Summer of 2019 we bought a vintage travel trailer, a 1972 Aristocrat Landmark (Thelma). Our intention wasn't really to get a vintage trailer but to find a used trailer with a floor-plan that worked for our family and didn't break the bank. We had a budget set to begin shopping on craigslist and local RV centers, and actually very quickly found several that appealed to us.
Because we were, and still are, very new to RVs, we began to talk to others looking for tips on how to buy a used trailer. We got a lot of great advise. Perhaps the most important thing we could pass along to anyone starting out, "make sure you take someone that knows trailers or motor homes very well when you tour a prospective unit." (We didn't do that, do as we say not as we did.) Its amazing the things you will miss just because you don't have experience with trailers or coaches. Just because you work on cars or flip houses doesn't mean much, RVs are their own beasts.
Back to Thelma, We did research before buying but really just didn't have the experience needed to make good decisions. Her pics on craigslist were great. No she isn't a classic curvy canned ham that everyone seems to go after, She was more earthy, she came from a time when style was giving way to function. She welcomed you in with light walls and comfortable warm tones. She felt like a cool summer's night parked on a northeastern beach with the with sun sitting behind you and a line cast out into the waves.
That's right, we lost objectivity.
We checked the things we know: what condition were the tires, the frame, was the floor solid, do the appliances work? Do the lights work? we asked questions about maintenance, did it ever leak?
What we didn't know was how to interpret what we saw and heard. And, as mentioned, we had lost our objectivity. She felt comfortable. We found a couple things wrong, tires were rotted, "the trailer was parked in the sun so it got to them". There was evidence of a leak in front cargo hatch, "the light leaked one year and we fixed it so should be good now, as it hasn't leaked since". A lot of people would blame the sellers for not fully disclosing their experiences while owning the trailer, but the responsibly really was on us to know what we were getting into.
We took Thelma out a couple times at the end of the summer and found things weren't adding up. The new floor wasn't installed correctly and pealed up, the "fresh" paint on the interior caused the veneer on the paneling to peal away. The light that was"fixed", it still leaks, along with the two vent stacks and refrigerator vent.
Before winter we caulked the areas that leaked, and set out on a plan to fix the light and repair what looked like minimal rot on the front of the trailer (in that cargo area under the broken marker light).
About 2 months ago, spring of 2020, the Season the Earth Stood Still. We started those repairs to get ready for a delayed camping season. We had material and some more knowledge, the youtube.com how to video kind. What could go wrong you say?
That's were this blog will really start.
We will have a few quick updates focused on what we found when we sat down and really started to get to know Thelma. (Getting caught up to where we are today. Get an idea of where she has been and where she may yet go. We'll try to share as much as we can about the things we learn along the way.
Thelma's journey, like so many others, didn't start the way we thought it would. But, we think it will be an adventure to share.
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