Way to find value/fair price?

[Suigin]

Hello all. I am looking at a '92 Lance 880 in my area listed at 4300. Awning, ac, roof box, and Onan microlite 2.5 are the only options I am sure of. RvNADA puts the value at ~1600. I know that KBB, NADA, and edmundsTMV can vary wildly from actual values depending on model and location. Does RvNADA have that same issue? I would be living out of this camper 9mo. a year with my dog, so I want something solid but not super expensive. It would be on a 2000 f350 PS longbed DRW. Would I need jack extensions? Thank you for your time and input

[SidecarFlip]

Grit dog wrote:
Values or prices vary so much on all older RVs because the condition can vary just as much. Just like your F350. Cherry, garaged by an old man for the last 15 years and low miles it's a $15k truck. 300,000 mile landscaper/plow truck rusted out, it's a $2000 truck.

Same thing.

I've been offered (last summer) 20 grand cash and I passed. Like my Triumph Motorcycle with the sidecar on it, everyone wants it. Neither are for sale.

[Grit_dog]

Values or prices vary so much on all older RVs because the condition can vary just as much. Just like your F350. Cherry, garaged by an old man for the last 15 years and low miles it's a $15k truck. 300,000 mile landscaper/plow truck rusted out, it's a $2000 truck.

Same thing.

[Suigin]

That is a very good tip. Thank you for the input

[SidecarFlip]

My opinion is, every used unit will have a certain amount of water intrusion damage, depending on if the owner stayed after the seals or not, however, slight damage is nothing compared to advanced rot, mold and fungus growing between the walls and outer skin.

Not all that hard to tell either.

Just look carefully where the walls join the floor, inside cabinets and especially inside cabinets and under the bedding in the cabover. If it's going to leak, it will leak first in the cabover area, thats where the rain pounds on it when it's going down the road and if they leak, thats the first spot.

Another real good way to determine if there is water intrusion and rot is use an infrared hand held thermometer and check the walls in the cabover and near the floor. Rotting wood and mold growth causes heating and a handheld digital thermometer will pick that right up.

If it has water intrusion, the next thing you need to determine is do you want to fix it or pass on the unit. Me, I'd pass. Refurbing a TC is not an easy job.

[SidecarFlip]

Even in damper climates where there are snowy winters, keeping a unit inside (like I do) really adds to the life. Mine stays inside when I'm not using it. They stay very nice for a long time that way.

[Suigin]

It would be spring summer fall living. I live in a rather inflated market for rvs, and with the f350 as my only vehicle am not in a hurry to gallivant around looking at options in neighboring states. I have a respectable amount of handyman ability so I don't mind a minor fixer-upper, but am definitely not looking for a project.

[slickrock_steve]

We only paid $1699 for her, and have used her to travel, and to visit 11 states of the western U.S.
When I have taken the aluminum loose, I found only some spotting of water damage, and no real soft spots, or broken joints. As has been said, it is a buyers market, but I also think you get what you pay for.

[slickrock_steve]

Not all campers are kept, and used in the wet parts of the country. Mine is a 1972, and has been over some of the roughest roads, and been repainted due to the chalking from desert sun. Yes, it has been bent from off road, and yes, it needs a bit more work on the wing where i backed a tractor a bit too close.....I also fixed the door to the gas bottle right after this pic

[pcoplin]

Yeah, make sure it's been 100 percent taken care of religiously. That old of camper, if not sealed regularly, will be rotted inside. I bought a 90ish Lance for $2400 that appeared solid, until one of the tie downs tore out. I opened the side and all of the wood was black rotted, and when I took out the cabover vent black water poured out onto the bed. I ended up parting it out and throwing that camper in the dump.

I bought an 01 for $6000 but it had had the wings rebuilt and was Filon sides so I could see that there were no bubbles or lifting.

[mellow]

If the camper has been overhauled lately then maybe, just maybe with low hours on that onan it would be worth that. For me to pay that it should have been stored in a barn/garage during non-use times and be in very good condition with the caulk and roof having been kept up with.

Honestly in the $2000ish price range you will be looking for a fixer upper that needs a new roof or has some minor damage that can be easily fixed.

Is that 9 months spring-summer-fall?

[midnightsadie]

I just seen a lance on a green truck for sale but I,m in northeast ohio ,and I know nothing about it,just passed it going home.

[Greg_B]

Be sure to measure the camper width at the rear of the camper to make sure it fits in the bed of your truck. They've narrowed up the tailgate opening on trucks since they built that camper and some older campers no longer fit.
The front of the camper is fine, its the part that sits behind the wheel wells that sometimes is to wide to fit in the newer trucks

[Suigin]

I had the feeling it was "aggressively" priced. I will go and look more thoroughly at it

[tattoobob]

with out looking it up and knowing all the options, what or if there is any rot or leaks, I would say $1600 to $2400 would be all I would pay Look it's a 92 there maybe some life left in it but not a lot and some things that will need fixing eventually