Buying a Used Scamp Isn't Simple
I spent three years looking at used Scamp trailers before I finally pulled the trigger on mine. I saw a lot of listings. I made a lot of mistakes. Most of them had problems the seller didn't mention. The fiberglass shells look solid from the outside, but the real issues hide in places that take actual effort to find. Here is what you need to check before you hand over money. When you type Scamp Trailer Near Me For Sale What They Dont Want You To Know into a search bar, the results will mostly show you polished photos and prices that seem reasonable. What the listings won't tell you is how many of those trailers have hidden water damage, worn suspension components, or roofs that are one heavy rainstorm away from leaking into your bedroom. I learned this the hard way after my first purchase fell apart within eight months.
Where to Actually Find Them
Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are the usual spots, but you will also find Scamps on DealerTrailer.com, Tiffin forums, and the dedicated Scamp trailer owners groups on Facebook. The private seller routes tend to have better pricing, but they also have fewer people willing to be honest about issues. Dealer listings cost more but sometimes come with a warranty or at least a basic inspection. The Scamp owner community is tight-knit. If you engage in their forums and let people know what you are looking for, you often hear about trailers before they hit the public listing sites. I picked up my current trailer because someone in the group knew I was looking and messaged me directly after their seller called it unfindable. That kind of lead never shows up in a basic search.
Scamp Trailer Near Me For Sale What They Dont Want You To Know
The phrase itself points to a truth most sellers want to keep buried. People looking for a Scamp near them are usually in a rush. They see a trailer that fits their location and budget and they want to move fast. Sellers know this. They list the good stuff and skip the bad. Your job is to slow things down and look properly. Start with the roof. I cannot stress this enough. Go up there with a flashlight and get on your hands and knees. Look at every seal around vents, the A/C unit, and the antenna mount. The factory sealant on these trailers degrades over time. You will see cracks, gaps, and areas where the sealant has pulled away from the fiberglass. A roof reseal runs about two to three hundred dollars in materials if you do it yourself, or six to eight hundred through a shop. Factor that into your offer immediately. Next, check the belly of the trailer. Remove the insulation panels inside the storage bays. Water loves to travel along the frame rails and pool underneath. I found a section of my first Scamp where the plywood subfloor was soft enough to sink my thumb into. The fiberglass shell above it looked pristine. Water enters through the wheel well seams and the front cap junction, then sits trapped against the wood. It takes two to four years to show obvious damage from the inside. By then the structural integrity is already compromised.
Get the Full Details
The suspension on earlier Scamp models, especially the 13-foot and 16-foot versions from the late nineties and early two thousands, uses leaf springs that crack. Inspect each leaf for separation or rust through. A full rearend replacement runs around nine hundred to twelve hundred dollars installed. Newer models use a torsion axleride system, which is better but not immune. Check for tire dry rot, uneven wear, and proper grease on the hubs.
The Plumbing System Is a Known Weak Point
Scamp trailers use PEX plumbing in newer builds and flexible vinyl tubing in older ones. The vinyl version becomes brittle over time and develops micro-cracks at every fitting. I replaced the entire plumbing system on my first trailer after discovering constant low pressure and damp insulation under the bathroom floor. The fix cost me about four hundred fifty dollars in parts and a full weekend of work. If you are looking at a pre-2005 model, plan on either doing this yourself or budgeting for it. Check the water pump. It should pressurize the system within ten seconds of turning it on. Listen for the priming cycle. If it cycles on and off repeatedly, there is a leak somewhere or the check valve is failing. The pump itself costs about eighty dollars, but diagnosing the real issue takes patience. I once chased a phantom leak for two weekends before finding a cracked line behind the dinette seat. The water had been dripping into the insulation for years without anyone noticing. The black tank flush connection is another spot that fails. The elbow joint underneath the trailer cracks from road vibration and temperature changes. Inspect it while you are underneath anyway. A replacement elbow runs about fifteen dollars. Neglecting it means your wastewater is leaking onto your touring gear every time you dump the tank.
Electrical Gremlins
Older Scamps have a simple 12-volt system powered by a small alternator-mounted charging unit. These charge poorly at idle and struggle to keep a house battery topped up while running appliances. If the trailer has been sitting for any length of time, the house battery may already be sulfated. Test it with a multimeter before you buy. Anything below twelve point four volts resting is suspect. Battery replacement runs one hundred fifty to three hundred dollars depending on whether you go AGM or lithium. The converters in these trailers are another failure point. The original Sears-branded units that came in early models are notorious for burning out. They also produce inconsistent voltage that damages LED lights and fries 12-volt devices over time. Upgrading to a modern universal converter like an Xantech or Goal Zero unit costs around two hundred fifty dollars but eliminates a whole category of problems. Worth building into your purchase negotiation.
Price Expectations and Negotiation Leverage
A clean 13-foot Scamp from the mid-two thousands in good condition runs roughly eight to twelve thousand dollars. The 16-foot models sit in the twelve to eighteen thousand range. The 20 and 22-foot versions go for eighteen to thirty thousand depending on year and condition. These prices assume no major issues. Every problem you find during inspection should be deducted from the asking price, plus an additional ten to fifteen percent buffer for hidden issues you haven't caught yet. Sellers often anchor high because they think Scamps hold value well, and they partially right. They do hold value better than most entry-level travel trailers. But that does not mean you should pay top dollar for something with known problems. Use your inspection findings as leverage. I once knocked fifteen hundred dollars off a asking price by documenting three separate roof seal failures and a cracked freshwater line during a single inspection. The seller accepted it without arguing because he knew I was right.
What to Do After You Buy One
Replace all the seals on the roof before your first trip, even if they look fine. Fresh sealant is cheap insurance. Inspect the wheel bearings every five hundred miles and repack them annually. The bearings on these trailers run hot and failing ones will strand you on a highway exit. I learned that lesson on I-90 in Washington state during a rainstorm with no cell service and a smoking hub. Join the Scamp trailer owners groups. The knowledge base there is deep and most members are willing to help with troubleshooting. You will learn things like how to source replacement belly pan gaskets, where to find aftermarket upgrades for the dinette cushions, and which RV shops actually know how to work on Scamp-specific issues instead of treating every trailer the same. The community is genuinely helpful, and that resource matters more than any single inspection checklist.
