help how to post pics, let us know, we will explain it.

Being we are in sill in Covid, any decent camper has high odds of selling and even some really bad shaped ones too. Many folks may not knowing about campers well enough on what to look out for. Not sure if you are in a large populated area as they is more demand for them in larger areas just due to how many people are looking. This creates another complexity.

The price being too high, this is very subjective. What has value to one person, may not to the other. In many cases, the seller wants the most they can get, especially if they are a dealer. The buyer wants to make sure they are getting a good deal. The private seller, it is hard to know if they are selling it for profit, to just get ride of it, or they want to see their long time treasure go to a good home. The book value not knowing much at all about the camper, or even seeing this, shows an 81, 15.5 ft camper in usable shape can run between $1,700 to $2,000.

That figure on a camper that old may out of line if the camper has water damage, needs all new tires, the brakes to not work and other things on the camper that can add up to be half the value or more. But, if the camper has tires less the 5 years old by the tire DOT dates, the battery is only a few years old, you do not smell or see any visible signs inside for water damage, the brakes do work, then that value is not that far off. The unknown is still water damage in the walls and ceiling that only can be inspected with a moisture meter.

Paying a little more for a camper that has low to no water damage, and working brakes, can be worth it. Those two areas on an older camper can add cost up real quick to correct after you buy it.

Also not sure how long you plan to use the camper, a few times for a few years, or many times for many years. That plays into the cost also. If you are only going to use is a year or so, you can sell it again in another year. You may take some loss, but if it looks decent, you may not loose that much. If you want to keep it 5 years or more, then there can be costs to fix and maintain it so it will last that long in working shape.

Hope all this helps.

John
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Old 04-19-2021, 08:24 AM   #3
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1971 Sunline Value

Thank you John.
The asking price is 3400$. I have made a large deposit, but have not seen the camper yet. There has been some work done. Wheel bearings. Roof sealed. No water damage. All windows work. City water was hooked up.
He has not used the water heater or the furnace so those are unknown. Interior is painted.
Tires decent. I don't know about brakes though. Last camped and hauled in December. Where can I pick up a moisture meter?
I will try to attach pictures.
Thank you again.
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Old 04-20-2021, 07:04 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AuntieM View Post
Where can I pick up a moisture meter?
I will try to attach pictures.
Thank you again.
The moisture meter, you can buy them on Amazon or some Lowes lumber yards have them.

Here is a post talking more about the moisture meter, the model I use and links to Amazon and Lowes for them.
https://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f...per-17613.html

This PDF file which I made and is stored the forum FILES site, helps explain more on how the 0 - 100% scale works and how some on what it looks like inside the wall, how the water infection started, were the water rain to after it got in. Those campers showed no visible signs of water damage inside the living space.
https://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/d...o=file&id=5638

Make sure you use the meter in wall mode. There are 2 other modes, but the readings are not for different applications.

Your pictures, I see you uploaded one picture to your photo album, this one.


That looks like a screen shot of your picture directory. It shows general info, but is hard to see detail. It does look like someone cared for the camper.
If you want is to look close for issues, please upload each file bigger so we can zoom in and see them.

Hope this helps and good luck

John
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Old 04-22-2021, 02:57 PM   #5
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Hi - I have a 1983 model just like that. It's a 1550. If the the fridge and heaters work, I say it's a good deal. I used it as my fishing trailer and hauled it four hours to Montauk Point (one way) several times a year for over 10 yrs. It is a low rider so no rough terrain. Easy tow. Unless you need a bigger rig, grab it.
Good luck.
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