Not Ranked
I don't want to rain on your parade and I hope that the trailer you have found is a great trailer at a great price...but I feel I need to share my experience with my first trailer purchase. The big red flag to me on your trailer deal is that it is not nearly enough money. I know that sounds contrary to the whole idea, but I think the main thing I discovered is that the trailer industry is VERY competitive. Everyone is trimming margins close in order to get your business. The result is, in trailer world even more than many other places, you get what you pay for. There is no free lunch.
When I was shopping for my first trailer I set a maximum budget of $5000 for a new trailer - not used. I could not get within a thousand dollars of this goal with the major players. I finally found a lesser known brand (which I am sorry, but I will not name) that could meet my budget. It was a 24' enclosed beavertail for $5000. It was part of a multi purchase commitment that the dealer had made to the manufacturer and hence the great price - it actually cost a few hundred dollars less than the same trailer in a 20 foot length. The specs on this trailer looked comparable on paper to the major players that cost one to two thousand more for the "same" trailer. I rationalized that I would not be putting many miles on the rig, going to only a few special events each year, and it would be a waste of money to buy a premium dollar product.
Well, I kept the trailer one year and put approximately 2500 hundred miles on it. During that one year of ownership I had to do the following:
1. Every piece of moulding trim in the interior curled and popped loose from the short staples that were supposed to hold it in place. I had to glue, screw and restaple all the trim. 2. I broke one running light lense. The lights were some Chinese made part, slightly different than what every light/lense available at every local trailer/RV/auto parts store. After six runaround phone calls and three months of the "parts are on the way" from the dealer I got the trailer from I finally gave up. I bought LED lights on line along with some spares and replaced every light on the trailer. 3. On one trip the roof vent cover blew off. I bought two different replacement lids, neither of which fit quite right and subsequently blew off. I finally had to replace the entire vent - frame and all - to solve the problem, 4. one of the three rear door/ramp hinges split open and broke. Again - attempts to acquire replacement parts through the selling dealer were useless. Parts were simply not available from the manufacturer. I went to a Pace dealer who determined a particular Pace hinge would not exactly match the other hinges, but would fit and work. He ordered the part from Pace, had it in hand 2 days later and repaired my trailer.
By now, I had spent enough money keeping my "great deal" trailer running that I could have bought an "expensive" trailer in the first place and avoided all the hassle. My confidence level in my "great deal" trailer was nil and I decided to sell. The good news is that I found a buyer that was essentially looking for static storage space and was willing to pay $5000. for my trailer. I learned my lesson and looked for a high quality, late model used trailer that fit my budget, and that's where I am today.
That's my personal story, FWIW, YMMV.
ps - I notice that the trailer you are looking at has spring axles. Be preparred for a really bouncy, rough ride for anything you haul. The torsion style axles are a much better choice for hauling our cars.
Again, I am not trying to be negative and I hope you have exactly the opposite experience from me if you decide to go this route, but when I saw your post I felt I needed to put my $00.02 worth in. GOOD LUCK!
-steve
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