Potential Pop-Up TC.....Thoughts on a Hallmark Guanella?

[Baja_Man]

New to the group. My family (wife, teen, and young adult), currently camp in our 25' Outback TT. It is
a great family camper and suits are needs well. We have been campers for many years.

I am considering a used pop up TC for times when wife does not want to tag along on my fishing adventures (sometimes towing a boat). I found a used 2009 Guanella for sale. I went to see it last week. It's condition is well used, but not abused. Has AC, refer, stove, electric pop up, and whatever stock items were included. No black or gray tanks. It will need complete roof and sides reseal, cushions will need to be redone, and other misc repairs. Soft side vinyl does not appear to be torn anywhere. Asking $14,900.

My uses will primarily be West/Southwest in Summer, Spring and Fall (CA, NV, AZ, NM, OR, WA, ID). I have a 2003 Ford F-350, Crew Cab, V10, 2WD. I do not camp in areas requiring 4X4.

Thoughts on the asking price?
What should I look for in a used Guanella?
I am also considering used FWC Hawk models

Thanks!

[silversand]

After a search for all Outfitters now selling used in the US: the least expensive asking is $4,000 and that's for a 2005; then jumps to $10,000 for a 2002 (model matters). The weighted average asking for used Outfitter is: $18,012 USD.

For Hallmark pop-ups: the least expensive used asking is $3995 and its a gulp, 1997. All the 2001 and older Hallmark pop-ups are from $3995 to $8995. Anything above 2002 (18 years old and younger), the sky is the limit (so to speak: $10k and way above).....

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

I realize a Hallmark is a top-tier brand - but for something that's going to spend a lot of time sitting around.... I paid $3500 for a 2000 Northstar popup, and it was pristine. I don't feel the slightest twinge of guilt that it's sitting in the garage for 6 months 😉

If money was no object, though - the Guanella looks amazing 🙂

[silversand]

It will need complete roof and sides reseal

....do you mean re-caulking roof seams and camper shell walls? If so, you can do that in a day or 2 on your own for the cost of a gallon of Dicor, and 2 or 3 caulking tubes. If you mean that the roofing material needs replacement completely, that could be a bit expensive. Call the factory for a cost on that.

You say the pop-up soft-wall has no rips? That sounds pretty good. Just check every square inch for Weblon crazing; if crazed at 4 corner seams that can be patched with HH66 vinyl cement (RH Adhesives).

Used 2000 models are selling in the $14,000 range. Used 2009 ~ 2012 models sell in the $20,000+ range at the factory.

We have a 2005 OutfitterMFG 8-foot pop-up, and today in 2021, it looks near mint. I completely re-furbed the tub appx ~5 years ago, and replaced every screw in the camper with high-end stainless. The roof is original TPO in mint condition. Always stored in a heated indoor facility every winter. We will never sell it.

Hallmark is high-end pop-up. Their used prices hold for remarkable lengths of time (like Outfitter).

[Geewizard]

I like Hallmark's campers. I own an 2004 Outfitter Apex 8 and have yet to regret the purchase. It has a bathroom and shower.

[joerg68]

Well... like most (all?) of their campers, the Guanella is probably named after some landmark feature in their area.
In this case, the camper was likely named after Guanella Pass (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanella_Pass), which "was named in 1953 for Byron Guanella, a road supervisor and commissioner in Clear Creek County for nearly 50 years."

[mkirsch]

The name Guanella reminds me of bat excrement (guano).

Rough translation, "little piece of bat poo?"

[cptqueeg]

Baja Man wrote:
New to the group. My family (wife, teen, and young adult), currently camp in our 25' Outback TT. It is
a great family camper and suits are needs well. We have been campers for many years.

I am considering a used pop up TC for times when wife does not want to tag along on my fishing adventures (sometimes towing a boat). I found a used 2009 Guanella for sale. I went to see it last week. It's condition is well used, but not abused. Has AC, refer, stove, electric pop up, and whatever stock items were included. No black or gray tanks. It will need complete roof and sides reseal, cushions will need to be redone, and other misc repairs. Soft side vinyl does not appear to be torn anywhere. Asking $14,900.

My uses will primarily be West/Southwest in Summer, Spring and Fall (CA, NV, AZ, NM, OR, WA, ID). I have a 2003 Ford F-350, Crew Cab, V10, 2WD. I do not camp in areas requiring 4X4.

Thoughts on the asking price?
What should I look for in a used Guanella?
I am also considering used FWC Hawk models

Thanks!

There is a more recent guanella and others at Hallmarks used page. (scroll sll the way down)

Hallmark pre owned

[ISBRAM]

Hallmark builds a really high quality popup but you really want one with the one piece fiberglass roof and the composite wall construction like they build them now. I think about 2010? Look at their web page to see what I'm talking about.
They really hold their value, I sold our 2011 last spring for about 3k less than I paid for it new.

[JimK-NY]

The price seems very high, but is it what you want?

I would not buy a camper without a toilet, shower, etc. I would not buy one that had to be setup in order to be used or taken down to be moved.

[mkirsch]

$4900 sure. $14,900... the seller is crazy.

Never heard of a "Guanella" but the answer is the same for any 10+ year old camper. Look for EVERYTHING. Literally anything could be broken, worn out, etc..

[jimh406]

Baja Man wrote:
What comforts does the FWC provide that the the Hallmark does not?
How is it easier to handle?

Not more comforts, enough comforts for less money. Well outfitted popups with lots of features are almost as heavy or can be heavier than small hardsides.

Less features equals less money also means less weight which is easier to deal with no matter if you go with a shell or slidein, and less to break on rough roads.

I’m making the assumption that basically, you will be using the TC to sleep and cook meals. Otherwise, you will be out fishing. Not a lot of reason for a lot of creature comforts in that case.

[Baja_Man]

jimh425 wrote:
I’d probably go with a FWC stripped down model shell for just me or even a project M. Much easier to handle and all of the comforts I would need to flyfish rivers during most seasons.

What comforts does the FWC provide that the the Hallmark does not?
How is it easier to handle?

I'm just getting into FF, so those will be many of my TC adventure.

Again, I will be traveling primarily the Southwest (CA, NV, AZ, NM, UT) and this cover some pretty nice FF areas from what I have learned.

[jimh406]

I’d probably go with a FWC stripped down model shell for just me or even a project M. Much easier to handle and all of the comforts I would need to flyfish rivers during most seasons.

That being said, TCs are worth what you can get for them, and as most of us know, TCs are pretty expensive compared to any other RV type.

[cewillis]

For comparison, 2 years ago I sold my 2007 Outfitter Apex 8 for $13000. It was fully equipped (except for AC), significantly upgraded, and in pristine condition except for a few exterior bumps and bruises. Could most likely have gotten more but I was in a hurry.
So I don't think that Hallmark sounds like a good idea at all.