questions on purchasing a travel trailer

[ProudGrandma]

We are looking at used travel trailers.  We have been to a bunch of different dealerships.  We haven't found exactly what we want for the price that we want.  We totally know we won't find the "perfect" camper....but we aren't in a big hurry either...so we are willing to shop around. 

We often wonder if it's smarter to stick with a dealership or to look on FB marketplace and Craiglist for a camper.  I tend to lean towards the dealership, because they are supposed to fix and clean up everything before you buy it.  But, might we get a better deal (money wise) taking out the "middle man"?  

But we also have a camper to sell or trade in.  If we do the dealership, that is less messy.  

I also wonder if we are looking at the right or wrong time to make this purchase.  Does anybody know anything about that.  Is late winter to spring better? 

We live in a fairly remote area....so to drive to cities big enough to have camper dealerships is at least a 2 hour, but more like 3 hour drive....so it's not like we can just "pop in" and check their inventory.  We have been looking online too...but that's not the same as walking into a camper and seeing what it really feels like. 

Any tips on this process will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Katy]

The only advice I have is to be careful about buying in the winter, when the smell of mildew & water damage isn’t as obvious. It didn’t happen to me, but it happened to a friend. Luckily her husband loves projects because it was months of work to fix. 

[ProudGrandma]

45 minutes ago, Katy said:

The only advice I have is to be careful about buying in the winter, when the smell of mildew & water damage isn’t as obvious. It didn’t happen to me, but it happened to a friend. Luckily her husband loves projects because it was months of work to fix. 

good to know.  thanks...I never even thought of that.

[City Mouse]

In general, before Covid, inventory was better at the end of camping season. More people are looking to buy campers just before or at the beginning of camping season. When there is more inventory, then prices on used campers are somewhat lower. I don’t know if that is still the same now. 
 

My advice is too took for water damage everywhere in the unit. Check all storage spaces. Look for soft spots in the floor, walls, and ceiling. Climb up a ladder and look at the roof. Check for loose caulking everywhere- around tail lights, windows, any screws or bolts that go through the exterior surface. I’d even try to go shopping after a heavy rainstorm to look for damp spots. Can you tell that I got burned when buying a used travel trailer?