wtb k5 4 wheel camper
- Thread starter rich4x4
- Start date
Mighty Dodge Ram
Senior Member
Zoomad...calling Zoomad.
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/d/oceanside-1970-chevy-blazer/7256686806.html
Is this what you’re looking for?
Not mine but it looks pretty cool.
Is this what you’re looking for?
Not mine but it looks pretty cool.
That's the second listing I've seen on that unit. Definitely an early model unit by the diamond quilt beadrolling on the siding. Very unique that since the first gen K5 is a full convertible that they didn't use the front part of the top to seal the camper to the windshield. They pulled the camper forward enough to allow the tailgate to remain on and close with the camper in place. It's probably the only one I've ever seen like it.
,I think the price is high. He's come down a couple of grand, but it's still high for what it is. For that price I would expect the canvas to be new, not dirty. The front cab wall looks to be original particle board with paint peeling. The attachment of the camper to the cab portion of the truck looks crudely put together as well. Very similar to a lot of the early Bronco and Scout FWC campers where they use wood or particle board to attach to the windshield header and provide a sealing surface to the side glass in the doors. Watch the episode of Dirt Every Day where they take a Scout with a FWC camper off road. Driving in the rain water was pouring past the header and the side glass. If I'm paying that much for the Blazer and Camper it darn well better not leak.
The other issue at the price is that its not cost effective to buy the truck and camper combo to just split them up and use the camper on another K5. Since the K5 looks to be a straight survivor it has value of course, but could it get the $28k by itself, given the rest of the condition, not in my opinion. For the price there are many early K5's in better condition than this one. What does that make the camper worth by itself? Again, given the condition it's going to need a good amount of work to bring up to clean, leak free condition.
Buyer beware is the main thing. The notes in this forum on what to look for in a used FWC camper is still relevant on a K5 camper. But special attention needs to be made to the front cab wall and cab over floor condition. I've yet to find one for sale where that hasn't needed both boards replaced. Keep in mind the last of these campers were built around '87/'88 so the newest one is going to be 32 years old and the rest are obviously older. The older they are the more prone to issues of age and exposure to the elements if they haven't been cared for.
If you compare to used FWC campers of similar age, you'll find they aren't going for huge money in original unrestored state like what this K5 camper is asking for. We've all seen them as low as a couple of hundred bucks to a couple thousand. They need a ton of work at that price. Just like these K5 campers need work. Which is why the best way to check them out is look them over in person if you can. Pictures don't always tell the story because they may not show you what you need to see, but they show you what they want to show you. If the truck isn't local to you see if you can arrange somebody you trust that is local to check it out before you commit.
Which lends to the double edged sword. Due to the limited quantity of these campers out there, they are sought after. When priced right, they sell quick. Like in hours. Priced high and they get listed multiple times with the price coming down with each subsequent listing. If it isn't for sale local to you and the price is low you might not have a chance to arrange somebody to check it out.
.
,I think the price is high. He's come down a couple of grand, but it's still high for what it is. For that price I would expect the canvas to be new, not dirty. The front cab wall looks to be original particle board with paint peeling. The attachment of the camper to the cab portion of the truck looks crudely put together as well. Very similar to a lot of the early Bronco and Scout FWC campers where they use wood or particle board to attach to the windshield header and provide a sealing surface to the side glass in the doors. Watch the episode of Dirt Every Day where they take a Scout with a FWC camper off road. Driving in the rain water was pouring past the header and the side glass. If I'm paying that much for the Blazer and Camper it darn well better not leak.
The other issue at the price is that its not cost effective to buy the truck and camper combo to just split them up and use the camper on another K5. Since the K5 looks to be a straight survivor it has value of course, but could it get the $28k by itself, given the rest of the condition, not in my opinion. For the price there are many early K5's in better condition than this one. What does that make the camper worth by itself? Again, given the condition it's going to need a good amount of work to bring up to clean, leak free condition.
Buyer beware is the main thing. The notes in this forum on what to look for in a used FWC camper is still relevant on a K5 camper. But special attention needs to be made to the front cab wall and cab over floor condition. I've yet to find one for sale where that hasn't needed both boards replaced. Keep in mind the last of these campers were built around '87/'88 so the newest one is going to be 32 years old and the rest are obviously older. The older they are the more prone to issues of age and exposure to the elements if they haven't been cared for.
If you compare to used FWC campers of similar age, you'll find they aren't going for huge money in original unrestored state like what this K5 camper is asking for. We've all seen them as low as a couple of hundred bucks to a couple thousand. They need a ton of work at that price. Just like these K5 campers need work. Which is why the best way to check them out is look them over in person if you can. Pictures don't always tell the story because they may not show you what you need to see, but they show you what they want to show you. If the truck isn't local to you see if you can arrange somebody you trust that is local to check it out before you commit.
Which lends to the double edged sword. Due to the limited quantity of these campers out there, they are sought after. When priced right, they sell quick. Like in hours. Priced high and they get listed multiple times with the price coming down with each subsequent listing. If it isn't for sale local to you and the price is low you might not have a chance to arrange somebody to check it out.
.
Word of caution to anybody on the hunt for a Blazer camper. Don't hesitate.
We found one for my buddy Ian last week. It was found on craigslist last Tuesday night by my fellow camper buddy Ron who lives in Denver. He gave me the heads up and I told him to go for it. He tried calls, no answer. Text messages and finally in the afternoon he got a response. He hauled out to Ft. Lupton to look at it. He was ready with cash in hand. The camper was in good shape, not much wrong and an offer was made and accepted to split the camper from the Blazer and Ian would provide a top and gate to make the Blazer whole again after the camper was removed. Ron made the offer, it was accepted and a bill of sale was made up and signed and dated by both parties. The plan was to have Ron go pick up the Blazer with his tow truck Saturday since the truck was questionable in making the run into town. We would meet up with him the next day and perform the camper swap job.
That was almost how it went down. When Ron and his son went back up on Saturday to grab the truck the seller must have got inundated with more offers. He hit the brakes on the deal quickly and started shaking Ron down for more money. Ron's no dummy and been through this shakedown before. The bill of sale was pulled out and the seller reminded of the deal he already held the money for. Still not convinced, a call was made to Ron's company lawyer who had more to say about it. The seller wisely backed off the shakedown and asked if they could come to some agreement. Ron and his son discussed it and offered to pay the difference the original price of the truck and camper was listed for on the ad. The seller agreed, Ron got the title signed over and they booked it back to town.
It worked out for everybody in this case, but it almost didn't. If you can't take it the same day you make the deal, make sure you get a signed bill of sale before you leave. The only reason the seller tried to get more is he left the ad up and got blasted with offers. He realized he screwed the pooch by setting the price too low and was missing out on a bigger payoff.
Also remember if you got through to the seller and have the first crack at it, be aware that the seller may have other people that also saw the ad laying in wait to get a shot at it. I know the guy I got mine from did.
The happy ending is Ian got his Blazer camper. It only needs a couple of things too. Other than being dirty it's in good shape.
We found one for my buddy Ian last week. It was found on craigslist last Tuesday night by my fellow camper buddy Ron who lives in Denver. He gave me the heads up and I told him to go for it. He tried calls, no answer. Text messages and finally in the afternoon he got a response. He hauled out to Ft. Lupton to look at it. He was ready with cash in hand. The camper was in good shape, not much wrong and an offer was made and accepted to split the camper from the Blazer and Ian would provide a top and gate to make the Blazer whole again after the camper was removed. Ron made the offer, it was accepted and a bill of sale was made up and signed and dated by both parties. The plan was to have Ron go pick up the Blazer with his tow truck Saturday since the truck was questionable in making the run into town. We would meet up with him the next day and perform the camper swap job.
That was almost how it went down. When Ron and his son went back up on Saturday to grab the truck the seller must have got inundated with more offers. He hit the brakes on the deal quickly and started shaking Ron down for more money. Ron's no dummy and been through this shakedown before. The bill of sale was pulled out and the seller reminded of the deal he already held the money for. Still not convinced, a call was made to Ron's company lawyer who had more to say about it. The seller wisely backed off the shakedown and asked if they could come to some agreement. Ron and his son discussed it and offered to pay the difference the original price of the truck and camper was listed for on the ad. The seller agreed, Ron got the title signed over and they booked it back to town.
It worked out for everybody in this case, but it almost didn't. If you can't take it the same day you make the deal, make sure you get a signed bill of sale before you leave. The only reason the seller tried to get more is he left the ad up and got blasted with offers. He realized he screwed the pooch by setting the price too low and was missing out on a bigger payoff.
Also remember if you got through to the seller and have the first crack at it, be aware that the seller may have other people that also saw the ad laying in wait to get a shot at it. I know the guy I got mine from did.
The happy ending is Ian got his Blazer camper. It only needs a couple of things too. Other than being dirty it's in good shape.
goinoregon
Senior Member
soooo, without too much thinking on this, what is the benefit of a k5 with camper, vs a std slide in?Zoomad said:Word of caution to anybody on the hunt for a Blazer camper. Don't hesitate.
We found one for my buddy Ian last week. It was found on craigslist last Tuesday night by my fellow camper buddy Ron who lives in Denver. He gave me the heads up and I told him to go for it. He tried calls, no answer. Text messages and finally in the afternoon he got a response. He hauled out to Ft. Lupton to look at it. He was ready with cash in hand. The camper was in good shape, not much wrong and an offer was made and accepted to split the camper from the Blazer and Ian would provide a top and gate to make the Blazer whole again after the camper was removed. Ron made the offer, it was accepted and a bill of sale was made up and signed and dated by both parties. The plan was to have Ron go pick up the Blazer with his tow truck Saturday since the truck was questionable in making the run into town. We would meet up with him the next day and perform the camper swap job.
That was almost how it went down. When Ron and his son went back up on Saturday to grab the truck the seller must have got inundated with more offers. He hit the brakes on the deal quickly and started shaking Ron down for more money. Ron's no dummy and been through this shakedown before. The bill of sale was pulled out and the seller reminded of the deal he already held the money for. Still not convinced, a call was made to Ron's company lawyer who had more to say about it. The seller wisely backed off the shakedown and asked if they could come to some agreement. Ron and his son discussed it and offered to pay the difference the original price of the truck and camper was listed for on the ad. The seller agreed, Ron got the title signed over and they booked it back to town.
It worked out for everybody in this case, but it almost didn't. If you can't take it the same day you make the deal, make sure you get a signed bill of sale before you leave. The only reason the seller tried to get more is he left the ad up and got blasted with offers. He realized he screwed the pooch by setting the price too low and was missing out on a bigger payoff.
Also remember if you got through to the seller and have the first crack at it, be aware that the seller may have other people that also saw the ad laying in wait to get a shot at it. I know the guy I got mine from did.
The happy ending is Ian got his Blazer camper. It only needs a couple of things too. Other than being dirty it's in good shape.
Kolockum
Still Wandering
I had something similar in 2013 when I bought my Eagle. Really frustrating. Glad it worked out for your friend.
I just sold my Eagle earlier this month and within 12 hours (7pm to 7am) I had about 10 different people trying to set up a time to buy it. The first guy contacted me within 20 minutes. Because I didn't want to be a dick like the previous owner I went in the order the buyers contacted me. I had already set up a time with the first buyer when several people farther down the list offered between $500 and $1k over asking price if I would let them jump ahead (which I did not do).
It is really a cut throat right now.
I just sold my Eagle earlier this month and within 12 hours (7pm to 7am) I had about 10 different people trying to set up a time to buy it. The first guy contacted me within 20 minutes. Because I didn't want to be a dick like the previous owner I went in the order the buyers contacted me. I had already set up a time with the first buyer when several people farther down the list offered between $500 and $1k over asking price if I would let them jump ahead (which I did not do).
It is really a cut throat right now.
Mighty Dodge Ram
Senior Member
Honor is simply the morality of superior men. -H.L. Mencken
Glad to hear Ian got his camper!
Glad to hear Ian got his camper!
We had the same thing happen when we listed our Casita for sale last fall. We got swamped with inquiries and offers to buy sight unseen. It was hard to get folks to accept the fact that we were going to go down the list in order...and that no we would not take $1 more than we were asking (which we thought was a fair price). It sold to the first person that had reached out. Unfortunately....we sold it with a plan to just "pick up" another Eagle. Not so much. Because of the current frenzy, and that it has become such a cut throat market we are pretty much out on buying another Eagle now. We'll keep a casual eye out....but that's about it.Kolockum said:
How did we get here? Covid + low inventory + cabin fever? Not sure.
For one, the open pass through from the camper to the cab. Since the camper itself lacks a normal floor pack of a traditional slide in, it's also lighter. Combine that with a truck platform that isn't the normal late model cookie cutter setup (nothing against the new stuff BTW) with a modern fuel injected big block and solid axles, you got a unique ride that get deep in the boonies and have fun doing it.goinoregon said:
I think that is a very true point that people are stir crazy. These Blazer campers have a niche following for sure. I would say the Bronco and Scout versions have the same kind of following. I was looking for mine for a few years (well before covid too) and there was always the feeding frenzy type situation surrounding the sale of one of these campers. I missed out on others by hours to days.stclair said:
I managed to be first in line when I got mine. I tried to negotiate, but the seller reminded me that he had others coming that afternoon if I passed. The price he wanted for the camper alone was insanely low in the first place so I agreed on it. He turned away the rest after we agreed.
Part of the issue on why these unique campers go like they due to the lower than normal production models and they haven't produced any since 1996.
If you want to spend $28k for a first gen K5 with a FWC see the linkL:
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/d/oceanside-1970-chevy-blazer/7256686806.html
My buddy also found another first gen in Denver with a '77 FWC camper. Made an offer but the owner that hasn't moved the truck in 10 years seems to think it's worth $5k to $15k for some odd reason. The truck was nailed in the driver rear quarter panel pushing the tail light forward at the top a lot. Standard amount of rust on the Blazer and what would be expected as a really crusty side liner.
https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/d/oceanside-1970-chevy-blazer/7256686806.html
My buddy also found another first gen in Denver with a '77 FWC camper. Made an offer but the owner that hasn't moved the truck in 10 years seems to think it's worth $5k to $15k for some odd reason. The truck was nailed in the driver rear quarter panel pushing the tail light forward at the top a lot. Standard amount of rust on the Blazer and what would be expected as a really crusty side liner.
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