Is this 2006 Grandby a fair deal? Seller asking 8k

[pbotz]

Hi All-

Been a long time lurker here but finally wanted to post, as I found a pop up that may suit my needs. It is a 2006 FWC Grandby. I see ads on CL all the time and kinda of have an idea of what the price range is but wanted to confer with the experts. The camper has no known water damage and the roof and ceiling appear to be intact. I have not seen this in person but I asked the seller to take pictures of the flaws...

It appears that the jacks have maybe at one point pulled off the camper a little and needed to be reinforced with caulk and extra screws, which does not look like it was fixed too well. There is no hot water heater but the stove, furnace, refrigerator, fan, all are working. There is solar panels up top that are a bit suspect, as the wire running from them comes right out of the ceiling (odd I know). Obviously this is a 10 year old camper, and I know they are built to last, but still need to be cared for. Upholstery, ceiling, carpet, all look good and are intact. No rips or holes in canvas. The seller is asking 8k. Is that number too far off? Obviously the smell and other senses one gets from actually stepping in the camper answer a lot, but from the look of the pictures is this a pretty fair price for the buyer and seller on this? Any help of advice would be appreciated! I will upload more photos but I am limited to 500K per post

Peter

 

[pbotz]

More Pictures....

I told the seller to take pictures of things that look not so good...

 

[kmcintyre]

From what I can see it looks to be a decent deal. The big ticket items look good (headliner, vinyl/sides, upholstery). The headline and side replacements are pretty big ticket items along w/ jacks. No water heater? I don't know many who use one; you can get a solar heater and shower outside if you need.

That's a lot of screws on the jack brackets and sure why they'd add more screws unless they had an issue (?) but jacks and brackets are like $600 new.

The awning is another high ticket item.

 

[97grandby]

Over all it looks to be in good condition. If you go and look at it in person pay attention the the lift panels and check to make sure everything working when you arrive. It looks like it was stored outside which depending on the location could or could not be a big deal. I would pay close attention the the jacks. My camper is 20 years old and never had any problems with the jack mounts and my camper before that was a 1987 and again, never had issues with the mounting plates. Could be they were left on when going of road or could be they never set the camper down on a base or the ground and the jacks have held up the weight of the camper the past 10 years.
The good thing about the camper is looks like it was fully optioned out, rear flood lights, awning, and other times inside the camper. New this camper would be well over double the asking price. The campers are built well and last a long time, but even better is how simple they are. Fixing them is as cheap as you can do in it the rv world if they do break. Good luck and look forward to having your join our "club"

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

The only thing that catches my attention are the Jack mounts. They look like they've been resealed and/or had solvent in contact with the sealant. Look around the door and back edge for any evidence of leaking. I'd make a lower offer/reasonable and see if the seller accepts. The worst they could do is say no. If you're close to Sacramento, the ATC team would be a good source of ideas and repair.

 

[pbotz]

Wow guys I just posted an hour ago and already 3 replies with great information! Maybe I misspoke with the water heater remark, I thought that is something that is fairly common but I am mistaken. The seller did state that there is an outdoor shower that comes with the camper.

If I bought it I was going to take the camper jacks off, grind off the surface rust, and repaint with matching paint and a clear coat. I was also going to get the caulk off the aluminum skin and do it right. It seems that they just added screws onto the jacks until it was secure without much reasoning behind screwing into a structural portion under the skin....

The seller did say lifting the front does take some effort as there are two solar panels up front. I can only imagine that it is secure once it is up. I just am not sure how the solar was wired. Having a wire coming out of the ceiling probably isn't the "right" way of doing it. I have had several vehicles over the years and the one thing that I learned is that electrical issues can be the hardest things to diagnose... seems that people usually are the first to splice into that and start butchering things.

I will get an assessment on the door and back edge. I also will have the seller take a few pictures of the roof. Ya I think it is a decent deal too and I don't mind paying close to asking, I just need to make sure that it is a safe bet.

Peter

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Add gas struts to help with the lift, and/or get a cranking speaker lift to assist from the inside. There are a couple of threads on the speaker lift.

 

[pbotz]

Hi again guys

Understood on the helper struts. the only problem I am faced with is I need to put down a deposit on it sight unseen as it has garnered some interest. I think it is a real deal but obviously I am taking a BIG chance on it sight unseen. I have attached more photos of the underside and a picture of the roof which look good so far but please tell me if anything sticks out. Will let you guys know how it goes and thanks you for the help!!!!

Peter

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Peter, the oak panel in the right most photo appears to have water stains, which might account for the sealant mess around the Jack brackets. My 2¢ worth, if you can't see it in person, pass. It might be a good deal, but I want to see exactly what I'm buying. The photos aren't that scary, but... an in person inspection is the only way I would buy.

 

[ski3pin]

Peter, the oak panel in the right most photo appears to have water stains, which might account for the sealant mess around the Jack brackets. My 2¢ worth, if you can't see it in person, pass. It might be a good deal, but I want to see exactly what I'm buying. The photos aren't that scary, but... an in person inspection is the only way I would buy.

I am going to agree with Sagebrush. If it was me, I would not buy without inspecting it. It's obvious a few things have been modified.

 

[Beach]

The solar panels have some discolored cells(possibly broken or shorted), might need attention. As for the solar wiring dropping out of the headliner: no its not factory or aesthetically pleasing but there are some people who have had problems with the wiring that runs behind the lift panels, with the straight drop you shouldn't have an issue. Looks like the installer wasn't overly generous with the wire size either. Other than that and the jacks as mentioned, appears to be a fair deal from what the pics show.

 

[pbotz]

Ya I think you guys are right. The seller is willing to negotiate on price, but even if I was able to lower the price substantially I would be assuming quite a bit of risk. Ahhhh, I guess I will keep looking. I am really not a big fan of the hole coming out of the ceiling. If that is any indication of the work that has been done, it is probably pretty questionable.

 

[this_wander_n_man]

Hey,
I'm a new member here and came across this thread while researching this exact Grandby. Seems it is still for sale and I'm about 6 hours away. The salesman told me that someone had a deposit on it and was supposed to pick it up today but it fell through. This makes me a little hesitant. I'm waiting to hear back from him to answer some of my questions. Do you all think it is worth a 6 hour drive to check it out? I appreciate the help!
Thanks!

 

[DavidGraves]

I wonder if the jack brackets may have been added by an owner rather than at the factory.

This is the time a look see by someone you could trust who lives near the camper might be very helpful.

Where is it located ?

David Graves

North ORegon coast.

 

[michgoblue]

I think it is worth the drive and would do it myself if I were looking for a Grandby. Getting a solid used camper at a decent price is always going to be a challenge and folks really tend to hold onto them for a long time.

 

[smlobx]

This looks to be sold by an RV dealer.
I would be very suspect of anything they say and I would verify everything in person.
You should be able to negotiate a much better deal than asking price particularly if it has been sitting as long as it has.....

 

[this_wander_n_man]

I had reached out to the RV dealer asking more questions but never heard anything. I checked their website and it no longer is showing up, I would assume it has been sold now. It was located in North Carolina.

 

[Pax2525]

I was just there not long ago (5 days maybe) and they had told me they took a deposit on the camper and someone was coming from a ways away to pick it up. Regardless the dealership was awesome and everyone was super nice. I wouldn't hesitate doing business with them. I should've checked out that camper while I was there but since it was spoken for I didn't.