nickap
Member
- Sep 17, 2017
- 75
After getting some really great advice from members of this forum, my wife and I just made what we feel is a great purchase. We bought a 2000 Rockwood Premier pop up that we found on Craigslist. We had looked at several others and had gotten a feel for what was out there, in what condition, and how much people were asking. We also got a good idea of what kind of features we were looking for. Here are a few:
-- light enough to pull with a Honda Odyssey (with transmission & power steering coolers)
-- big enough to have a dinette but also somewhere else to sit, e.g. sofa
-- king size bed
-- inside/outside propane stove with multiple burners
-- 110V/12V/propane fridge
-- awning (preferably with screen)
-- clean with no leaks (of course)
-- basically ready to go with minimal work needed
-- more ...
We'd seen one that looked hopeful but needed some work, another that was all mildewed inside, one that was small, expensive and not particularly clean. Then this one came up, and it is everything we were looking for. The items above are all there, and more. It even has a slide-out (containing the dinette area) so there is plenty of room, and there is a whole separate U-shaped couch/bed area as well. The owner just bought a new camper and wanted to get this one moved. He and his wife showed us around every inch of it, and it was quickly clear that they had loved this camper, were mechanically savvy and had done everything they could to keep it in great shape. So all the cables in the lifting system have been regularly lubed, the tires are new, the stove, fridge and so on look brand new, and so on. They gave us a million tips as they were showing it to us - right down to advising us not to use bleach-based products to clean hoses or appliances, because bleach leaves a salt residue that can attract mice. (They always stored the popup with lots of dryer sheets around the place, to keep the mice away.)
Dry weight is around the 2200lb mark, so when loaded, it will be well under the Odyssey's 3500lb tow rating (don't worry, we pack light, and we're not planning on climbing any mountains). Best of all, it was within our budget - which we had been starting to worry was not realistic. The owner was asking $1800, but was happy to take $1500. For that price, of course it's not flawless - but we were never expecting it to be. There are couple of small holes in the canvas, and one in the mesh; these have all been painstakingly repaired. There are scuffs on the linoleum floor. All very minor things that we are very happy to live with.
So, we are brand new happy camper owners -- and lots of questions are already coming up. I think I will be spending a lot of time on this site!
-- light enough to pull with a Honda Odyssey (with transmission & power steering coolers)
-- big enough to have a dinette but also somewhere else to sit, e.g. sofa
-- king size bed
-- inside/outside propane stove with multiple burners
-- 110V/12V/propane fridge
-- awning (preferably with screen)
-- clean with no leaks (of course)
-- basically ready to go with minimal work needed
-- more ...
We'd seen one that looked hopeful but needed some work, another that was all mildewed inside, one that was small, expensive and not particularly clean. Then this one came up, and it is everything we were looking for. The items above are all there, and more. It even has a slide-out (containing the dinette area) so there is plenty of room, and there is a whole separate U-shaped couch/bed area as well. The owner just bought a new camper and wanted to get this one moved. He and his wife showed us around every inch of it, and it was quickly clear that they had loved this camper, were mechanically savvy and had done everything they could to keep it in great shape. So all the cables in the lifting system have been regularly lubed, the tires are new, the stove, fridge and so on look brand new, and so on. They gave us a million tips as they were showing it to us - right down to advising us not to use bleach-based products to clean hoses or appliances, because bleach leaves a salt residue that can attract mice. (They always stored the popup with lots of dryer sheets around the place, to keep the mice away.)
Dry weight is around the 2200lb mark, so when loaded, it will be well under the Odyssey's 3500lb tow rating (don't worry, we pack light, and we're not planning on climbing any mountains). Best of all, it was within our budget - which we had been starting to worry was not realistic. The owner was asking $1800, but was happy to take $1500. For that price, of course it's not flawless - but we were never expecting it to be. There are couple of small holes in the canvas, and one in the mesh; these have all been painstakingly repaired. There are scuffs on the linoleum floor. All very minor things that we are very happy to live with.
So, we are brand new happy camper owners -- and lots of questions are already coming up. I think I will be spending a lot of time on this site!
![[LOL]](/smileys/smile_lol.gif "Laugh Out Loud [LOL]")
