Need opinions on used 2004 25C.

Hi everyone,

My name is Brad, I live in Alberta.

First post here, but have been lurking on the website for a while getting info on these units.

I found the unit below for sale a few weeks back. The wife and I made a trip to take a look at it.

2004 HiLo 25c Up Down Camper | travel trailers, campers | Banff / Canmore | Kijiji

I checked over everything I could find that was suggested in these forums. Tires are in good shape, hydraulics are all okay, has new, last year, dual batteries, all cables are in good shape, no signs of deterioration or fraying, the bulb seal seems completely intact from what I could see, no warped panelling or soft spots that I could find. I crawled around on the roof, all the caulking looked good. Only thing I would do is re-seal the windows and they look like they could use it. All of the appliances work, no water leaks.

The only issue I am having, is the price. Hi-Lo trailers are few and far between here in Canada, so finding a baseline to judge pricing off of is hard. From what I can tell, the owner is asking too much, but it is hard to come in with an offer when I don't know exactly what it is worth.

I was hoping some of you on the forum can chime in with some helpful info for me too go on.

Thanks in advance!

Brad

Bmercer, dear husband and I have a 2509C Hi-Lo which is a 2009 25-foot Classic. When I checked NADA.com for price ranges for the 2004 25-foot Classic Hi-Lo you described (otherwise known as a 2504C) and as described in the advertisement you provided, that model number was not shown; therefore, I think the advertiser has shown the wrong model year. NADA shows for that year Classic Model Numbers M-2404LC 24 feet, M-2804C 28 feet, and M-3104C 31 feet.

If the owner can provide the correct model year by looking on the lower right-hand side of the camper, the price range can be determined.

Dee
Summerville, SC

The fact that this unit is in Canada complicates things too. With the current exchange rate, they're asking about $11,300 US dollars. This seems high to me for a trailer that is 11 years old. But, these trailers MAY be more expensive north of the border - I just don't know.

I think Dee's advice is sound - try to determine the correct model year.

- Jack

Try looking at the brochures in the reference library, maybe you can match the year and model in one of them.

I have two thoughts, neither based on book values.

One thought is don't worry about offending them, offer what it's worth to you and stick to it. Personally I wouldn't exceed half that amount. My second thought is you can purchase many fine campers for that amount of asking $ so don't be afraid to look at other places and brands.

Jack, WOW. You mean that Canadians now need to pay approximately CA $1.33 to acquire one U. S. Dollar? It's going to be tough this year for them to travel as snowbirds in the U.S. I blog with a lot of Canadians who leave the frigid north for the Rio Grand Valley and Mexico. They have been complaining about the exchange rate, but I never knew it had gotten that bad. Also, the cost of gas within the last year in Mexico has far surpassed U.S. prices.

Dee

I talked to the owner and got some more info. Turns out it is actually a 2006 model year. That would explain why I was having issues finding information on this model.

And yes the Canadian dollar is awful right now, which is too bad as there are a lot more options for trailers getting them out of the US.

I ended up finding a Canadian listings which had the trailer priced at $9500 at a dealer, so I am sure Wrascal probably isn't too far of that an offer of somewhere under $10,000 is reasonable.

I have spent some time looking in other places and at other brands, the reason we are looking for a new trailer is our previous one, a 2005 Fleetwood Terry, was written off by insurance this spring due to water damage. This has made me shy away from regular travel trailers, the the quality construction just isn't there. Also we do a lot of long distance travelling pulling a trailer and any break on fuel consumption would be a bonus.

After looking through some more kijiji ads, to get a 25 foot trailer in similar years seems to go for approximately 8-12,000 here.

I will be sending an email off to the owner to see if he is willing to make a deal.

Thanks for the help everyone. If I end up making a deal on this trailer I am sure I will have many more posts on this forum.

Yup, the US dollar is STRONG again Dee. Here's a link to the currency converter I used: https://www.google.com/search?q=US+Canadian+exchange+rate&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 You nailed the rate!

Looks like this is a good time for us to travel internationally.

- Jack

I have never used the nada guides before, how reliable is the pricing on them? Did a quick search on there and it gave me prices from about 14,000 t0 17,000, which in my opinion seems extremely high.

Other members on the forum have said the NADA prices are higher than they should be. Trailer pricing is like anything else, it's what the market will bear If the owner has overpriced it, it won't sell until he's willing to come down.

Don't be in a rush - drive a hard bargain. Selling and buying is somewhat of a diplomatic compromise. Neither side gets exactly what they want in most cases.

Edit: I just priced ours on NADA and got between $7000 and $9000 (US). But those are retail prices. I think in a private sale, the price should be lower.

- Jack

We are also interested in a Hilo trailer. We live in BC and have seen the one in Ontario advertised for $8,900. If it was not so far away from us we would likely check it out. The asking price on the one in Canmore turned us off it.

There is a Hilo for sale in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island on Kijiji 23 Foot HI-LO Hard Sided Travel Trailer | travel trailers, campers | Port Alberni | Kijiji that may be of interest to you. We may check it out sometime soon.

Julie

I sent the owner in Canmore the link to the one in Ontario, and a few links to similar units in the US, advised him that his asking price is far too high, I will see what he comes back with. He seemed very set on his price when I talked to him but we will see.

I had not seen the one in Port Alberni, but for us it is too far of a drive. It does really shine some light on the pricing of the one in Canmore though.

Thanks for everyones help. Looks like the search will continue. If the Canadian dollar ever decides to come back it opens up more options to purchase out of the US.